Peter Speaks to the OnlookersMy Understanding: A man who was crippled from birth was carried to the temple gate each day to beg from those going into the temple courts. One day the man saw Peter and John about to enter the gate, and he asked them for money. I love Peter’s response to the man. He said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong, he jumped to his feet and he began to walk. The disciples saw beyond this beggar’s surface need of money to see what he truly needed. He needed to walk so he could earn his own money, and would not have to beg for a living, but the need was even greater than that. He needed Jesus! Peter exclaimed to the people that it was by faith in the name of Jesus Christ that this man was healed and made strong. He said, “It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”
11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
17 “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’
24 “Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
…Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.’
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
John 3:16 states that “God so loved the world that he gave his One and Only Son, that whoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life.” And, truly that is our greatest need. And, this passage gives the perfect definition for us of how we should love others, too, with that agape-type love. We are to love others so much that we are willing to give of our own lives – time, energy, reputations, resources, etc. – to meet their legitimate needs. Sometimes, I think, we can get so focused on meeting surface needs (or wants) that we fail to meet people’s true heart need of the love of God in their lives, as shown through our lives and as witnessed to them through the sharing of God’s truths found in the Bible. In fact, sometimes if we only meet surface needs or wants and fail to see what people really need – Jesus Christ and his salvation - we may leave them spiritually and emotionally crippled and always begging to have their surface needs (or wants) met. So, I believe we need to ask the Holy Spirit of God to make us sensitive to what people truly need and to meet those legitimate needs with what resources he has given to us, mainly his love.
Peter explained to the people who this Jesus was (and is) in whose name this man was healed. He was the one they had handed over to the authorities to be killed. They had disowned Jesus before Pilate, who had decided to let Jesus go. Not only had they disowned one of their own, but they disowned the “Holy and Righteous One” and asked that a murderer be released to them, instead. Wow! Peter was telling them that they chose to set a murderer free while they condemned, not only an innocent man, but God Almighty to death. He told them they had killed “the author of life,” who is God Almighty. So, not only was Peter telling them that they did this to Jesus, a man, but they did this to God, because Jesus is God, because only God is the “author of life” and the “Holy and Righteous One.” They did not kill God as in killing his Spirit, but they put his human form to death on the cross. Yet, God the Father raised the Son, Jesus, from the dead, so that by faith in Jesus Christ we could be set free from the control of sin over our lives and we could be resurrected to new life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. And, this happened to fulfill scripture.
Then, Peter went on to explain how one comes to faith in Jesus Christ. He said, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” So many times throughout the New Testament this same message is repeated over and over and over again, including from Jesus himself, and yet many today still teach and believe that repentance and obedience to God are not necessary for salvation. It blows my mind that so many in public ministry can totally ignore these Biblical mandates concerning God’s salvation. This is not works-based salvation. We did nothing in ourselves to earn God’s grace. It was freely provided to us through Jesus’ death on the cross and via his resurrection when he conquered sin and death, and yet to believe in Jesus means to turn from our sin and to turn to God in obedience to his commands, and this is the working of the Holy Spirit of God within the life of one who truly believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior.
Peter said that the result of this kind of faith, that involves repentance and turning to God, is first of all that one’s sins would be wiped out (forgiven). Don’t expect forgiveness of your sins if you are not willing to come to God in repentance and to turn from your sin and to turn to God in obedience to his commands. This is essential! And, when you do, not only will you be forgiven and be given eternal life with God and be set free from the control sin has had over your life, so that you can be free to walk in obedience to our Lord, but “times of refreshing” will come to you from the Lord. Refresh means “revive, rejuvenate, restore, recharge, regenerate, renew, restart and revitalize.” This is speaking of our new birth in Jesus Christ when the Holy Spirit of God comes within us to make us new creatures in Christ Jesus our Lord and he does a heart transformation within us so that we desire no longer to live according to the ways of the world and allowing for our fleshly desires to rule our lives, but our desire now is to live for Jesus Christ and to walk humbly before him all our days.
One day Jesus is going to come back to earth to judge the world and to receive to him his own, and then we will be perfectly at rest with him in his eternal kingdom, and sin will no longer even tempt us – amen! I pray that as we watch and wait for his soon return that we will live lives worthy of the calling we have received of him and we will daily repent of sin and find his refreshing (renewal) in our lives to live holy unto him, forsaking sin and the things of this world, and seek daily his will and his purposes for our lives in being completely committed to him as his obedient servants. There we will know these times of refreshing.
Rest for the Weary / An Original Work / April 23, 2011
Rest for the weary; peace for the soul;
Light in the darkness; mercy untold;
Perfect salvation; pardoned and free,
For Jesus died so that all may believe.
While we are waiting for Your return,
Jesus, Redeemer, let our hearts yearn
For your soon coming to get Your bride,
Washed in Your blood, having been sanctified.
Father, Son, Spirit, all three in One
Giveth salvation through redemption;
Jesus provided the sacrifice,
For our sins blood bought, for He paid the price.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/rest-for-the-weary
Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLoMT5ZqB9g
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