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Acts 3:19 A CALL TO REPENTANCE

 

Introduction:

 

    Through the ministry of Peter and John the Lord healed a lame man at one

of the gates of the temple.  A large crowd of people gathered around them in

amazement.  The Apostle Peter took advantage of this opportunity to tell them

that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ of God.  He told them that the death of

Jesus on the cross was in the plan of God so that lost sinners could be saved. 

    In this text Peter calls upon the people to repent and be saved. 

 

I. The basis of Peter’s call for the people to repent

 

     V. 19, “Repent ye therefore...”  The word, therefore, refers back to the

things that had already been said.  It refers back to the guilt of the people,

who had taken a major part in the crucifixion of Jesus.  The people had joined

with the Jewish leaders in pressuring Pilate to order the crucifixion of Jesus. 

Back in verse 13 Peter called Jesus “the Son of God.”  In verse 14 he referred

to Jesus as “the Holy One” and as “the Just One.”  In verse 15 he told them that

they had killed “the Prince of Life.”  Thus, Peter not only pointed out to them

that they were guilty of sin, but they were guilty of an extremely enormous sin. 

They had crucified the very Son of God, the Christ, the Savior of men.  It was

on the basis of the guilt of the people that Peter called upon them to repent. 

There is no need for one to repent unless he is guilty.  These people were

guilty.  They needed to repent. 

    The word, therefore, as used in this verse also refers back to the obvious

great power of the Lord.  The man who had been born lame and who for more than

forty years had been unable to walk,  had been miraculously healed and was there

before the people walking and leaping and praising God.  It was very obvious

that some mighty power had made him whole.  The Apostle Peter had informed them

that it was not his power that made the man whole.  He also informed them that

it was not by John’s power that the man was made whole.  Peter declared to them

that it was by the authority and power of Jesus,  whom they had crucified, that

this man was made whole.  He told them that even though they had killed Jesus,

God had raised Him from the dead.  It was the power of Jesus which had healed

this man and made him to walk.  Since Peter, who was directly involved in the

healing, said that it was Jesus who had made this man whole, how could the

people deny it?  How could they even doubt it?  To those people, it was obvious

that Jesus, who had worked so many miracles during His ministry, had come back

to life and had now worked another miracle before them.  He had worked this

miracle without even being bodily present with them.  What mighty power He

possessed!  It was on the basis of the Lord’s mighty power that Peter called

upon them to repent.  The same power that had healed this man could now save

them from their sin. 

    The word, therefore, as used in this verse also refers back to the

people’s ignorance of the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  Back

in verse 17 Peter had told them that he was aware that they did not know that

Jesus is the Son of God.  HE was aware that they had committed this sin in

ignorance.  Peter used their ignorance to impress upon them that it was possible

for them to be forgiven of their sin. 

    The word, therefore, as used in our text also refers back to the fact that

it had been in the plan of God for Jesus to die on the cross.  Back in verse 18

Peter stated that all of the prophets of the Old Testament had prophesied of the

death of Jesus.  God the Father not only knew about it in advance, but it was

God who had planned it.  It was God’s will  for Jesus to die on the cross.  The

people who were involved in putting Him  to death were guilty of a heinous sin,

but God purposed to use their evil deed to provide a way whereby all men could

be saved.  It was through the suffering that Jesus endured on that cross that

now they could be saved from the penalty of their sins. 

    It was on the basis of the fact that Jesus had suffered and died on the

cross that the Apostle Peter could now call upon them to repent and be saved. 

 

II.  What was involved in the call to repentance

 

    As I have already said, the word, repent, implies guilt on the part of the

people.  If one is not guilty he has nothing of which to repent.  These people

were guilty and they very much needed to repent.   

    The word, repent, requires a change.  It requires a whole new attitude, a

whole new frame of mind.  They would have to see themselves in a new light. 

They had looked upon themselves as being righteous.  They had somehow been able

to rationalize their sin and to see themselves as being good people in the eyes

of God.  That had to change.  They would have to see themselves as guilty of a

very wicked deed .  They would have to see themselves as being unworthy of

heaven.  They would have to see themselves as deserving the most severe

punishment that a Holy God can bring upon them. . 

    They would also have to see God in whole new light.  They needed to see

that God is so high and so Holy and so Righteous that He must punish every sin. 

God would not just ignore their sin.  God could not just overlook the fact that

they had crucified His Son.  God is Holy and sin must be punished.  Their sin

must be punished.  In order for God to forgive them He had to lay their

punishment on somebody else who would willingly suffer in their stead.  That is

why Jesus went to the cross.  Jesus went to the cross in order that they might

not have to suffer the penalty of their sin.  If they would repent of their sin

and place their faith in Jesus to save them from their sin, then God would count

the suffering which Jesus did on the cross as payment for their sin. 

    The truth of this is also to be seen in the meaning of the word,

converted.  V. 19, “...and be converted...  The word, converted, means “To be

changed.”  They needed to be turned to a completely new direction.  They had

been going in the wrong direction.  They had been going against God.  They had

not been against religion.  They had been very deeply involved in religion, but

they had been going against God.  They had pitted themselves against the very

Son of God.  They had rejected Jesus as the Son of God.  They had crucified Him

who is the very Son of God. 

    They needed to make a complete change.  They needed to turn toward God and

to bve in harmony with the thinking of God and with the will of God.  They

needed to stop working against the Son of God.  They needed to accept Jesus as

the Son of God because He is the Son of God.  They needed to trust Him as their

Savior. 

    They needed a complete change of their inner spirit.  This kind of change

can only come by being born again on the inside.  Their inward spirit must be

born again.  Jesus had said that except a man be born again he cannot enter into

the kingdom of God.  But if they would only turn to Jesus and place their faith

in Him to be their Savior, then they would be born again.  They would enter into

the kingdom of God.

   

III.  The result of repentance

 

     (V. 19), “...that your sins may be blotted out...”  I want to call

special attention to that word, sins.  It is not a singular word referring only

to their sin of killing the Christ.  It is a plural word which includes not only

their sin of killing Jesus, but all of their other sins as well.  Let me say to

you that it was no small blessing just to have God to forgive their sin

involving the crucifixion of the Son of God.  That alone is a marvelous thing. 

But just think!  It involved all the sins they would ever commit.  It involved

all the sins of their past life.  It involved all the sins they had committed

and all the sins they would ever commit.  It involved all of the sins of their

past, present and future. If all of their sins were not blotted out then they

would still end up in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.  If God did not blot out

all of their sins then the Apostle Peter did not tell the truth about the

matter. 

    I am persuaded that Peter told it just like it really is.  I am persuaded

that Peter meant that if they would repent of their sin and trust in Jesus as

the Christ that all of their sins would be blotted out. 

    I especially like that expression “blotted out.”  Their sins would not be

just  swept under a rug and temporarily overlooked only to be brought up against

them at a later time.  They would not ever be brought up against them in the

judgment. 

    They would not just be scratched through.  I know that sometimes in my

writing that I will scratch through a line and start over again.  But I can

still read the line that I scratched through.  But the Lord would not just

scratch through the sins of those people.  He would completely blot them out. 

He would even blot them out of His memory so that they will never be brought up

again at the judgment.  They would not be brought up ever again. 

    (V. 22), when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the

Lord;”  Once again I call to your attention a plural form of a noun.  Note the

plural word “times.”  To those people to whom Peter spoke it meant that there is

a time of spiritual refreshment at the time when they would first realize that

they were truly saved.  When their burden of guilt was lifted and they realized

that they would spend eternity with God in glory, that would truly be a time of

rejoicing.  There would no longer be a great fear and dread of the judgment. 

There would be peace in the soul.  This is a great experience. 

    Yet there would be other times of refreshing ahead.  In those times when

they would become depressed because of the pressures of the world about them,

they would be able to turn to the Lord for strength and consolation and the Lord

would bring a time of spiritual refreshing. 

    Then there is the great time which all Christians look forward to.  There

will be the time when Jesus comes again and calls our physical bodies out of the

grave and we will be victorious over death and the grave.  This will be a great

and marvelous time of refreshing. 

    Another great time of refreshing will be in the millennial reign of Christ

when Jesus takes His place on a throne in Jerusalem from which He will rule the

world.  I think this will be a great time of refreshing for all the redeemed. 

    Still yet there will be other great times of refreshing.  For instance

there will be the time when the Lord will melt this old world with fervent heat

and make a new earth and a new universe.  That great city, the Holy City New

Jerusalem, a city not made with hands, will come down from God out of heaven and

God will sit upon His throne in that city and dwell upon the new earth with the

redeemed of all the ages.  That will be something spetacular to see and that

will be a time of great refreshing. 

    I really do not know just what events will take place after that, but I

read in Ephesians that in the ages to come God will show us the exceeding riches

of His glory.  So I take it that there will be great times of refreshing

throughout all the eternal ages.  

 

IV.  The need for lost sinners to repent today

 

    Just as there was a great crowd of people in that day listening to the

Apostle Peter who needed to repent and get saved, even so there are great hoards

of people in our world today who need to repent and get saved. 

    The Bible declares that we have all sinned and come short of God’s holy

standard of perfection.  We have sinned in many many ways.  We have sinned many

many times.  We have not only come short of perfection.  We have come short of

anything close to good.  The Bible says that all of our righteousness is as

filthy rags in the sight of God.  There is no way under the sun that we deserve

to go to heaven.  There is every reason in the world why we deserve to spend

eternity suffering for our sin.

    But thank God we have an opportunity to repent of our sin and be saved. 

We have an opportunity to have all of our sins blotted out.  And I do mean all

our sins.  I read in I John 1:7 that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses the

repentant sinner, the believer in Jesus Christ, from every sin. 

    We can make a complete turn about by repenting of our sin and calling on

Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation.  We can be converted.  We can be

born again inwardly.  When we call upon Jesus Christ and trust in Him for

salvation.  He will hear our prayer and He will save us from our sin.    

    And when anyone does call on Jesus and trusts in Him to save his soul a

time of great refreshing will come.  There will be joy that your sins are

forgiven.  There will be joy that your soul is saved.  There will be joy that

you will stay out of the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.  There will be joy that you

will spend eternity in glory with God. 

    I want to say to you that I have trusted Jesus Christ to save my soul and

I know I will be in heaven because I trusted my destiny into the hands of Jesus

Christ.  There are others here this morning who also rejoice greatly because

they, too, have trusted in Jesus and they are saved. 

    But there may be someone  here this morning who has never had that

experience of calling on Jesus and asking Him for salvation.  If so, you have

never had the assurance in your heart that you will spend eternity with Jesus.  

Oh, I know that you can say to me that you live just as good as I do.  Or you

may be able to point to some other Christian and say, “I live just as good as he

or she does.”  But that will not get you into heaven.  If you are ever going to

get to heaven, you are going to have to acknowledge to God that you are an

unworthy sinner.  And you are going to have to call upon the Lord Jesus Christ

and trust in Him to save your soul and take you to heaven. 

 

Conclusion:

 

    Are you ready for the judgment day?  If not, are you ready to get ready? 

Will you come thing morning repenting of your sin and trusting in Jesus Christ

to save your soul? 

    If you have already trusted in Jesus Christ and you are already saved, are

you pleased at the way you are serving the Lord?  Do you think the Lord is

pleased at the way you are serving Him?  If not, will you come this morning and

yield your life to Him?  If you are saved and you are in need of a church home,

then come and make Pleasant Hill your home.