Part Nine Acts 3:19-26

Acts 3:19-26 Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may

Acts 3:19-26 send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His

Acts 3:19-26 holy prophets from the ancient time. Moses said, “The Lord God shall raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed in

Acts 3:19-26 everything He says to you. And it shall be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.”

Acts 3:19-26 And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days.

Acts 3:19-26 It is you who are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, “And in your seed all the families of the

Acts 3:19-26 earth shall be blessed.” For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.

After Peter shares Christ with everyone who will listen, he then proclaims the necessity of repentance.

Throughout history, God’s spokesmen have called sinners to repentance.

God told Jeremiah to say the following to a rebellious Israel.

Jeremiah 8:4-7 And you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord, Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not repent? Why then has this people,

Jeremiah 8:4-7 Jerusalem, turned away in continual apostasy? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return. I have listened and heard, they have spoken what is not

Jeremiah 8:4-7 right; saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turned to his course, like a horse charging into the battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her seasons; and

Jeremiah 8:4-7 the turtledove and the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration; but My people do not know the ordinance of the Lord.”

God told Ezekiel to say the following to a rebellious Israel.

Ezekiel 14:6 Therefore say to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God, Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.”

II Kings 17:13-15 summarizes the sad history of God’s dealings with a rebellious people.

II Kings 17:13 Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah, through all His prophets and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My com-mandments, My statutes

II Kings 17:13 according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.”

II Kings 17:14 However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God.

II Kings 17:15 And they rejected His statutes and His covenant which He had made with their fathers, and His warnings with which He warned them.

II Kings 17:15 And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the Lord had commanded them not

II Kings 17:15 to do like them.

God’s message didn’t change in the New Testament.

John the Baptist came preaching repentance.

Jesus preached repentance.

The disciples preached repentance.

Paul characterized his ministry as one of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Look at what he says standing before Agrippa in Acts 26.

Acts 26:19-23 “Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at

Acts 26:19-23 Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds

Acts 26:19-23 appropriate with repentance. For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death. And so having obtained help from

Acts 26:19-23 God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ

Acts 26:19-23 was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He should be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

And the message still hasn’t changed.

Jesus gave us a wonderful illustration of repentance in the story of the two sons.

Matthew 21:28 But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, “Son, go to work today in the vineyard.”

Matthew 21:29 And he answered and said, “I will, sir”; and he did not go.

Matthew 21:30 And he came to the second son and said the same thing. But he answered and said, “I will not”; yet he afterward regretted it and went.

Matthew 21:31 Which of the two did the will of his father? They said, “The latter.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax-gatherers and harlots will get into the

Matthew 21:31-32 kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax-gatherers and harlots did believe

Matthew 21:32 him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.”

The second son not only changed his mind but also changed his behavior.

God longs for us to repent and He even gives us four specific prompts to respond.

Promptings Knowledge of the truth Sorrow for sin God’s kindness The fear of judgment

Knowledge of the truth!

Luke 16:29 But Abraham said, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.”

Luke 16:30 But he said, “No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!”

Luke 16:31 But he said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.”

And what about John 8:31-32.

John 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of mine;

John 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Sorrow for sin!

2 Corinthians 7:9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according

2 Corinthians 7:9 to the will of God, in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.

2 Corinthians 7:10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

God’s kindness!

Romans 2:3 And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the

Romans 2:3 judgment of God?

Romans 2:4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

The fear of judgment!

Acts 17:30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent,

Acts 17:31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men

Acts 17:31 by raising Him from the dead.

In the first part of his sermon, Peter provided an abundance of evidence that they were wrong about Jesus.

Now he’s calling them to repent, reverse their decision and place their faith in Him.

To help them with the process, he shares some promised results.

Promised Results God will forgive your sin The kingdom will come The Messiah will return You will be prepared Blessings will be realized

He promises them: God will forgive your sin!

Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

The KJV says, “Repent and be converted!”

The word for converted means return.

G1994 ἐπιστρέφω ep-ee-stref'-o To revert (literally, figuratively or morally): - come (go) again, convert, (re-) turn (about, again).

The KJV continues with, “that your sins may be blotted out.”

G1813 ἐξαλείφω ex-al-i'-fo To smear out, that is, obliterate (erase tears, figuratively pardon sin): - blot out, wipe away.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

He promises them: The kingdom will come!

Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

Isn’t it nice to know that we can experience a glimpse of His kingdom right now?

Are you ready for times of refreshing?

G403 ἀνάψυξις an-aps'-ook-sis A recovery of breath, that is, (figuratively) revival: - revival.

Though we may experience a refreshing moment or two upon the earth…

…there is an appointed time for true and total refreshing.

Ezekiel said we would experience showers of blessing.

Ezekiel 34:25a And I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land…

Ezekiel 34:26 And I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing.

Ezekiel 34:27 Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit, and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land.

Ezekiel 34:27 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

Isaiah saw the kingdom as a time when God will pour out water on all that is thirsty.

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My spirit on your offspring,

Isaiah 44:3-4 and My blessing on your descendants; and they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water.

Joel gives a description of the coming kingdom as a time of great satisfaction.

Joel 2:26 And you shall have plenty to eat and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you;

Joel 2:26-27 then My people will never be put to shame. Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is no other…

He promises them: The Messiah will return!

Acts 3:20-21 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God

Acts 3:21 spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from the ancient time.

There can be no kingdom without the King!

The King is coming back!

He will establish His throne.

We will do things His way!

We will follow His instructions.

Matthew 23:39 From now on you shall not see Me until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

He will not return until after Israel repents and acknowledges Him as their Messiah.

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they

Zechariah 12:10 have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first born.

If it’s been a while since you’ve spent time with Zechariah 12:10 – 14:9; you might want to do that.

Zechariah 14:9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.

He promises them: You will be prepared!

Acts 3:22 Moses said, “The Lord God shall raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed in everything He says to you.

Acts 3:23 And it shall be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.”

Because you’ve been learning His ways and practicing them, you will be fully prepared to obey His every command.

But everyone who thinks they have a better way and walks in disobedience will be utterly destroyed.

And all the Prophets have shared these truths from the very beginning.

Acts 3:24 And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days.

He promises them: Blessings will be realized!

Acts 3:25 It is you who are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, “And in your seed all the families of the

Acts 3:25-26 earth shall be blessed.” For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.

Peter closes on a hopeful note.

God’s covenant with Abraham found its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

He is the seed of Abraham in whom all the families of the earth will be blessed.

That blessing is still available.

Luke 24:45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

Luke 24:46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day,

Luke 24:47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Romans 11:1 I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and

Acts 1:8 even to the remotest part of the earth.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

John 4:21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father.

John 4:22 You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

John 4:23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His

John 4:23-24 worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship is spirit and truth.”

So let’s make it personal.

Are we ready to repent and return?

Will we become rooted and grounded in His love for us?

Will we become totally convinced that His way is best?

Will we be transformed by His word?

Will we be filled and led by His Spirit?

The time is now!

Amen!