Men of Israel, Listen Up
Tom Shrader walks through Peter's second sermon in Acts 3, tracing three recurring themes in Peter's preaching: the horrific nature of the crucifixion, the inseparable resurrection, and the power of the risen Lord. Peter confronts his Jewish audience with their role in handing over and denying Jesus—even as Pilate declared Him innocent—and points to the healing of the lame man as evidence of Christ's name and power. Shrader applies Peter's call to repentance directly to listeners, explaining that guilt over sin is meant to drive people toward Christ, whose forgiveness blots out sin and brings genuine life transformation.
“We cannot talk about the good news of the gospel when we talk about the reality of the bad news.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: Acts
Recorded: 1999 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 40 min
Themes: repentance, forgiveness, the cross, resurrection, guilt, sin, evangelism, transformation, struggling with guilt, new believer, seeking forgiveness, questioning faith, young adult, feeling unworthy, skeptic, returning to faith
Scripture: Acts 2:37, Acts 2:42, Acts 3:12-26, Acts 4:1, Acts 4:27, Acts 4:30, Acts 9, Acts 17, Isaiah 42, Matthew 12:18, Luke 23:4, Luke 23:34, John 18:38, John 19:4, John 19:6, 1 Corinthians 15, Colossians 2:13-14, 1 Thessalonians 4:18, Psalm 51
Theological Themes: soteriology, atonement, resurrection power, kerygma, gospel proclamation, justification, redemption, sanctification
Full Transcript
Introduction: Peter's Second Sermon
Grab your Bibles and open them to Acts chapter 3, where we see Peter's second sermon. In Acts chapter 2, Peter delivers a powerful message and 3,000 people respond as God changes their hearts. Acts chapter 2, verse 42 gives us the provision and direction for the birthing of the church. He said there are four activities we ought to be about: the apostles' teaching, breaking of bread, prayer, and fellowship. These are fundamentals to the church — fundamentals for every church, for every day, and in every age.
As I prepared for this lesson, it occurred to me that we see in Peter's second sermon great similarities to the first. There are three themes that continue through Peter's message. The first is the horrific nature of the crucifixion. Peter kept it very fresh in the minds of his listeners in Acts chapter 2, and again in Acts chapter 3, he says in verses 13 and 14, speaking to the Jews, that they are the ones who delivered up Jesus, that they denied Jesus, and that they asked for a murderer to be granted to them instead of Jesus. There is almost a criminality we see as we look at these words — not just the agony of the crucifixion itself, but all that surrounds it: the intent and the heart of the Jews.
The second theme is what might be called the Siamese twins of the New Testament: the crucifixion never separated from the resurrection. Peter says, "Indeed, you are the one who killed the prince of life, but God raised Him from the dead." As horrific and as criminal as the crucifixion is, it is attached to the resurrection of Christ. It is out of the great hurt and pain of the crucifixion that we see the glorious resolve and victory of the resurrection.
With that comes the third theme in Peter's preaching: the power of the risen Lord. Peter said, you killed the Prince of life whom God raised from the dead, and we are witnesses of that — not just witnesses of that event, but if you need evidence of what it means to understand resurrection power, all you have to do is look at us. I mention these three items as part of a pattern we see in Peter's teaching, and in Paul's teaching as well, because it is the same pattern we ought to see in our own teaching. There should be a continuing focus on the horrific nature of the crucifixion, on the glorification and vindication that comes in the resurrection, and on the life-changing power that accompanies that resurrection. These are the things on Peter's mind as he begins to deliver this second sermon.
The Setting: A Healing at the Temple
Acts chapter 3, verse 12 reads: "So when Peter saw it, he responded, 'Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we made this man walk?'" We need to remember the context. Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray. It was about three in the afternoon. There was a man there who was begging — a man who had been lame all of his life, begging at the gate. He looked to Peter and begged, and Peter said, "I don't have silver and I don't have gold to give you, but what I do have I will give to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Rise and walk."
And the man does exactly that. As Peter reached down and helped him up, the power flowed through his body to his ankles, to his feet. He is healed. He begins to walk, then begins to leap, then begins to praise God. There is a magnificent commotion that breaks out — not just touching this man's life, but the lives of all the people around him. The word begins to spread, and it is in that context that Peter speaks.
Peter's Response to the Crowd
When the text says Peter saw it, what did he see? First, he saw the effect of the healing itself — he saw that it was beginning to affect the people around them. Second, he saw their reaction to it. It was a wake-up call, a moment of attentiveness. In the terminology we would use today, it was a teachable moment, and Peter sensed that. What he also saw was the people beginning to turn their adoration toward Peter and John rather than toward the Lord. This is the same thing Barnabas and Paul experienced later in the book of Acts, as God began to work through them and people began to flock to them.
To Peter's great credit, he says, "It's not us." He sees what is happening and, at that very moment, he launches into this powerful message. "Men of Israel" — that is his audience. There is no way we can understand the rest of this sermon without understanding that it is laced with Old Testament teaching, that he is speaking primarily to a Jewish audience. That is why the references to the Old Testament are so prominent.
He asks two things: Why do you marvel at this? Don't you remember what God has done in the past? You know your history. You know the Old Testament. You have seen God work, and more recently you have seen Him work through the person of Christ. Why are you surprised that we, as followers of Christ, as apostles, have been given this power? And as significant a mistake as that is, why do you look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we made this man walk? Peter resisted any temptation, in any way, shape, or form, to draw attention to himself — and what a temptation that would have been. What a great moment it would have been for Peter to say, let's get a mailing list, let's get a building, let's start a campaign. This looks like the genesis of a new ministry.
Peter's Message Is About God
Peter doesn't start with himself. He doesn't say it's about me, just call it Peter Ministries. He says it's about God. We don't have any extra power, and clearly it's not because we're so godly. This is about God, God working in our life.
The Name of Jesus
"Men of Israel, listen up." Verse 13: "The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus." As we navigate our way through the Bible, it's estimated that there are over 200 different names used to identify our Lord Jesus. Here are just some of them. He's the Alpha and the Omega, the Beloved, the Bread of Life, the Bright and Morning Star, the Light of the World, Emmanuel, Lord of the Sabbath, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Root of David, Righteous Judge, Son of God, Shepherd, Son of Man, Word of God — several hundred references to the Lord by different names found in the Scriptures.
By far the name most frequently given is the name Jesus — over 800 times in the New Testament. It's from that name that all of our spiritual blessings flow. It's from Him that we find salvation in the forgiveness of sin. It's from Him that we see prayers answered. It's to that name that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. Everything that we do, we do in the name of Jesus to glorify the name of Jesus.
The God of Their Fathers
So as Peter delivers this message, he says, "The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob" — familiar. The God of your forefathers — familiar with their heritage, understanding that they would recognize he is speaking of the Jehovah God. He appeals to their ancestry and says God has glorified His servant Jesus.
The term "servant" was used in Isaiah 42 to speak of the coming Messiah: "He would be My servant." It is actually used four times in the New Testament — here, in Acts chapter 4 verse 27, Acts chapter 4 verse 30, and Matthew chapter 12 verse 18. The word servant is used to describe Jesus. It was His fundamental purpose statement: "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve." The word here means literally God's representative, God's ambassador. God has glorified Jesus Christ.
You Delivered Him Up
At this point, they understand exactly who Peter is talking about. Now Peter says, let me show you the relationship you've had with Him. He's the one you delivered up. He's the one you presented for slaughter. You delivered Him to the Romans for execution, and you denied Him in the presence of Pilate.
Let me pause here. The irony of Peter accusing somebody else of denial is rich, isn't it? When we think of denying Christ, there's no name that comes to mind faster. It's synonymous. Imagine the audacity of this man. Standing here in Acts chapter 3 is a new creature. He understands exactly that he was the one who denied, and I'm sure he's vulnerable to the charge of "you hypocrite" — but he stands as a new creature and he preaches the truth.
The Audacity of a New Creature
I identify a great deal with that. Years ago I was teaching a Sunday school class, and there was a fellow who loved to stand at the door and greet people as they came in. He was a very cheery guy — my kind of guy. I was coming in one day and he said, "It's going to be a great day." I said, "Put me down for yes." He said, "You know why it's going to be a great day?" I said no. He said, "There's a girl who came today who says she went to high school with you." That was not going to be such a great day.
My brother said to me recently, "When you're home in August, would you be willing, if we can arrange it, to teach at our church?" That's fine — I'm more than comfortable to do it. But there's no group for whom it's more awkward for me to teach than when my mom is there. I did a message on child-rearing when my folks were visiting, and my mom just laughed and shook her head and said, "You know, Tom, that doesn't always work." I said, "Really?" She said, "Well, we tried it with you." That had to be Peter's moment. It takes a lot of guts to stand before the very people involved.
Even Pilate Could See It
Not only did you deliver Him up — you denied Him in the presence of Pilate. And Pilate got it. Luke chapter 23, verse 4: "Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, speaking of Jesus, 'I find no fault in this man.'" John chapter 18, verse 38: he says to Jesus, "What is truth?" — and then he goes outside and says to the Jews, "I find no fault in him at all." John chapter 19, verse 4: "Pilate again goes out and says, 'Behold, I am going to bring him out to you, but I want you to know this — I find no fault in him.'" Two verses later, John chapter 19, verse 6: "Therefore when the chief priests and the officers saw Jesus, they cried out, 'Crucify him.' And Pilate said to them, 'You take him and crucify him. I find no fault in him.'"
Men of Israel, listen up. The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus — the one you delivered up, the one you denied. The one that even the Gentile pagan Pilate could see was not guilty. That one. The one you denied.
You Killed the Prince of Life
Then Peter says it again in verse 14: "You denied the Holy One, the just" — or the righteous. The term "the Holy One" or "the just" was again associated in the Old Testament with God and also with the coming Messiah. The spotlight glares: you denied the Holy One, the just one, the Messiah. In fact, you were given a choice, and you said, "We'll take the murderer. You take Jesus and kill Him."
Even Pilate saw it. Not only did you deny Him — and here is the punchline — you killed the Prince of Life. The word "prince" means literally originator or pioneer. You didn't just deny Him. You killed the Prince of Life.
The Name That Heals
"The originator of life." Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me. He who believes in Me, though he die, shall live forever. I am the way, the truth, and the life." You denied Him and you killed the Prince of Life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are the witnesses of that.
It is a fact. In First Corinthians chapter 15, the resurrection chapter, Paul writes: "I delivered to you first all that I have received, that Christ died for our sin according to the Scripture, that He was buried, that He rose again on the third day according to the Scripture, and that He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve." Verse 6: "After that, He was seen by over 500 of the brethren at once, of whom a greater part remained to present." In other words, they are still alive — go and ask them. "And after that, He was seen by James and then by the Apostles."
It is a fact, and it is so important for us to understand that our faith is built on well-attested, well-documented facts. There is an empty tomb, and the empty tomb demands your consideration and points in one direction only — to the risen Christ. He is no longer in the tomb. He is risen from the dead, and consequently He is God. He is who He said He was.
Peter says, and you know it — you saw it. It has been only a couple of months. You are witnesses of it. It is undeniable.
The Power of the Name of Jesus
Now, they are all gathered because of this healing, and so Peter says in verse 16, "It is His name." What name? The name of Jesus. That powerful name. The name in which Peter said to go and be baptized. The name in which Peter said, "Rise and walk." In just a little while, Peter will be told to stop speaking — specifically, to not speak the name of Jesus — but he cannot stop.
Philip preached the name of Jesus. Barnabas, in Acts 9, speaks of Paul and says he boldly preached in Damascus the name of Jesus. In Acts chapter 17, Paul says, "I am not only ready to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of Jesus." It is the name of Jesus — all that He is, all who He is, His character — that made this man who was lame become strong.
The faith that came through Jesus was given to this man so that he would have perfect soundness — which means, literally, perfect health. That is what they see. Peter says, "Listen, why are you marveling? It is not us who worked this. It is the name of Jesus." You killed this Prince of Life, and now this man is sound.
Guilt and the Plan of God
It is as though Peter gives them just a little breathing room. He says in verse 17, "Yet, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as also your rulers did." There is an area in which they were not fully aware. Jesus Himself, hanging on the cross in Luke 23:34, said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." This is not to make excuse, and it is not to say that what they did is totally inexcusable, but He acknowledges they may not have fully understood.
Even so, Peter makes certain they understand: you are the ones who killed Him. You turned Him over. You denied Him. You killed Him. But it was all part of God's plan — a plan predicted before the foundations of the earth, predicted in the Old Testament, and fulfilled in the person of Christ.
Will you stop for a second? That is extraordinarily direct. In our day and age, when we are so worried about hurting someone's feelings or shattering someone's self-esteem, if someone told me that I killed Jesus and I had not, I would feel guilty. I think that may be precisely what Peter is trying to accomplish.
The Destructive Cycle of Guilt
Ray Stedman writes about this section of Scripture, and his words are worth reading in full:
"Why start out making these people feel this terrible load of guilt? Guilt is a destructive human force. We cannot live with guilt. Every one of us has experienced it. The fundamental characteristic of fallen man is that he feels guilty. There is not a person in the world who has ever been free from guilt. It is a very disturbing and unhappy feeling which we find moves quickly to produce other emotions. Guilt promptly produces fear. If you feel guilty, you soon will begin to feel afraid. Remember how when you were little and you did things that did not please your parents and felt guilty about it, you discovered immediately your reaction was to hide because you were afraid? So guilt always moves to fear, and fear is an unpleasant human companion to live with."
Stedman continues: "And it always moves to something else. It takes one of two courses. Fear either moves a person to run and hide, to escape in some form, or it moves them to hostility and resentment and bitterness and anger — one or the other. If it moves to escapism, it soon becomes despair, because if you hide from life, life soon loses its color and all its flavor and all its meaning. This is what is happening to a whole generation in our day — a generation of young people who, feeling a deep sense of guilt and fear, have tried to escape by means of drugs or sex or something else. This has resulted in a wide, destructive charge in humanity. Life turns off and seems hardly worth living, and sometimes results in outright self-destruction."
"If guilt and fear do not produce escapism, they produce hostility. A feeling of resentment and bitterness produces violence." Stedman wrote those words probably twenty or twenty-five years ago, and yet they speak directly into our cultural moment today.
The Reality of Guilt
The world in which we live, of all classes, is a world of either escaping or given to violence, and the violence is destructive of the humanness, the humanity of individuals. The result is always the same: a deep sense of guilt and fear working through channels of escape and hostility, ending always in destruction of one form or another. Peter gives this message hoping that the Spirit would apply it to their hearts and they would feel guilty, for this very simple reason: they are guilty.
We cannot talk about the good news of the gospel without talking about the reality of the bad news. It may be that you are here today and you are feeling guilty. I had a cup of coffee with a guy one day and he said, "I've got a problem." I said, "What is it?" He said, "I feel so guilty." Then he laid out some behavior that I don't think he would approve of — adultery, stealing. He said, "Tom, you need to help me. Why do I feel so guilty?" Well, I am not trained in these things, but I was able to help him: you feel guilty because you are guilty.
Guilt has gotten a bad rap. There is good guilt — guilt that moves us. Peter has these people, I sense, at a point where they feel guilty, where at least in their minds they are asking the question, "What can I do?"
Repentance: The Answer
Peter's answer is: repent. It is the same answer he gave to the question in Acts chapter 2, verse 37 — "What should we do to be saved?" Repent. What does it mean to repent? To change one's mind, or to change one's purpose. To move in a different direction. To be headed one way and to turn around and go another.
What would cause someone to repent? There are at least four motivations for repentance. The first is simply God's Word. John tells us at the end of his gospel that he chose these things and wrote these things that we would believe and, believing, have eternal life. The Word of God is a motivation to repentance. As we listen to this Word and read this Word, it moves us to repentance.
The second motivation is sorrow for sin — being guilty and feeling bad about it. That is a great moment. I do not mean to be presumptuous, but I would guess that at this moment there is at least one person in this room who has this sense of guilt and is wondering, "What should I do about it?" It is sin, and you feel bad. It is a very important moment for you, because you can go in one of two ways. This sorrow can lead to godly sorrow, which leads to repentance, or it simply leads to you feeling bad and trying to somehow fix it on your own. Sorrow for sin leads to repentance.
Four Motivations for Repentance
The third motivation is God's goodness. As we look at the goodness of God, it leads us to repentance. The fourth motivation is God's judgment. Wednesday morning and Sunday morning are my two earliest mornings. I got up Wednesday morning a little after four, got all my things together for priority living, and by 5:20 I had finished. Now, not that I am a man of rigid routine, but at 5:30 I shower — not at 5:29 or 5:31, but at 5:30. So at 5:20 I thought, "What should I do?" I decided I would watch television. I turned it on, and there was nothing worth watching, so I flipped to Christian television.
There was a man on, and I could tell he needed to summarize because he had about seven minutes left before raising funds. I know that is sarcastic and I apologize for it, but it is true. He said, "God may be touching you right now. It may be that you are not one of His. It may be that you are not a Christian." Then he said, "I want you to know this: God does not have a grudge against you. God is not holding anything against you. Jesus died on the cross for you. God loves you. He is not mad at you."
I thought, well, there is a good illustration, because as I read Scripture, it sounds as though there is this thing called the wrath of God that is going to be poured out. God is angry, and God does judge sin. Here is what Peter says: He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world.
The Weight of Judgment
I sat yesterday making preparations for a funeral on Tuesday morning, and there is no way to do that without looking at my own life, struck with the fact that I, too, one day will die. I found myself swept away with the idea of heaven — what would that be like, to see people, to be there, to be there forever. But my mind did not stay there long. I went the other way and thought, "What would it be like to be in hell, eternally separated from God, with no hope?" Maybe you are here, and that is where you are. That ought to move you to repentance.
There is a transformation that takes place in repentance. It is to change one's mind, and it translates into our life. I had two relatively similar conversations this week, and they so much set me off that I want to share them with you. I was talking to a fellow about his Christian friends who were going to get their Christian girlfriends and spend a week on a houseboat on Lake Powell — drinking and sleeping together. He did not use those words, but that is what he meant. He talked about how they were all Christians and wondered, "How can this happen? What are we doing?"
Cheap Evangelism and Its Cost
That conversation was followed immediately by one with a person who said, "For years I thought I was a Christian, and people told me I was a Christian, but I just sinned the same way, and it never touched me. It has only been recently that I have been broken over my sin." We live at a time of weak evangelism. We are so eager for people to make a proclamation of faith that we have set forth this idea: just come to a breakfast, hear a famous person speak for a while, check a box, and you are in heaven. We have so lowered the bar to say, "Just pray this prayer, and because you have prayed that prayer, you are in heaven." There is a cost that comes with that. You cannot begin to embrace Jesus as Savior
The Assurance of Salvation
Not accepting Him as Lord, in control of your life, begins to change things. Your life must change, and the greatest barometer is going to be your attitude toward sin. If you can just sin, and sin, and sin, and sin, and there is no remorse and no repentance, you have absolutely zero biblical assurance of your salvation.
And yet we live in a time where people cannot wait. You are in the middle of a sin, and you go to one of your friends, and they will say, "Didn't you go to that Billy Graham thing and walk forward?" And you say yes, and they say, "Well, you're okay." Our assurance of salvation is based in a belief in Christ and a subsequent life change. If my life does not change, I have no biblical assurance of my salvation.
Repentance: What It Means and What It Does
What do I do? I repent. What does that mean? To change directions. I turn from sin to God. My life changes immediately.
Repent, be converted — two things happen. Sins are blotted out. My sins are removed. He blots out my transgressions. "I will remember your sins no more." Colossians chapter 2, verses 13 and 14: "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made you alive together with Him, having forgiven all your trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it away." And He has nailed it to the cross.
When I repent, number one, my sin is forgiven. Number two, it begins a time of refreshment. As you read through this: "So the time of refreshment may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who has been preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the time of restoration of all things, which God has spoken of by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the beginning of the world." He speaks of the second coming of Christ, the fact that Christ will come again.
The Promise of Refreshment
It is the promise that Paul writes about in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, when he talks about that time when Jesus will come again. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 18: "Comfort one another with these words." There is that time of refreshment and restoration that comes. There is the second coming of Jesus and all that that means to us.
But let me suggest to you, there is also a refreshment that takes place here and now. Psalm 51: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness, according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart. Restore the joy of Your salvation." This idea of refreshment also happens to us as we embrace Him and walk and live for Him.
Our life begins to change. There is a cleanness. There is a squeakiness about it. There is a joy. I remember when the girls were little, someone came to us and said — and I thought it was an odd comment — "I can't stand Debbie Boone." I said, "Well, that's interesting. Why don't you like Debbie Boone?" And they said, "She's such a goody-goody." And I thought, yes, we are hoping our girls grow up more like Madonna. Marilyn Manson, whatever it is. That is what we are hoping. There is this idea in which we want to be good, but we do not want to be too good. You are called to be holy, to be pure.
Changed Lives at Camp
I believe when you come to Christ, things change. Most fresh in my memory is a junior high and high school camp. You see some of these kids get off the bus with an attitude — they just need to be dunked in a toilet for a day or two and you have them fixed. But they come in with that attitude, so many of them. And God begins to work in their heart, and the staff begins to love them, and they begin to worship, and there is the teaching. And you see kids change. You see them start to dress differently. They walk differently. They act differently.
I had one kid, and at the end of camp he did not know what to say to me. He said, "Mr. Schrader?" I said, "Yeah." He said, "You're pretty neat for an old guy." I said, "Well, thank you." All of a sudden, these are the same kids who were just blowing by you at the beginning. You saw a change happen right up on that stage. You saw kids who did not know Christ make what I believe were legitimate proclamations of their faith. But you also saw some of those little Christian kids come face to face with who Christ is and the fact that it must change their life. And you saw them restored.
I saw some of your kids standing, worshiping, weeping, crying — they could not wait to get to communion, to stand and share what God was doing in their life, and to acknowledge as Christians what they had been before. But now there is a refreshment there. When I repent, my sin is blotted out. There is no more condemnation. We understand that. But there is also a cleansing that takes place for us as we come back to Him again and again and again.
Peter's Summary: The Prophets Point to Christ
Now Peter begins to summarize. "For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'" Most of those Jews understood that to be a reference to the Messiah. Every soul who refuses to believe — if you are here today and you do not believe — your future is that you shall be utterly destroyed, that is, killed and damned.
It is not just Moses. "Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days." Samuel is not typically considered a prophet, but it is Samuel who anointed David as king. It is Samuel who spoke of his coming kingdom and the fulfillment of that in Christ. "You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'" Peter wants them to understand that this is important.
The Message Belongs to the Jews First
"To you first, God having raised up His servant Jesus, to you the Jew, He sent Him first to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." This is the timeline Jesus gave before He departed: "You'll be my witnesses first in Jerusalem, and then all Judea, and then Samaria, to even the remotest part of the earth."
Peter stops. He looks around. He sees that he has the attention of the crowd, and he notices they are beginning to focus on him rather than on God. So he calls upon their heritage.
Confronting Guilt Head-On
He says, "Men of Israel, your God — the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob — has glorified His representative, His servant, Jesus Christ." And then he presses the question: who is this Jesus? He is the Jesus that you delivered up. You are the one who denied Him. You are the one who killed Him. The Gentile Pilate saw it, and you did not. What do you do with that guilt? You repent.
What is Peter saying to us today? It may be that you are here filled with guilt. God would say to you: you feel guilty because you are guilty. What you have done in your sin is bad and awful. Do not gloss over it. Do not cover it up. Come face to face with it.
There is nothing you can do about it on your own — but do not move to despair. Do not run away from it. Do not be afraid, and do not try to cover it over. A provision has been made for you, and that provision is the person of Jesus Christ.
The Timeless Answer
The message is timeless. The same answer to your problem is the answer Peter gave nearly two thousand years ago: repent and turn away. What does that mean for you? It means to acknowledge that you are a sinner separated from God, that you believe Jesus is who He said He was, and that He can and will do what He said He would do. Now you begin to plan for your life and your death accordingly.
You trust Christ and His death on the cross — and that alone — for your salvation. As you face life, you understand that He is your Lord and Savior, and He says, "Now here is how you live."
Peter: A Man Who Stood and Was Counted
Consider Peter. This is the man who denied Christ. Now he stands before the crowd and says, "You are the ones who denied Him." He delivers this message as a man of the Word. He stands up. He is counted. He does exactly what God would have him do.
So we should not be surprised that there are challenges ahead. Next week we will pick up in Acts chapter 4, verse 1, where his obedience places him in great standing with God — but in direct conflict with earthly authority.
A Closing Prayer
Father, help us see this. For those here today who do not know Your Son Jesus as Lord and Savior, I pray this would be a day of salvation. For those here who are tired, beaten up, or afraid — Christians who have things in their life they want to run away from and hide — help us see that is abnormal behavior.
The solution is to repent. Turn from our fear into You, from our guilt into You, from our sin into You, from our own self-sufficiency into You. Father, let us be men and women who turn and embrace Your Son Jesus. Thank You, Father, for the eternal life that we find in His name. We pray to You, Father, in that powerful name, the name of Jesus. Amen.