Aug 17, 2024 "The Sermon of Peter" (Acts 3:11-26)

 

The Sermon of Peter

Acts 3:11-26

 

Before Peter's preaching, Peter and John healed a lame man who had begged for money from them. The lame beggar had been lame all his life. His muscles would have been atrophied, so it was a true miracle that this same man got up and ran around.

 

Peter starts his sermon by giving all the glory to God. He realized that the people were giving all their recognition to Peter and not to God. Receiving praise and respect from others can make it difficult to serve God. Peter made sure to correct the crowds understanding of what had happened.  

Acts 3:12 ESV

[12]And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 

Peter shows how God has orchestrated all these events through time and that He is sovereign.  

 

Acts 3:13, 15, 18, 21, 25, 26 ESV

[13] The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.  

[15] and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.  

[18] But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.  

[21] whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

[25] You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ [26] God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

 

We need to make this a confession. That God has done all these things and not us. The reason for Jesus coming here is that we could repent of our sins.

 

Acts 3:19 ESV

[19] Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,  

 

Without faith, we are not spiritually sound. Although we may be physically sound, it is not much good without genuine faith. We are like the lame man before he was healed. If we have genuine faith, we will praise God.

 

The healing of the lame man is an example of the transformative power of Christ. Peter's humble approach to this event is the same way we should be 

• Praise
• Back To Life
• In Christ alone