Sunday, June 27, 2021
Acts 3:17-26
“Blessed in spite of Ignorance”
Memory Verse for the Week: “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.” Psalm 37:39 (NIV)
Background Information:
- In his previous sermon, Peter had explained that the cross was the meeting place of divine sovereignty and human responsibility (Acts 2:23), and he repeated this truth in this second sermon (Acts 3:17–18). There are mysteries here that the human mind cannot fully understand, so we must accept them by faith. God had a plan from all eternity, yet His plan did not force men to act against their own will. The prophets had foretold the sufferings and death of the Messiah, and the nation fulfilled these prophecies without realizing what they were doing. When God cannot rule, He overrules and always accomplishes His divine purposes and decrees. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 331)
- The phrase “had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer” probably refers to such prophecies as Psalm 22, Isaiah 50:6, and Isaiah 53:1-12. The Jews had not expected a suffering Messiah; instead, they had anticipated a great ruler, a conquering king. When he arrived as a lowly carpenter and then died a criminal’s death, they missed it. But Peter explained that it wasn’t too late. They may have acted in ignorance, but now they could understand that Jesus was exactly what the Messiah had been prophesied to be. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 51)
- 22-26 No group within Israel that considered itself to be God’s righteous remnant in the inauguration of the final eschatological days could expect to win a hearing among Jews without attempting to define its position vis-a-vis Israel’s great leaders of the past-particularly Abraham, Moses, and David. And that is exactly what Luke shows Peter doing as he concludes his call for repentance. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 298)
- One of Luke’s motifs in Acts is the progressive rejection of the gospel by Jews, with its progressive acceptance by Gentiles. But, in the general context of Acts, Peter’s words mean this: the gospel blessings destined to flow from Jesus’ death and resurrection must spread throughout the world; then, and not till then, will he return from the right hand of power. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 106)
- The biblical nature of the sermon is apparent in Peter’s choice of words. When Peter refers to Jesus as God’s “servant,” as he does in verse 13, he uses the word for servant that occurs in the Septuagint (Greek) translation of Isaiah 52:13—53:12, where the coming servant of God (52:13) is described as the one who would be “pierced for our transgressions [and] crushed for our iniquities” (53:5). The concept of the “servant of the Lord” was well known in Israel because of Isaiah 53 and other texts. So when Peter used “servant” and then went on to speak of “the Holy and Righteous One”—another title for the Christ that also appears in Isaiah—it is pretty clear that he was thinking of these chapters. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 66)
The question to be answered is…
If the people acted in ignorance, how can they possibly be held responsible for the death of Jesus?
Answer…
Acting in ignorance does not equate innocence when truth is available and obtainable.
The word of the day is… truth
3 faith-bolstering truths revealed in this text…
- God is patient; not wanting anyone to perish.
(Exodus 34:6t; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 3:9)
Their sins would be blotted out, even that sin of sins which they had unwittingly committed in consenting to the death of the Author of life. Here is the heart of the gospel of grace. (F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, 106)
We should revel in the joy of believing that God is the sum of all patience and the true essence of kindly good will. We please Him most, not by frantically trying to make ourselves good, but by throwing ourselves into His arms with all our imperfections and believing that He understands everything—and loves us still. (A. W. Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship, 29)
- God’s M.O. is redemption; even using ignorance and error to accomplish his mission.
(Psalm 111:9; Psalm 130:7; Isaiah 44:22; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
[Peter] does not treat them as foreigners, aliens, or enemies. Indeed, how could he, since what he said earlier, “You disowned him… you disowned the Holy and Righteous One” (he repeated it), was the very thing Peter himself had done? Peter had denied Jesus on the night of his arrest. So he does not stand aloof now as he appeals to these people. He calls them brothers, saying, “I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.” Their ignorance did not make them guiltless. Nevertheless, they were not fully aware of what they were doing, and Peter was in exactly that category himself (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 68)
- God is generous; offering forgiveness, blessing, and refreshing to those who turn to Jesus.
(2 Chronicles 7:14; Matthew 4:17; Acts 3:19; Acts 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 1:9)
Repentance is much more than “feeling sorry for your sins.” As the little Sunday school girl said, “It means feeling sorry enough to quit!” (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 331)
Jesus turns away men from sin because, by the magnetism of His love, and the attractive raying out of influence from His Cross, He turns them to Himself. He turns us from our iniquities by the expulsive power of a new affection, which, coming into our hearts like a great river into some foul Augean stable, sweeps out on its waters all the filth that no broom can ever clear out in detail. He turns men from their iniquities by His gift of a new life, kindred with that from which it is derived. (Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts, 80)
Conclusion… How can these truths challenge our faith?
A. By welcoming correction before seeking excuses.
(Proverbs 12:1; Proverbs 15:32; Romans 1:20; Hebrews 12:11; 2 Timothy 3:16)
It is an easier thing to change one’s mind than to change one’s life. But this change of mind is to issue in a turning away from the old way and a faring forth upon a new. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 35)
All they had to do to avail themselves of this salvation was to change their former attitude to Jesus and bring it into line with God’s attitude. God had clearly declared his verdict by raising him from the dead. Let them therefore repent, let them repudiate with abhorrence their acquiescence in the murder of their true Messiah, let them turn back in heart to God, and the salvation and blessing procured by their Messiah’s death would be theirs. Their sins would be blotted out, even that sin of sins which they had unwittingly committed in consenting to the death of the Author of life. Here is the heart of the gospel of grace. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 104)
B. By trusting God, knowing nothing can thwart his plans.
(Psalm 9:10; Psalm 33:11; Proverbs 3:5; Proverbs 19:21; Job 42:2; Romans 8:28)
Often we assume that God is unable to work in spite of our weaknesses, mistakes, and sins. We forget that God is a specialist; He is well able to work our failures into His plans. (Erwin Lutzer, Failure: The Back Door to Success, 16)
The same crowd that opposed the ministry of Jesus Christ also opposed the work of the apostles, and they will oppose our ministry today. Expect it—but don’t let it stop you! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 332)
C. By finding refuge in Christ for forgiveness and extending that forgiveness toward others.
(Psalm 18:30; Psalm 62:8; John 10:9; Ephesians 2:4-6; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13)
God is the consummate forgiver. And we depend every day on His ongoing forgiveness for our sins. The least we can do is emulate His forgiveness in our dealings with one another. (John MacArthur, The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness, 10)
Peter wants us to know that God has stirred up our feelings of guilt for one purpose only: He wants us to turn to Him for forgiveness. He takes no pleasure in our feelings of guilt and remorse. God wants to free us forever from our guilt, so that we can experience what Peter calls “times of refreshing.” (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 51)
We do not have to wait for the future kingdom before we experience God’s blessings and power. The Holy Spirit brings us a deposit (Gk. arrabōna, “first installment,” NLT) guaranteeing that we shall receive more of the same blessings when Jesus comes (2 Cor. 1: 22; 5: 5; Eph. 1: 14). And we can have these promised times of refreshing even now if we fulfill the conditions of repentance and turning to God. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 2166-2169)
Gospel Application…
Jesus offers forgiveness, blessing and freedom for those who repent and turn to him, regardless of your past.
(Proverbs 28:13; Acts 3:19; Acts 17:30; Romans 2:4; Galatians 5:1; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 1:9)
If we are in Christ, we have found the place of forgiveness. We have found the One who will remove our sins, blot out our transgressions, and erase the writing on the wall against each one of us, but the only way those sins are erased is if we humble ourselves, acknowledge our sins, and turn from them. We must repent of our sins and come before God with a broken and contrite heart. Forgiveness by God is not automatic. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 65)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- The most remarkable feature of Peter’s second sermon, as of his first, is its Christ-centeredness. He directed the crowd’s attention away from both the healed cripple and the apostles to Jesus. What vital points did Peter make in his sermon to the crowd?
- Look at each of the titles Peter gives to Jesus. How do each of these speak to the uniqueness of Jesus?
- Peter ends his sermon by challenging his hearers with the necessity of repentance. What blessings would follow if they repented (vv. 19-26)?
Quotes to note…
Christ’s work, at its core, is to turn lives around, taking individuals on sinful paths and turning them from those paths to the path of blessing. Israel had every reason to turn to Jesus—history, heritage, bloodline, centuries of warning from prophetic messengers. And they had not recognized him. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 53-54)
There are millions of people who are counting on their ignorance to get them past the judgment seat of God. “I never went to church. I never read the Bible. I never studied the things of God. How could you possibly hold me accountable?” That is vincible ignorance, which does not excuse, and it is the type of ignorance that characterized those who stood at the bottom of the cross and cried for the blood of Christ. Despite that, our Lord said, “Forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34), and here in Acts Peter acknowledged that they had a chance to be forgiven if they would repent. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 63)
What they did to Jesus was in ignorance in the sense that they did not grasp His identity as Messiah. Now they know, and their sin (cf. Num. 15:27-29) is no longer mitigated by ignorance. God’s great generous offer is that if they will tum to Him in repentance and faith, the whole guilty past will be cancelled out. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 48)
In the Old Testament law, there is a difference between deliberate sins and sins of ignorance (see Lev. 4—5; Num. 15:22–31). The person who sinned presumptuously was a rebel against God and was guilty of great sin. He was to be “cut off” from his people (Num. 15:30–31), which could mean excommunication and even death. The defiant “high-handed” sinner was condemned, but the person who sinned unwittingly and without deliberate intent was given opportunity to repent and seek God’s forgiveness. Ignorance does not remove the sinner’s guilt, but it does mitigate the circumstances. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 330)
Peter tells them to “repent, then, and turn to God” (v. 19). These two things always go together. Sometimes we feel sorry for what We have done. But it is not enough merely to feel sorry. Sorrow is not repentance. Repentance is feeling sorry enough to quit, and quitting means turning from sin to Jesus Christ. When Peter tells the people, “Repent. .. . and turn to God,” he makes the connection apparent and indicates exactly what we need to do. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 69)
Many go faithfully to church and Bible study, and they hear the message, but it has never embedded in their soul. There is a price for forgiveness. We have to lay ourselves bare before God and say, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Then comes the promise of forgiveness. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 65)
We cut ourselves off from so much that helps us to know Him better if we limit our study to the last one-third of the Bible. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
The words “repent of your sins” are the standard Greek term (metanoeo) for repentance. The verb means to turn away from a former way of life and toward a new way of life. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 51)
Peter calls them “brothers” in the sense of fellow Jews. Then he adds that he knew that through ignorance they and their leaders killed Jesus. As Jesus himself said on the cross, “‘ Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’” (Luke 23: 34). Paul later confessed that he had persecuted the Church because of his own ignorance and unbelief (1 Tim. 1: 13). This implies that they did not really know Jesus is the Messiah, nor did they know He is God’s Son. This ignorance did not lessen their guilt. Yet even in the Old Testament forgiveness was always available for sins done in ignorance (Num. 15: 22– 29). (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 2131-2132)
Great promises, great offers of blessing, phrased in Old Testament language are made dependent on the listeners’ repentance (vv. 19-21). Not only forgiveness but the times of refreshing will come. This is coupled with the promise of the restitution of all things. These two expressions in the minds of Peter’s hearers could only mean the promised, longed-for Messianic kingdom. It would be God’s kingdom on earth with blessings for all men and all nature. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 47)
It may be thought that Peter’s words were surprisingly lenient to people like Caiaphas and the other chief priests, whose determination to have Jesus put to death is underscored in all the Gospels. Nevertheless, here is the proclamation of a divine amnesty, offering a free pardon to all who took part in Jesus’ death, if only they acknowledge their error, confess their sin, and turn to God in repentance. (F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, 105)
Israel’s situation was something like that of the “manslayer” who killed his neighbor without prior malicious intent, and fled to the nearest city of refuge (Num. 35:9–34). So long as he remained in the city, he was safe, for then the avengers could not reach him and kill him. He was free to go home only after the death of the high priest. Peter invited these “murderers” to flee by faith to Jesus Christ and find refuge in Him (Heb. 6:18). (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 330-331)