Thursday, June 5

THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2014

2 Samuel 23:24–24:25

Acts 3:1–26

Psalm 123:1–4

Proverbs 16:21–23

 

 

“When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” (Acts 3:10)

 

 

In Acts 3, we read about the bold, courageous, Spirit-empowered ministry of Peter and John, who healed a “man crippled from birth.”  This powerful sign impressed “all the people,” given that they recognized his former weakness and now the strength that God had given him.

 

In the Book of Acts, we frequently find miraculous signs accompanying the clear proclamation of the Word.  The apostles provide an excellent example of what Pastor Scott has explained as the “fullness of the Word” and the “fullness of the Spirit.”  We would do well to follow the first-century church, seeking these two areas of fullness so that His glory might be revealed in our time and place.

 

Also, please note the apostles’ care to connect these events with the long-time prophecy of Scripture.  Peter’s sermon here touches upon the following Old Testament references:

 

1.       “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of your fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.”  (v. 13a) The Jewish people could trust that Jesus had indeed come from the Father.  The authenticity of Jesus’s message – and His claim of “I am,” even during Abraham’s time – caused the Jews to accuse Him of blasphemy, but the Resurrection proved Him completely true:  “You killed the author of life, but God raise him from the dead.  We are witnesses of this.” (v. 15)

 

2.       “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.  It is Jesus’s name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.” (v. 16)  Peter glorified the Risen Jesus in pointing this healing all to Him.  The takeaway here is:  Those who seek God’s glory for His glory will indeed see that glory revealed.

 

3.       In vv. 17–21, Peter casts a vision for today and into the future.  He argues that their repentance will allow “their sins may be wiped out” and that “times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”  Their faith would unlock the God’s ultimate purposes of lasting salvation and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

4.       In vv. 22,23, Peter highlights Moses’s prophecy that another would come after him, tying these words to the Lord Jesus.  What we believe about the Lord Jesus is still today the most important question that we will ever tackle.  How about you?

 

5.       In vv. 25,26, Peter explains that the Lord Jesus had come to fulfill the promise of Genesis 12, 15, and 22:  “through your offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed.”  Peter indicates that the Jews had the first opportunity to respond to this blessing.  Acts 1:8 underscores that the Gospel’s widening circles would bring these Genesis promises into greater fulfillment within a generation after the Resurrection.

 

 

Father God, thank You for sending Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into our world and offering us an opportunity for repentance.  We turn to You today and seek Your healing in our lives and in our hurting world.  Please pour out Your blessing and times of refreshing in our day so that Your Name may be glorified and that the people You created might not be cut off from You.  Equip us to grasp both the fullness of the Word and the fullness of the Spirit.  Renew our minds and clarify our vision to be used of You.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

 

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