The Acts of The Apostles

Acts was taught by Dr. James Modlish

 

Chapter Three
(3:1-26)

Intro:

The opening verses continue the refrain of (2:46); the Apostles are still attending the Temple and they are going up at 3:00 P.M. for the evening prayer spoken of in (Ps. 5:7, 28:2 and Dan. 6:10).

There is some great doctrinal "meat" in the last part of the chapter but if we get in too big of a hurry we will miss some fantastic inspirational truth in the first eleven verses.

 

I. The Christians responsibility to the sinner - (Acts 3:1-11)

A. The sinner is born helpless (Ps. 51:5; Acts 3:2).

B. His mother was connected with this (Job 25:4; Acts 3:2).

C. He is outside the dwelling place of God (Rev. 22:15; Acts 3:2).

D. He is a spiritual beggar (Mk. 10:46; Acts 3:3).

E. He expects something from Christians (Acts 3:5).

F. He doesn't know his real need (Acts 3:5).

G. Salvation is better than money (Acts 3:6).

H. Any born-again child of God can pass salvation on to others by word of mouth (Acts 3:6).

I. Salvation is instantaneous (Acts 3: 7).

J. The new covert must stand before he, can walk (Acts 3:8).

K. After he gets RUNNING he can Praise God better (Acts 3:8).

L. His testimony should be public (Acts 3:9).

M. His conversion can lead to the conversion of others (Jn. 4:29; Acts 3: 10). 

II. Israel's responsibility to the truth - (Acts 3:12-18)

Vs. 12

"why look ye so earnestly on us"

Peter has become Christ-centered instead of self-centered and he flatly refuses to take credit for healing the cripple. Observe again the Jewish context - "Ye me of Israel" exactly as it is found in (2:22). What follows is another address to the Jewish nation, as a nation, and there is not going to be one mention of a blood atonement for the individual sins of the sinner from here to the end of the chapter.

Vs. 13

"hath glorified his Son Jesus"

This is the glory spoken of in (Jn. 7:39 & Rev. 5:12). It was spoken of again in (Lk. 24:26). It is never to be confounded with the "Throne of His Glory" (Matt. 25:31) on which Christ sits when He "cometh in the glory of His Father". (Mk. 8:38), and His own glory (Matt. 25:31).

Christ's present position is not "coming with great glory" or "on the throne of His glory." His present position is GLORIFIED, as in (Rev. 1:14-17 & Matt 17:2).

"...when he was determined to let him go" Pilate's determination can be accounted for by the fact that he knew the reason for Christ's persecution (Mk 15:10) and three times he declared Christ to be innocent (in 18:38; 19:4,6). However, his determination was undermined by his lack of character.

Vs. 14-15

The overwhelming thought that springs forth from these verses is that Peter is about as subtle as a truckload of concrete hitting a chicken coop. The murderer desired is Barabbas. They justified a life-taker and condemned a life-giver. (see Prov. 29:27)

Vs. 16

"...yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness..." The faith by which the man believed on the Name was given to him-by the One in whom his faith was Placed! See how this matches (Gal 2:20 & Eph. 2, 8,9).

Vs. 17

"...I wot that through ignorance ye did it"

This is the truth according to (Lk 23:48 & 1 Cor. 2:8). It means that Christ's crucifixion prayer (Lk. 23:34) was answered and Israel is being offered the same deal that John the Baptist and Jesus offered them in (Mk. 1 & Matt 4:17). In (Acts 13:27) Paul says that this ignorance comes from ignorance of the Scriptures, and this is the constant affirmation of the Lord Jesus Christ to the religious rulers of His day (Matt. 12:3,5; 21:16, 42). Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ!

Vs. 18

"...that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled" Peter limits this O.T. fulfillment to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The reason for this is there is a great deal of prophecy that hadn't been fulfilled - AND STILL ISN'T - BUT IT'S COMING... GLORY!

Vs. 19

The passage before us deals with the Second Advent and the political promises to Israel, as well as the spiritual ones (vs. 26). The word "when" is the key to the verse and interestingly it has been altered in 99% of Biblical works! Why? The verse says that the sins of Israel will be "blotted out, WHEN the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

Peter said exactly the same thing that Jeremiah said (Jer. 50:20) and Isaiah (Isa. 46:2) and Amos (Amos 9:14,15). This is talking about the Lord's return. This is what Paul had in mind in (Rom. 11:26-28 & Heb. 8:10).

It is the nations sins that ate blotted out (Isa. 43:22-28; 44:21,22). This is not speaking of an individual salvation as given in (Col. 2:14).

Vs. 20

Peter has just preached on Jesus Christ in the previous chapter and the "before" is prophetic without his intention, for it reaches to the end of the Church Age where the Tribulation message will be "Jesus Christ which before was preached "...unto you." (Note: Heb. 8:10 & Acts 15:16) "...unto you" places the primary message right on Israel. It matches "God...sent Him to bless you" (vs. 26), and compare this with (Lk. 1:68-79). This also dovetails with (Rom. 1:16).

Vs. 21

Jesus Christ is now in heaven (Col 3:1-3; Heb. 12:1,2). "The times of restitution" are spoken of so many times in the O.T. (Gen. 15,22,49; Deut. 29,32; Judges 5; Sam. 22; Isa. 2,11,65,66; Eze. 27, 40-48; etc., etc.) that the only way the modern "Bible Translators" can change "when" to "so that" is to steal these promises from Israel and apply them to the "church." consider (Isa. 34:6, Mic. 4:3; Jer. 23:5; Zech. 14:9; Isa. 35:1-10). There are no "times of refreshing," nor is there any "restitution of all things" until Jesus Christ lands with His feet on the Mount of Olives - (Acts 1:11, Zech. 14:1-12). "...all his holy prophets" would even include Enoch who was preaching the Second Advent 2,000 years before John the Baptist (Jude 14).

Vs. 22

"...A PROPHET...like unto me"
The famous passage is found in (Deut. 18:15-18) and it explains the questioning that went on at Jordan in (Jn. 1:24-28). Old Testament Jews knew that Jeremiah (Matt. 16:14) and Elijah (Jn. 1:21) were both prophets "like" Moses; but the prophet turned out to be Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:21).

Vs. 23

The idea of the verse is that even in a National conversion not everyone will accept the message of the prophet, any more than they all accepted Moses when he led them into a wilderness. Christ will do the same in the Tribulation (Matt. 24:16). (See also Heb. 2:2,3; 10:26-30; 12:25).

Vs. 24

The prophets that follow Samuel are David to Malachi. The reference clearly matches "the last days" of (Acts 2:17). ONE MORE TIME...without an understanding that all is in readiness for the Second Advent in Acts, there is no way to straighten out this kingdom business. The O.T. prophets put both Advents right together (1 Pet. 1:11) and this is confirmed by Christ's handling of (Isa. 61:1,2 in Lk. 4:18). When Peter says, "these days" he is talking about the days preceding the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. They occur here, and again in the Tribulation (Rev. 22:12). Exactly as the "last days" of (Heb. 1:2) can be placed in (Acts 1-7, or Rev. 4) so the "these days" of (Acts. 3:23,24) can be placed at the beginning of the Church Age or the END of it.

Vs. 25

Peter is preaching to physical children of the prophets. Peter did not say "nations'' (as Paul did in Gal. 3:8), but "kindreds." Thus Peter ties his message into a land-grant given to a physical Hebrew (Gen. 12:1-3). Paul is speaking of spiritual blessings that will go to all nations.

Vs. 26

The only thing Peter has a hold of that is spiritual is the fact that God FIRST had to do something for Israel spiritually before the Kingdom could come.

Now, we realize that Pember, Larkin McClain, Kemp, Pentecost, Scofield, Barnhouse, Moody, Darby, Ironsides, Sauer, Noel Smith, John R. Rice, Baxter, Thieme, Wuest, Bob Jones III, DeHaan, Fuller and Wilbur Smith would never have mistaken the Millennial Kingdom for the church age. However, when any one of these men throws a kiss at books like the ASV (1901), or "The Biblical Viewpoint," they are condoning the work and scholarship of men who couldn't tell either dispensation from a gallon of antifreeze.

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