What Peter Really Preached in Acts 3 — Israel's Call to Repent

Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. Okay, again, good to get everybody back. And I always like to let the television audience know the reason you see coffee cups and so forth after every half hour program, we take a break while they renew their cameras and we just get a chance to fellowship. It's almost hard getting them back together again to get started, but anyway, this is just an informal study and we trust that as you study with us, you can feel like you're a part of the class. Again, we're going to get right back into the book, Acts chapter 3, because these moments fly so fast. And here we have Peter and John healing the lame man as they go up to the temple to pray. And they raised him by the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, in verse 6. And immediately, verse 8, he leaps, stands, walks, entered with them into the temple, leaping and praising God. And in verse 9, all the people saw him walking, praising God. Verse 10, they knew that it was the same one who sat for alms at the beautiful gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. Now, what amazes me, especially the nation of Israel, that throughout their history, they had seen manifestations of the power of their God and it seemed to have so little effect on them. I mean, even coming out of Egypt, the tremendous miracles that were surrounding them, the pillar of fire by night, that pillar of cloud to give them shade during the day, and holding back the Egyptian army, opening the Red Sea, and all those things. And it seemingly just didn't sink in at what a great God they were under. And all the way up through their history, miraculous events after miraculous events, and it just seemed to roll off like water off a duck. And then Christ's earthly ministry, miracle after miracle for three years, and still they couldn't comprehend who He was. And now again, this is only 49 days plus, 7 weeks, 8 weeks, maybe 9 after His crucifixion, and all the attendant miracles with that, and they can't comprehend a lame man being healed? I mean, these things are amazing to me in itself. And so now they can't comprehend what had happened. And then verse 12, here's where we want to start now, our lesson this time. And when Peter saw it, in other words, the amazing reaction of these Jews, when he saw it, he answered unto the people, now watch the language, and don't let anybody push in here what isn't in here. That's all I say. There is no mention of Gentiles, there is no mention of anything but the nation of Israel. And he says, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we made this man to walk? Now look at verse 13. Is that Gentile language? No. The God of Abraham, did that mean anything to Romans? Did the God of Abraham mean anything to the Greek philosophers? Not a bit. But it meant everything to a Jew. I mean, that's what they hung everything on, was Abraham. And it's what Peter is saying, the same God, see? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus, whom you delivered up. Now, remember when we looked in our last program at some of those verses coming up, that God had hidden things. When Jesus spoke to the Twelve up there in northern Israel, I hope you caught it, that when He was relaying to them the things that would take place, He said He would be beaten and scourged by what people? By the Gentiles. But now here Peter is laying the blame on Israel. So I always have to be careful that people don't get the idea that only the Jew brought about His death. We all know better than that, I trust. The Jew precipitated it. They demanded it. But Rome carried it out. And that's exactly what Psalms 2 forecasts, or foretold, that Jew and Gentile together, is the word in Psalms 2, would reject Him and put Him to death. And so when I make the emphasis here now that Peter is pointing the finger at Israel, I'm not taking away the Gentiles' part at all. Now you see, unfortunately, and I tell my classes this constantly, unfortunately, Martin Luther evidently rode just on this, and he was totally anti -Semitic. Martin Luther hated the Jew with a passion, in spite of all of his great spiritual enlightening. For Martin Luther he said it was doing God a favor to kill a Jew, to burn down his businesses. And those of you who were aware of the Nuremberg Trials after Hitler's Holocaust, those Nazis used the writings of Martin Luther to substantiate what they had done to the Jew. After all, our great religious leader, see? And it isn't until just now in the last year or two that officially some of the Lutheran bodies have been now apologizing for that. And of course the Roman Catholic Church for centuries referred to the Jew as the Christ killers, in all sincerity, see? They too have been apologizing and making amends just the last few months with the present -day nation of Israel for the attitude over the centuries. But Peter does, there's no doubt about it. He points the finger at the nation, and he said, you delivered up, in verse 13 again, you denied Him when Pilate was determined to let Him go. Then verse 14 now, reading on, but you denied the Holy One and the just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you, Barabbas, remember? And then verse 15, and, and you can put in the pronoun you for clarification, and you, the nation of Israel, killed the Prince of Life, whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses. Now I'm not going to do it again, because I just did it a few programs ago. The language here is so totally opposite of what Paul speaks of in his letters. Paul never points the finger at Jew or Gentile and says, you killed the Christ. But Paul says what? He loved you, and he died for your sins. But Peter doesn't, Peter doesn't say that. Why? Well, these things were still hid in the mind of Peter. And consequently, he couldn't go any further than what God had revealed. Now I've got to make a point. Faith, I better put this on the board. Faith, biblical faith, equals taking what? God taking God at His Word. All right. If faith is taking God at His Word, what does God have to do before we can believe what He says? What do I hear? He has to say it. See? He has to reveal it. You can't place your faith in something that He's never said. Now, that's why Peter is in perfect accord with the Almighty God here. He is not out in left field by confining his remarks to Israel. He is not out in left field by accusing Israel of what they have done, because God has not said a word yet that they were not under law, but now they're under grace. Let me use a verse to back me up. Romans. Romans, chapter 10. Romans, chapter 10. Because you see, so many times, and I've found it in my teaching years, people will come up and say, well, can't we assume that the Twelve knew that He was going to die and be raised from the dead and make it a gospel? Can't we just assume that they knew that? No, you can't. You can't assume what God is going to say. We have to wait until He has spoken it and then believe it. Just like Deuteronomy 29.29 said, the secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but the things He has revealed, see, they're for us. All right, Romans 10, and come all the way down to verse 17. So then, faith cometh by hearing. Hearing cometh by the what? The Word of God. Now the Word of God isn't some mishmash floating around up there in the ethereal. The Word of God is something that the Almighty God has spoken, and the Old Testament prophets were constantly saying that. The Word of the Lord, Ezekiel, will say over and over, the Word of the Lord came to me. And what did Ezekiel do? He believed it. He wrote it. And the same way during his earthly ministry, when he spoke these things, if the disciples or the Twelve were supposed to believe it, he made it clear and they could believe it. But you see here, and now come back to Acts chapter 3. Back here in Acts chapter 3, he hasn't said a word yet about shutting down the temple, that you're no longer under law. You're now under a whole new manifestation of God's grace. No, he hasn't said that yet. So he didn't expect Peter and the Eleven to believe what he hadn't said. And so don't get the idea, well, they must have been negligent in their duty. No, they did not know that God was now going to turn to the Gentiles and call out a people for His name and call it something totally different, the Body of Christ. See that? There's not a word in here, like I said in the last program, there's not a word in here of church structure. There's no instructions in here for pastors and bishops and deacons and elders. There's nothing in here concerning the gospel based upon death, burial, and resurrection. It is still all based on who He was. You remember Peter's confession back there in Matthew 19? We've looked at it until you almost wore that page out, I think. And Jesus said to the Twelve, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And what was the answer finally from Peter? The right one. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Period. Martha, at the raising of Lazarus, or before Christ raised, He said, I am the resurrection and the life. Believest thou this? And what was Martha's answer? Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Period. See? And then you go to the Ethiopian eunuch in a little bit here in Acts chapter 8, and Philip has explained the same thing to him that this Jesus of Nazareth had done three years of miracles, but Israel had crucified Him, but God had raised Him from the dead. And then Philip says, Well, here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized? And what did Philip say? If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And then what was the eunuch's confession of faith? I believe that Jesus the Christ was the Son of the Living God. Period. He doesn't say, Who died for me and rose from the dead? Well, so that was their statement of faith, that Jesus was the Christ, the King of Israel. See that? All right. Come on back to the text now in Acts chapter 3. Verse 15. And so Peter says, You killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses, and His name through faith in His name hath made this man strong. What is Peter neglecting to mention? We think His death, burial, and resurrection. He doesn't even allude to it. All he is reminding these Israelites is who Jesus really was. And it was to be faith in that name that made this man whole. All right? Verse 17. Now here comes another hour's lesson. And now, brethren, I know that through, what's the next word, ignorance you did it. Ignorance. Now, go back to Israel's ancient history, back when they were under the law and the days of jubilee, years of jubilee, and so on and so forth, the cities of refuge. If a Jewish farmer was clearing his field of rocks and there was a hedgerow along one of his fence lines, and he'd take those rocks and he's just throwing them over that hedgerow to get them off of his field. But without his knowing it, a wayfaring pilgrim would get struck on the head and be killed. Well, that poor old farmer never even knew about it. But nevertheless, he'd killed someone and they were accusing him. What could he do? He could run to a city of refuge. And at that city of refuge, if the city fathers determined that he had killed that man in total ignorance, they'd send him back home, a free man. Now, you see, all through the crucifixion account, from Christ's own words on the cross, which were, Father, forgive them. Why? They know not what they do. What was he pleading? Their ignorance. Peter comes back and he says, You killed him, but you were ignorant. You didn't know what you were doing. I call it God's loophole for the nation of Israel. Because, you see, had they known who they were killing, what would God have had to do to the nation? He'd have had to destroy them. Now, I got one other reference, 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians just comes to mind, and maybe it's appropriate. Chapter 2. 1 Corinthians, chapter 2. Now, again, from the pen of the apostle Paul, we have this same basic truth, not only concerning Israel, but even Rome. The Gentiles. 1 Corinthians, chapter 2. Let's begin with verse 7. 1 Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 7. But Paul writes, We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. See, there's that word again. Just pops up throughout all of his epistles, which is a secret that's been revealed. Even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world under our glory, I'm sure he's speaking of himself. Now, verse 8. Which none of the princes of this world knew. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. So where did God put them? In ignorance. They didn't know. Otherwise, God would have zapped the whole human race, Jew and Gentile alike. But He didn't because they did it in total ignorance. All right, come back to Acts chapter 3 then. And so Peter claims that same thing. So does Stephen. Oh, Stephen says, Father, they know not what they do. Ignorant. Chapter 3 of Acts, verse 17 again. And now, brethren, Peter says, I know that through ignorance you did it, crucified the Lord, as did also your rulers. But, see, the flip side. Those things which God before has showed by the mouth of all his prophets that Christ should suffer, he hath fulfilled. Now, you see, anytime something is written in prophecy, it has to be fulfilled to the last jot and tittle or it would make God a liar. Always remember that. Everything written prophetically has to come to pass. Everything that's written that is still future, it has to happen and it will. Otherwise, God would be a liar. And so this is what Peter is saying. He had to die because prophecy had foretold it. All right, now then, I'm not going to have time, I don't think, to go as far as I'd like to, but let's try. Verse 19, Repent ye therefore. See, the same format that he shows in Acts 2.38. Repent, see, and be converted. Turn your direction. Change your thinking. That your sins may be blotted out and that the nation of Israel could be restored to fellowship when your times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Now, that's not a period. It's a semicolon. So the thought continues right on into verse 20 that if Israel would repent, then God would send the refreshing in the person of the Lord Jesus Himself. And He will send Jesus Christ who was before preached unto you. Now, if He's going to send Christ back to earth, then we now know from the book of Revelation we didn't get the time element back in the Old Testament or even in the early part of the New, but there again is something that God kept secret until He revealed it to John. When Christ returned and this kingdom would become viable and visible, it wouldn't be immediately eternal, but it would last how long first? A thousand years. But you see, nothing in Scripture indicates that thousand year time frame until we get to Revelation. The final revealing. But here, Peter is speaking in terms of the kingdom promised all the way back to Abraham, that when their Messiah would return based on Israel's repentance and believing who Jesus is, yes, then God would have sent Christ right here in verse 20, but in verse 21 there had to be that seven year interlude, remember, that Daniel spoke of in chapter 9, and that is the seven years of tribulation. Now that is the times of restitution that is spoken of here. It's the only thing that applies. And so he says, "...he would send Jesus Christ, but," verse 21, "...whom heaven must receive," or hold, "...until..." I know I'm always emphasizing those time words. Until is a time word. "...heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world or the age began." Now, what's the Old Testament full of? That before the king and the kingdom could come on the scene, Israel especially was going to have to go through those seven horrible years of restitution of all things. And what was it? The lifting of the curse, the tribulation, and the defeat of Satan, and that the earth would be regenerated and made gloriously beautiful again for that kingdom reign. And so Peter is in full agreement with the Old Testament that, yes, he had gone back to the Father's right hand. Psalms 110, verse 1, "...come sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool." That would be done during the tribulation. And then Israel could have her king and her kingdom, and Peter is expecting it. You know, we're all capable of forgetting the bad things if we want to. It's easy to remember the good thing, but we can real quickly forget the bad thing. Now, you remember in the last closing verses of John's Gospel, Jesus indicated that Peter would suffer a very ignominious death, right? But at this point in time, I think Peter has totally forgotten about that. He is totally enraptured with the idea that if he could just see Israel repent and yet believe who Jesus was, repent of their sin, yes, then their Messiah would return and they could yet have the kingdom. And now listen, don't forget what was on their mind. We looked at it several weeks ago. Look at it again in Matthew chapter 19. Oh, and Peter hasn't forgotten. See, I told you, you don't forget the good things. He'd forgotten what Jesus said about what kind of a death he'd die, and I think that just rolled off of him. But oh, hey, this was sticking, and he couldn't get it out of his mind. And he is so enraptured with the idea that it's just over the horizon, just over the horizon. Seven years of horrible experiences, but, boy, the end would be worth it all. Matthew 19, again, verse 27, And then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee. What shall we have therefore? Now, Peter had his salvation. That wasn't what he was asking about. What am I going to have for a reward? I left my fishing business, I left my home up there in Galilee to follow you. What am I going to have? And the Lord didn't rebuke him. He answered him. And he said unto them, verse 28, Verily I say unto you that you who have followed me in the regeneration, say there again, that's when the earth will be regenerated and brought back to the garden of Eden state, that in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, King of kings, you shall sit also upon twelve thrones ruling the twelve tribes of Israel. Plain language? Why, you can't get it any plainer than that. And see, this is what's on his mind. Oh, if Israel would just repent and be converted and recognize that the one they killed was their Messiah. See, there's nothing in here of power of resurrection. There's nothing in here of the atoning shed blood, although in the mind of God that was all there. But God is still dealing with the nation of Israel that if they would just repent of their national sins, if they would just believe who Jesus was, God would have brought in the tribulation, it could have run its course, Christ could have returned, and Israel could have had the kingdom. Then, then, Peter and the eleven knew that when that was fulfilled, then they could take the gospel of their God of Abraham to the Gentile world. See, but not until. And now this is what you have to keep in mind. These twelve men do not leave Jerusalem. They do not leave even under pressure. Why? Because it's to Jerusalem, to the Mount of Olives, that their king was going to imminently return. And then, now let's go back to Zechariah, a verse again that we look at so often because it is so explicit. Zechariah chapter 8. If I had just an extra minute, I'd even go to some verses in Isaiah, but I won't have time for that. But in Zechariah chapter 8, after Isaiah has said that the Gentiles would be coming to the light of Israel and that Israel's light would be the Messiah, then in fulfilling of all that, we have Zechariah 8, beginning of verse 20, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, the inhabitants of many cities. One city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts. Verse 22. Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts, where? In Jerusalem, to pray before the Lord. And then verse 23. My, you can't kick this out of your Bible. Here it sits, in concrete. And it says, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, In those days, when Israel would have her king, it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, and they are going to say, We will go with you. Why? For we have heard, that God is with you. Who is the you? Israel. See? A believing Israel. A redeemed Israel. A regenerated, a repentant Israel. And remember what Exodus 19 said? Every Jew was to become a what? A priest. And what's a priest? A go-between. And so every Jew had the prospect of being a priest of God to the Gentiles. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick, a weekly Bible study. If you would like more information about the Les Feldick Ministries, a Bible study in your area, or about this program, write to Les Feldick Ministries, Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, Oklahoma, 74552. That's Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, Oklahoma, 74552. 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