Acts 3:12-15 Bible Teaching

WELCOME

If you haven’t been with us before this is CAMPUS and we gather together on Sundays.

In the morning (which we call Milk) we study the Word of God (verse by verse) and are presently in the Book of Acts.

In the afternoon (at 2:30) we gather in what we call our meat service and do the same thing – study the word of God verse by verse.

People have asked what the difference is between the two meetings – is it my approach? the depth in which we go? etc.

I would say that the main difference is the books of the Bible we study.

So far in MILK we have covered Matthew, John and now Acts.

In Meat our verse by verse has been Romans, Hebrews, James, and 1st Peter.

So it’s not so much the way I approach each book (though this can play a part) it’s more the content of the books themselves that we study.

Of course we also pray together and we sing the Word of God set to music.

Our music for today is

“If you live” and “Crown of Life”

If you live is taken from Romans 8:13 where Paul writes:

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

The verse is very interesting relative to context and we really could spend a few weeks on it as a result.

Just singing it has a tendency to condemn – but its purpose in the lightest sense possible is to remind us that the acts and operations of the flesh amount to nothing but death. As children lead of the Spirit we realize and know this so it ought to serve as a reminder and therefore an encouragement to us, not as a fearful condemnation.

That being said, the context, to be honest, is really about living according to the Law written in stone.

Why? Because the presence of the Law produces sin and sin produces death. But if we live according to the Spirit (which is in us, written on our hearts and minds) we will live – because there is no condemnation where there is no law.

The second number is The Crown of Life, taken from James 1:12 which reads:

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

It is somewhat of a circular verse and speaks in the resultant claus and not the causal meaning:

We are not enduring temptation as a means to blessed or approved but its more a statement of fact or description of those who are Gods –

“They are blessed . . . they endure trial and temptation . . . and they are approved after wards blessed BECAUSE they will all receive the crown of life which God promised to those who love Him.”

In other words this is an affirmation of those who ARE his NOT a directive on how to be His.

So let’s pray and then sing Romans 8:13 and James 1:12 before getting back to our verse by verse of Acts 3 beginning at verse 12.

PRAYER
MUSIC
SILENCE

Okay last week we read all about the healing of the Man born with lame legs – another beautiful picture of spiritual regeneration but also purposeful – not only to heal the one – but to draw a crowd.

We left off with this crowd gathering around and watching as the now healed man leaped and walked and hugged Peter and John.

So let’s read beginning at verse 12:

Acts 3.15
November 22th 2015
MILK

Act 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, 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 had made this man to walk?
13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

So a crowd has gathered, an apparently because it is in the temple it consists of a number of leaders and elders from the Jewish community.

12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, (meaning he said to them) “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 had made this man to walk?”

Again, apparently, the people were looking on Peter and John as if they were the ones responsible for the miracle they were marveling over.

And so Peter gives them a big and important redirection.

Last week we mentioned that Luke loves the Greek word “for fixing the eyes upon something” and he uses it here again, asking why they were fixing their eyes with amazement on them (Peter and John) as if they were the ones who could do this miracle, (LISTEN) Peter says:

“By our own power OR holiness.”

It’s really quite amazing that Peter the apostles lets these onlookers know that there was nothing holy in him that would allow him to perform such a miracle.

Just recently on our weekly show HOTM we have been covering a speech given at BYU Idaho on the founder of Mormonism Joseph Smith.

In that speech the speaker quotes the Doctrine and Covenants (revelations Joseph Smith claims to have gotten from God) and in one of them God says, (speaking of Smith)

“Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his (Joseph Smith’s) words and commandments which he (Smith) shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking (Smith) in all holiness before me. For HIS word ye shall receive as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.”

I point this out because here in Acts Peter makes it very clear that there is no holiness in his person that would enable him to heal the man born lame but Smith has God say that he is worthy of receiving revelations from God because he “walks in all holiness before God.”

Pretty amazing.

Whatever happens of eternal merit on this earth is the complete and total product of God. It is NEVER, ever the product of good or holy men and women.

Note that I said of eternal merit. This means that it has spiritual implications which will carry over into the eternities. Such things all come from God and if they come through another person that is the choice of God not the merits of the Man.

In any case Peter first lets the audience know that there is no reason to look upon them in the least – they (John nor Peter) had “the power to heal” nor “the holiness.”

Peter continues addressing these men in the temple and says: (verse 13)

13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

Remember, Peter is talking to who – Jews. The most devout. And so he draws them into the heart of their monotheistic God, whom he refers to as, “The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob (and then adds) and the God of “OUR” Fathers.

This was no new God to whom Peter refers. This was YAHWAY.

“Hear o Israel, YAHWAY is one.” “YAHWAY our ELOHIM is one YAHWAY.”

It was the name and the God whom they devoutly revered. And what did this God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and our fathers do?

Peter tells us flat out and plainly:

(He) YAHWAY . . . has glorified . . . his Son . . . Yeshua, Joshua, Ieasous, Jesus.

Yahway has honored Him, exalted Him and it was the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (and their fathers) who restored and “made this man whole.” In so doing He proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this miracle occurred because God fully approved of and endorsed His Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the name Peter in which Peter healed him.

Peter is doing what he did at Pentecost earlier – He first proves that Jesus was all He claimed to be – sent by and approved of God – and then he drops the other shoe saying in the rest of the verse:

“whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.”

Peter of course was referring to the fact that when Jesus stood before Pilate the Governor and Pilate wanted to release Him that the Jews – the elders and the leaders and the people – cried, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him! “

In that place Pilate then said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!” Pilate asked:

“Shall I crucify your King?” And they replied, “We have no King but Caesar.” And Matthew’s account adds:

And then answered all the people, and said, “His blood be on us, and on our children.”

I’m going to propose something to you which may be novel to your thinking. It may also anger you and you may never come back to CAMPUS again – we’ve seen this before. If that’s the case go in peace and know you are loved.

But I am convinced (by scripture) that the Nation of Israel was God’s chosen people. As the Writer of Hebrews says, this nation gave us the Law and the prophets, the oracles of God and the Messiah Himself.

They were stewards of this vast and important material economy and they were devout toward God.

Those who were seekers of God (in spirit and truth) made up the early Christian church body exclusively at first and then almost exclusively for the first generation after Christ ascended into the heavens.

I am personally convinced that when Jesus told Peter that He would establish his ekklaysia (His “called out” from the world) and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it AND . . . AND that he would return, gather, separate the wheat and the chaff, and save those who are His from material destruction that He did.

That He came back and collected those who were called out and endured to the end of that age.

I am also convinced that now, in Christ, there is neither Jew NOR Greek, bond or slave, male or female but we are all one in what is known as the body of Christ.

What I mean by this is there is not one whit of difference between anyone at all forevermore when it comes to Christianity.

I believe that when John the Baptist cried (in his preparing the way for the “promised” Messiah (promised to Whom? That’s right, promised to the Nation of Israel) that his words found in Matthew 3:10 were timely and true, saying:

“And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees” describing the ultimate fate of this chosen nation.

I am convinced that the tears Jesus shed over Jerusalem were directly died to the coming destruction of this Nation.

I am convinced that when their priesthood, their temple, and their genealogies were utterly obliterated from the face of the earth, soaked in the blood of a million men, women, and children (that’s right children, upon whom those who killed him placed His blood) that true “Israel” (and everything connected to it) became a thing of the past.

That those who claim to be “Israel” today have no means (genealogy) to prove it.

I believe that Israel continues to be used politically and for power but true Israel lies in the hearts of all who seek the True and Living God in Spirit and in Truth.

It is not surprising that there are groups of orthodox, devout Jews who today renounce modern Israel as nothing more than militant Zionists using the name and history to their material advantage.

Understand, I am not against Israel – EVER – but I am not against Palestinians, or Africans or Idahoans – we are all one in Christ.

What we are reading here in this New Covenant are the final days of all things true Israel.

It wraps up with the Messiah leaving twelve men to reach out and save any and all who would receive Him . . . before the end of that age.

And I am convinced that “the Gathering of the wheat from out of the Nation of Israel” (before the destruction of the tares) was underfoot right here – and this is the historical literal account not only of its end, but of the beginning of Christ establishing and reigning over His Kingdom spiritually forever more.

So when Peter say that God approved of Jesus . . .

“whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.”

He is doing exactly what he was called by Jesus to do – go out to all of Judea and preach that “the ax is laid at the root, the Messiah has come, receive and believe – or perish.”

Peter continues at verse 14 with his bitter reminders of their culpability in the death of Christ by reminding them that where Pilate wanted to let him go (verse 14 and 15)

(14) But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; (15) And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

In the book of Isaiah in Old Testament God summarizes what He wanted and sought from the Nation as a whole.

Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

Later God said through Isaiah 66:2

“For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

This is what Peter is doing and the results will be the same on some in this audience as it is on some in audiences today where the Word is preached –

Those who “are poor in spirit” and of “a contrite spirit,” who “tremble at His word” will break, cry for mercy, and turn to Him while those who do not possess such hearts will remain “cold as a stone, unrepentant, and hard.”

Peter has made it plain – God proved his total endorsement of Jesus and you

Delivered him to death when Pilate would have set Him free.
Denied the Holy One (upper case)
And the Just (upper case)
Desired a murderer to be freed instead of Him.
You have Killed the Prince of Life,
Whom God raised from the dead

And Peter adds, speaking of His resurrection, “of whom we are witnesses.”

The human heart, amidst its natural fallen desires to “appear good,” and “protect itself,” and to even continue on in its ways “amidst its guilt,” is strangely suited to maintain absolute innocence through self-denial, self –deception and outright lies.

In the words of Roger Water’s we all “tend to just add another brick in the wall” instead of facing our culpability in wrong doing and helping the walls to crumble.

We rationalize, justify and use all manner of reasoning and excuses to exonerate ourselves.

This is especially true in the case in people who have not been born from above. Some are so deluded in their declared innocence that they actually have an ability to kill and believe themselves innocent before God and Man.

This seems to be the case of the audience before Peter and John.

Regenerated people (born-from-above) are not so fortunate as we have the presence of the Holy Spirit within which is constantly “gnawing at our hearts” until we fess up, admit our sin to God and turn.

When talking with people who have not been born from above, however, it takes the Holy Spirit to wedge itself in between their bricks of defense and break them down. Therefore when we speak words BY the Holy Spirit there stands the greatest chance of breaking through to the conscience though it is surrounded by high and mighty walls of stone.

God says through Jeremiah in 23:29

“Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?”

Here Peter, through words spoken by the Holy Spirit, is attempting to “tear down the wall” that some of these men may have erected around hearts.

And as mentioned he levels a number of accusations against them including they–

Delivered Jesus to death when Pilate would have set Him free.
They denied the Holy One (upper case)
And they denied the Just One (upper case)
And they “desired a murderer to be freed instead of Him.
And added and . . .
You have Killed the Prince of Life,
Whom God raised from the dead.

These accusation are true in the most literal of sense to these men who had the law and the prophets and the Old Testament that witnessed to them.

But the truth of the matter is most of these accusations can also be leveled at all of us if we allow ourselves to think about it.

Because of our sin – which He took upon Himself out of love for God and Man – we too (indirectly)

Delivered Jesus to death (when Pilate would have set Him free). And . . .
have denied the Holy and Just One (upper case) in the years we also refused to hear His call,
and have also contributed to killing the Prince of Life.

Our culpability is not the same as those of the House of Israel as we were without the Law and the Prophets pointing and promising us His coming.

Nevertheless, Paul says in Romans 1 that we Gentile are “without excuse” as nature itself bears witness of God (and God, through His spirit, is constantly bearing witness of His Son).

So in some manner or another all human beings are responsible for their choice to believe on Him (or not), to change our views about Him (or not), to receive Him as “the Holy and Just One” (or Not) and to admit our participation in “killing the Prince of Life,” (or not).

To open ourselves up before God this way and receive everything mentioned it requires a type of humility, a seeking heart, and contrite spirit – which does not come naturally to us.

It’s really all that God wants – that the human heart would humbly, contritely confess (admit) what it is, what it has done, and its desperate reliance on God to save them in spite of it all.

On occasion I meet people who will admit that before God, they are sinful. But when pressed they seem to justify this position with an attitude that whispers, “but not as sinful as the other guy.”

For some reason these people position themselves before God in relation to the position of those around them – and since they don’t believe that they have been that bad by comparison they also don’t seem to think they need Jesus shed blood as desperately as others.

The Lord spoke to this mind-set when He was invited to eat dinner at a very religious man’s home.

Instead of me telling it let’s read how Luke describes it in chapter seven of his gospel, beginning at verse 36:

36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.

Now remember, a Pharisee was a devoutly religious person – someone who often lived righteously according to the Law.

37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

Of course to a Pharisee or any devout Jew even being touched by the great unwashed was a means of personal defilement, so we understand from where this attitude originates, right?

40 And Jesus said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

I would suggest that when a person comes to understand God’s utter and absolute Holiness, when people come to understand that scripture describes Him as “an all-consuming fire,” that a true understanding of this will bring every sinner of any degree to their knees – out of sheer gratitude that this same God so loved us them that He gave His Only Begotten Son to pay for each and every crime or sin as ANY . . . (beat) . . . again ANY, single sin warrants their destruction.

The fact of sin is like the fact of being a virgin, the fact of being pregnant, the fact of being a keeper of the Law.

In other words, a person is either a virgin or they are not, they are pregnant or they are not, they have keep the law or they have not.

Once virginity is gone it’s gone. When non-pregnancy is gone, it’s gone. When we break one point of the law we are a lawbreaker.

Before God we either have sin . . . or we don’t. If a person does NOT have sin it seems that only they have the right to look down on others who do.

But there is no “quantity” or “quality “ factor when it comes to sin and our standing before God. We are either sinless or we are sinful.

Sinless equals being in His presence. Sinful means banishment.

I say all of this because the fact is, if the only thing a person has ever done is stealing a pencil, they have contributed as much to KILLING the Prince of Life as Stalin, or Pol Pot, or Idi Amin.

But it’ really hard for us to see ourselves in such a light. But I strongly suggest that what I just covered is perhaps the best way to understand the atonement.

Now, what is interpreted in the King James as, “The Prince of Life,” other translations say:

(RSV) “the Author of life,”
(TCNT) “The very Guide to Life”
(BBE) “the Lord of life”
(DBY) “the originator of life” and
(MNT) “The Pioneer of Life”

Why the abundance of different words?

The Greek word translated to “Prince” (or author, or Guide or Lord or Originator” is “arkay-gos”

An “arche” in the Greek is defined as “the first” or “the primary source” or “the initial form” or “chief” or captain”.

Aristotle defined the word “Archay-gos” as being (LISTEN) “the actuating principle.” I love that.

Architecture is the arche (chief or actuating ) tecton (builder) – the actuating builder.
Archeology – first or primary study of first humans
Archetype – is the arche (primary or first) type of a thing

So when we read Peter say that these men killed the “Arche-gos Zoe” he is telling them that they killed the actuating person or the very principle of life and living!

Holy camole!

And talk about complex irony – they KILLED the actuating principle of LIFE!? Only God folks – only God could come up with such utter complexity.

I mean, the “Actuator of Life had to be killed so the rest of us could live! Wild. And while this irony is shown to be a must in scripture those responsible for the killing are held accountable.

Jesus said in Matthew 18:7 “It may be necessary that evil comes in this world but woe to them through whom it arrives.”

Anyway, as a quick aside, the term, “Christian Anarchy” pulls from the Greek term “archegos.” Put “Christ” in front of archegos and all it means is that to a Christianarchist there is nothing –

No primary form, no chief, no actuating principle but Christ – that’s all. It has nothing to do with fighting governments or secular anarchy.

Anyway, Jesus is called the “actuator of life” just as we might refer to Adam as “the actuator of death.”

We know from scripture that By Him (the Word) were all things made that were made. By Him, the Word of God, was everything spoken into existence.

When the Word of God was made flesh and dwelled among us, lived perfectly, overcame the world, sin, the cross and the grave, God gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth to rule and reign over what?

Life. Existence. He is the actuator of Life – always has been.

Again, through the Word God spake all things into existence. So all things began in and through the Word.

Once the world fell, it only makes sense that God’s very words (which gave life to everything) would be made flesh and dwell among us, as a means to overcome the effects of the Fall.

And as God become Man He not only gives life, He promises to now give it more abundantly to all who receive and believe on Him.

The principles supporting and endorsing this description of Jesus are consistent throughout the word.

Darkness is almost always associated with ignorance, evil, sin and death.

And yet as the Arche of life He is purposed in scripture as the “Light that shines in the darkness.”

It only makes sense that the Prince of Life then would synonymously be known as “light” and that those who reject Him “love the darkness more than the light.”

It only makes sense that as disease and discomfort and decay are part of “death and dying” that the Arche of Life would also be known as the healer.

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would come

“to preach good tidings unto the meek;” to “bind up the brokenhearted,” “to proclaim liberty to the captives,” and “the opening of the prison to them that are bound” – all perfect descriptions of life and living, where their opposites –

Preaching bad tidings
Taking advantage of the brokenhearted
Proclaiming bondage to captives
And closing up tight prison doors to those inside . . .

are all symbols of death.

Of course it is no wonder that as the Arche of Life he could give sight to the blind, open the ears of the deaf, forgive sin, and raised the dead.

And that He and He alone was able in and through His life lived, His death, and His resurrection, to reconcile this entire fallen world – past, present and future – to God who so loved it.

These factors (plus many, many, many more) all coalesce into a perfect reason why God would want us to “receive and believe” on His Son – and to then tell those who have to “take up our cross and follow Him to another paradoxical location – to our own deaths.

Whoa.

In the end, however, this is a much better, eternal choice than believing and receiving (and then following) the Arche (or actuator) of Death as Jesus Himself paradoxically said regarding this twist:

(Matthew 16:25) “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”

All the way back in Deuteronomy 30 beginning at verse 15 God said to the Nation of Israel:

15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,
16 “in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.
17 “But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them,
18 “I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.
19 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
20 “that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

This was the covenant God had with them, under the Law. But it was never gonna work – human flesh is drawn to heavily to the self and to the flesh.

So God sent His Son. And fulfilling the Law completely, He gave us a New Commandment – to love.

And for love to abide in us toward God and others there must be the paradoxical presence . . . of death – to self, the world, and the flesh.

It is the death the actuator of life experienced that we might live. And now, believing and receiving Him, we do the same.

Q and A
Prayer