The Forgiveness of Sin (Acts 3: 11-27)

As Christians, we affirm the belief in the forgiveness of sins, but do we truly grasp its depth? Can all sins be forgiven, or are some too heinous for God's grace? This episode considers into these questions, examining our personal struggles with forgiving others and ourselves, and how the book of Acts provides striking insights on this vital subject.

Join me as we uncover what it means to genuinely believe in the forgiveness of sins and how this belief can transform our lives and relationships.

Episode Notes

Episode Title: The Forgiveness of Sin

Scripture Reference: Acts 3:11-26

Key Points:

1. Understanding Forgiveness:
   • What does it truly mean to believe in the forgiveness of sins?
   • Can all sins be forgiven, or are some too terrible?
   • Personal reflections on forgiving others and accepting God's forgiveness for ourselves.
2. The Miracle in Acts 3:
   • Peter and John heal a lame man at the temple.
   • Peter clarifies that the healing was not by their own power but by the power of Jesus Christ.
3. The Role of Ministers:
   • The balance between recognizing God's work through ministers and not idolizing them.
   • Biblical references from 1 Thessalonians 5 and 1 Corinthians 3.
4. Jesus as the Messiah:
   • Peter's proclamation that Jesus is the glorified servant of God.
   • The crowd's denial and crucifixion of Jesus, and God's ultimate glorification of Him.
5. Call to Repentance:
   • Peter calls the people to repent and change their mind about Jesus.
   • The promise of having sins wiped out through faith in Jesus Christ.
6. The Theme of Acts:
   • The continuation of Jesus' ministry through the apostles and the Holy Spirit.
   • The ongoing work of Jesus in believers' lives today.
7. The Assurance of Forgiveness:
   • God's desire to forgive all sins, no matter how great.
   • The importance of recognizing our sins and accepting God's grace.

Quotes to Remember:

• "The greatest man in history, Jesus, had no servants, yet they called Him Master. He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives." — Lyle C. Rollings
• "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." — Acts 3:19

Reflection Questions:

1. Have you ever struggled with the idea that certain sins are unforgivable?
2. How do you handle forgiving others who have wronged you deeply?
3. Can you point to specific instances in your life where you have seen Jesus at work?

Thank you for joining us today. If this episode has touched you, please share it with others and continue to reflect on the power of God's forgiveness in your life.

Transcript

The Forgiveness of Sin. " (Acts 3:11-26)

Transcript: 

As Christians we obviously believe in the forgiveness of sins. But what does that really mean? Do we truly believe all sins can be forgiven, or are there some that we think are just too heinous? We often say we believe in the forgiveness of sins, but in conversations with believers, I sometimes wonder if we really, really believe that. Some sins are so repugnant, so awful, that we have a hard time believing God can forgive them. Let's take it a step further: what about sins committed against us? Do we believe in forgiveness when we are the ones who have been wronged? Are we really OK in knowing God has forgiven someone else who has repented of a sin against us? Today, I want to talk about the whole subject of the forgiveness of sin because the book of Acts addresses this topic like no other book in the Bible, and as we've been going through Acts, we've come to a passage that talks about forgiveness in really quite striking terms. So, let’s see what it can teach us….. You’ll remember yesterday this chapter began with Peter and John going to the temple to pray. As they approached, they met a man who is described as being lame from birth. He was begging and Peter turned to him and said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." The lame man got up, walked and leaped for joy. Peter and John continue on into the temple, and the people were amazed, perhaps thinking Peter had done this by his own power or godliness. Peter will quickly correct that misunderstanding in the next section we are going to look at today. Beginning in verse 11: While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. As they entered the temple, they went into a large courtyard area surrounded by porticos, or colonnades, where teachers would gather and teach. In one of those porticos, called Solomon's Porch, a crowd gathered, to talk as they were amazed by the miracle they had just seen. Verse 12 says, When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? (Acts 3: 2) Peter clarifies that it was not by their own power or even any form of personal holiness that the man was healed. In fact, later in Acts, when the Apostle Paul performs a miracle, people will want to worship him as a god. This raises the question of how we should respond to ministers and the miracles they perform. It seems there is a balance to be struck but there are two extremes in responding to situations like this, both of which are incorrect. On one hand, we can put the minister on a pedestal, attributing god-like powers to them. Or on the other extreme, we can fail to recognize the divine power working through them. The balance is to acknowledge that any miracle or good work done by a minister is not by their own power but by the power of God working through them. On one extreme, you end up worshiping the minister, and on the other extreme, you dismiss what God has done. The truth, it seems to me, is somewhere in the middle. In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul tells us : To recognize those who labour among you and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake." So, on one hand, Paul says those who labour among you—teaching the Scriptures and overseeing the work—should be highly esteemed, but remember it is the Lords work you are seeing. In Corinth, apparently some minister went too far claiming credit and authority for what they were doing. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said, "For when one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase." So, in Thessalonians, he says, "Look, you ought to esteem those very highly." But in Corinthians, he says, "Wait a minute, don't start dividing yourselves.' God is the one working here." That's also what Peter is saying in here Acts 3: ", I didn't do this; the Lord did this." The second thing Peter does is he talks about the Lord, and the way he does it is fascinating. Look at the next verse. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. (Acts 3: 13) So, the first thing he does in this passage is say, "Hey, look, I didn't do this." Then, abruptly, he shifts gears and says, "He says that He was the servant, referring to Isaiah, who talked about the servant of the Lord—a reference to Jesus. At any rate, Peter turns to them and says, "Hey, let me tell you what you did: you delivered Him up. He was God’s servant, and you delivered Him up." He goes on in verse 14: You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. Let me also tell you what you did: When Jesus was being tried, you asked that the innocent one be crucified, and a guilty man be let go. You chose a murderer rather than the Messiah—that's what you did. Furthermore, verse 15: " You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. (Acts 3: 15) Calvary may have been an attempt for man to have the last word, but the empty tomb was God’s last word. God glorified Him. You delivered Him up to Pilate, you denied Him, you had Him killed, but God still raised Him up and God glorified Him. Someone called Lyle Rollings once wrote. "The greatest man in history, Jesus, had no servants, yet they called Him Master. He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives." (Lyle C Rollings- Gracequotes.org) People denied him, delivered Him up to Pilate, had Him killed, but God raised Him up and God glorified Him. There's more. Peter continues in verse 16: By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. (Acts 3: 16) So, he says, "Look, this man you just saw healed was healed through faith in Jesus Christ." Now, it seems to me we need to connect verse 16 with verse 13. He started out this passage we are looking at today saying God has glorified Christ. Then he says, you denied Him, though He was holy; you delivered Him up, you had Him killed, but God has glorified Him by raising Him from the dead and He is now seating Him at the right hand of the Father. It is he the risen Jesus who healed this person. Now let me pause here before we go on and make a suggestion. Do you remember when we started the book of Acts, I said the theme of Acts was that Jesus had begun his ministry in the book of Luke, and Acts is just a continuation of what Jesus is doing now through the church. In the book of Acts is He is doing it through the apostles and by the Holy Spirit, what he did himself in the previous book of Luke. He says to the apostles, "Don't go anywhere until the Holy Spirit comes." The whole point of the book of Acts is that Jesus is now working through people by the Holy Spirit. This is a perfect illustration of it. Peter is making it clear to those who witnessed this healing that he didn't do it; Jesus did it. Jesus is alive and He's working right now and that is one of the main themes of the book of Acts: Jesus is alive and He's working. I can’t help but ask: Do we believe that today? Is He working in your life? Can you point to things and say, "I know the Lord is alive because He’s working in my life"? Can you say that when you look at your life? Can you say, "I have had answered prayers, or I have grown spiritually, or are you stuck in a rut? Just because someone was saved for 20 years doesn’t mean they have had had 20 years of spiritual growth. Some people have had one year of spiritual growth in a lifetime. In other words, they just repeat the same spiritual experience year after year without growing. So, has stuff happened in your life since you were converted? Have you been transformed by the work of the Spirit of God in your life so that you are a different person than you used to be? This is what demonstrates that Jesus is alive and working today in the world through people by the Holy Spirit, through people like you and me. That's Peter's point. Then Peter says one more thing. Now that he’s established that Jesus performed this miracle, not him, he’s going to talk about Jesus with confidence. Picking up at verse 17, he says. Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. (Acts 3: 17-18) This is Peter's main point throughout the rest of what he says: Jesus is the Messiah, and God foretold this. Which is why, Peter says in verse 19. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. (Acts 3: 19-20) Because Jesus is the Messiah who came to suffer for sin and was raised from the dead, Peter says, people listening should, "repent." Most of you have heard me talk about this word and know what I'm about to say, right? Repent means to change your mind. This is a perfect illustration of what I believe this word means. What is the context in this case? What did Peter accuse them of? Idolatry? Adultery? Stealing? Lying? Coveting? No, not specific sine. He accused them of denying Jesus, delivering Him up, and having Him killed. They thought Jesus was a common criminal not the Messiah. Repent means change your mind about who Jesus Christ is. He is not a common criminal; He is the Christ. He’s not someone who broke the law; He is the lawgiver. He is the Messiah. You need to change your mind about that. This is a perfect illustration of what I've been saying all along: the word "repent" means to change your mind. One commentator I read said. All they had to do to avail themselves of this salvation was to change their former attitude towards Jesus and bring it in line with God's attitude. God had clearly declared His verdict by raising Him from the dead." In this passage, Peter first said, "You denied Him, delivered Him up, and had Him killed," and then in verse 18, he says, "But God foretold that this was the Messiah." So, now you need to change your mind from what you thought about Jesus to what God says about Jesus. That’s what you need to do in order to have your sins wiped out. "Wiped out" is a very interesting way to talk about the forgiveness of sins. It obviously means to erase or wipe clean. If you change your mind about Christ and are converted from one belief about him to another—which then means your sins may be wiped out completely. In ancient times, ink did not contain acid, so it didn’t soak into the paper for quite a while. If you wrote something down, you could take a wet sponge or cloth and wipe it clean. So, when Peter says, "repent”, turn to the Lord, trust Him, and your sins will be “wiped out," he means that your sins will be wiped clean, as if they were never written. So, let me ask: Is there anything you wish you hadn't done? Any sins you wish you hadn’t committed? This tells me that when you come to Christ, your sins are wiped out. All you have to do is trust in Jesus Christ. Peter says in verse 19 that you should do this so that times of refreshing may come from being in the presence of the Lord. I've seen sermons preached on revival where this text was used to refer to these "times of refreshing" as revival. While there may be a time of refreshing that could be called revival, that's not what this text is primarily talking about. The "times of refreshing" is I believe a reference to the fact that the Lord is going to come back and set up His Kingdom. God is giving time for people to repent. So, Peter is saying, "Look, you need to repent, be converted, turn to the Lord, and trust Christ so that God can go ahead and bring in the Kingdom and as many as possible are saved." The rest of the passage quotes various OT scriptures to back this up. Peter says in verse 22, "For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people. He quotes Deuteronomy 18 in detail, where God promised a prophet that they should hear. Peter identifies this prophet as the Messiah. That’s one of God’s promises—that He’s going to send the Messiah. Then in verse 24, Peter says, "“Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days." He points out that all the prophets spoke about the coming of the Messiah. Finally, Peter quotes Genesis 12, where God made a covenant with Abraham, saying. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed. God promised Abraham that through his seed, all families of the earth would be blessed. Part of that blessing, based on this passage, is the forgiveness of sins. What Peter is doing in this sermon is simply saying, "I didn’t heal this man—Jesus did. And by the way, you need to know who Jesus is. Jesus is the Messiah who came to suffer and be raised from the dead. If you change your mind about Him, turn to Him, and trust Him, then your sins will be “wipped out." Let me ask you: Have you ever done anything you wish you hadn’t done? Was it as bad as crucifying the Messiah? Have you ever committed a sin that you wish you could wipe off the record? The great lesson in this passage is that even if your sins are as great as personally crucifying Christ, if you trust in Him, your sins will be wiped out. You've got to see this in the flow of the passage. Peter accused them of crucifying Christ and then says, "Even your sin of crucifying the Messiah will be wiped out." So, based on that, I'd like to make a couple of suggestions: Number one: God wants to forgive you. I don’t care what you’ve done God wants to forgive you. "What do you have to do in order to have the forgiveness of sins?" Answer, "Sin." Think about that. What do you have to have done to have forgiveness? Sin, right Self-righteous people don’t get forgiven. The only people that qualify for forgiveness are sinners, who recognise they are such. So, this passage is saying God forgives sin, all sin, huge sins. I don’t care what your sin is—God is forgiving. Now, you might be thinking, "We’ve heard you preach this for years, right? In my life I have often have people say to me, "I’m really struggling with knowing my sins are forgiven." I wonder if there is anybody listening to this and is thinking, I heard all this stuff before, but I’ve committed some sins; I’m just not sure the Lord can forgive me"? I’ve met a lot of people who think like that. That’s why I’m here to tell you: Peter preached that even if you were personally involved in crucifying the Messiah, God wipes out your sin by faith in His name. With that in mind, you have every right, if you’ve trusted Christ, to walk out your front door today and say, "It’s gone. It’s wiped out. It’s gone." My sins are forgiven. That’s the good news? Your sin is gone, dealt with, wiped clean. In conclusion let me try and sum this up. In the context of the whole New Testament. I said at the beginning today that the book of Acts talks about the forgiveness of sins more than any other book in the Bible. The expression "that your sins may be wiped out" come from Isaiah chapter 43. In the original quote by Isaiah, God says, "I’m going to blot out your sins for my sake." He does it for His sake, not based on what you or I do. But my point is this: We are only forgiven, we are, justified. We stand before God justified, declares us righteous. The Bible says, "He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”. So, I am forgiven, and I’m declared righteous. As I stand before God, I am righteous. Is that good stuff or what? You’re forgiven. "But what if we do it again?" 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I’m telling you, there’s forgiveness. This is a very fundamental problem if you are walking around feeling guilty, becasue God doesn’t want you walking around feeling guilty. You are forgiven. Your sins are wiped out, and you are righteous. The books of Acts here says we are forgiven. I don’t know who it is who might be who needs to hear the message but God is still working today by His Holy Spirit to place this truth in your heart.