Scripture Reading: Acts 3

We'll read Acts 3, beginning at verse 1, and then we'll read to the end of the chapter. Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour, and a certain man, lame from his mother's womb, was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple, which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple, who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, With John, Peter said, look at us. So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

Then Peter said, silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up. And immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God. and all the people saw him walking and praising God. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the beautiful gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch, which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people, men of Israel, Why do you marvel at this, or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate when he was determined to let him go. But you denied the Holy One and the just and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of Life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And his name, through faith in his name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all his prophets, that the Christ would suffer, he has thus fulfilled. Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said to the fathers, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.

Him you shall hear in all things whatever he says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your seed, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

To you first, God, having raised up his servant Jesus, send him to bless you and turning away every one of you from your iniquities. Amen.

Introduction

So wonderful account here that we have. We have an account of the healing of a lame man from his birth. We have, though, the account, the narrative of that healing act serving the purpose of gospel proclamation on the part of Peter. This healing that John and Peter are engaged in with this man who is at the gate called Beautiful serves gospel proclamation, serves the preaching of Jesus Christ to these gathered Jews at the temple.

We're going to look in verses 11 to 26, and sort of using it as a launching pad also for the rest of the book of Acts, we're going to look at apostolic proclamation in the Book of Acts, what it looks like, and what are the various parts of that proclamation.

F.F. Bruce's Fourfold Outline

First off, I'm just going to read this quote again from F.F. Bruce. He has a structure or a fourfold outline of what the apostolic proclamation looks like. We're actually going to break that down into eight or expand upon it, but this is a good overall outline of the apostolic proclamation in the Book of Acts.

The early, this is Bruce, the early apostolic kerygma, that is apostolic, the pattern of apostolic proclamation, regularly falls into four parts, which may be summarized thus. First, the announcement that the age of fulfillment has arrived. Second, a rehearsal of the ministry death and triumph of Jesus. Third, citation of Old Testament scriptures whose fulfillment in these events proved Jesus to be the Messiah, and then fourth, a call to repentance.

These four elements are present in Peter's proclamation in Acts chapter 2 and Acts chapter 3. He has already announced that the age of fulfillment has come. Now he rehearses the story of Jesus. So we have that fourfold outline or fourfold character of apostolic preaching here in Acts chapter 3.

Notice the announcement that the age of fulfillment has arrived. We see that in verse 17 and 18. Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all his prophets that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.

He repeats that again. He repeats that again in verse 24. Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow as many as have spoken have also foretold these days. So an aspect of apostolic proclamation is the announcement of the age of fulfillment.

A rehearsal of the ministry, death, and triumph of Jesus. Peter brings that out here. When he speaks of the fact that these have put to death the holy one and the just, asked for a murderer to be granted to them and killed the prince of life, verses 14 and 15. Then of course, citation of Old Testament scriptures, we see that in verses 21 and following.

And then a call to repentance, we actually see that. We see an allusion to it more in 26, but an outright call to repentance at verse 19. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. But we're going to look at eight things that characterize the gospel proclamation in the Book of Acts.

Announcement of Prophetic Fulfillment

The first thing is, again, the announcement of prophetic fulfillment. The first is the announcement of prophetic fulfillment. The apostles were not being novel when they were proclaiming and preaching Jesus Christ, but rather they were proclaiming and announcing that all of those old covenant promises and prophecies that were delivered to the fathers by the prophets have now come true. They were announcing prophetic fulfillment.

Remember in the book of Acts, Acts chapter, in the book of Acts, that's where we're in. But in Acts chapter two, on the day of Pentecost, Peter says, that which you now see and hear, the prophet Joel spoke of, or what the prophet Joel spoke of, that is what you're now seeing and hearing in these speaking in tongues and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Joel spoke, an Old Testament prophet, Joel spoke concerning these days that the Christ would suffer, that he would be delivered up into wicked hands, and that he would rise again the third day. So a characteristic of apostolic preaching is the announcement of prophetic fulfillment.

If you want to turn with me, we're in the book of Acts almost exclusively tonight, but in Acts chapter 13, we see this aspect of apostolic preaching. The announcement of prophetic fulfillment. This is very important to understand as Christians. Again, the apostles are proclaiming nothing new.

They're not being novel in proclaiming this Jesus of Nazareth. Oh, you see that old covenant religion, There was a sense in where there is a newness, of course, to the New Covenant. But it isn't something novel that they are proclaiming Jesus, as we'll see from these texts in the book of Acts. Acts 13 at verse 32.

Acts 13 and verse 32. Backing up to verse 30. But God raised him from the dead, speaking of Jesus. He was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people.

And we declare to you, glad tidings, that promise which was made to the fathers. So you see, when the Jews are indicting these followers of Jesus of Nazareth for introducing novel things in a new way, they are really rejecting what they held so dear, that is, the traditions of their fathers and the religion of the old covenant. Now, there were, of course, aspects of the traditions passed on which were unbiblical, but the apostles are trying to make it clear that those things promised to your fathers by the prophets of old, those things have been fulfilled in the person and in the work of Jesus Christ. Acts 24 and verse 14.

Acts 24 and verse 14. Again, the apostolic clarity with regards to Jesus Christ fulfilling Old Covenant prophecy, Acts 24 and verse 14. But this I confess to you, that according to the way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets. So you see here the clarity and it almost builds force as the proclamation to the Jewish community progresses in the early church.

The thrust of it, you remember Christianity is called the way. In the early days of Christianity, Christians or Christianity was called the way. It was also called the sect of the Nazarene. So Peter says here that according to the way which they call a sect, that is the Jews, the unbelieving Jews, so I worship the God of my fathers.

Notice, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets. You see, this goes against that modern evangelical notion of a dispensational approach to God's dealings with redemptive history and with his redeemed community. It is the law, the prophets, and the Psalms that all speak concerning Jesus. It isn't a 39 books of the Old Testament that are void of Jesus, that are void of this coming Messiah who would come to save his people from their sins.

It's not full of other ways of salvation or other ways of God's dealing, but rather it is all Christward in trajectory, and the apostles bring that out in their early church proclamation. One more text, the Apostle Paul in Acts 26. In Acts 26, again looking at the announcement of prophetic fulfillment, in Acts 26 at verse 19, before King Agrippa. Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, that throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.

For these reasons, the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, now notice, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come, that the Christ would suffer, that he would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. One thing that we need to understand is that the Old Testament prophets had a messianic consciousness. That means that they were not devoid of a conscious apprehension and knowledge that there was a coming Messiah.

You see, I think what some people can do is they can come to the Old Testament on this side of the New Testament and say, well, yeah, you know, they were engaging themselves in Old Covenant religion, and now when Christ comes, he opens up the fact that all of those things were speaking of him. The Old Covenant prophets and writers of the Old Testament scriptures didn't know, but now we do because Christ tells us and the New Testament authors tell us, no. From the beginning of redemptive history, there was the deliverance of that proclaimed message that there would be a coming Redeemer. And throughout the history of the Old Covenant, we have information given, God revealing progressively to his covenant people that the Christ would come, that the Christ, as Paul says in verse 23, would suffer, that he would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.

So the old covenant prophets and writers of scripture had a messianic consciousness. That means that they were not ignorant of a coming redeemer, but rather they wrote concerning him as God carried them along by the Holy Spirit.

Presentation of the Work of Christ

Moving on then to secondly, so we have the announcement of prophetic fulfillment. Secondly, we have the presentation of the work of Christ as that fulfillment. the presentation of the work of Christ as that fulfillment or the gospel. So point two is simply the gospel message. We saw that in Acts chapter three here, the God in verse 13, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers glorified his servant, Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate when he was determined to let him go. but you denied the holy one and the just and asked for a murderer to be granted to you and killed the prince of life whom God raised from the dead of which we are witnesses.

He continues to encapsulate the faith aspect of believing in that Jesus and his name through faith in his name has made this man strong whom you see and know. So the gospel message is delivered upon or within the context of announcing that there is prophetic fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Just a couple points under this point, the presentation of the work of Christ as that fulfillment or the gospel. Some necessary points first.

The gospel consists of the work that God does outside of us in Christ. This has been brought up on many occasions and hopefully keeps getting brought up because there is a lot of confusion out there as to what the gospel is and there shouldn't be. But very often, people with nefarious motives can smuggle in ideas as to what, you know, the gospel is. They'll say, yes, Jesus, death and resurrection, but they'll try and smuggle in other things that are anthropocentric or man-centered in the proclamation of that gospel.

Other people are just either ignorant or sloppy with regards to their definition of what the gospel is and subsequently their preaching of it. So we're going to work through some things here.

What the Gospel Is Not

First off, what the gospel is not. What the gospel is not. Again, with this first principle, the gospel consists of the work that God does outside of us in Christ. So what the gospel is not.

First off, the gospel is not a changed heart. The gospel is not a changed heart. A changed heart is good news. A changed heart is a good thing.

But a changed heart or the reality of regeneration is not the answer to the bad news that the gospel follows on the heels of, and we'll look at that more in a moment. The gospel is not a changed heart. The gospel is not ethical conduct or the ability to do ethical conduct. In other words, we don't preach the holiness and wrath of God, the reality of sin, and then, oh, but if you believe, then you will be able to do good things and you'll have a changed heart.

That's not the gospel and that it should not be proclaimed as the gospel. The gospel is not our glorification. In other words, the inheritance of eternal life, and you need to stay with me here because some of you might, you know, some people at least out there would be shocked. What do you mean eternal life isn't the gospel?

Well, eternal life isn't the gospel. It is glorious good news. It is the stuff of Christian rejoicing. It is the stuff that drives us towards the eschaton with great joy and perseverance.

And it's the stuff that serves as fuel for our ethical conduct. But it is not the gospel. Eschatological concepts and victories are not the gospel. What do I mean by that?

The second coming of Jesus Christ in power and in glory is glorious. It is, again, the stuff of what I just said, the stuff that we, as in our Christian sojourn, look forward to and use as fuel for our walk in this lower world. But the second coming of Jesus Christ, the bringing in of all the saints, and the victory that comes with the destruction of all of his enemies is not the gospel. The evangelical command to believe is not the gospel.

So when we say, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, that's not the gospel. That's not the good news. That is Bruce's point four, a call to repentance. That's what we find here that comes on the heels of the deliverance of the gospel message, but it is not the gospel itself.

What the Gospel Is

So then what is the gospel? It is, the gospel is, that Christ died and rose again for the sins of all who believe in him. It is a message that contains historical data with biblical theological commentary on those events. Historical events and the theological commentary upon those events.

Couple scriptural passages and some additional clarification as we work through this. So the gospel is Christo-centric, isn't it? It contains or it is about the historical events of Christ's life, death, resurrection, ascension, all of those glorious parts that we read of, for example, in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 1 to 4. The best biblical definition of the gospel comes, well, the best definition of the gospel comes from our Bibles, doesn't it?

Because that's where we should gain All good definitions. Yes, please, go. What? Oh, sorry, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 to 4. 1 Corinthians 15, 1 to 4.

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you, first of all, that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. That, if you want to, in pencil or however you do things, want to mark your Bible, if you find that a wholesome activity, mark that because that is the definition of the gospel. That's what Paul says.

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel, that which I delivered to you, first of all, and that which I also received. Again, the propositional content or the constituent elements of the objective content of the gospel is that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Romans 4.25, Romans 4.25, here we have And what some people charge this definition of the gospel with is just it being only bare facts or bare historical facts. I don't know how you can call Jesus dying and rising again for the sins of his people bare historical facts.

But they charge it with just believing in historical events. You see, Romans 4.25 gives us a wonderful package of setting forth those two glorious historical events, but then the theological commentary on those events. Romans 4 25, and we'll start reading at 23. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us.

It shall be imputed to us who believe in him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. Now note, who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification. So those two glorious historical events of the gospel, the death or crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. He was, Christ was, delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification.

So the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are the gospel. And a good way that people have sort of broken this down, hopefully into something that you guys can appreciate and is understandable. And as we use Latin words, we'll define them so we're not just sounding all wordy. But we have three things in the presentation of Christianity and God's redemption plan.

We have the Pactum Salutis, S-A-L-U-T-I-S, the Historia Salutis, and the Ordo Salutis. This is redemption That's not a translation, I'm just giving you an English definition. Redemption Plan. The second one, Historia Salutis, is Redemption Accomplished.

Just trust me, that says Accomplished. And then the Ordo Salutis is Redemption Applied. We have these three things. in God's universal ownership of eternity, time, and history. Pactum salutas, redemption plan.

Historia salutas, redemption accomplished. Ordo salutas, redemption applied. This one is God's plan before the foundation of the world to save a people perfectly by the perfect saving work of Jesus Christ. This is the historical execution of that plan from all eternity.

And then this is the spiritual application of this execution. So you can say we have the gospel plan. This one here, we have the gospel carried out. And this one here, we have the gospel made real spiritually in application.

This one is where the gospel is, or what the gospel is. All of time in history, all of redemption accomplished is found centered upon Jesus Christ dying and rising again for the sins of his people. So the gospel again is that Christ died and rose again for the sins of all who believe in him. The changed heart, the ethical conduct, the glorification are all adjuncts or corollaries or those things that are the effects of the gospel.

So we don't preach the effects of the gospel as the gospel. We preach the gospel as the gospel, which is Jesus Christ dying, Jesus Christ rising again for our offenses and for our justification.

Judicial Answers for Judicial Questions

Another point to this The gospel has judicial answers for judicial questions. This was mentioned a couple weeks ago from the pulpit. The gospel has judicial answers for judicial questions. Judicial simply means legal, forensic, juridical, judicial.

So legal answers for legal questions. What does that mean? Well, first off, there is judicial bad news, isn't there? that precedes the judicial good news. For that, you can actually turn to the book of Romans.

I'm going to read three passages with regards to the bad news or judicial questions. There are things that need to be answered by the gospel and in the gospel. And those three things or those things we can see here in three texts that we can read in Romans. First, Romans 118. followed by Romans 3.19 and 20 and then Romans 3.23.

But in Romans 1.18 we read this, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Romans 3.19 and 20. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight.

For by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3.23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So you see, we have bad news or we have judicial answers that need, or judicial questions that need to be answered. That is, there is That question of God's wrath, Romans 118 states that.

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven. So how is God's wrath then placated? We have an anthropological problem here. We have an anthropological question.

The theological one, how is God's character satisfied? How is his wrath placated? We have then the man answer or the anthropological question Man is condemned by God. He sits under that wrath.

The law of God cannot save him because it is by the law that every mouth is stopped and that everyone becomes guilty before God. The deeds of the law will justify no flesh in God's sight. So what then is the answer? And then we have, of course, the universality.

All men have sinned, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So we have those judicial questions. those questions that need to be answered. Well, the answers come, Romans 1.16 and Romans 3.21-26. Romans 1.16, of course, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek, Romans 3.21-26.

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. So we see the gospel has judicial answers for judicial questions. Those questions can only be answered not by us, but by Jesus Christ.

So we cannot smuggle in anything other than, and it's not smuggling when we do this, Jesus Christ's perfect work and his perfection in his redeeming activity upon the cross and victoriously coming out of the tomb three days following that work of great and perfect sacrificial substitution. So again, judicial answers for judicial questions. The bad news is answered by the good news, and that good news is only Jesus Christ, his death, and his resurrection for sinners. This is just a quote written elsewhere.

The new birth, very often the new birth is offered up as an element of the gospel, our regeneration, the fact of ourselves being changed. The new birth, though, is both an effect of the gospel as well as the necessary precursor to understanding it. But it is not the gospel. Read that again.

The new birth is both an effect of the gospel as well as the necessary precursor to understanding it. But it is not the gospel. The glorious gospel of the blessed God, a message concerning the certain, veritable, historical, and glorious doing and dying and rising of Jesus Christ, yes, a message of objective, propositional truth concerning him, and unmitigated by anything about the fruit bearing of those who do or will profess it, is preached. and enjoined by the divinely wrought activity of the spirit, is made effectual unto the new birth. And by virtue of that divinely wrought work, those who are born again understand, love, proclaim, and eternally rejoice in those glorious historical truths concerning the perfect work of Christ.

So what that says in a nutshell is that we are well served when we appreciate the gospel as only this, Jesus Christ and his perfect work. When we add anything else to it, we are doing a disservice to ourselves, to others, and more importantly, to the proper, precise witness of the gospel in the Bible.

Exaltation of Christ

Moving on, and again, if there's any questions at the end, feel free to ask them, but we're going to keep moving through the material. Number three. The statement concerning the exaltation of Christ. So we have the announcement of prophetic fulfillment.

We have the presentation of the work of Christ as that fulfillment or the gospel. And then thirdly, we have the statements concerning the exaltation of Christ as the vindication of his messiahship and messianic work. So again, these are all elements of apostolic preaching. This is the third one.

Statements concerning the exaltation of Christ. These are normally given, normally given within the context of indicting the audience for being legally culpable in his execution and are, or serve as the vindication of his messiahship and his messianic work. In other words, this Jesus whom you crucified, yes, died, but he was raised again by the power of God three days later and has ascended to the right hand of the majesty on high. Acts chapter two, for example, in two places.

We see this. Actually, probably in more than two, but in Peter's Pentecost Day Sermon, we definitely find it in verses 22 to 39, but I'm going to read a couple verses here. First off, I'm going to read beginning at verse 31. This is Peter speaking of David as a prophet Preaching Christ beforehand verse 31 he foreseeing this this is Acts 2 31 He foreseeing this spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ that his soul was not left in Hades nor did his flesh see corruption This Jesus God has raised up of which we are all witnesses Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the father the promise of the Holy Spirit he poured out this which you now see and hear." Now notice verse 36, therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.

It's very interesting at the beginning of the sermon Peter starts slowly if you will in speaking about Jesus of Nazareth. He doesn't immediately launch into Jesus as the Christ or the Messiah of the Jewish people. He says, men of Israel, in verse 22, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, the man attested by God to you, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. He doesn't yet speak of his lordship, his messiahship, or the fact of his ascension.

He's building slowly to this indictment of the audience and this wonderful vindication of God's redemptive plan in verse 36, therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus of whom I just preached to you before both Lord and Christ, this one whom you crucified. So the statements concerning the exaltation of Christ are in the Apostolic Proclamation and they very often serve that very purpose to indict the guilty audience and to proclaim the vindication of God's plan and his and the work of Christ in his messianic life and death and resurrection. So the third aspect, statements concerning the exaltation of Christ, there's another one in Acts chapter 5. In Acts chapter 5, it's very similar.

Not quite right at the end, but near the end, right before Gamaliel has the conference with the other Jewish leaders, we read at verse 29 of Acts 5, But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to his right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. We see there the statement concerning Christ's exaltation serving something of a message of mercy to the nation of Israel.

It is to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. You see, one of the things that the Jewish unbelievers did that is unconscionable, given that Christ lived and dwelt among them for a number of years, is that they took earthly kings and princes and cast aside the Prince of Glory, the Prince of Peace, and the Son of God's love. Here, the apostles are preaching that the God of our fathers raised up and exalted Jesus to be Prince. You see, they would say to the Roman leaders, we have no king but Caesar.

At the trial before Christ's execution, Jesus was set before them in a mocking fashion, but rightly so, as the king of the Jews, as the rightful king promised. in the Old Covenant Scriptures. But the Jewish unbelieving audience say, we have no king but Caesar. Here we have the apostolic proclamation of royalty, of monarchy. Christ was exalted to be prince and savior.

They were, Israel was, to reject any religious homage to earthly kings and render it solely and alone unto Christ. Not to put away proper civil polity and respecting the civil magistrates, But as far as religious obedience, veneration, and proper worship, it was to be rendered solely and alone to this one that the God of the fathers had exalted to his right hand. So statements concerning the exaltation of Christ, that is another of the constituent elements of apostolic proclamation.

Employment of Scripture as Witness

Fourthly, the employment of scripture as a witness to the truth of Christ. the employment of scripture as a witness to the truth of Christ. Wonderful examples of early Christian apologetics, isn't it? Where do we go to to argue for anything? Where do we go to to prove?

Where do we go to answer the questions of those who question us? We go to the scriptures. And that's what the apostles did. Just some examples, obviously the book of Acts, what do we, or sorry, Acts chapter two.

I keep saying the book of Acts, but that's where we're in. Acts chapter two, the apostle Peter cites Joel. He cites the prophet Joel, thanks Steve, in verses 17 to 21. He cites David in Psalm 16 in verses 25 to 28.

And then, of course, he alludes to Psalm 110, at verses 34 and 35. Peter goes to the Scriptures in order to argue for the veracity that is the certain truthfulness of Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, the employment of Scripture as a witness to the truth of Christ. In the passage that we read, it is wonderful. You know what Peter is doing here in verses 21 to 26 of Acts chapter 3 is he's simply repeating what Jesus said to him on that resurrection day.

Remember, Jesus appears to his disciples and one of the things that he does, and we need to appreciate this as a principle within Christianity of availing of the scriptures for instruction. Jesus calms their hearts and he gives them a Bible study. He eats broiled fish and honeycomb with them, and he shows them in the scriptures that the law, the prophets, and the Psalms, that is all of the Old Testament, spoke concerning him. And so Peter, on the day of Pentecost and following throughout his life and ministry, just simply follows what Jesus Christ told him on that day that he ate breakfast with him.

He cites Moses in verses 22 and 23. And then he says in verse 24, yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. For anyone to say the Old Testament scriptures are Christless and we have to wait until Matthew to hear of Christ, they just have never read their Bibles. Because Christ himself says that all the law, all the prophets, and all the Psalms spoke concerning me.

Peter, repeating the words that flowed from his master's lips, says, yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. It's just the clarity of apostolic proclamation that Christianity is not novel, but that fullness of the time, revelation of God, fulfilling all of his promises, it is clear from our Bibles. Again, Acts 2, Acts 3, we could go through the entire book for the next 17 years and see the various parts of the old, well, maybe it probably wouldn't take that long, but we could spend a lot of time in the book of Acts seeing where and how the apostles used the scriptures as tools. One other one, actually two just briefly before we move on, Acts 7.

Acts 7. In one of the One of the first, if maybe at least recorded in the narrative, one of the first exercises in Christian apologetics, long extended apologetic exercise by Stephen. Remember what apologetics means. It doesn't mean that we apologize to people when we trip them, though we should apologize to them if we trip them.

It means a defense, giving a defense, putting a defense forward, apologetics. In the realm of Christianity, we put forward a defense. That is, we argue for the veracity, the certain truthfulness of the scriptures and everything it proclaims with everything, and especially as it pertains to Jesus Christ and the gospel. Stephen engages in a wonderful apologetic, basically saying, calling the unbelieving Jews to remember the scriptures and everything that is written from, you know, from, well, I mean, he doesn't cite creation necessarily, but basically all of Old Covenant Israel was typological, that is, it pointed forward to this Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.

He goes through all of redemptive history, the tabernacle, the temple, and he is saying that Jesus is the fulfillment of those things, and he wraps it up at verse 51, by saying, you stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute, and they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it." the use of the scriptures. Stephen, in his apologetic exercise, uses the scriptures to their fullness to proclaim Jesus Christ with great glory. And then one last one here, Acts 9.22.

Acts 9.22, beginning at verse 20 though, we'll read Acts 9, starting at verse 20. Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed and said, Is this not he who destroyed those who called on his name in Jerusalem and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests? But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ." Now, the Jews were confounded because Paul, or Saul here, preached Jesus from the scriptures to them.

They would have known the scriptures well. They would have known their prophets, the prophets of their fathers. They would have known the 39 books of the Old Testament. And Paul goes to those to proclaim Jesus to them and to confound them.

He would have gone to Isaiah 53, right, where really It contains more of a narrative account of Jesus' crucifixion and theological commentary than a lot of places even in the New Testament. He would have gone there and said, this is Jesus Christ that the prophet is speaking of. In fact, that's what Philip does with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8. But suffice it to say, the apostles in their gospel proclamation employ scripture as a witness to the truth of Christ. and his fulfillment.

Pronouncement of Blood Guiltiness

Fifthly, we have the pronouncement of blood guiltiness upon the audience. We have the pronouncement of blood guiltiness upon the audience. It starts in Acts chapter 2 and it continues until the gospel goes beyond, maybe not until, but the pronouncement of blood guiltiness upon the audience isn't delivered to the Gentiles. It is a specific indictment for the Jews.

I know it's It's popular to say we all put Christ on the cross, but in a more specific and direct covenantal and judicial sense, it was the unbelieving Jews, the Jerusalem Jews that put Christ to death and who have that blood guiltiness upon their heads. Acts chapter 2 and verse 23, speaking of Jesus, Peter says, him being delivered by the determined purpose and for knowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands have crucified and put to death." If you ever want to read a very interesting commentary on a verse of the Bible, it's John Gill on verse 39 of Acts 2, where it says, for the promises to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. John Gill remembers back to that gospel, or the crucifixion narratives, where the Jews say, May his blood be upon us and our children. He goes to this and he sees that as a reversal of that self-maledictory curse that they pronounced upon themselves.

He says that Christ, by his spirit and through his gospel, is saying, I'm more powerful than your self-imposed curse. Because by my gospel and by my spirit coming victoriously on the heels of the gospel, saving the elect, That won't be true of you and your children. All who believe will be saved and my blood will not be upon you and your children. But suffice it to say, Acts does bring out pronouncements that the apostles deliver of blood guiltiness, the legal culpability of the Jewish nation for the crucifixion of Jesus.

We read that in Acts chapter 3. Verse 14, but you denied the holy one and the just and asked for a murderer to be granted to you and killed the prince of life whom God raised from the dead of which we are witnesses. You see, it was the part of apostolic proclamation by the weight of the guilt, their blood guiltiness, to drive them by spirit and word to the living Christ where they could find the forgiveness of sins. We also see it in Acts chapter 5 in that passage that we read In verse 30, the God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.

And then, of course, that text that we just read, Stephen saying, and they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers. So you see, early apostolic proclamation used their blood guiltiness not as some wicked tool or some guilt manipulation tool, but nevertheless, they used it as a wholesome guilt manipulation tool in order to, by that indictment of their grievous sin, drive them to the merciful feet of the crucified Jesus who can save them from their sins. So the pronouncement of blood guiltiness upon the audience.

Certainty of Judgment

Sixthly, making known the certainty of judgment. Making known the certainty of judgment was an element of apostolic preaching. In Acts chapter 10, for example, Acts 10 at verse 42. Acts 10, verse 42.

Speaking of Jesus, this actually wraps up a couple of our points all in one verse. This is Acts 42 and verse 43. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is he who was ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. to him all the prophets witnessed that through his name whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins." So we have there making known the certainty of judgment. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is he, Jesus of course, who was ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

And then that well-known verse connecting the resurrection to the judging Christ. The fact that Christ or a proof of judgment is seen in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Acts 17 at verse 31. Speaking of God, because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained, he has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. So another evangelical tool in the Apostle's arsenal is The inevitability or the certainty of coming judgment.

Jesus Christ has been ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. It is wise for you to kiss the sun, lest he be angry and you perish in the way.

Appeal for Repentance

Seventhly, and then we have one more after this. Seventhly, an appeal for repentance. An appeal for repentance. And I hope you can see a logical structure to this.

And by the way, there are some of these that are no longer included. Well, maybe one of them in this list that's no longer included in gospel proclamation. Anybody guess which one? I'll give you a hint because we haven't covered it yet.

It's not the eighth. But which one of these eight points do we not necessarily proclaim anymore? The blood guiltiness, that's right. That is one of them, exactly.

The blood guiltiness, though there is that, you know, yes, that sort of, you know, reality that, you know, men's sins put Christ on the cross, nevertheless, that is true. There is no longer that immediate blood guiltiness on the part of the Mosaic polity that put Christ upon the cross. Also, number one, sort of, the announcement of prophetic fulfillment. We still, we still, usher that, in our age, under number four.

But what they were saying to the Jews was that this, now, first century Palestine, or let's just say the year 33 to round down, year 33 AD, this is the time of fulfillment. 2,000 years removed from that, it is no longer the time of fulfillment. It's no longer those latter days that the prophets announced where the Son of Righteousness would come, the Messiah would come to die and rise again. So chronologically, point number one no longer is a part of our Christian evangel. So number one and number five are sort of removed, but that doesn't mean that they take away from the gospel message, it's just at our point in redemptive history they no longer bring a bearing to it.

Number seven again, an appeal for repentance. Hopefully that is something that is consistent with evangelical proclamation because it is, and it's one of those things, repent, you'll notice in the book of Acts that sometimes you'll read repent and believe, sometimes you'll see repent without believe, and sometimes you'll see believe without repent. Well, those two things are inseparable because you can't be someone who doesn't believe but repents. And you can't be someone who repents but doesn't believe.

Those two things are synonymous in a sense, though they have their own definitions. But repentance, call to repentance and appeal for repentance is part of the apostolic proclamation. We saw that at Acts 3 verse 19, repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come. We see it We see it, previous to that, in Acts 2, verse 38, where Peter says, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Just by way of a note, we see it also in 822, 1730, and Acts 2630. The call to repentance. It is the evangelist's job. It is the preacher's job.

Christian's job, who's preaching the gospel to anyone, to not just add, but necessarily include the command for the recipient of the message to repent and or believe the gospel, and you will have the forgiveness of sins. God in that Acts 1730 verse Paul says concerning God that he commands all men everywhere to repent. Verse 30, truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. It is the consistent call of the gospel preacher, not just to deliver the facts of Jesus and the theological realities attached to them, but also to say to the recipient of that preached message, repent, believe the gospel, and you will have the forgiveness of sins.

So an appeal for repentance.

Promise to Those Who Believe

And then lastly, a promise to those who do believe, a promise to those who do repent. So we have the announcement of prophetic fulfillment, the presentation of the work of Christ as that fulfillment, statement concerning the exaltation of Christ, the employment of scripture as a witness to the truth of Christ, pronouncement of blood guiltiness upon the audience, making known the certainty of judgment and appeal for repentance and lastly a promise to those who believe. Not only in two places do we see this but in two places we see this. Acts chapter 2 and verse 39.

For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far off as many as the Lord our God will call. This again logically follows from the command to repent. So remember, there is sort of a logical flow and a chronological flow to many of these elements. There is, in the apostolic preaching in the Book of Acts, that reality announced that the time prophesied by the prophets of old is now.

And Jesus Christ has brought in and consummated those prophecies. We have then the presentation of what Christ did as the gospel message. We have the employment of scripture as a witness to the fact that Christ is the promised one of old. We have an appeal for repentance and then we have a promise attached.

This promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off. Another one, Acts 13, 39. Acts 13 and verse 39. we see this promise attached to the proclamation of the gospel. And by him, speaking of Christ, everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

So you see, you know, it might be assumed by the recipient of a message of the gospel that there is the promise of everlasting life or some sort of divine promise attached to it. But if we just say repent without issuing a promise, we're missing, well, not only are we not being apostolic in our proclamation, but we're missing a glorious part of that proclamation, that there is promise for those who repent. Not just repent and then God will just arbitrarily do whatever he wants, but no, repent and God has promised that all who repent and all who believe will have everlasting life and will be justified from all things. So we have a promise given to those who believe.

And of course, we see that in the account of the converted Philippian jailer. He asks, sirs, what must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. You see, there is certainty to the promise.

It's not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ The chances are pretty good that maybe when that eschaton comes, he might let you in. There is certainty to that gospel promise. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. So hopefully, you know, hopefully a brief one hour study in the elements of apostolic proclamation helps to see As you read through the Book of Acts, you'll see these now as you follow and as you read the narrative.

And hopefully we can appreciate our old gospel preachers and our first defenders of Christianity. You see, they didn't just roll into town and sort of just talk about stuff. Jesus Christ instructed them. Jesus Christ, on his resurrected day, instructed his apostles in Bible study principles.

See, it wasn't just joy and peace and be on with your business. Jesus Christ came with that message of joy and peace, peace be with you, but then sat them down, ate broiled fish and honeycomb, and gave them a Bible study. They worshiped him, and after he ascended into heaven, he sent his Holy Spirit to empower them, to do just what he instructed them to do, to say to the unbelieving nations that I am the one who was promised by the Old Testament prophets that my time has come. He said go to the scriptures because he said the prophets, the law, the Psalms all spoke concerning me.

He in his own life and ministry gave appeals for repentance and issued forth promises upon the heels of the command to repent. So we have the apostles of the early church engaging in a very systematic yet glorious evangelistic enterprise in proclaiming the riches and the excellencies of Jesus Christ, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. Well, let's pray and then please, if there's any questions, feel free to ask.

Closing Prayer

Lord God, we thank you for this time in your word. We thank you for the witness of the book of Acts as it speaks to the the early work of the apostles in proclaiming Jesus Christ and his glorious gospel. And we just thank you again that 2,000 years removed, we are the undeserved but blessed beneficiaries of that work. We are those who believe in the gospel, not according to our own wisdom or our own power of volition, but solely and alone by your grace and by your sovereign mercies.

And we just pray that you'd help us daily to appreciate that, that we would live in light of it, We would live in light of a sovereign God and a perfect Jesus of impeccable salvation, and that we would have opportunities to do as these did, to proclaim his riches, his excellencies, his gospel to those who are in need of it. And we pray in Christ's name, amen.

Scripture References

• Psalm 16; 110
• Isaiah 53
• Acts 2:17-21; 2:22-39; 2:23; 2:25-28; 2:31; 2:34-35; 2:36; 2:38; 2:39; 3:13; 3:14-15; 3:17-18; 3:19; 3:21-26; 3:22-23; 3:24; 5:29; 5:30; 7:51; 8:22; 9:20-22; 10:42-43; 13:32; 13:39; 17:30-31; 24:14; 26:19-20; 26:23
• Romans 1:16; 1:18; 3:19-20; 3:21-26; 3:23; 4:23-25
• 1 Corinthians 15:1-4