Theological term
Biblical Hermeneutics
2 sermons · All terms
The Sermon in Solomon's Porch, Part 2
Peter's sermon in Solomon's Porch confronts Jerusalem sinners with the necessity of repentance, pressing three realities upon them: their ignorance was willful, not innocent; God's sovereign providence overruled even their wickedness in crucifying Christ to fulfill all that the prophets foretold; and the call to repent and turn carries with it the promised blessings of sins blotted out, times of refreshing from the Lord's presence, and the indwelling presence of Christ by Spirit and Word until the restoration of all things. The exposition of Acts 3:17–21 drives toward a direct appeal: those burdened with sin must repent and turn to Christ, the only one in whom those blessings are found.
The People, The Prayer, The Response
Acts 4:23–31 records the response of the early Jerusalem church to persecution: rather than fleeing or retaliating, the believers gathered, prayed, and received divine empowerment to proclaim the gospel with boldness. The sermon expounds three features of that account — the character of the people (steadfast, prayerful, and united around the gospel), the theology embedded in their prayer (addressing God as Creator, Revelator, and Sovereign, and applying Psalm 2 to Christ), and God's answering response in the shaking of the place, the filling of the Spirit, and bold proclamation. Corporate prayer shaped by God's character and promises — not by circumstances — is the pattern the early church models for every subsequent generation of believers.