In Acts 3 we’ll spend most of our time looking at another mini sermon given by the Apostle Peter which proclaims faith in Jesus is God’s only plan for man to be saved. The chapter begins by telling us of a man who was crippled from birth who was healed by Peter as he and the Apostle John were going to the temple for prayer. The healed man was overjoyed and went jumping through the temple, praising God.
When people recognized the man as the one who used to sit by the temple begging, they were filled with wonder and a large crowd gathered around Peter and John.
Verses 12-16:
When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men of Israel, 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? 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. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 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 given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
First Peter identifies Jesus as God’s servant who is the Holy and Righteous One, which is basically calling Jesus the promised Messiah. Then Peter tells us that Jesus is the author of life and was raised from the dead. Finally Peter explains that it was not he and John who healed the man, but faith in Jesus.
Peter continues in verses 17-26:
Now, brothers, 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 Christ would suffer. 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 Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 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 among his people.”
Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. 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.” When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.
Again we see scripture emphasize that the suffering and death of Jesus was God’s plan for salvation from the beginning, and was revealed to us by God through the prophets. We are told to “repent and turn to God so that our sins may be wiped out…”
Peter also specifically says that “anyone who does not listen to [Jesus] will be completely cut off…” God has used the Jews to bless the entire world, directly through Jesus, and indirectly through all the great Jewish people who have contributed great things to society.