Alan Lewis
Elon, North Carolina
April 2025
While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. 12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.
23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.
25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” (Acts 3:11-26 NIV)
Last time we were in Acts, we had a fascinating topic. We introduced the topic of miracles. We talked about miracles today. We watched a video about modern-day miracles today. We looked at one of my favorite miracles in the Bible. It is in Acts 3.
It is one of the first miracles in the church. It was a healing miracle. It was performed at church. It took place at the Temple at the beautiful gate. At the beautiful gate took place a beautiful miracle.
A man had never walked a day in his life. He was taken to the Temple every day to beg, since he couldn’t work. One day, Peter and John were heading to the Temple.
They were not going to heal anyone. They were going to pray but on their way to church, they encountered a man in need, real need. Not everyone who asks for money is in need. Some are scam artists, but this man had a real need. He had been this way since birth.
He asked them for alms. Peter and John had no alms to give him. Peter and John used to work in the fishing business together. They were ex-fisherman turned apostles.
They did not have any alms. They had no silver or gold. They weren’t bankers. They were preachers. They were poor apostles. Now, the Bible does not condemn wealth.
Some of the patriarchs were wealthy. Now, there is nothing wrong with silver and gold. There is nothing wrong with owning them, but Peter did not have any.
He had something better than silver and gold to give him. He gave him health. He commanded him to rise up and walk. He didn’t merely ask the man if he could pray for him.
The man not only got up and started walking; he started jumping. He started praising God. He went into the Temple. People saw him. They recognized him. They were shocked. They couldn’t believe their eyes.
In Acts 2, there was a big crowd and a public miracle but there were some skeptics in the crowd. This time, there were no skeptics because everyone knew this man. He had a reputation. The miracle was undeniable.
After the miracle is a message. After the healing is a sermon. The healing is in Acts 3:1-10. The sermon is in Acts 3:11-26. The miracle was not an end in itself. It was not only a wonder which got everyone’s attention. It was a sign. It had a message.
Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. (Acts 2:44 NIV).
Now, we live in a day of unbelief, even in the church. Some preachers have said that miracles are rare. Some have even said that they are rare in the Book of Acts.
The problem with this view is that Luke says MANY signs and wonders were performed by the apostles, not a few. This miracle helped this man physically, but it also had a message to others.
Peter used it as a prop for his sermon. He used it as a sermon illustration. He used this miracle as a platform to preach the gospel. In this chapter, we see Peter’s second sermon.
He preached the first sermon in the early church in Acts 2. It led to 3000 conversions. He preached his second sermon in Acts 3. This one led to 2000 more conversions. We know that from Acts 4.
But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand. (Acts 4:4 NIV).
Peter’s Preaching & Modern Approaches
Peter just have been some preacher. He may have been one of the best preachers of the Twelve Apostles. He may not have been the best writer, but he was the best speaker.
Today, we get to see how he preached. We get to see how he preached the gospel. This is interesting. Peter preached it a little differently than people do today. It is radically different. Let’s compare Peter’s sermon to many modern approaches.
Peter did not tell people about the four spiritual laws. There’s nothing wrong with that approach but Peter did to use it. He didn’t say that God has a wonderful plan for your life. Peter did not do friendship evangelism.
He did not preach the prosperity gospel. He did not say that God wants everyone to be wealthy and healthy. He could have said that. That is what some today would have said.
Many today would say said, “This man was healed, and it is God’s will for you to be healed as well, if you just believe. By His stripes we are healed.” Peter used this physical healing to make a spiritual point about salvation.
How to Preach like Peter
How did Peter preach? He preached the same way in Acts 3 that he preached in Acts 2. There are three things we can do to preach like Peter.
1) Talk about Jesus, not yourself
Peter didn’t preach himself. He preached Jesus. A stupendous miracle took place. The man was recognized. He told them what happened, how it happened and who was responsible. He told them about Peter and John. The text says they RAN to find them.
It says that the man held on to them, like a child holding on to a parent. He did not want to let them go. They gave him a new life. He was happy. He was smiling.
This healing drew a crowd. They are thinking, “How did they do this? How is this possible?” Peter and John said, “Don’t look at us. Look at Jesus. We did not heal this man. We are not special.”
Many today would not be so humble. Many would take credit for the healing. Very few people can do something amazing and not take the credit for it. We like to be complimented.
We like to be recognized and honored. We like people to stroke our ego. It makes us feel good about ourselves. That kind of publicity would build up our ministry. People would flock to us if they knew we could perform real miracles.
When they asked Peter how he did this amazing miracle, Peter did not say, “It is because I am an apostle, and I have special powers, and I have amazing faith.” He said, “I am nothing. I didn’t do anything. Jesus did it all.”
Peter did not take credit for anything that was done here. He was pretty humble. Not too many big-name preachers are humble like this apostle was. Most of them have big egos but not Peter.
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 3:12 NIV)
Peter began his sermon with a question. In Acts 2, the crowd asked Peter a question. Here he asks them some questions. Why does this surprise you? Why are you staring at us?
Peter pointed them to Jesus. Peter did not preach himself and say that he was the chief apostle. He got to preach the first sermon in the church. He was the head of the church, the rock on which it was built. Catholics think he was the first pope.
Peter didn’t preach himself. He didn’t list all of his credentials. He preached Jesus. That is what Paul did (I Corinthians 2:2; II Corinthians 4:5).
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 NIV)
This sermon is all about Jesus. It is about His death. It is about His resurrection. It is all about Jesus. Who is Jesus to Peter? Notice all of His titles.
Peter calls Him “Christ” (Χριστός) in Acts 3:18, which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for “Messiah.” He calls Him “Jesus Christ” (Acts 3:20) or Jesus Messiah. He calls Him “the Holy One” (Acts 3:14).
Far from being a sinner, law breaker or a Sabbath breaker, as some of the Pharisees called him. Jesus was the Holy One, another term for God in the OT (Isaiah 45:11). He calls Him “the Just One” (Acts 3:14).
He calls Him “the Prince of Life” (Acts 3:15). Jesus is the one who created everything. He is the Author of life. He is the Prince of Life. He calls Him “God’s servant” (Acts 3:13, 26). He did the will of God all of His life. He was obedient to the Father.
He calls Him “a prophet” (Acts 3:22), not just any prophet but the special prophet that would come on the scene and be like Moses, which was predicted in the Book of Deuteronomy. It is not Muhammad. It is Jesus.
He said that the Messiah would suffer (Acts 3:18). He said that God raised Him from the dead (Acts 3:15). He also said that He is coming again (Acts 3:20).
2) Don’t be afraid to preach against sin
This is not too popular today. Preaching against sin is negative. It is offensive. Many modern preachers do not do it. They only do positive, uplifting preaching.
That is what people like to hear. They want to hear the message that God wants you to be wealthy. It is appealing. They want to hear good news, not bad news. Many preachers do not do any negative preaching. They are all positive. They focus on the love of God.
What is interesting when you read this sermon is that Peter said some unpopular things. He said some controversial things. He said some offensive things. He said some politically incorrect things.
If you are politically incorrect, you try to be non-offensive. You do not want to say anything to offend any specific group of people. You don’t want to step on any toes. You change the name of schools and sports teams. You topple down statues because they are offensive.
Peter was offensive. He preached against sin. He preached repentance. These are messages that are left out of many modern sermons. They are left out of the modern gospel. Many preach a gospel of repentance.
Peter said, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” (Acts 3:19 NIV). We need to repent to get our sins forgiven. We need to repent to get saved. It is part of the gospel.
Peter was not only offensive. He was confrontational. He said, “You did not just commit a little sin. You committed a big sin. You are all murderers. You have blood on your hands. You need to repent.”
Peter said, “You killed the Author of Life. You killed the one who gave you life. You killed your Messiah, the one the prophets promised thousands of years before. You murdered the Son of God. In fact, you actually preferred a murderer to Jesus.”
“You released Barabbas but killed Jesus. You did not execute a murderer and then you went on to kill the Prince of Life. He was not killed by his enemies but by his own people. In fact, Peter says that Pilate was willing to release Jesus. The pagan Gentiles acted more righteous than the Jews.”
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom YOU delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But YOU denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you 15 and YOU killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead (Acts 3:13-15 ESV)
Peter preached against sin. He did not preach against personal sin, although that is not wrong. He preached against national sin. The Jews as a nation rejected and killed their Messiah.
Peter was not talking to immoral people. He was talking to religious Jews but even they needed to repent. If you do not think you are a sinner, you can’t get saved.
Peter was bold. He was direct. He was truthful but he was tactful. He was not hateful. He put their sin before them, but he also said that they acted in ignorance. He said, “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.” (Acts 3:17 ESV)
He does not say that they were ignorant but does not say that they were innocent. It did not absolve them of guilt. They still needed to repent and get saved.
3) Make sure you offer hope to people
Peter could have said that you committed the unpardonable sin. You killed your Messiah. There is no hope for you. You can’t be saved. That is not what he did.
He offered hope to people. No matter what your condition, there is always hope, even for murderers. Murder is not the unpardonable sin, even the murder of Jesus. It can be forgiven. After the indictment, he gives them an invitation.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. (Acts 3:19-21 ESV)
In Acts 2, Peter said repent and be baptized and you can get two things: the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 3, he tells the nation of Israel to repent, and several things will happen if they do.
One, their sins will be blotted out (Acts 3:19). They will be forgiven. How could Peter accuse these people of denying Jesus? He uses the word “denied” twice (Acts 3:13, 14).
He said, “You denied Jesus in the presence of Pilate, and you denied the Holy and Righteous One.” Peter denied Jesus three times, but he could say this because he repented, and his sins were blotted out.
Two, times of refreshing will come (Acts 3:19). A spiritual revival will take place.
Three, Jesus is going to come back to the earth (Acts 3:20). That is what Zechariah says. When the nation accepts Jesus, He returns. Peter offers them hope. He offers them a second chance. You rejected your Messiah but he can still come back.
Four, the restitution of all things will take place (Acts 3:21). When Jesus returns, there will be a Millennium on earth. The earth will be restored. Israel will be restored. The throne of David will be restored. All things will be restored. That will only happen after Jesus returns. Then the Millennium will take place and all things will be restored.
Unfortunately, that did not happen. Some repented that day but many did not. In the next chapter, the Jewish leaders arrest Peter and John. One day the nation will accept Jesus as Messiah.
