The Prophets' Bottom Line

 Peter continues preaching his second sermon, an impromptu gathering of thousands at Solomon's Porch after he and John healed a man who had never walked. 

In the first part of his message (Acts 3:12-16), he taught how Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, the suffering Servant, the Holy and Righteous One and the Author of Life. 

And this Jesus had just used His two apostles to heal this disabled panhandler as yet one more sign of His divinity.

Rocky also boldly spoke truth to them. They denied Jesus. They turned Him over to Pilate. They exchanged Him for a murderer. And they killed Him. 

Despite everything they had done, God raised Him from the dead.

Pete continues preaching and tells his massive audience, "Brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your rulers" (v17). The Greek word here is agnoia/αγνοια, which gives us our word agnostic. 

In other words, they did what they did because they simply didn't know any better. They were actually unaware that Jesus was Messiah. 

He goes on to tell them that "God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled" (v18). Peter (through Luke's pen) uses the term "prophet(s)" five times in the next nine verses. 

He says that every one of the OT prophets was talking about Jesus! Christ is their bottom line. He is the fulfillment of all covenant promises God has made.

First, the prophets said He must suffer. The list of such passages is a long one. The key texts are Gen 3:15; Ps 22; Is 53; and Zech 12:10. 

God's promised Son of David was not only to come but to suffer. It was all part of God's plan of salvation.

Peter pleads with his audience to repent and turn back to the Lord (v19)! That's the only way to be forgiven for the sin of rejecting Jesus. 

If we make a 180 from sinful and selfish desires back to God, He’ll take care of forgiving and cleaning us (1Jn 1:9).

He tells them God promised His millennial kingdom through the prophets (v20-21). These will be amazing "times of refreshing" where we will know "the presence of the Lord." 

When Christ brings His kingdom at His Second Coming, it will be "the time for restoring all the things." If the people turn back to God, they will enjoy this eternal paradise with the Christ. Again, Jesus is the prophets' bottom line.

Pete flips his Bible back to Moses who said, "The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers" (v22-23; Dt 18:15, 18, 19). The people had understood Moses' words to be fulfilled in God's Messiah. 

Through the prophets, God promised THE Prophet. And don't miss the fact that the prophets not only predicted Jesus' coming but that He is also a prophet as well. Actually, He is THE Prophet. 

Christ fulfills three key offices on our behalf. Prophet. Priest. King. As Prophet, He speaks God's Word and will to us. And we are to be fully obedient to what Jesus commands (Jn 14:15, 21, 23).

"And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days" (v24). Pete repeats how Jesus is clearly the prophets' bottom line. 

They were all talking about Him. Every last one of them. Sure there were warnings of destruction, calls to repentance and strange visions and dreams. 

But everything they predicted revolved around God's gracious plan of salvation in and through His Son.

Peter points out that as the descendants of these prophets, God has promised to bless the earth through His chosen people. 

The Lord pledged to Abraham, "And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (v25; Gen 22:18). 

In other words, one day the direct descendant of Abraham will offer God's blessing to all people groups on the planet. That "offspring" (or "seed") is Jesus. 

While God has a unique relationship with His chosen people, He offers salvation to all. This is the amazing move of God in the book of Acts that continues to this day.

Through the prophets, God pledged to fulfill His promises. 

Simon Peter once again tells the people of Jesus' resurrection (v26). This is a central point of the Gospel. God has "raised up His Servant." 

And He has offered salvation first to His chosen people. He is blessing them "by turning every one of you from your wickedness." 

Once again, don't miss that salvation is God's work. Yes, we are to repent. But He is also doing the turning.

Jesus is the prophets' bottom line. Is He YOUR bottom line? Does everything in your life center around Him? 

It's not about Bible study. It's not about going to church. It's not about prayer. It's not about worship. 

Yeah, all those things are important. But they are all means to an end. 

It's about Jesus. He must be our bottom line.

©2011

Jay Jennings