Home Recent Previous Series Phil's background Creation and science Miscellaneous Links Contact Phil

The Beautiful Gate, Part 4

Your sins may be wiped out

Acts 3v17-20

20th November 2015

After Peter and John brought healing in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (verse 6) to a man who was crippled from birth (Acts 3v2) Peter spoke to the Jews in the crowd that gathered. Last time, we saw that he told them that, although it was the Romans who killed Jesus, the death of the Holy and Righteous One (verse 14) was their fault. Anybody with any sense of their own sinfulness would say that it was our fault, too. Jesus came to pay the penalty for your wrongdoing, and mine.

Peter then said:

Acts 3v17-20
"Now, fellow Israelites, 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 Messiah 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 Messiah, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus."

I suppose ignorance is a matter of degree. Some of those who called for the death penalty for Jesus of Nazareth knew he was a good man, so they weren't entirely ignorant about what they were doing. Some knew he was a prophet. But few of them knew that he was God. Jesus Christ was the second person of the Holy Trinity, come in human flesh. But most people then hadn't worked that out. Many of them were guilty of incitement to judicial murder - the killing by the state of an innocent man, but most of them weren't deliberately guilty of incitement to deicide - the killing of God. That's why Jesus cried out in prayer "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" when the Romans crucified Him.

And Peter tells us here that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was "how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer." The crucifixion was the most appalling moment in all of History - the Son of God dying in physical, emotional and spiritual agony. But it was planned and it was foretold. God chose to let His precious Son die in our place, to pay for our sins, so we could be united with Him.

For some people, this is too wonderful to understand. But it's true. If you haven't understood it yet, I pray that God Almighty will open your eyes to see it as it is.

The crucifixion of the Son of God was the central part of God's plan of salvation for mankind. Peter addressed the crowd in Solomon's Colonnade, some of who had probably been in the earlier crowd that had called on Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus, and told them to "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord".

Here's the significance of this for us: Even those who were by now consumed with guilt because they had demanded the death of the man they now realise is the Messiah, were offered the chance to repent and turn to God, and promised that their sins would be wiped out if they did. Since even their sins would be forgiven, then we can be assured that our sins will be forgiven, if we repent and turn to God.

So many people, Christians and non-Christians - carry with them a sense of guilt over things they've done in the past. But God promises through this passage of scripture that if we will confess our sins to him, repent, and cast ourselves on God's mercy, then our guilt will be taken away, because Jesus has already paid for it. His blood will wash us clean.

1 John 1v8-9
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

This is the word of God. It's true. And it applies to your sins, just as much as to theirs, or mine.

In those days, there was a beautiful gate that led to the courts of Israel. A man crippled from birth sat there every day until God healed him. And today there's an even more beautiful gate that leads to God Himself, and anybody who finds it can enter into God's courts. The two doors of that gate are repentance from our sins and faith in the redeeming sacrifice of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. Jew or Gentile, male of female, slave or free, young or old, whatever you've done, you can enter.

And all who enter will experience times of refreshing... from the Lord

And God will send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus.

Yes - the Messiah had been appointed for you!