Need Effect Basis

Overview

Repentance: Need, Effect, and Basis

At the heart of Peter's sermon in Acts 3—delivered after the healing of the man lame from birth—stands a single, all-encompassing word: repent. Literally meaning to turn around and walk the other direction, repentance involves sorrow and contrition, but when it appears alone in Scripture (without the words faith or believe nearby), it carries the fuller meaning of trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is, in short, a beautiful word that gathers up the whole of the Christian life. Peter's sermon unfolds the need for repentance, the effects of repentance, and the basis of repentance.

The Need

Peter does not soften the diagnosis. "You rejected the Holy and Righteous One… and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead" Acts 3:14–15. That is the law in its full force, exposing the depth of human sin. When Peter then says, "you acted in ignorance" Acts 3:17, he is not excusing them. As with a driver who pleads ignorance of the speed limit, ignorance does not equal innocence. This is the ignorance of unbelief—real guilt, even as God in His sovereignty wove their wickedness into the fulfillment of what He had foretold through the prophets concerning His Messiah's suffering Acts 3:18. We confess "sins known and unknown, things done and left undone," because, as Luther noted, the moment we cannot think of any sins to confess hardly ever comes.

The Effects

"Repent therefore, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" Acts 3:19–21. Peter names three gifts that flow from repentance:

1. Sins erased. The record against us is blotted out—washed clean by the blood of Christ, who bore the wrath we deserved. Paul says it the same way: "He forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands… nailing it to the cross" Colossians 2:13–14.
2. Refreshment. No amount of sleep produces the rest that comes from absolution. This is why our worship moves quickly into confession and forgiveness—the announcement of pardon revives mind, body, and spirit, and sends us out with contagious joy.
3. Universal restoration. What God promises at Christ's return is the recovery of what was lost in Eden. The tree of life appears in Genesis 2 and again in Revelation 2:7—Scripture is the story of God restoring perfect communion and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

The Basis

The basis of repentance is Christ Himself—nothing more, nothing less. Peter points to Moses' promise of a prophet like himself (Acts 3:22–23; cf. Deuteronomy 18:15). As Moses came from Israel, led God's people out of slavery, and mediated between God and them, so Jesus comes from Israel, leads us out of slavery to sin, and mediates the new covenant through His cross and empty tomb. The promise to Abraham—that in his offspring "all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Acts 3:25; Genesis 22:18)—reaches its fulfillment in Jesus, whose blood atones for the sin of all people of all time. And note carefully verse 26: God "sent him first to you, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness" Acts 3:26. Even the turning is God's gift. Repentance in its fullness—sorrow, contrition, and faith—is His gracious work in us.

Pastoral Application

Paul resolved "to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" 1 Corinthians 2:2. That is our assignment too. When you leave these doors and return to your home, your neighborhood, and your workplace, every relationship God gives you is a vehicle for proclaiming Christ—the need for repentance, the effects of repentance, and the basis of repentance. That was Peter's heart. May it be ours.

Transcript

Would you open your Bible, please, with me this morning to the third chapter of the Book of Acts. 0s

Repent. Repent. 7s

So often when we hear those words, we get an image of someone standing on the street corner with a sign, proclaiming about the second coming of Christ in the day of judgment. 10s

That word repent can, for our society, oftentimes, be heard in an odd way for it increasingly is becoming a word that falls more silent in our society. 23s

And yet, in Holy Scripture, that word repent is prolific. 40s

I think, for example, of Ezekiel, the 14th chapter where it says, 47s

Therefore, to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord God, repent and turn away from your idols and turn away your faces from all your abominations in Mark 6. 52s

So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 66s

The meaning is literally to turn around from the direction that you are going. 74s

It's quite a word, picture. 82s

As you are walking down a path and you literally turn around and go in the other direction. 83s

Repenting involves sorrow. 92s

It involves contrition. 94s

And here's a little interpretive guide for you. 95s

When you see repent alone without the words faith and believe nearby, it is to be understood not only as sorrow, 99s

not only as contrition, but also as encompassing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 110s

It is a beautiful, all-in-compassing word. 118s

As we're studying from Peter's great, great sermon here, 123s

The heart of Peter's sermon was repentance. 128s

And we're going to follow his sermon today, and we're going to see how he talks about the need for repentance, 135s

the effects of repentance, and the basis of repentance. 144s

So let's get to work. 151s

Remember the context in which Acts III chapter falls, it is the healing of the man who was lame from birth. 154s

Remember, our Lord had given the apostles the ability to have healing miracles. 162s

When the apostles died off, that also died off. 169s

Why was that special gift given? 173s

Because it was given so that the message could be validated. 175s

So when the word became codified, when scripture became codified, 180s

that gift of miracles was no longer needed, and so it goes out of business. 185s

And so this one has been healed, the apostle Peter used as a vehicle of God through which this healing from God comes. 191s

This man who has been lame from birth is jumping and leaping and praising God, 202s

the message then of Peter is validated and a crowd-gathers. 209s

A crowd-gathers to hear what Peter has to say. 216s

But we studied last week, we're quite the words. 222s

Just to review, go back into chapter 3, please, verse 14. 225s

He turned to those gathered there and he said, but you rejected the holy and righteous one. 229s

That's Jesus. 236s

And if asked to have a murderer given to you, that was Barabas, 238s

and you killed the author of life whom God raised from the dead. 244s

You rejected Jesus? 252s

You wanted a substitute in place to be released who is a murderer and you killed the author of life. 254s

That's the law, isn't it? 268s

That's the law that reveals the reality and the depths of their sinfulness that reveals the need for them to repent. 270s

And we pick up in the second part of the sermon, verse 17. 281s

Peter says, and now friends, I know that you acted in ignorance as you did also your rulers. 287s

I know you acted in ignorance. 294s

Does it seem to you upon reading this that Peter has gone a little bit soft here? 296s

Because he is preaching this word and he comes very clearly and crisply with the law in saying, 302s

you rejected him, you asked for a murderer in his place and you killed the author of life. 309s

And in the very next sentences in his sermon, he says, you acted in ignorance. 315s

You acted in ignorance. 321s

The Old Testament law reveals that there was a distinction between sins done intentionally and sins done unintentionally. 324s

But the sins done unintentionally still carried guilt for those actions, for those thoughts, for those words. 334s

Let me give you an example. 345s

But I'm traveling down the road and the speed limit is 40 and I'm doing 60. 347s

An officer pulls me over and I turn to the officer and I say, 351s

I was not aware of any signpostings that said, I should be going 40. 358s

Therefore, since I was ignorant of that, what the speed limit is, I am therefore not guilty. 365s

What do you think the officer would do? 372s

He would write the ticket or she would write the ticket very quickly and hand it to me. 376s

You see, my ignorance of the speed limit is not a defense that makes me innocent. 381s

Look at chapter 2, please, verse 23. 394s

This man, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. 398s

They were ignorant in their actions in the sense of their unbelief. 407s

That is the ignorance of unbelief. 413s

The fact that they did not recognize the signs that indeed Jesus Christ was the anticipated and prophesied Messiah did not make them innocent. 417s

So when Peter says, you acted in ignorance, that's ignorance of unbelief. 429s

It does not mean that there is. 435s

Next verse, verse 18, in this way, 439s

God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets that his Messiah would suffer. 443s

When Jesus Christ died on the cross, it was no accident. 450s

It was part of God's plan. 454s

That indeed Jesus would bear the sin of the world. 458s

God used the wicked, sinful ignorance of the people that put him on the cross to accomplish his ultimate purpose of the redemption of humankind. 462s

So the first part of the sermon, Peter turns and it gives them the law. 478s

He says, you rejected him. 483s

You asked for a murderer to be given to you and he killed the author of life. 486s

That law then sets up the need for forgiveness. 493s

The need for repentance. 500s

The love that we all have that need to repent. 507s

In fact, in our sinfulness, we do not understand the extent of the pervasiveness of our sinfulness. 512s

In fact, that's part of our sin, isn't it? 522s

One of the confessions we use, we confess this. 527s

Forgive us our sins known and unknown things done and left on. 530s

In terms of confession, Luther writes in a small cataclysm, he says, we should not torture ourselves with imaginary sins. 539s

If we cannot think of any sins to confess, but then he adds a parenthesis. 546s

He says, which would hardly ever happen? 551s

You see, we have the need for repentance. 555s

And the law drives us, the Lord uses the law to convict us of our sin, and to birth in us sorrow and contrition and faith. 559s

Peter says, here's part one of the second part of my sermon. 577s

It's the need for forgiveness. 583s

Second part, the effects of forgiveness. 586s

Let's go on, verse 19. 591s

Repent, therefore, and turn to God. 595s

Now repent and what's translated turn, it's two different words, but they mean the same thing. 601s

He's just reiterating his point. 607s

He's just using a different word. 608s

Repent means to turn around. 610s

Repent, therefore, and turn to God, so that, here's the first effect, your sins may be wiped out, so that your sins may be wiped out. 611s

When Jesus Christ died on the cross, all of the sin of the world was laid upon him. 626s

The wrath of God for sin was laid upon Jesus. 632s

Jesus took the punishment that should have fallen on us for our sin. 637s

And the world was declared not guilty. 644s

The world was declared forgiven. 648s

We receive that declaration of not guilty through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 653s

The effect then of repentance in its full sense is that our sins are wiped away. 664s

It means to be erased. 675s

The image here is of books that God would have on us, and in the books would be sin after sin after sin. 677s

Some of the things we know and some of the things we don't even know, the things we've done and the things we've left undone. 684s

It's all recorded there in the book, but then you open up the book and all of the pages have been washed erased clean through what through the blood of Jesus Christ. 690s

That purges and cleans the filth of that book. 703s

The effect then of repentance, the effect then of the reception of the victory that Christ won on the cross for us is the blotting out the erasing of our sinfulness so that when God would look at a book on us, what he would see is the perfect righteousness of Christ. 711s

Paul put it this way in Colossians 2. 738s

He forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. 742s

He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. 752s

So the need for repentance, second point, the effects of repentance, number A under the effects in his sermon if you're just going to outline it is that our sin is erased. 758s

It is wiped out. Here's B now under point 2, good of verse 20. 768s

So that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. 774s

You see at the beginning of verse 20 where it says, so that's connecting to the thought before, right? 783s

So the times of refreshing is connected with what? The wiping out of our sin. 789s

You can sleep 12 hours a day and if you could do that, that's certainly something I can't do. 798s

But if you could sleep 12 hours a day, you would wake up and you would not nearly be as refreshed in your spirit as the refreshment that comes through the absolute of the forgiveness of your sins. 805s

That is the refreshment of mind and of body and of spirit. 820s

That's why when we begin the worship service, soon in that worship service, we're immediately into confession and absolute. Why? 825s

Because that absolute is a refreshing and a freeing word to us. 833s

We are revived through that word. 838s

We are filled with joy because we know that through the cross of Jesus Christ, our sins have been erased and that is a refreshment to us. 841s

That sins us forth with a contagious joy into the communities and homes and workplaces where God has placed us. 852s

The effect of repentance, your sins are blotted out, second effect, your refreshed. 865s

Can now point C on his sermon. If you're going to have line it, point C, next part of verse 20, halfway through. 874s

And that he may send the Messiah appointed for you that is Jesus, 884s

who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets. 890s

What's that? That's life eternal. 902s

What's universal restoration? 906s

But what is being restored? Let me ask you this. 910s

Back in the garden, remember there were trees. 915s

God said you could eat up any tree, say one, tree of knowledge of good and evil. 918s

You eat in the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 923s

In other words, you determine for yourself what's right and wrong. 925s

God said that's death to you. 928s

It's death to you. 930s

It's exactly what our first parents did. They ate in the forbidden tree. 931s

As part of the trees in the garden, there was the tree of life. 936s

Remember, God, original intent was that indeed we would eat of the tree of life 942s

and that we would live forever. 948s

You go then into revelation in the image of heaven and what appears in heaven. 953s

What appears again is the tree of life. 960s

Revelation 2 chapter says to everyone who conquers, 965s

I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God. 968s

All of scripture then is the revelation of the story of redemption of God 978s

who is at work through Jesus Christ to restore what? 985s

The relationship that our first parents had in the garden. 991s

Perfect communion, eternal life. 998s

The tree of life is in Genesis and the tree of life is in revelation. 1004s

That's the restoration that's talked about here. 1013s

That then comes to fruition when, as it talks about, 1016s

the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1021s

Peter comes and he says, 1027s

people you have a need for repentance. 1031s

Here's the effects of repentance. 1035s

The effects of repentance are, 1039s

these are sins are belotted away, belotted away, 1041s

you are refreshed through the declaration, 1045s

the absolute forgiveness of sins and eternity becomes reality. 1050s

Need? 1059s

The effect? 1060s

What's the basis of repentance? 1064s

And I was ordained. 1071s

I received a wonderful beautiful little gift. 1072s

It was a little book on Luther and Luther's preaching. 1076s

I love the book. 1081s

It's a great book. 1083s

But I really loved what was written on the inside cover of the book. 1085s

First, let me give it to me, wrote this. 1091s

Pre-ch Christ, you have no other assignment. 1096s

That is so biblical and it is so clear and it is so good. 1105s

Pre-ch Christ, you have no other assignment. 1110s

I think of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2. 1116s

He said this, I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1120s

That's it. 1130s

That's Paul telling the hears that would hear him, 1132s

preaching and teaching what you're going to get 1137s

is Christ crucified and risen. 1140s

Nothing more. 1143s

You're not going to get the wisdom of the world. 1146s

You're not going to get entertainment. 1148s

You're not going to get cutesy little stories that tickle your ears. 1149s

You're going to get Christ. 1152s

Pre-ch Christ, you have no other assignment. 1156s

What then is the basis for repentance? 1167s

Christ, isn't it? 1174s

It's Christ. 1178s

Look how he says this in verse 22. 1180s

Moses said, the Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. 1187s

You must listen to whatever he tells you. 1194s

He's referring to Jesus there. 1198s

So how is Jesus like Moses? 1200s

If Jesus is the prophet that's going to be like Moses, then what's this similarity? 1203s

Well, Moses came from Israel. 1209s

He led the people out of slavery and he was the mediator between God the Father and the people. 1212s

Jesus came from Israel. 1221s

He leads us out of the slavery to our sin and he is the mediator between the Father and us. 1226s

As he mediates that relationship and achieves victory through the cross in the empty tomb. 1238s

Go on. 1246s

Verse 23, and it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people. 1248s

In other words, rejection of Christ means that one maintains the law status that is theirs through sin. 1257s

That's the same thing that we hear in Mark 16. 1265s

The one who believes in his baptized will be saved but the one who does not believe will be condemned. 1268s

The same thing. 1276s

Same thought. 1277s

Verse 24. 1277s

And all the prophets, as many as have spoken from Samuel in those after him, also predicted these days. 1280s

You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, 1287s

saying to Abraham, and in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 1292s

When that word came to Abraham and Sarah, that through them would come a line of people and out of this line would come the Messiah. 1301s

And God told them all of the families of the earth will be blessed. 1311s

All means all doesn't it? 1317s

That incorporates everyone who has ever lived or ever will live, it incorporates all of us. 1320s

The blessing through Jesus Christ who has atone for the sin of all people all time through his shed blood on the cross. 1330s

Verse 26, 1345s

When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. 1346s

What does repentance mean? 1364s

He's the term, right? 1367s

So when it says when God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by what? 1369s

Turning each of you from your wicked ways. 1377s

That reminds us that the clairs to us that repentance and its fullness. 1385s

Soarrow and contrition, turning and faith, it is all the gift of God. 1390s

It is all the work of God. 1398s

The fact that God has brought you to repentance in all of its fullness is his gracious gift to you. 1403s

Beloved, preach, Christ. 1418s

You have no other assignment. 1426s

preach, Christ. 1430s

That means leave these, this place, leave these doors, go back into the homes and families and neighborhoods and workplaces back into the relationship. 1435s

You have no other way to be able to do that. 1447s

You have no other way to be able to do that. 1453s

You have no other way to be able to do that. 1454s

And in fact, everything that God allows us to be a part of is simply a vehicle whereby we are to proclaim Christ. 1457s

Every relationship that God brings into our lives is simply the blessing that He brings so that 1467s

we have a greater purpose than simply friendship, a greater purpose of doing what proclaiming Christ. 1475s

proclaiming Christ. 1487s

That means we proclaim the need for repentance, the effects of repentance, the basis of repentance. 1490s

That was Peter's heart, wasn't it, in that sermon. 1508s

And that's our heart also. 1515s

Thank you. 1539s