God who desires to give blessings
[Acts 3:17-26]
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 says: "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, 'Because I bore him in pain.' Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, 'Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!' And God granted what he asked." Pastor Bruce Wilkinson commented on the prayer "Oh that you would bless me" in his book "The Prayer of Jabez," saying: ‘When we make wanting God's blessing the only thing that satisfies our soul, we are in a position to know 'the fullness of joy in His presence,' as the psalmist says. Everything else we may desire becomes a way of seeking His blessing in those areas of our life. What we want more than anything else is for God's glory to fall on us, in us, through us, and around us’ (Wilkinson). So, do you and I truly seek God's blessings as the highest value in our lives? If so, have all our other needs become secondary, as Pastor Bruce Wilkinson suggested? Or do we still consider God's blessings as secondary and pursue all our other needs as the ultimate blessings?
Today, I would like to contemplate on Acts 3:17-26 with two main points: (1) What are the blessings that God desires to give us? (2) What must we do to receive these blessings from God?
First, what are the blessings that God desires to give us?
From today's passage, we can summarize them into three main points:
- The first blessing that God desires to give us is forgiveness of sins.
Look at Acts 3:19a - "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, …." Here, “sins may be wiped out” means being completely freed from the record of wrongdoing. In English, the phrase "wiped out" refers to completely erasing the ink on a document, much like the complete forgiveness of sins. Colossians 2:14 states: "having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross." King David in the Psalms proclaimed: "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." (Ps. 32:1). The phrase "sins may be wiped out" in Acts 3:19 signifies even more than just covering sins. As we know, Peter, who proclaimed this message, had experienced this truth firsthand. After denying Jesus, he wept bitterly and received forgiveness. From then on, he never mentioned his transgression. He became as if he had never sinned (Park). What an astounding blessing! To become as if one had never sinned. If the police were keeping a record of all our sins, how fearful and apprehensive would we be? Not only fearful, but also facing the dreadful consequences of our transgressions becoming evidence. Now, imagine if the Chief of Police ordered all our records to be completely wiped clean, so that we would be treated as if we were completely innocent. How would that be? Our God is the one who wipes out our transgressions. Isaiah 43:25 states: "I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins."
- The blessing that God gives us is the day of refreshing.
Look at Acts 3:19b - "... that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." What does the term "times of refreshing" refer to? The Greek translation for "refreshing" is rendered in English as "respite," meaning a temporary cessation or relief from work, pain, or duty (e.g., Acts 8:15) (Bruce). As an example, consider the judgment that God had previously proclaimed to the unrepentant people of Nineveh. The judgment was temporarily halted because the people of Nineveh repented. From this perspective, "times of refreshing" can be understood as a 'temporary pause from suffering.' However, the "day of refreshing" mentioned in Acts 3:19 carries a deeper significance. It doesn't merely denote a temporary respite from suffering. It signifies opportunities of spiritual salvation through the inauguration of Jesus (Park). This means that repentant individuals are liberated from sin and obtain spiritual peace (Park). A life liberated from sin, resulting in spiritual peace, is indeed the blessing that God desires to give us. That's why, after His resurrection, Jesus stood among His disciples and said, "Peace be with you" (Jn. 20:19, 26). This peace is not the peace that the world offers. It is the peace that only Jesus can give us.
To delve further into the concept of the "day of refreshing," I would like to refer to it as the life of God's kingdom that saints enjoy through the hope of Jesus' first and second coming. Now, what is meant by the 'life of God's kingdom'? We can cite Romans 14:17 as an example: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." We, as the people of God's heavenly kingdom living between the inauguration and the second coming of Jesus, enjoy the blessing of living a life characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. This kind of life is what gladdens our hearts and souls. This is the second blessing that God desires to give you and me.
- The blessing that God gives us is the restoration of all things.
Look at Acts 3:21 - " He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." Here, the phrase "restore everything" refers to the blessed age of the new heaven and new earth that will come about only through the return of Christ. The term "restoration" signifies a new era in which all things will be made new, an era of glory in the divine creation (Park). This aligns with the prophecy that Jesus had already made in Matthew 19:28a – “… I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, ….” As Paul puts it, the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom. 8:21). Here, the "creation" refers to everything in the world apart from humans (Hodge). Although creation has decayed and suffered the consequences of human sin (v. 20), it too will reach its glory when humanity's salvation is accomplished at the return of Jesus. Regarding this restoration, the prophet Isaiah prophesied: "They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious." (Isa. 11:9-10). Look at Isaiah 35:10 – “and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
Second, in order to receive these blessings from God, what must we do?
We can consider three things:
- To receive the blessings that God desires to give us, we must repent and turn to God.
Look at Acts 3:19a - "Repent, therefore, and turn to God ...." Already, in Acts 2:38, Peter proclaimed, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." What should we repent of? We should repent of the sins we committed in ignorance. Look at Acts 3:17 - "And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your leaders." What sins did the Jews who were listening to Peter's sermon commit in ignorance? Peter points out the sin they committed in these words: "But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life ..." (vv. 14-15). In other words, the sin that the Jews committed in ignorance was the sin of killing Jesus Christ. Peter admonished those Jews who were listening to his sermon to repent of this sin. We can take the Apostle Paul as an example. Before meeting the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But he received mercy because he had acted ignorantly in unbelief (1 Tim. 1:13). However, the amazing fact is that Jesus, on the cross, had already prayed to God the Father to forgive us for the sins we commit in ignorance. Look at Luke 23:34 – “And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'” What we must keep in mind is that true repentance requires turning away from sin. Therefore, Peter not only preached in Acts 3:19, "Repent, therefore, and turn to God," but also proclaimed in Acts 3:26b, "... turning every one of you from your wickedness." Consider the example of the Thessalonian believers: "... how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1 Thess. 1:9). True repentance means abandoning sin and turning back to God to worship and serve Him. If we claim to have returned to God without abandoning the idols we should forsake, and if we worship and serve Him while still holding on to those idols, we are actually serving two masters. When we truly repent in this way, we can receive the first blessing God desires to give us, which is forgiveness of sins. Therefore, we must heed the words of the prophet Isaiah and return to God as His servants: "I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you" (Isa. 44:22).
- In order to receive the blessings that God desires to give us, we must listen to every word of Jesus Christ.
Look at Acts 3:22 - " 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.’" Long ago, in the Old Testament, when Moses prophesied (Deut. 18:15) that "a prophet like me" would be raised up by God, he was speaking about Jesus Christ, who serves as the mediator between humans and God (1 Tim. 2:5) (Park). Moses, who prophesied the coming of the Messiah Jesus, was truly speaking the words of the Lord (Deut. 18:22). We know this because his prophecy was fulfilled: " If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him." Therefore, the Jewish people listening to Peter's sermon had no choice but to believe Moses the prophet's words, just as they must believe in the words of Jesus Christ who was prophesied to come. Look at Deuteronomy 18:18 - " I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him." However, the Jewish people did not listen to Jesus' words and did not believe in Him. Look at John 5:46-47: " If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?" Therefore, Peter admonished that in order to receive the blessings that God desires to give, they must listen to every word of Jesus. He proclaimed that if they did not heed Jesus' words, they would be utterly destroyed from among the people (v. 23).
- In order to receive the blessings that God desires to give us, we must patiently await the return of the Lord.
Look at Acts 3:20 - " and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus." The fulfillment of the three blessings God intends to give us - forgiveness of sins, the day of gladness, and the restoration of all things - will occur at the time of the Lord's return. While we have already received forgiveness of sins, ultimately we will receive complete forgiveness when we put on the glorious body, the spiritual body, at the Lord's return. The day of gladness, though already partially experienced by us who live between the first and second comings of Jesus, will find its full realization at the Lord's return. Particularly, the restoration of all things, the era of the new heaven and new earth, will be at the time of Jesus' return. Therefore, we must exercise patience. Calvin's fifth point of the TULIP, the Perseverance of the Saints, applies here. Look at Revelation 14:12 - "This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus." Thus, Paul also says in Romans 8:23 - "And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." The "firstfruits of the Spirit" mentioned here refer to the Holy Spirit that we have already received. The reason we have received the Holy Spirit as the "firstfruits" is because our experience of the Holy Spirit is like tasting the first fruits of heaven; it is a foretaste of the fullness of heaven we will enjoy. In this way, as we taste the first fruits of heaven, we will obtain the redemption of our bodies - the glory of the resurrection that we, as God's children, will receive. Therefore, we must be patient and endure until that time comes.
Last week, when I watched CNN's Top News, I learned about the health of Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and the explosion accident in the West Virginia coal mine. Among them, I was particularly interested in the West Virginia coal mine explosion and watched it on TV or CNN's website. Out of 13 people, 12 died, and a man who had been married for a short time at the age of 26 is currently in critical condition. Among the 12 deceased, there was a 51-year-old man named Martin Toler Jr., who had worked in the coal mine for 32 years. Before he passed away, he wrote a short message, reportedly saying: ‘Tell all I see them on the other side JR. It wasn’t bad. I just went to sleep. I love you.’ Randy Toler, the nephew of this brother, said that the last words his uncle spoke at the Sunday church were, save your affections on things above, not on Earth, which is probably similar to Colossians 3:2: "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Bill Rogers, the brother-in-law of Jerry Groves (56), who was another miner who passed away, said, ‘Our only comfort would be that there was no suffering, that they would go to sleep, and there it is.’
Believing in God who desires to give blessings,
James Kim
(Anticipating the Lord's return)