The True Offering

Acts 3:17-22

17 "Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. NKJV

In summary of our last study we saw how Peter charged the “men of Israel” with the murder of Jesus Christ. We dug a little into how God used it to justify the ungodly and bring sinners into a better covenant with God. Peter reopened the case against the “men of Israel” and once again exposed their sin. This was God being patient with His covenant people calling them to repentance once again. John the Baptist came preparing the way for the exaltation of Christ and Christ came preaching that salvation has come to Israel, but Israel crucified her King. Now we have Christ’s chosen apostles who have been given Holy Spirit’s power to preach in Christ’s name. Now that Israel murdered their King they will also labor to take away the right to preach in His name.

"Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers."

Peter addressing them as “brethren” is in regards to them as countrymen, not in regards to salvation. They are not brothers in Christ, because they rejected Him as King and Lord of Israel. Peter is only referring to them as brethren because of the patriarchs. The fathers of their nation were given a special covenant unlike any other nation. The Christian only has this brotherhood with Israel, no matter what their ethnicity. If your ethnic background is anything other than Israel, when you repent, and turn to Christ, you receive all of Israel’s history and covenants; only in this are Christians ‘brothers’ with Israel. Christians are not brothers with any other nation or foreign faith, we can only identify with Israel because the promised Messiah chose to come through Israel as the particular nation. America is not the chosen nation of covenant. However, as Americans, if we honor Israel as the mother of the covenants; America will be blessed as Persia was in the days of Ezra (Ezra 7:11-26).

. . . I know that you did it in ignorance, . . .

After Peter addressing them as ‘brethren’, he reminds them that if they understood the covenant correctly they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor.2:8); for he said, “I know that you did it in ignorance”. Peter is saying that Israel, because they didn’t have the Spirit, killed the Messiah. Israel was not able to understand the speech of the Lord.

John 8:42-47 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." NKJV

But God is coming again to them through the miracle and the apostles, and if they will hear, God will grant them the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter is making the point that he understands why they were not able to hear God’s words, because they did not have the Holy Spirit. In other words, they were not ‘born of God’, for Jesus said, “He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” This is what made God’s covenant people ignorant; however, because they were God’s covenant people, God continues to call out to them for repentance and may the Lord give them the ears to hear, even now.

. . . as did also your rulers.

This is not only a reference to the rulers in Israel, but to Rome who was ruling over the Jews at the time of Christ’s death.

1 Cor 2:6-8 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. NKJV

Here the apostle Paul is addressing the Corinthians who also were under the authority of Rome, but in this context Paul recognizes that Rome is also guilty of crucifying the Lord of glory. This fact makes both Jew and Gentile guilty parties in the murder of Jesus Christ, but notice what Christ said about who has the greater sin:

John 19:11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." NKJV

Israel is the party that delivered the Lord to Rome, therefore Israel, who had access to the truth of Christ and heard His defense from the Scriptures is charged with the greater condemnation, if they reject the gospel. Why? Because they had the fathers and the covenants. This, however, does not leave Rome guiltless. God has a greater love for Israel only because of His promise and His love for His great name as ‘promise keeper’. Therefore, God comes to Israel again and again to proclaim salvation in His name.

But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.

Peter appeals to the fathers whom Israel was trusting in for salvation, that "those things" spoke of the crucifixion of the Lord, and are now fulfilled, in the person of Jesus Christ. Peter is using the Scriptures again to correct their misunderstandings. Peter is elevating the authority from outside of himself to the fulfillment of what God already spoke in the mouth of the prophets. Isiah prophesied of the suffering Servant:

Isa 53 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked — But with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. NKJV

What Israel could not see is that the offerings they were bringing to God were defiled and corrupt. Therefore, in the day that Israel understands that God has put His Son to grief and when Israel “makes His soul an offering for sin”, then their worship will be acceptable in His sight.

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, . . .

While this call to repent primarily applies to Israel, it is a call for all men everywhere to repent and turn form the worthless idols of our own making and offer up acceptable worship to God through His beloved Son. Have you done that? Have you come to the end of yourself trying to please God in your own way and by your own means? (Isa.6:5) Have you stopped going in the direction of pleasing self and begun a new walk with God? (Jer.18:15) Do you have not only a relationship with the mind of God, but with your own sin? (Rom.7:23) Do you have new desires and a hunger for God’s righteousness? (Matt.5:6) Are you at war with yourself in the inner man? (Gal.5:17) Have you truly received the assurance necessary for the forgiveness of sins?

1 Thess 1:5-7 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. NKJV