THE WINDOW
Bible Teaching Ministry of
CEDAR LODGE BAPTIST CHURCH
Thomasville, NC
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October 3, 2004
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While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. 12But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. 14“But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. 16“And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
17“And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. 18“But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. 22“Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you. 23‘And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24“And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days. 25“It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’ 26“For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
Acts 3:11-26 (NASB)
Carpe Diem is a phrase I first learned watching the movie “Dead Poets Society”. The movie, set in an exclusive prep school for tomorrow’s leaders of industry and politics, stars Robin Williams as the boy’s literature teacher. Williams wants the young men to learn to carpe diem, or “seize the day” – to not let the opportunities of life slip away because of cowardice or procrastination.
Carpe diem, seizing the opportunities of this day, is a great piece of advice. We human beings only have a precious little time which God grants to us here on planet earth. We should be putting that time to good use. The Bible puts it succinctly…we are to redeem the time, for the days are evil.
Carpe Diem is also expressed in the language of today’s popular culture; we are advised to “go for it”. That can be applied in many ways. The Special Olympics is my favorite for inspiration; I see men and women, very special, going for it!
There are slogans and tattoos which boast carpe Diem…press on brother…go for it…and more.
Last week we looked at the beginning of this chapter. We found Peter and John seizing the moment then. As they were entering the temple for worship they encountered a crippled beggar. Peter seized the opportunity to extend God’s grace to the man, and he was healed.
As so often happens, one carpe diem provides another. The crippled man got up, but he also leaped up, and was seen leaping all the way into the church house, and heard praising God at the top of his lung capacity!
This week’s text begins with the man hanging-on to Peter’s coat; he was probably so overcome with joy and emotion he didn’t want to lose this incredible moment. And that is what I want to talk with you about this morning – seizing the day’s opportunities for Christ – especially when it is going to cost!
Today we are going to see God’s two preachers, Peter and John in the process of showing us what it is like to live under the banner of carpe diem.
THE MOMENT
It is so easy to get caught-up in a moment, especially if the moment is exciting. Carpe diem is all about seizing the day, the opportunity of the moment. Unfortunately there are times when the moment seizes us – a rather than us seizing the moment.
That could have been the story for Peter, had he just settled for basking in the crowd’s amazed looks. They thought Peter was something special; after all, he healed a documented paraplegic. Peter was “the man”…he was going to be their hero!
This was like modern day Reality-TV with its instantaneous fame and notoriety. There is so much of that mentality today, where you just get that publicity any way you can; you become the flavor of the month in American pop-culture celebrity. In just a few weeks the book and TV-movie deals will come pouring-in! O.J. Simpson, Mary LeTourneau, Scott Peterson, the names go on as long as there is CNN and the networks.
The problem is that sensationalism stretches just so far. Peter knew that the power of healing that had given the beggar back his life didn’t belong to Peter; it was God’s power. But Peter did know what to do with that moment – carpe diem! Seize the opportunity for the Lord. He took the opportunity to tell the amazed crowd about Jesus.
Now, it was risky business. Crowds know exactly what they want – they want what they want…sensational, remarkable, entertaining and easy to take or leave with a remote control. What they didn’t want was the judgment of righteousness. And that is the sermon Peter gave them.
The crowd also recognized what had happened, because the crippled beggar was a 40-year fixture at that gate, and now he was walking, leaping and shouting! Now, that would raise a few eyebrows in any setting; it did! And it raised more than eyebrows; it raised the attention of the rulers of the temple.
If we read the beginning of the next chapter, we see that seizing this opportune moment to preach Christ was costly, as Peter and John are tossed into jail.
Living a “carpe diem lifestyle” for Jesus Christ is not an easy ride. The crowd could have turned ugly…very ugly…kind of like a Jerry Springer audience; that’s ugly!
Peter did have another choice; he could have allowed the crowd to think whatever they wanted, and just sit back to enjoy the perks and limousine rides as the newest pop idol in town. However, that would have been accepting praise that belonged to the Father; and the Father shares his glory with no one!
• Annanias and Saphira tried that, attempted to be stars in the local church…they were carried out feet first!
• Simon tried to buy the apostles authority to give out the Holy Spirit.
• In the Old Testament you couldn’t even get near the glory of God within the temple vale.
• And those who touched the Ark of the Covenant became toast…literally! No, you just don’t mess around with God’s glory.
So Peter seized the moment to tell the crowd that the power was in the name of Jesus. Then he gave them the sermon…
THE MESSAGE
Take a moment right now, and look at one or more people on your pew. When you’ve got their attention, look straight into their eyes and say, “you are a murderer! You murdered God!” Yeeouch! That is precisely what Peter did. [Frankly, my dear friends, THAT is a preacher with some guts!]
Peter recounted how Jesus was perfectly innocent, yet when it came to the trial, the people had clamored for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be executed. He said they disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer… .
However, in the next breath, Peter allows that what they did, they did in ignorance of Jesus’ divinity. Peter understood that kind of ignorance and failure. It had not been too many weeks since Peter had denied Jesus when all the chips were on the table. Peter knew how you can blow it better than most! That is why he could say that it was the grace of God, poured out in the name of Jesus that mercifully healed the beggar.
The message was that the crucifixion was unjust, and that the mercy Jesus gave was undeserved…and that it all fulfilled the prophecy of God.
Peter seized the moment…served up a message…with a single-minded motive, clearly stated in verses 19-21…
THE MOTIVE
19“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
Repentance, refreshing and restoration – these are God’s whole purpose in the cross. Let me work backwards on this for a moment.
Refreshing and Restoration
Peter makes the point that God wants to restore the same kind of perfect environment He first created. God wants perfect fellowship with all of His creation – you and me included! That’s why the cross – to reclaim what sin corrupted – to bring a refreshing – a new start:
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, 2 Co 5:19b
Of course, Peter was speaking particularly to the nation of Israel, but it has universal application. This restoration will take place ultimately when Jesus returns to judge all the nations. Jesus is coming back to restore the Father’s creation…every last molecule; to reconcile every last sin and sinner…whether on the plus or minus side of redemption!
The Bible says God has set a moment for the beginning of this restoration. The beginning will happen in a moment – the twinkling of an eye. The ground over at Holly Hill cemetery will start to shake, rattle and roll. Selected graves will pop open like steamed oysters; their occupants will ditch their ditches and head for the meeting in the air! The dead in Christ shall rise from their sleeping graves!
Christians who are alive at that point will be the next to depart planet earth. Pilots will disappear mid-flight (don’t want to be on THAT one!), cars on freeways will suddenly be driverless (some traffic patterns on the Interstates won’t even be affected by that). Countless millions will disappear from the earth, raptured to meet Jesus in the air. Churches will still be full the following Sunday – better attended than now; they will be full of people wondering what happened.
When God begins his refreshing and restoration chaos and tribulation will characterize those days. Men’s hearts will fail for fear, seeing the great disturbance in the atmosphere – not global warming, the fire of judgment on the horizon…the Son of Man coming in clouds and great glory.
28And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21:28
God is going to bring a refreshing, a new start when He brings restoration to the earth and His creation. With that new start there will be a wiping of the slate – all sin will be judged, either by the cross and the blood of Jesus Christ in this life, or, for those who refuse, the fires of an eternal judgment in hell.
The motive of Peter’s message was to show us the restoration and refreshing which God wants with us, and wishes us to have. There is an issue, however that must be seen here. There are always two sides…restoration cannot come without…
Repentance
Peter told the crowd he knew they had acting in ignorance, crucifying Jesus; he also showed them, however, that all prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Ignorance only goes so far as an excuse. It may bring a second chance, but not eternal forgiveness. A person either repents or perishes in that day of restoration…
22“Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you. 23‘And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ Acts 3:22-23
What is it like to repent? It is a change of heart about sin; it is a change of heart that leads to a change of life towards Jesus. It is more than being sorry.
In The Essential Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, the cartoon character Calvin says to his [imaginary] tiger friend, Hobbes, "I feel bad that I called Susie names and hurt her feelings. I’m sorry I did it."
"Maybe you should apologize to her," Hobbes suggests. Calvin ponders this for a moment and replies, "I keep hoping there’s a less obvious solution."(Norm Langston, Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership.)
Repentance is always the obvious solution. God never yet has forgiven an excuse, or an intention; God forgives confessed sin. When it comes to the sin in our lives there are some things that matter, and some things that don’t:
• It doesn’t matter if you know it all if you refuse to confess
• It doesn’t matter if you’ve served him well, if you’re stubborn now
• It doesn’t matter if you’re not as bad as some, if you’re not better than Jesus
• It doesn’t matter if you’re a good person, if you’re not saved.
Carpe Diem?
What is it today that you must seize upon? Here are a few suggestions:
1. Make choices that are Godly for all eternity…be saved, trust Christ for your salvation.
2. Make choices that are Godly for here and now…begin to live for Christ today
3. Carpe diem…do it now…don’t wait.
Let the church say, Amen!
