The Beautiful Blessing - Acts 3:12-26

0:49Well, we looked at the first one in Acts chapter 2, and today we want to look at the second one in Acts chapter 3. Peter's sermon and the sermons in the book of Acts, characterized by several things. The apostolic preaching of the cross. We call it the kerogma. You'll see it's spoken of in those terms. But basically, the idea that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, that Jesus is God in human flesh. There's a center point on the death and resurrection of Christ. There is the exaltation and second coming of Christ. And always present in these sermons is man's guilt and man's need for repentance. And so that condenses down to what some theologians call the kerogma or the preaching of the cross as done by the apostles. Well, you're going to see many of those same themes surface here in this sermon in chapter 3. The sermon actually begins in verse 12. But first, I want to look at the occasion. Just like the first sermon that Peter preached, God created the occasion for it by sending the Spirit, by sending the noise, by equipping these men to speak in different tongues, and they were proclaiming the things of God.

2:21Likewise, God has again created an occasion in Acts chapter 3 for Peter's second sermon. He created the occasion. And it's important for us to understand that as followers of Christ, as those who have also received the same commission to go and to proclaim Christ to the nations, that we also are going to be presented with occasions, that God will create occasions, and we need to be a people who recognize the occasions that God has created. In fact, The book of Acts, some refer to it as the Acts of the Apostles, but really it's the Acts of the Holy Spirit. This is what the Holy Spirit is doing. And the Holy Spirit, who wants the word to go forth, who wants his people to be witnesses, will create the occasion for us to witness. And it's incumbent and important upon the followers of Christ and those who are going to be his witnesses to recognize those opportunities that God uniquely places in your life to minister the gospel. And well, that's what happens today here in Acts chapter 3. Look at verse 1. Now, Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour. It's about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the hour of prayer. So he's going up. Now, I don't know when this took place in relationship to Acts chapter 2 or the sermon he had just preached there. It's possible that it could have happened later that afternoon, but it's also probable that it could have happened in the next couple of days. The Pentecost feast lasted for about eight days, and so whether it happened the next day or whether it happened that day, pretty sure it happened within the spectrum or in the time frame of those eight days. So this sermon is preached very close in time to the sermon that was preached in chapter 2.

4:30And a man, who just happened to be there, who had been lame from his mother's womb, was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple, which is called beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. So, if you get an idea, it's generally believed that the beautiful gate was this one right here, coming into the court of women, and that they would have placed him on the steps, and there he would beg for alms. So, he had to be carried to the place and to beg. That was his way he made money. It's the way he survived. Verse 3: When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. Probably pretty routine for him. But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, Look at us. And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk. There's that name again. And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened, made straight. So you get the idea, this cripple and his legs.

6:00And feet strengthened, made solid, made strong. With a leap, he stood up upright and began to walk. And he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. And they were taking note of him as one, as being the one who used to sit at the beautiful gate of the temple to beg alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what happened to him. While clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. So get this object lesson. He is clinging to Peter and John. Okay? Miracle. They knew this guy, they knew this guy.

6:55His legs are straight, strong. Everybody knows it. What a blessing. What a blessing. We love the concept of being blessed, don't we? In fact, we say it lots. It's a favorite expression of mine. I pray that God will bless you. I pray often for the members of this church that God would bless you. I think we say it a lot to each other. The phrase God bless you is common speech in the English vernacular, isn't it? In fact, even presidents use it.

7:30Bless you. It's still politically correct to say God bless you, even in the public arena. Now, with what kind of blessing and what God is doing, the blessing is up for debate, of course. But the fact is an expression. We love the idea of blessing. But oftentimes, we associate God's blessing with material increase, or maybe physical health, or maybe public admiration, or positional promotion, or good and healthy, strong relationships. Or maybe we associate it with an increase in knowledge, an increase in stature. But generally, we boil it down to success. In some way, when we talk about blessing, we think about success in general or specific. But whenever you survey the lives of the apostles, you will quickly realize that they were not blessed in the same manner or in these standards. They were not necessarily blessed materially, some not even physically.

8:39Certainly, not always with public admiration. But we may confidently say they were blessed. In fact, Paul says in Philippians 3:8, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ. For Paul, the blessing. Blessing was not material. It was not worldly success. In fact, he says in 1 Corinthians 15:19, if we have hope for Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. Yet we know they were blessed.

9:18And I want you to see a blessing this morning. There is a blessing in this passage that transcends all the so-called blessings of the material world. There is a blessing here that is so deep. It is a blessing that reaches back into the very ancient promises of God Himself. It is a blessing that transcends. I call it the beautiful blessing, the beautiful blessing, and it is available for every single person here today. I want you to understand this beautiful blessing. I want you to want this beautiful blessing. I want you to leave here with this beautiful blessing, for it is truly the beautiful blessing of the ages.

10:17And I warn you right now, it may not be what you're thinking. So, what I want to do is, I just want to walk through this passage line by line. I want to walk through Peter's sermon until we come to. This beautiful blessing. There are three major parts, very simply. I'm going to look at what God has done. I'm going to look at what man must do, and then we'll come to the beautiful blessing. So, first of all, as we begin walking through this passage, verse 12, I want you to see what God has done.

10:52Verse 12. But 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? So here he is clinging to him. Okay, people are crowding around. The great object lesson. Why are you looking at us? You see, the blessing is not about what man has done or what man can do. That's what Peter is saying. Why are you amazed at us? Why stare at us? Well, you think we can do this? No. Notice how quickly Peter directed attention to God. He didn't welcome the praise of man. He wasn't going to usurp the glory that was due to Christ and him alone. And it's a good lesson for all ministers.

11:47Anyone who ministers in his name, look, it is the work of the Spirit, the proclamation of the gospel going forth, the conviction of sin, the turning of hearts, the repentance that leads to life. And all the blessings and all that come, it's the acts of the Holy Spirit. That's what they are. And the personality of a mature ministry or minister is to direct attention to God. And that's exactly what we see in Peter. Look at verse 13. It's not us. Don't look at us. It's not us. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. See, the blessing is about what God has done and is doing through Jesus Christ, whom they had rejected, but God had glorified. Look at again, he's got this object lesson, he's got this healed individual, and he's saying the visible outward miracle is proof of God's invisible glorification of Christ, Jesus from Nazareth.

13:03What Peter is saying, God has accepted, God has glorified Jesus. God's seal of approval, love, and esteem is forever upon Jesus. He is the perfection of humanity. No one gets better. This is where God's approval is. And with this object lesson, with this healed man, that is what Peter is drawing attention to. He has glorified his servant. That is what is being proclaimed to you. That is what this miracle is about. It's not about us. Don't think at all that we did this.

13:42But it's about the servant Jesus, who God glorified, but they rejected. I want you to keep going. And I want you to see three actions that describe their rejection and rejection in general, that we might be careful that we don't begin going down a path, even subtly, of rejecting Christ. Three actions they did. First, you disowned him. Look at verse 13. The God of Abraham, Isaac, 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. But you disowned the holy righteous one. See that twice, that word disowned. You disowned him. You delivered him over and disowned him publicly. And even after Pilate wanted to release him, you disowned him. You gave him over. Same word as deny. You denied him. You didn't want association with him.

14:56This is what public disowning looks like. Matthew 10, 32, Jesus said, Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. Mark also records something similar in Mark 8:38. He says, Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, I will be ashamed of him. We need to think about this seriously. In what ways are we tempted to publicly deny Christ?

15:35That's what they did. They denied him. I think we deny him by a reluctance to be associated with his name. Are you reluctant to be called a Christian? To have in some way your name associated with Jesus of the Christ? Is there a hint, a pause at certain moments when standing up or being identified with him causes you shame? Be concerned with your heart. It's a very awful direction. You don't want that to grow. You don't want that desire to play out as it leads to the cross.

16:19Another way we might be tempted to deny him is to be reluctant to be associated with him with his people. Who are called by his name? Are you ashamed of his name, or are you ashamed of those people who are known as Christians? Another way is to be ashamed of his words, is Mark 8:38. He's the one who says he's the only way. Are you ashamed of that? Can you stand in front of this world and say, Yes, he is the only way, and all other religions, all other ways, are categorically false and will come under eternal judgment? Those were his words.

17:05What about his definition of marriage? One man, one woman for life. God is joined together, let no one separate. Are you ashamed of that? Are there places where you want to step back? There's a number of ways we could go on. And just so you know, if you have denied him or you have patterns of denial, you can have those sins wiped away today. But they denied him. First step to crucify him was not wanting to be identified. Verse 14, second action, you asked. Notice that. You asked. But you disowned the holy and righteous one and asked. You asked for a murderer to be granted to you. You see, Pilate was willing to release the king of. Kings to them. He is willing to give them back the king of kings in their midst, but they didn't want the king of kings in their midst. They wanted a murderer in their midst instead. They preferred to have a murderer over the holy, righteous king. Perhaps it's because they felt a little more comfortable with somebody more like themselves. Having a king in your midst implies dominion.

18:30You see, they wanted a king with a little K because they were the king with the big K. You know what I mean? With the capital K. They wanted a king that would do their bidding. But that's really not a king, is it? That's a slave. You can put whatever political form you want on it. They wanted to be the king. And they wanted somebody who would play the role of king, that would accomplish exactly what they wanted to do. And so they had no place for the true king in their midst because a king implies dominion.

19:04You see, I think many times today we can come up with many sophisticated systems of thought, even theological systems, that will excuse us from following a Christ that calls us to give up our throne. And fundamentally, that is what following Christ is about, is giving up your throne. And he is the Lord. And he will have no other. Place. You see, God holds out the king of kings to you today. The question is: will you welcome him? Or are you going to want someone or some system that more reflects what you want than what he is?

19:51Third action that they did, you killed, verse 15, but you put to death the prince of life, author of life, could read, the head of life. Putting to death Jesus was rejection with an exclamation point. But it was only the culmination of everything they had done before that. They had already started down the road to crucifying him when they denied him and didn't want to be associated with him. And they further progressed when they preferred a murderer to the king.

20:37Denial. They preferred someone like themselves. And all this led to the public crucifixion. They disowned him by word and deed. And that's what happens. A heart that publicly disowns Christ and prefers sinful company prefers or will seek to permanently silence God. In their lives, whatever cost, whatever dramatic, however, dramatic. So, the point of all this, don't get on a road of denying Christ. It's not a light matter. You don't want that sin to mature. You want to turn from that. Do not be ashamed of him.

21:25But though they had rejected Christ, that's what they did, though they had rejected Jesus, God had glorified him. This is what God has done. He had glorified him. That's exactly what Peter is saying. Look at verse 15. You put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. This is exactly what Jesus said would take place in Acts 1:8. You will be my witnesses. And you remember in chapter 2 and verse 32, you remember Peter took his stand and witnessed to Christ with his first sermon. And the same thing. Here he is witnessing, a fact to which we are witnessing. And that's exactly what they are doing. They are witnessing to the fact of the resurrection. And this is what they did. They witnessed to the facts of history. And that's exactly what a gospel witness does. We witness to the facts of history and how they relate. To a sinner's life or to an individual's life.

22:34We are not eyewitnesses as they were, but we are book witnesses. And later, Peter in 2 Peter 1:19 is going to say that that is more sure than eyewitnesses. But we testify to the facts in the Bible and how they relate to a sinner's life. That's exactly what we do. That is what they did. He took the facts of history and brought them to bear upon a person's life. And that's exactly what we are called to do in this generation, is to take the facts of history as they're recorded in the scripture and relate them to people's lives.

23:13And what he is saying is that God glorified Jesus, this object lesson. God glorified Jesus by ascribing such power to his name. Look at verse 16. And on the basis of faith in his name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man. Object lesson, right? So here he is. Here's the man clinging to him. He said, it is by, on the basis of faith in his name that this man, feet, look at him, legs are straight. This is what has happened. It is the name of Jesus whom you see and know. This man whom you see and know. You know him. You see him. Look.

23:57And the faith which comes through him has given him. This perfect health in the presence of you all. See, Peter is saying the power is not in us. Don't look at us at all for a second that we've got some kind of power. It's in Christ. And what's noteworthy is that Jesus isn't even physically there, is he? We can understand Christ being there as he was there, and he could do all these miracles while he was there. He's not there, but in his name. Just think what that does to the just the mention of his name by those who were following him and called to be his witnesses was sufficient. That's how powerful his name is. Great glory. That's how God has glorified him.

24:47God is present with those, with, in, and through those who minister in the name of Jesus. So Peter's words are simply this: God has glorified Jesus. That is what you are seeing as you see this crippled man, whom you all know straightened and strong before you. That's what this is about. This is about what God has done. Second thing he wants to show them are what man must do. Now that this is what God has done, now what must man do? Now that we know that Christ in the name of Christ has the power to make or to heal. To make whole. What must man do? Well, Peter continues, and his exhortation streams from the words of the Old Testament prophets. In fact, you can see a pattern of this. He likes to use the Old Testament prophets. He's relating Christ's life and ministry to what had been spoken of through the prophets. The first prophecy is that the Christ is going to suffer. Look at verse 17. And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also, but the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that is, his Christ would suffer, he has thus fulfilled.

26:14In other words, God, through the prophets, had spoken, Christ will suffer, and he has thus fulfilled it. It's complete, it's been accomplished. He is not going to be slapped on the face again, his beard is not going to be pulled out anymore. It has been fulfilled. The reason he suffered is because the prophets had spoken about it. That's why you were able to do to Christ what you did. But understand, it is fulfilled. It is done.

26:46And then, verse 19, therefore, repent and return. You see that? Repent. He gives them two words. Repentance is a change of one's mind or purpose. It's far more than just an intellect. Intellectual decision. It involves the totality of man's existence, and it reaches down to the inner depths of his being, and it touches all of his external relationships with God and with each other. That is what repentance and turning involves. It's a reorientation of life, an understanding of who God is, and a reorienting yourself to the reality of who he is. The word for return means to outface, to turn again, to turn back.

27:36It's a word frequently used and throughout Acts. It's a very popular word that is used a lot in Acts 9:35. Remember, all those who lived in Lida and Sharon after Aeneas was, that was the guy that was been bedridden for eight years, and Peter healed him. When they saw him, they turned to the Lord. Remember in Acts 11:21, there were these men from Cyprus and Cyrene who came to Antioch and they were preaching Jesus. And a large number who believed turned to the Lord. So constantly, this turning to the Lord. In fact, Peter in 1 Peter 2, 25 says this, you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have turned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. So the two words together involve a Emphatic, complete change of mind, a turning from rejecting Christ and a turning to God. And this is what was demanded of them in light of their history, in light of right where they were at that point in time. They needed to acknowledge the wrong they had done in denying who?

28:52Christ. They had to acknowledge the wrong they had done in denying the holy and righteous one, the author of life. They needed to confess their blood guiltiness in slaying him. That is what he was calling them to do. Repent, turn, have a change of mind about him, and let that change of mind and undertouch and change every aspect of your relationship with him. And then he goes on to give four reasons. Four reasons why you should do that. Look in verse 19. Therefore, repent and return. Sew that. You can just, you see the connector there, sew that, circle it, so that your sins may be wiped away.

29:35The word for wiped away means to remove so as to leave absolutely no trace. Even it's translated times in other sources as obliterate, obliterate. We like the wiping away. It's probably a little cleaner, right? You just wipe it as if that, you know, and it's used to in Colossians 2:13, to having cancels. The certificate of debt of decrees against you, the idea of canceling, wiping out like this idea of you've got all these decrees against you because of your sin, and you've got to, you're guilty, and having that document cleaned to where there's no trace of anything held against you. That's the idea there.

30:22I think we can probably get our minds around obliterate a little easier. Maybe it's just our culture, right? Obliterate. No trace, right? But let me tell you something about my Lord Jesus Christ. He can obliterate sin without obliterating the sinner. And that's profound. See, cancer, that ugly enemy of humanity, that agent of death, cancer. Don't you wish there is a way to destroy cancer, right? In fact, if you had a way to destroy cancer, well, let me tell you, there is a way to destroy cancer. It's perfect. You get an incinerator, and you take the patient and you put them into the incinerator, and you turn that thing up full blast, and guess what? You'll kill the cancer.

31:17But what else will you incinerate? The patient, right? But let me tell you something. God is able to obliterate the cancer of sin without obliterating the sinner. Now, that is incredible. And he is able to replace the vacuum left by sin with righteousness and a longing for righteousness. That is what Jesus does. He obliterates sin without obliterating the sinner. That is what he delights to do. And that is what he does with humanity. And that is what goes into a new creation.

31:56Wiped away. No residual trace. It's Revelation 7:17. He will wipe away every tear, that there's not even a trace. Same in Revelation 21:4, he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any death, where there will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain, for the first things have passed away. So, first reason he gives them to repent and return is so that their sins may be wiped away. But the second is so that times of refreshing may come. Look at verse 19. Therefore, repent and return, and then over there, in order that. You can circle that. Times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. And the idea of refreshing is breathing space. Yesterday, there was this big mud pit, and all of our kids and kids from other churches were having a big tug-of-war in this great big mud pit. And our team did all right the first round. Then they got up against the surfers. And the surfers, when our team was Jen, what are they? Xers, the Xers, they got out there, and these surfers just pulled them through the mud like they were surfing. Okay, I mean, it was brutal. Well, then there was this team called, so the surfers had this easy bracket, okay? And then there was this other group called the lumberjacks, and they had to kind of go through all the hard teams to get to the surfers. And by the time they got to the surfers, they could hardly stand because they were so worn out. And immediately, the surfers came jumping out onto the mud pit, picked up the rope, and the announcer said, Hold on, we've got to give these lumberjacks a break, a refreshment. Let them take a break. Let them catch their breath. That's the idea of the means. That's the idea. It's like the respite after an intense tour of duty, or it's like a break after a strenuous exercise, catching your breath. That's the idea. Times of refreshing. And that's what Peter is saying. Repent and return in order that times of refreshing may come, a period of relief may come upon you. You know, listen, there is nothing I'd rather see than a time of refreshing come upon the nation of Israel. I don't think there has been a people in history that have been so mistreated, ill-treated, and has suffered so much. They have suffered pogroms, persecutions, Holocaust. And even now that they're back in their own land, yet they are surrounded by enemies and certainly cannot rest. And that's what Peter is saying: repent. You, he's speaking to the men of Israel, the nation, repent, so that times of national blessing, not just individual blessing, but the promises of refreshing upon the nation. And they come from the presence of the Lord. The Lord, times of refreshing must come from the Lord. They don't come from anyplace else.

35:05Onesiphorus refreshed Paul in 2 Timothy 1:16. As Paul was in prison, Onisiphorus was not ashamed of Paul and he refreshed him. See, listen, Jesus knows how to refresh his people, he knows how to do it individually, he knows how to do it nationally, he knows how to do it globally. So repent so that these times of refreshing may come in your life. As long as you are obstinate and at war with God, there is nothing that's going to come from the presence of the Lord in the way of joyful union blessing. And so you need to be changed. You need to turn. But then there's a third reason, so that he may send Jesus. Look at verse 13. 19 again, therefore repent and return. And in verse 20, and that, you can circle that, he may send Jesus the Christ, that is the Messiah appointed for you.

36:10We come to the second prophecy in whom, look at verse 21, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times. In other words, God has spoken about the restoration of all things, a period of restoration. So repent so that he may send the Messiah to you, so that these times of refreshing and this period of restoration may take place. And then, fourthly, repent and return so that they would, so that you would avoid utter destruction. Look, let's just keep reading in verse 22. Moses spoke about this. 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. And it will be, every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. You see, it's very important to recognize the prophet that Moses spoke about. And that's what Peter is saying. You must recognize him. This is the object lesson. You must listen to this prophet. Who is he? He's the one who just healed this man standing before you that you all know. A man who was a testimony. To you by many miracles. You know who he is.

37:35This is what Peter is saying. God has given you pointers. He has given us pointers. Listen, there is no other individual that has been resurrected from the dead. That alone ought to tell you who God's man is. A prophet like Moses. In fact, the closing statement in Moses' life is in Deuteronomy 34:10. He says this: Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land, and for all the mighty power and the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel. Moses was a prophet who knew God face to face, and a lot of signs and wonders accompanying him. Peter is saying, This is him. He is the author of life. He is the center of life. He is the restorer of life. And he is the one who just healed this man. And likewise, all other prophets spoke of this time. Look at verse 24. All the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and his successors onwards also announced these days. These days, the days of repenting and turning will be followed by days of refreshing and restoring of all things. And that's what, in light of what God has done, What must man do? Be repenting, turning. This is what man must do. Now we come to the blessed, the beautiful blessing. The beautiful blessing. I want you to understand it. I want you to want it. I want you to leave here with it. And it is available for anyone who will ask. Verse 25.

39:23It is for you, this beautiful blessing. It is for 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. This beautiful blessing was first promised to Abraham. It is ancient. You can read about it in Genesis 12, 1 and 2. And in verse 3, he says, I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I will curse. And in you, in your seed, that is, one from your lineage, all the families of the earth will be blessed. And later, this ancient promise was passed on to Isaac and to Jacob. All the families are going to be blessed through this seed, through this individual. And Paul refers to this verse. In Galatians 3:16, he says, Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, and to seeds as referring to many, but rather to one and to your seed, that is the Christ. The Christ. And so, Peter, in this context, Text refers to the seed as the same as Paul, Christ, in your seed, in Christ.

40:40Peter is saying, all the nations, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. And notice it is for all mankind. All mankind. It is first promised to Abraham, but it is for all mankind. And it was first proclaimed to Israel. Look at verse 26. For to you first God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you. So it was first given to Israel that they would receive the blessing and that they would be those instruments through which it would be spread abroad.

41:17And then come down to the question, what is the blessing? What is this beautiful blessing? It is ancient. It is what all the prophets spoke of. If you read Genesis chapter 12, you're kind of like, how is God going to bless all the nation? What form is this blessing going to take? What is the blessing? The whole book of Genesis is about the blessing. And by the time you're done reading Genesis, you want the blessing. What is the blessing? Look back. It's right there in your text.

41:58For you first. Verse 26, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by, circle that, turning every one of you from your wicked ways. What must man do? He must turn. Look at what God has done. What must man do? He must turn. He must turn to God. And here is the blessing of the ages. That gift of turning to God. You see it? What does bless mean? To confer special benefits, to act kindly toward, to give, to bless, to give some kind of special benefit. What is the blessing? What precisely is the blessing that Jesus gives? He grants repentance and turning. This is exactly what man must do in light of what God has done. He must turn.

42:55And the blessing promised to Abraham is that one from Abraham's lineage will turn individuals from their sin. He blesses you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways, from your crooked ways. That's the word. From crooked. You've got ways in your heart that are crooked, that go to sin, that prefer sin. And just like that paralytic, go back to the object lesson. His feet. Were straightened, they were strengthened, and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was able to do this physically to this man, and he is able to do that to your hearts. And that is what he is in the business of doing is straightening out crooked hearts.

43:47And if you want to be saved from your sin, ask him. This is what he does. He wants to save you from your crooked ways. Spiritually, we are like that invalid, crooked legs, crooked feet, crippled. And this is exactly what the new covenant is about. Ezekiel 36, 26 says, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the hardest stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. You see, the blessing of the ages is Jesus turning hearts away from sinful courses to God. That is what was spoken of to Abraham. In you, all the seed, in your seed, all of the nations, all of the families will be blessed. And that blessing is to turn. In fact, the whole purpose of the book, very interesting of Acts, Acts chapter 1, he says, the first account, I composed Theophilus about all that Jesus began to do and teach. This is what Jesus began to. Do. And there's no ending point. He's still doing it.

45:06Well, it's important to understand as we kind of wrap our minds around this is that this turning is the precursor to every other blessing in Scripture. This is the pivot point. I mean, what good is wealth if you and your wealth perishes? What good is your health if it's just temporary? There must be something deeper, something lasting. And if you are content with corruption in your own heart, then you are content with corruption in the world, and you will fall under judgment of the world. But if you are genuinely discontent with your corruption in your heart, then you prove that you long for another kingdom, one where righteousness dwells. This blessing is the precursor to all others. In fact, Jesus, and I'm not going to go into it much, but in Matthew 5, Sermon on the Mount, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. How does one become poor in spirit? He must have a change, a turn. His heart has to understand God differently. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. How can one go to mourning over sin and things in the world? How does one get there? A turning. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. For they shall be satisfied. Do you see all this? The blessing at first, the pivot point, is that turning, that reorientation to think differently about Christ, to think differently about what God has done through him.

46:47That is the pivot point, and that is what Christ is in the business of doing. This is what Paul happened to Paul. We all need to be turned from our crooked ways, just like the man at the beautiful gate, just like Paul on the road to Damascus, just like the Thessalonians who turned from idols to serve a living and true God. I remember my story as I came to Christ early high school. I had in junior high and been among some friends who we thought it was cool to do wrong, and the more mischief we got into, the cooler we were, the better we were.

47:27And I can remember a change that took place when I began to understand who Christ was. All of a sudden, I wanted to do what was right. Far from being perfect, yes. But that is where it begins. And the question is, he holds this blessing out. Do you want to be one of those in whom all the nations are blessed? Do you want to be one of those among the nations who are blessed through Abraham's seed, Christ? Christ, then cry out to him. Simply ask him.

48:06God, Christ, you who are exalted and are on the right hand, change my heart. I want a changed heart. I want my crooked heart to become straight, just like the feet and legs of the man that was healed at the beautiful gate. Let's pray. Lord, bless us with this ancient blessing. Bless us with this turning. Bless us and keep on blessing us with this blessing. Bless us in every little detail and minute part of our life where we prefer evil and the ways of evil. Father, we ask you to do this. And in Jesus' name, you who sit at the right hand of the Father, we plead and ask that you would accomplish this turning in our lives this morning and every day. In Jesus' name, amen.