May 20, 2020
Where Are You Placing Your Faith?
Acts 3:11–26
Jake Black
Central Truth
Jesus, God's Son, died for our sins. We must remind ourselves of this truth daily and place Him first in our lives, turning away from things that can become idols.
Key Verse | Acts 3:14-15
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, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
Acts 3:11–26
Peter Speaks in Solomon's Portico
11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. 12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant 1 3:13 Or child; also verse 26 Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus 2 3:16 Greek him has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
17 And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”
Dive Deeper | Acts 3:11–26
Peter has just healed a lame beggar, and a large crowd of astonished and curious people has gathered. Peter addresses the crowd in an abrupt way by asking them, Why are you so astonished? This was not done by our own power, but through the power of Jesus.
He then reminds them that they saw Jesus perform miracles, yet they still handed Him over to be executed. Peter calls them out as sinners and tells them to repent and turn toward God. They are choosing the path of death, but Peter is trying to persuade them to choose the path of life through Jesus; He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
This is applicable today, because every day we make a choice to "choose" Jesus or to "choose" the things of this world. We tend to deny "the Holy and Righteous One" when we stray from His path and pursue our own worldly desires. Often, we choose a path full of idols instead of following Jesus, because we are sinners and very similar to the people that killed Jesus. We neglect Him daily by pursuing the things of this world instead of things that are holy and eternal. We are also saying we don't care about Him when we commit idolatry, whether we acknowledge it or not.
Idolatry is defined as "the worship of a physical object as a god" and "immoderate attachment or devotion to something." Idolatry can take many forms; but when we put things of this world over our deep need and desire to grow closer to our Savior, we are committing idolatry. Focusing on technology, social media, relationships, material items, sports teams, and other things can all become idols in our life that are never fully satisfying and distract us from God.
Therefore, Peter's words were true then, and they are true today: Jesus died for our sins. Romans 5:8 says, "[B]ut God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Discussion Questions
1. What idols are distracting you from your relationship with God (phone, work, relationships, sports, pride, acceptance, etc.)?
2. Do you think that you are committing idolatry by putting these things above God?
3. What actions can you take today to place God above these idols?
4. Are you trying to hide your sin from God and other people (lust, anxiety, depression, etc.)? Why?