If you missed Part 1 of this series on Acts 3, you can read it here.

Remember the scene. Peter in the temple, so it is Jewish men he addresses in this message. They have just been amazed and astounded by a miracle, wondering what kind of power it is Peter and John have. So, he starts with, “Woah, woah, woah, this wasn’t us!” Right? “Why do you stare at US, as though by OUR own power or piety (which just means godliness) we have made him walk” (Acts 3:12)? This is the question he’s going to answer for them: well, if you didn’t do it, who did? Peter is turning the focus back to Jesus, and the good news of the resurrection.

He starts with their common ground. Who was it that glorified Jesus? It was “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of OUR fathers” (v. 13). That’s the Jewish God. THAT’S the God he’s talking about here.

But before he can get to the good news, he first has to help these men see their guilt. And Peter pulls no punches. He speaks the truth boldly.

Notice in verses 13-15 how many times Peter accuses the men directly:  “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 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.”

How many did we get? Three. YOU delivered over. YOU denied. YOU killed. A threefold repetition. Now look at what happened “in the presence of Pilate,” in Luke’s gospel, chapter 23.

Jesus is brought before Pilate, Pilate punts him to Herod, Herod sends him back to Pilate, and in verse 13-25, see how many times Pilate attempts to release Jesus:

“Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, ‘You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him.’
But they all cried out together, ‘Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, ‘Crucify, crucify him!’ A third time he said to them, ‘Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.’ But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.”

Three times, Pilate makes a move to release Jesus, and the chief priests and the rulers will have none of it. So, I find it no coincidence that Luke records Peter’s accusations of the people in Acts three times. Warren Wiersbe says, “There must be conviction before a sinner can experience conversion,” and that is what Peter is aiming at here.

So now that Peter has solidly established their conviction, we get back to answering the question from verse 12: whose power worked this miracle? We already know the answer, right? It’s Jesus. Peter wasn’t shy about that when he did the miracle in verse 6. But the people need to know, how is it that the name of Jesus has this power? And the answer to that question is the gospel.

Jesus, the Author of life who was with God and was God from the beginning, the Holy and Righteous One who came and lived the perfect life, that Jesus whom you killed, “God raised from the dead” (v. 15). Jesus has power because of who He is, but the resurrection is the proof of that power. And not only that but He is now glorified, seated at the right hand of the Father, ruling and reigning over all creation. Because of that, and because of Peter’s faith in his name, faith in the person, in the character of Jesus, he was able to perform this miracle.

The good news of the gospel is not just that it makes dead people alive, but that it continuously makes weak people strong. It’s not something you hear and believe one time, but something you keep coming back to and relying on for power in the everyday. It is faith in our resurrected Jesus that makes us able to live as children of God, and allows Jesus’ spirit, now living inside of us, to work through us.

And you will notice this idea of resurrection or being raised up is a major theme throughout Acts. It was a qualification for replacing Judas in Acts 1, the new apostle had to be a witness to the resurrection. Peter mentions the resurrection three times in his first sermon after Pentecost in Acts 2. And spoiler alert but in the next chapter when they get arrested it is “because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (4:2). And you’ll keep seeing it almost every time Peter opens his mouth.

Because think back to where Peter was those three days Jesus was in the tomb. Peter wasn’t part of the crowd that delivered Jesus over to be killed, but he did deny him three times. So, without the resurrection, what would have happened to Peter? The resurrection brought Peter not just the hope of restoration, but the reality of it. Because Jesus was raised, He could go to Peter and have that conversation on the beach where Peter is restored.

The resurrection does the same thing for us today. It brings restoration, both in the here and now, and ultimately for eternity. But while we are here, we know that we can have a living faith because we have a living Savior.

Click here for Part 3.