Act 3:12

And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

Here was the second preaching of Peter. What opened the door and got their attention? Nothing but the power of the holy spirit that Jesus promised would make them witnesses for Jesus.  In Acts 2 is was the power and their obedience. They spake with other tongues and here it was the faith, miracle and a gift of healing. These were part of the  manifestation of the reality the presence of God. No man can really communicate that Jesus is the Lord without it.

« no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. » 1 Cor 12 :3 b

« But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: » Acts 1 :8b

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit » 1Co 12:4 b

God is Spirit John 4 :24 and He gives what He is. He is THE Holy Spirit and on Pentecost He gave the gift of holy spirit to all who believe.

Act 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

This gift was Christ finally come home to dwell in man.  It was manifested, demonstrated, exhibited by nine ways. You have heard that they are gifts but that is not true. The are nine ways the Gift of Christ or the Gift of the holy spirit was shown to the world.

And the goal of Peter two sermons was not just to wash away and clean the people listening but that Christ as the holy spirit could live in them! That what is not preached today! We must go beyond the cross and the ressurection because Jesus is really alive and is here today in His Body the « Church »

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

1Co 12:7 NASB20

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

1Co 12:8-11 NASB20

For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, nd to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

You can see it is one spirit that was given but it is manifested in nine ways. And these are seen action right away. We see speaking in tongues and prophecy as Peter preached the first sermon and faith, miracles and healing on the day of his second sermon.

On this second day of preaching in Acts 3 Peter could have done the miracle and then took the glory for himself. He could have said it was his own special gift, or his own magic. But no, he did not. All power of the holy spirit must glorify God and that is a key to discern who gets the glory for the miracles. Is it the doctor or Jesus? Is it the magician or God? Is it man or God?

Act 3:13

The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

For those well taught and following the Jewish religion they knew Abraham and their fathers.

IN the first sermon Peter started to show that the power that the saw was due to the Living Christ in them. The fire of the baptism and the speaking in tongues. This was proof they could not kill Him but He is eternal.

Act 2:32

“It is this Jesus whom God raised up, a fact to which we are all witnesses.

In both sermons Peter invited them into the new Kingdom of Heaven with changing the way the saw God. He told them to repent. This world has been twisted to mean  « feel sorry » but that is not what was written! In Greek is was metanoeo and that meant « change your thinking »

Change from works to just acceptance. Change from the law to grace. Change to rest in the promises instead of fight for them and kill.  It was a great change for they who no longer needed a temple or a sacrifice to get close to God.

Act 2:38

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Act 3:19

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Both sermons Peter told them or two parts. The forgiveness and the gift. If  preachers leave out the gift we are only half saved. Forgiven on earth is great, but to be left impotent is failure.

To be baptized in the fire and cleansing power of the holy spirit has become all kind of water rituals that can do nothing. Nothing without being baptised and cleansed by the blood of Jesus and his spirit

Mat 3:11

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

The whole record of the scriptures must be understood as an evolution. Not of man but mans understanding evolved, developed and grew as the time went on. After Adams turning away from God and going to his knowlegde of the world without God, lost man was blind. Mankind was totally blind and only God could romance one tribe. But they interpreted God through their own Adam like ears. They heard love only you tribe when God said all men were created  in my image. They heard hate and war when God said to love your neighbor.  The heard cleansing the outside and ritual when God said cleanse your heart. And finally all was revealed in a man named Jesus Christ. And He was not finished revealing and He is not today. We see Christ still showing the iincomprehensible love of God in believers with the spirit of Christ in them.

When you come to Christ you are forgiven. You are converted. You are cleansed not in a magic formula waving a wand or thurible over running water in a tub with the incantation of “in the name of Jesus” You are cleanse by the reality of what Jesus actually did….His works and ours is to believe only. Total Grace.

This is the total Grace that when you are immersed in it will forgive all your sins. This is the Grace but to receive it you must open your hands and release your tired clenched fist.  In the Greek Peter did not say “be converted” that would be Gods work. Our work is to believe and receive. And here “be converted” should not be passive because it was not in the original scripture but it active. It is your job. And the word convert epistrepho is “to turn around towards”

Peter was pleading with his brethren to Change their thinking against this criminal that they though they killed in a criminal execution. Now since He was a live and overcame death, turn toward His so that He can forgive you of even killing Him. That was Gods plan anyways. Forgive them for they were ignorant of that.  Turn to Jesus and accept the free gift of forgivness for all sins. There is not a sin big enough for God not to forgive exept to not turn around and take it. It is a Gift, and Jesus was Gods gift.

Peter said in his first sermon that they would have their sins forgiven.  Forgiven so that all that was separating you from God and His power. All sin was “let go, released, set free from, divorced, dismissed, and disappeared by Jesus! Just change your thinking about Him and come to Him!

In his second preaching Peter you turn to Jesus for a reason. It is to allow Him to blot out all your sins. He will cover them over, obliterate them, make them as if they never were as far as God is concerned and then give you a new anointing of the holy spirit. That is his part to refresh you.

There is a time of refreshing and when could this be? Not so future event, since Peter was making it available on that day. It was the refreshing that comes with the Spirit of life entering your soul.

Rom 8:11

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

On Pentecost it came. On Pentecost Christ return in power to begin building a brand new Kingdom that will be completed when He returns in person.

Act 3:19 -21

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

There is a question of when these refreshing times are coming. Some say only when Christ returns. It is true He is in the heavens and so are we (Eph 1:3) If we are in Christ we are in the heavens. But not our flesh, it must die. But yet walking in this spirit is life and refreshing.

The refreshing is from a word that means “recovering from the heat” as when you have a drink of cool living waters. It is “to revive” and “get a breath of fresh air”

It was the reason God asked man to take a Sabbath day to rest. The same word used in LXX for Ex 23:12 Saul was delivered from demon and refreshed by Davids music  1 Sam 16:23 So God has always given us times to rest and refresh. But what time are these times (plural) is the question.

It is always God and His spirit that refresh us even in these time in this fallen world

Psa 39:13

O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

I believe that he refresh is always in the presence of the Lord. And is He not present as the Comforter in our souls today?

But there are more times and ages because Peter was inspired that day to say “times” not time.

But there is coming a time still where Jesus will return to this sorry planet.

God is going to send His son who you have been warned will come “which was before preached to you” and that is good news !! Maranatha Lord!!

Heaven received Christ the day He ascended in Acts 1 and the angels said He will return the same way, but only the Father knows when. ““It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by His own authority;” Acts 1:7

So when is He returning? So don’t bother to ask because it will be a surprise party for you who believe. Just be ready with your belief suit on.

But meanwhile we are in the times of restitution, right? The words of God Peter spoke that day told us Jesus would not be sent until. Until is an Greek preposition that  gives us a time reference.

Meaning “until” “up to the point” “as far as” what? The times of restitution. But the idea is not only when He returns but a restitution up until He finished off the devil.

We have the privilege of winning and reclaiming souls to build this Kingdom NOW!

Until the times of restitution. Until the times of restoration, This word is only used once in all scripture apokatastasis and it comes from the verb apokathistemi used 8 times in the NT but used over 30 times in the LXX translation of OT

It relates to healing

More on restoration to come