Acts 3:17 Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
After witnessing a tremendous Miracle of Healing, the people were all ears to what Peter had to say. On the porch of the Temple, he began by preaching about the Power in the Name of Jesus, but did not stop there. While he had their attention, he went on to remind them that they were the ones who had Jesus crucified while they let a murderer go free. It was they, the religious people, who did this! Those who faithfully went to the Temple and prayed to God were the ones who put God’s own Son, the Messiah, to death.
Did they do it willingly? Peter addressed that point next. Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
But where were they really acting in ignorance? Maybe, but it was willful ignorance, and as Peter continued, he told them that too. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His Prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. These people had gone to the Temple for years. They had studied and memorized the Words of the Prophets. They knew it backwards and forward, and yet they refused to recognize the Messiah when He was in their midst. Not only did they reject Him, but they put Him to death.
Then, Peter called them to repent of this horrible sin they had committed. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the Presence of the Lord,
Peter knew they were stricken with guilt over what they had done. He also knew the only source of refreshing comes by way of the Presence and Forgiveness of the Lord. In this single sentence, Peter shares a tremendous Benefit in our Believer’s Benefit Package. It is the Benefit of Refreshment.
It comes following Repentance. Whether we sinned out of ignorance or not, it does not matter. To fall at the Feet of Jesus, seeking the Forgiveness and Mercy of God in true repentance, ushers in the knowledge that we have been forgiven and set free from our past sins. That understanding and awareness bring with them the glorious Benefit of Refreshment.
Just as a cold glass of pure water refreshes our thirsty body on a hot day, the Forgiveness of God will refresh our soul. What an awesome God we serve!
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the Presence of the Lord,
True repentance will.......... turn the tide..........in your life.
Refreshed! Doreen
