Peter's address to the people - Acts 3:11-26 - N. T. -
Everyone came running towards them in great excitement, to the Portico of Solomon, as it is called, where the man was still clinging to Peter and John. When Peter saw the people he addressed them, 'Why are you so surprised at this? Why are you staring at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or holiness? You are Israelites, and it is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, who has glorified his servant Jesus, the same Jesus you handed over and then disowned in the presence of Pilate after Pilate had decided to release him.
It was you who accused the Holy One, the Just One, you who demanded the reprieve of a murderer while you killed the prince of life. God, however, raised him from the dead, and to that fact we are the witnesses; and it is the name of Jesus which, through our faith in it, has brought back the strength of this man whom you see here and who is well known to you. It is faith in that name that has restored this man to health, as you can all see.
Now I know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing; this was the way God carried out what he had foretold, when he said through all his prophets that his Christ would suffer. Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, and so that the Lord may send the time of comfort. Then he will send you the Christ he has predestined, that is Jesus, whom heaven must keep till the universal restoration comes which God proclaimed, speaking through his holy prophets. Moses, for example, said: The Lord God will raise up a prophet like myself for you, from among your own brothers; you must listen to whatever he tells you. The man who does not listen to that prophet is to be cut off from the people. In fact, all the prophets that have ever spoken, from Samuel onwards, have predicted these days.
'You are the heirs of the prophets, the heirs of the covenant God made with our ancestors when he told Abraham: in your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed. It was for you in the first place that God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by turning everyone of you from your wicked ways.'
Cf. - Acts 5:12 -
Cf. - John 10:23 - N. T. - It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the Portico of Solomon.
Cf. - Acts 10:26; 14:15 -
Cf. - Exodus 3:6, 15 - O. T. - I am the God of your father, he said 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. At this Moses covered his face, afraid to look at God.
Cf. - Acts 4:27 -
Cf. - Isaiah 52:13 - O. T. - See, my servant will prosper, he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights.
Cf. - Acts 2:23+ -
Cf. - Luke 23:22-23 ;Luke 23:2,5,19,25,47 - N. T. - But they kept on shouting at the top of their voices, demanding that he should be crucified. And their shouts were growing louder. Pilate then gave his verdict: their demand was to be granted. They began their accusation by saying, 'We found this man inciting our people to revolt, opposing payment of the tribute to Caesar, and claiming to be Christ, a king'. They persisted, 'He is inflaming the people with his teaching all over Judaea; it has come all the way from Galilee, where he started, down to here'. 'Away with him! Give us Barabbas!' (This man had been thrown into prison for causing a riot in the city and for murder.) Pilate released the man (Barabbas) and handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they pleased. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he gave praise to God and said, 'This was a great and good man'.
Cf. - Acts 2:23+; 1:8+ -
Cf. - Hebrews 2:11 - N. T. - For the one who sanctifies, and the ones who are sanctified, are of the same stock.
Cf. - Acts 3:6; 4:10; 13:27 -
Cf. - 1 Corinthians 2:8 - N. T. - It is a wisdom that none of the masters of this age have ever known, or they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.
Cf. - 1 Timothy 1:13 - N. T. - Even though I used to be a blasphemer and did all I could to injure and discredit the faith. Mercy, however, was shown me, because until I became a believer I had been acting in ignorance; and the grace of our Lord filled me with faith and with the love that in Christ Jesus.
Cf. - Luke 18:31 - N. T. - Then taking the Twelve aside he said to them, 'Now we are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man is to come true.
Cf. - Acts 2:38+ -
Cf. -Matthew 3:2-3 - N. T. - 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand'. This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said: A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.
Cf. - 2 Peters 3:11-13 - N. T. - Since everything is coming to an end like this, you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat. What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and the new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home.
Cf. - Malachi 3:23-24 - O. T. - Know that I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before my day comes, that great and terrible day. He shall turn the hearts of fathers towards their children and the hearts of children towards their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a curse.
Cf. - Matthew 17:11 - N. T. - 'True;' he replied 'Elijah is to come to see that everything is once more as it should be'.
Cf. - Acts 7:37 -
Cf. - Deuteronomy 18:18-19 - O. T. - All they have spoken is well said. I will raise up a prophet like yourself for them from their own brothers; I will put my words into his mouth and he shall tell them all I command him. The man who does not listen to my words that he speaks in my name, shall be held answerable to me for it.
Cf. - Matthew 16:14-18 - N. T. - 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets'. 'But you,' Jesus said 'who do you say I am?' Then Simon Peter spoke up, 'You are the Christ,' he said 'the Son of the living God'. Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.
Cf. - John 1:21-23 - N. T. - 'I am not the Christ'. 'Well then,' they asked 'are you Elijah?' 'I am not' John the Baptist said. 'Are you the Prophet?' He answered, 'No'. So they said to John the Baptist, 'Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?' So John the Baptist said, 'I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: make a straight way for the Lord.
Cf. - Matthew 17;5 - N. T. - Peter was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said, 'This is my Son, the beloved; he enjoys my favour. listen to him.'
Cf. - Luke 24:25-26 - N. T. - Then Jesus said to them, 'You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?'
Cf. - Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 44:19-21 - O. T. - Everlasting covenants were made with him that never again should every living creature perish by flood. Abraham, the great forefather of a host of nations, no one was ever his equal in glory. He observed the law of the Most High, and entered into a covenant with him. He confirmed the covenant in his own flesh, and proved himself faithful under ordeal. The Lord therefore promised him on oath.
Cf. - Romans 9:4; 15:8 - N. T. - They were adopted as sons, they were given the glory and the covenants; the law and the ritual were drawn up for them, and the promises were made to them. The reason Christ became the servant of circumcised Jews was not only so that God could faithfully carry out the promises made to the patriarchs, it was also to get the pagans to give glory to God for his mercy.
Cf. - Genesis 12:3; 22:18 - O. T. - 'I will bless those who bless you: I will curse those who slight you. All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you.' All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, as a reward for your obedience.
Cf. - Acts 2:39+ -
Cf. - Galatians 3:8-29 - N. T. - Sacred Scripture foresaw that God was going to use faith to justify the pagans, and proclaimed the Good News long ago when Abraham was told:........... All baptised in Christ, you have all clothed yourselves in Christ, and there are no more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Merely by belonging to Christ you are the posterity of Abraham, the heirs he was promised. - PAGE 94 -
Peter and John before the Sanhedrin
While they were still talking... - PAGE 95 -
IF WE LIVE BY THE TRUTH AND IN LOVE, WE SHALL GROW IN ALL WAYS INTO CHRIST JESUS, WHO IS THE HEAD BY WHOM THE WHOLE BODY IS FITTED AND JOINED TOGETHER, EVERY JOINT ADDING ITS OWN STRENGTH, FOR EACH SEPARATE PART TO WORK ACCORDING TO IT FUNCTION. SO THE BODY GROWS UNTIL IT HAS BUILT ITSELF UP, IN LOVE." - EPHESIANS 4:15-16 -
WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY. - Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!
"Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He is like a man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built.
But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 -
HE / SHE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE / SHE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE / SHE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE." - JOHN 16:12-15 -
