Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. (Acts 3:19-21)
Peter hit it out of the park in every sermon that Dr. Luke included in his Acts of the Apostles. This one while standing at Solomon’s Colonnade as a rookie preacher was one of his best. I particularly like this part where he summarizes redemptive history from cross to Kingdom consummation. As a fan of alliteration, I also like how the “R’s” have it: Repent, Refresh, Restore, not intended by Peter who spoke not a word of English.
REPENTANCE
Everything with Jesus begins of course with repentance––changing our minds, turning in the opposite direction from sin and turning to God. Can’t skip that and get in the kingdom now, later, never. If you’ve never repented, I advise you not put it off even one day lest you have one more day to repent of and one less day to repent in!
Thanks to what Jesus did, when we repent, he erases our sins. I remember when my former slate was wiped clean as if it were yesterday! Pure joy.
REFRESHMENT
It doesn’t end with our sins expunged. In his time, and time after time, when he knows we need it, he will refresh us in his presence. The term Peter used on this occasion means to breathe easily (again); like a cooling breeze after oppressive heat. It’s an apt metaphor for spiritual revival, relief, and renewal that comes from God’s presence.
If you’ve lived for Jesus for any length of time you’ve undoubtedly experienced times of deprivation and drought. Sometimes these come from satanic sources. At other times it’s God withholding the rain so we’ll learn to live with less and depend on him more. Often, our deprivations are simply a matter of living in a broken world where scarcity and abundance cycle through. But, like the Jews in the wilderness, you never know but that up ahead water may just pour out of a rock!
As his refreshing is linked to our repenting, my advice is keep repenting. Meaning, position yourself for refreshment for when it does come by living repentantly.
If you have experienced his refreshing presence, I don’t have to describe it to you. If you haven’t, I have no way to describe it, other than: Pure joy!
RESTORATION
Refreshing recurs when we need it, but there’s coming a time when we won’t need it, when everything will be restored. I love those times of refreshing, but I don’t live for those times. I live for “the time [that’s coming] for God to restore everything”!
Since I first repented, he refreshes and restores parts of my soul, the parts I give him access to. But when the time comes, he’ll not only restore parts of me or even every part of me. When he comes with heaven, he’ll restore every part of everything, everything in the world as we know it! He’ll make all things in heaven and on earth new. Everything that’s broken today will be put together again on that day!
This is about more than your personal salvation, your soul, your life, your transformed self. This is about the ultimate cosmic renewal, where God sets everything right that’s been fractured by sin.
Choose humble repentance as a lifestyle and you’ll certainly have your soul refreshed from time to time. But more importantly, you’ll take part in the consummate restoration of the world!
We’re talking about a tangible reordering of the physical universe under Christ’s lordship, culminating in the “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1). Today God rescues souls but on that Day he’ll refurbish every molecule of His creation (Romans 8:21). He will bring “unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Ephesians 1:10)! All things will be summed up, gathered together, consummated in him!
Christ will ultimately be acknowledged as the organizing center of the world, bringing harmony to everything and everyone that’s subject to him. Our world which has been disunited by sin will once again be combined into one single, coherent whole under the unifying headship of Christ. What has been disfigured in the universe will be reconfigured and beautified. That which has dis-integrated will be re-integrated again!
Our present experiences of renewal through the Spirit acts as a preview, a foretaste of the ultimate renewal of cosmos (Isaiah 65:17-25; Romans 8:19-23). We call it the “already-and-not-yet” kingdom. It’s already here and transforming us from the inside out. But not yet experienced fully and universally until Christ returns.
This is no afterthought, says Peter. He promised this “long ago through his holy prophets,” from time’s earliest point. It’s been his plan all along, to bring the world back to its original design. History is His-story leading to the world we all long to see. Today we live and labor within these “times of refreshing,” confident that our labor is not on vain and the same presence that revives today will renew all things tomorrow. Everything that’s wrong will wither and all will be made right.
Refreshed for today and hopeful for tomorrow, and in the meantime commissioned to advance the Kingdom now. Therefore, repent, be refreshed, and patiently wait and actively work for the restoration of all things!
The purest of all joys!
barney wiget 