Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 2139
“And killed the Prince of Life, whom God has raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” Acts 3:15.
PETER does not conceal the death of Christ—he is not ashamed of the fact that his Lord was crucified. God forbid that any of us should be ashamed of the Cross—may we speak of it without a blush! Peter does not flatter his hearers but he declares that they “killed the Prince of Life.” This was literally true and it was necessary that they should know and feel it. There is no Gospel without the Cross and no useful preaching which does not appeal to the conscience—yes, there must be the Cross for doctrine and honest rebuke as the trumpet to awaken men’s hearts. You ministers take note of this! Mark well that in the same sentence in which he testified to the Lord’s death, Peter bears witness to His Resurrection. The verse is very short and yet contains the two greatest events of human history—“You killed the Prince of Life, whom God raised from the dead.”
The Crucifixion and the Resurrection come close together. There are no intervening words in Peter’s speech, as there was scarcely an interval as a matter of fact. Our Redeemer is laid in the grave Friday evening and He rises from it early Sunday morning. It is called “three days” by Oriental custom, but, as a matter of fact, the interval only consisted of parts of two days and one whole day. God has a way of handling time which makes a day as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day—and in this case He compressed into the smallest space the three days during which the Great Hostage remained in the grave.
Beloved, I wish you would learn a lesson here—never draw out sorrow and dread beyond the shortest necessary period. You that have been made to feel your death and are at this time, as it were, wrapped in your grave clothes, I pray that you may know no long interval between the time when you are slain by the Law and made alive again by Divine Grace! Why should we tarry longer than we should under the bondage of the Law? Dark is that night in which Jesus has not yet come and yet the storm is raging. When the soul has only life enough to mourn its death, it is a painful condition. Let that period be made as short as possible.
Is it not written, “After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight”? Why should we make months and years of that which need be scarcely three days? If God contracts three days into one, may we not, by holy faith, make short work of our time of conviction and fear? When we know our death, we have, in measure, begun to live—and we should be eager that our life should quit the sepulcher of doubt and enjoy the light of joy!
I am about to speak of our Lord for that very purpose. I hope that the music of His charming name may bring rejoicing to sad hearts. Here is your power to quit your spiritual death! Here is your sole hope of spiritual life—Jesus who rose from the dead is “the Prince of Life.” We will begin with that. Consider a title—“Prince of Life.” When we have done with that, we will look further into our text and unfold a roll of wonder—“You killed the Prince of Life, whom God has raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” There are many riddles in that paradoxical statement—“You killed the Prince of Life.” When we have done with these points, we will come to a speedy close as we suggest an inquiry which may be practically profitable to you.
I. First, then, let us CONSIDER A TITLE—“The Prince of Life.” This is not a literal translation, though it is a valuable interpretation. The word here is that which is translated, “Author,” in that place wherein our Lord is said to be “the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). And yet it is also rendered “Captain” (Heb. 2:10), where He is called
“the Captain of our salvation” made perfect through suffering. The word “Prince” is not inaccurate, for the idea of princedom lies on the surface of the Greek word and therefore I shall keep to our own thrice precious version, which, take it for all in all, remains the Queen of all the versions. Still, you will not forget that it does include the sense of “Author of life”
Here it may be well to say that we think that Christ is, indeed, the Creator of all things and especially of life—“All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life.” Our Lord Jesus is peculiarly the Creator in connection with life and I take pleasure in thinking of all life as proceeding from Him by whom all things consist. But this is assuredly true of all spiritual life which is a higher and a nobler thing than vegetable life, animal life or mental life. From Him, the Sun of Righteousness, every vital spark of heavenly flame has been sent forth— He is the quickening Spirit and by union with Him we live unto God, if, indeed, we so live.