Apr 17
16
Scripture Reading: Acts 2:14-41
“But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.’ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:14–41, ESV).
Introduction
Friends, here we have recoded for us the first proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ by one of his Apostles after his death, burial and resurrection. This is significant.
If you are a Christian and you want to know what a full presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ looks like – if you want to know how to proclaim it – if you want to know what elements are to be present – you would do well to pay attention to what Peter said in this little evangelistic sermon preached on the day of Pentecost. The essential elements of the gospel of Jesus Christ are here. Indeed, you can go on in the book of Acts and find more examples of Apostolic gospel preaching, but you will find that, though the words and tactics change depending upon the situation, the essential elements of the gospel message remain the same.
If you are not a Christian – if you do not know what it means to have faith in Christ or understand why you should – then you also would do well to pay attention to this sermon, for Peter’s objective in it was to move men and women, boys and girls, to “repent and be baptized… in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of… sins, and… receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Do you want to have your sins forgiven? Then you must pay careful attention to what was said by the Apostle Peter long ago.
I would like to examine Peter’s evangelistic sermon in three parts: First, I will say a word about the setting. Next, I will make some observations about the message itself. And after that I will say a word about the call to repentance that Peter issues at the end.
The Setting
First a word about the setting.
Remember that Jesus had been crucified about fifty days prior to the events described here in Acts 2.
Christ rose from the grave on the third day after his crucifixion, which is the event we are celebrating today.
After his resurrection he walked the earth for forty days proving himself to be alive. Acts 1:3 says that, “He presented himself alive to [his apostles] after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3, ESV).
After this Christ ascended to the Father. Acts 1:6-11 testifies to this saying,
“So when [his disciples] had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:6–11, ESV).
So the events described in the text we are considering took place about ten days after Christ ascended. It was on that day – the day of Pentecost – that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the followers of Christ, just as Jesus had promised. In Acts 2:1 we read,
“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1–4, ESV).
What does it mean that these disciples of Christ “began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance”? It means that these disciples of Christ were given the supernatural ability by the Spirit to speak in other languages. The contexts makes it clear. Look at verse 5:
“Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans’”(Acts 2:5–7, ESV)?
These men from every nation under heaven were astonished and in verse 11 they said,
“‘…we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.’ And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others mocking said, ‘They are filled with new wine’” (Acts 2:11–13, ESV).
The disciples of Christ spoke in tongues, which means that they spoke in other languages.
Notice that there were two reactions to the proclamation of the disciples of Christ. Some, upon hearing about the “mighty works of God” that they proclaimed said, “what does this mean?”, but others mocked the disciples, saying, “they must be drunk!”
I used to think that the accusation of drunkenness came as a response to the fact that the men spoke in tongues. They heard them speak in tongues and so they reasoned, they must be drunk. Now I see how ridiculous that view is, for how could drunkenness produce the ability to speak a foreign language? Has anyone ever thought, I’m having trouble in Spanish class, perhaps a six pack would help? Indeed, if the disciples of Christ were speaking in “tongues” in the way that the Pentecostals and Charismatics do today, the charge of drunkenness would make sense. I can understand how someone, after listening to the unintelligible babble of the Charismatics, would walk away saying, “they must be drunk!” But that is not what was going on here. These men were given the gift of tongues by the Spirit. The Bible is clear about what this means. They were able to declare the mighty works of God to foreigners in their native tongue – that is, in a language that the disciple of Christ, who were all Galileans, did not previously know.
Why then the charge of drunkenness? Well, it was the message they proclaimed that brought that charge. As they testified concerning Christ – as they told of his life, death, and resurrection – some responded by saying, “‘what does this mean?’ But others mocking said, ‘They are filled with new wine’”.
This is the setting. Peter, along with the rest of the Apostles of Christ, had a captive audience on the day of Pentecost – Pentecost being a Jewish holiday which came fifty days after the Passover. Jews from all over the known world had come to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and Pentecost. The outpouring the Spirit which, for these, resulted in the gift of tongues, certainly grabbed the attention of the multitude. It was to this captive audience that Peter, standing with the other 11 Apostles, began to preach saying, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day” (Acts 2:14–15, ESV).
The Message
But what about Peter’s message?
Pentecost Explained
First, notice that Peter had to explain the Pentecost event.
This is something that you and I will never have to do in our proclamation of the gospel given that what happened on Pentecost was unique and unrepeatable. We will never have to explain why tongues of fire descended upon us with the sound of a rushing wind enabling us to the speak in tongues. This was a redemptive historical event unique to that time. It was the day upon which the promised Holy Spirit was poured out in fulfillment to the promises of scripture. The fact that this event is unrepeatable should not surprise us. Many of the events recorded in the pages of Holy Scripture will not be repeated. Should we expect God to descend upon Sinai to give the Ten Commandments again to us? Should we expect the Christ to be born again and again, to die again and again, or to raise again? Of course not. In the same way we should not expect a perpetual and never-ending succession of “personal Pentecost” events. True! The book of Acts records for us instances of the Spirit being poured out upon Gentiles and Samaritans in a way similar to how the Spirit was given to the Jewish disciples of Christ here on the day of Pentecost. But these were also unique redemptive historical events which demonstrated that indeed the Spirit was being poured out upon all the peoples of the earth, and not just to the Jews, just as Christ said he would. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son”. And this is why we are to “go and make disciples of all nations…”
Look at how Peter explained the Pentecost event. He appealed to Old Testament to show that what had just happened was in fulfillment to the scriptures. He said,
“But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved’” (Acts 2:16–20, ESV).
Peter put the events of Pentecost into their redemptive historical context by quoting from Joel. It’s as if he said, “all that has happened today has happened because the time of which Joel prophesied has come. The last days of which Joel prophesied had come upon us.” The Spirit was poured out in this unusual way to prove it.
Jesus Lived, Died, and Rose Again
Having explained the historical significance of all that had happened on the day of Pentecost Peter then turned his attention the message that the others had already been proclaiming in languages that were, just moments ago, foreign to them. Remember that the disciples were busy declaring, what are called in 2:12, “the mighty works of God” in the language of foreigners. What were “the mighty works of God” of which they spoke. At first we are not told, but Peter’s preaching makes it clear, for his message is all about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These were the “mighty works of God” of which the disciple spoke.
Look at verse 22 where Peter says,
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:22–24, ESV).
Do you see that the gospel preaching of the Apostles, and all those associated with the Apostles, was nothing less than a presentation of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
When we proclaim the gospel we must tell people about Jesus’ life.
He was virgin born. John the Baptists prepared the way for him. He proclaimed that the kingdom of God was at hand. He taught kingdom ethics. He performed miracles which were signs that validated his claims. He called disciples to himself, taught them, and then commissioned them to continue and then build upon the work that he accomplished.
Peter summarized the life of Christ with these words: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know…” The life of Christ would have been familiar to his audience so he speak in this way.
When we proclaim the gospel we must tell people about Jesus’ death.
Peter summarized the story of Christ’s death with these words: “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”
Notice that the death of Christ – indeed, the whole life of Christ – was according to the “definite plan and foreknowledge of God.” The cross of Christ, we know from elsewhere in scripture, was determined by God from before the creation of the world. Listen to how Peter wrote to Christians in his epistle:
“…knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:18–21, ESV).
Though the death of Christ was determined by God in eternity past, those who had him crucified were still guilt for they did so willingly and from the heart. “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men”, Peter said. Of course, we cannot say that to anyone when we preach the gospel. It was undoubtedly true that some in Peter’s audience were indeed involved with the crucifixion of Christ. Not so with those to whom we preach.
But we must emphasize the death of Christ in our preaching. It was on the cross that Christ paid for sins. It was on the cross that Christ bore the wrath of God. It was through the cross that the work of redemption was accomplished for all who believe upon him. We must preach Christ crucified.
But we must also tell people that Jesus rose from the dead.
Listen to Peter: “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”
Christ rose from the grave in victory. He put death to death when he rose. He conquered the evil one. He earned eternal life, not only for himself, but for all who have faith in him.
And we must emphasize that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ all happened according to the scriptures.
Do you see the way that Peter, though he himself spoke with Apostolic authority, shows from the Old Testament scriptures that the Christ was to raise from the dead. He quoted David from Psalm 16:8-11 when he said,
“For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence’” (Acts 2:25–28, ESV).
This Old Testament text, Peter says, is “concerning” Jesus. He then reasons that David, as great as he was, died and stayed dead, “and his tomb is with us to this day.” But David was a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption” (Acts 2:29–31, ESV). Peter insists that Psalm 16 is really all about the resurrection of Jesus.
We must be prepared to show that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ all happened according to the Old Testament scriptures.
Our church name is meant to be a perpetual reminder of this reality. For it was on the road to Emmaus, a small village outside of Jerusalem, that our risen Lord met with two of his discouraged disciples to show them that is “‘was… necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:26–27, ESV).
These are things we must do when we proclaim the gospel. We must tell the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection showing that all that happened happened according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God and in fulfillment to the Old Testament Scriptures.
Doesn’t this story sound familiar? Is it not exactly the story that the four Gospels tell – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Brothers and sisters, we must believe and proclaim that story to the world.
The Call
Let us briefly consider one last thing before we conclude. Peter did not conclude with the story pressed his audience to respond to it. Look at verse 37:
“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself’” (Acts 2:37–39, ESV).
When we proclaim the gospel we must urge repentance.
Peter urged repentance. To repent is to turn from sin and to Christ. Faith and repentance are the two sides of the same coin. It will do you no good to turn from your sin but to not trust in Christ. And will do you no good to say that you have faith in Christ if you do not turn from your sin, for faith without works is dead. Fruitless faith is the wrong kind of faith (James 2:20).
Peter urged repentance and for those who repent to be baptized, baptism being a sign of faith and repentance and the covenant of grace that God enters in to with all who believe upon Christ, the covenant mediator.
He concludes with this wonderful reminder that this promise – the promise of the gospel – is for all who God calls to himself. It is for you, your children, and for all who are far off, not just the Jews, but also the gentiles. Praise be to God.
Conclusion
