Peter preaches essential truths about Jesus’ resurrection, proving Christ’s deity and our forgiveness. He also models a holy yearning for the salvation of others.
These are only preliminary, unedited outlines and may differ from Andy’s final message.
This morning we continue our study of the most significant sermon in the history of the Christian church… the great Pentecost sermon preached by the Apostle Peter
Though there have been many great preachers and many amazing sermons since that day, none have been as impactful and essential to the history of the church as this one
Last time, we began to walk through Peter’s sermon… this morning we seek to finish it.
Context:
Jesus Christ has died on the cross, risen from the dead on the third day, and for forty days appeared to his apostles and disciples, giving them many convincing proofs that he had risen from the dead. He also taught them many things, especially everything that was written about him in the Old Testament… the Law of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets
He gave them the Great Commission at many times and in different words… the version in Acts reads like this:
Acts 1:8 you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Immediately after he gave those words, he was taken up from earth into heaven, rising higher and higher in full view of his apostles until at last a cloud hid him from their sight.
The church went back to a gathering room and met continually in prayer, waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised would come very soon.
Finally, on the Day of Pentecost, when Jerusalem was filled with Jews from all over the Roman world for the great feast of firstfruits, Jesus disciples were gathered in one heart and mind in prayer. Suddenly the sound of a rushing wind came… just the sound, no actual wind. But like a hurricane the sound came. And then tongues of fire came down, separating and resting on each of them… representing the descent of the Holy Spirit on each one of the followers of Christ. They all began to speak in foreign tongues as the Spirit moved them.
A huge crowd gathered outside the house where they were staying since they had heard the sound of the wind.
Peter and the other apostles went out to preach to the crowd. When they did, the Jewish pilgrims from all over the Roman world each heard them speaking in their own native languages. An incredible miracle.
Some of them mocked them saying they were drunk.
So Peter got up and preached his great Pentecost sermon…
Review
A. Defending the Outpouring of the Spirit (2:14-21)
Acts 2:14-21 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
B. Defending the Life and Death of Christ (2:22-23)
Acts 2:22-23 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
C. Proclaiming the Fact of the Resurrection of Christ (2:24)
Acts 2:24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Okay… that’s from last week. Now we continue…
I. Christ’s Resurrection Proved
So, Peter has proclaimed the FACT of Christ’s resurrection… now he wants to PROVE IT 1) by prophecy; 2) by eyewitness testimony
A. Jesus’ Prophecies of his own resurrection
1. Repeatedly, to his disciples, beginning at Caesarea Philippi
2. To his enemies (when he cleansed the temple in John 2)
John 2:19 Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.
B. Old Testament Prophecies of Christ’s resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures
1. Various scriptures made this key prediction
2. Peter chose Psalm 16:8-11
C. Walking Through Psalm 16
1. Written by David a thousand years before Christ was born
2. Peter quotes the text:
Acts 2:25-28 David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
3. Peter’s main point is that David was writing on behalf of the Messiah, not for himself
Acts 2:29-31 “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.
4. The key insight: the text speaks of dying and being buried but not being abandoned to the grave nor seeing decay
5. David’s body decayed… that was Peter’s point: “David died and was buried and his tomb (and his corpse) are here TO THIS DAY”
6. So, David could not have been writing about himself
a. Modern biblical scholars seek to focus primarily on the author’s original intent; his setting, context, circumstances, intent
b. Then see if there is any further connection to Christ
c. In this case, however, there was no immediate fulfillment… David’s corpse decayed like all other corpses decay
d. So every word he was writing in this prophecy were written about the Christ, by the Holy Spirit
7. “He was a prophet”
a. Peter makes the plain case that David was a prophet who was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
b. By the power of the Spirit, David could see the distant future and write about it
c. “Seeing what was to come…” This is the supernatural power of prophecy that the eternal God alone possesses
d. By the Spirit, David was writing on behalf of his own son whom God had promised he would put on his throne forever
8. Looking back at the prophecy with that lens
a. “I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
i) written as if spoken by Christ himself, in the first person
ii) Jesus was speaking about his heavenly Father, Almighty God… he died entrusting himself to him
Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
iii) Only God could have rescued Jesus from death… Psalm 16 speaks of Christ’s confidence in God… he was right there before him, and at his right hand to help him, even as he cast himself into the dark pit of death
b. “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices.”
i) Even facing the horrors of the grave, Christ would not be shaken… he had total confidence in God’s power to raise him from the dead
ii) His heart/tongue rejoiced in the power of God to raise him from the grave
c. “My body also will rest secure”
i) Even though death is destructive to his body, Christ was fully confident of the future of his BODY!!
ii) The same God who knit his body together in his mother’s womb would rescue his body from the ravages of the grave
iii) The verse says literally, “My flesh will abide in hope”… “abide” means “to pitch a tent” or “settle down” as if his permanent dwelling place is a place of hope
d. “Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay”
i) The key promise; God would not abandon Jesus to the grave
ii) On the cross, he cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
iii) But once Christ had paid in full the death penalty for sin for his people, God would rescue him from the grave
iv) Christ was miraculously spared from the normal decay process
v) Forensic science is able to determine the time of death by various stages of decay, including microbes and even parasites that begin multiplying and devouring the flesh once the body’s immune system is shut down
vi) But God the Father would not allow that to happen to his Holy One, his beloved Son
vii) Also Christ’s resurrection body would be the first of a pattern of bodies that would never decay… death would be totally defeated forever and ever
viii) Paul said of the resurrection body, “The body that is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable.” (1 Cor. 15:42)
Romans 6:9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
Note: several people have been raised from the dead (like Lazarus, and Jairus’s daughter, Dorcas and Eutychus… but they all resumed life under the curse, aged, and died again. Jesus cannot ever die again. The only resurrection in history.
e. “You have made known to me the path of life. You will fill me with joy in your presence.”
i) God will show Jesus the way up and out from the dark grave into a resurrection body and eternal life in that body
ii) The ultimate end of that resurrection is eternal joy in the presence of God himself
iii) This opens the door to the next verse Peter will quote about Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of God
f. The entire point of resurrection and salvation is ETERNAL JOY IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD!!
Psalm 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
That is what heaven is all about…eternal pleasures at the right hand of God!
D. Peter’s Point (Again): David COULD NOT Have Been Writing About Himself
1. David’s body decayed
2. Jesus rose from the dead
3. So Psalm 16 was predicting the resurrection of the Christ
4. This timeless prophecy will outlast all the physical evidence of the empty tomb
Peter’s conclusion: Christ’s resurrection from the dead proves he is the Messiah promised in scripture
Next: Proving from Eyewitnesses the Resurrection of Christ
Acts 2:32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
E. Additional to the prophecy is the testimony of the eyewitnesses
F. This is absolutely vital to the establishment of the gospel
G. It fulfills the purpose of the Spirit
Acts 1:8 you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
H. 1 Corinthians 15 speaks directly of the eyewitnesses
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Eyewitness testimony is very difficult to overturn… especially if there are 500 of them!!
I. Eyewitness Essential to the New Testament
1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched– this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
Luke 1:1-4 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
II. Christ’s Enthronement Declared
Acts 2:33-35 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”‘
A. The Holy Spirit’s manifestation because of Jesus’ enthronement
B. He Proves It By Yet Another Scripture… Psalm 110
1. “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”
2. Jesus used this prophecy to prove that the Messiah was more than just the son of David… David
Matthew 22:45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”
3. Like the argument earlier about Psalm 16, there is no way that David was raised to sit at the right hand of God
4. David was just a human being… a mortal king… and a sinner saved by grace
5. He was not equal in power and authority to God
6. God inviting the Messiah to sit at his right hand means that the Christ was coequal with God and reigns with him in heaven
7. This honor WAS NOT given to David!!
8. From that exalted place of honor, Christ has received the right to pour out the gift of the Holy Spirit on his followers
Acts 2:33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
The Conclusion: Jesus is Both Lord and Christ
Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Israel should be completely assured of the identity of Jesus
C. Jesus is BOTH Lord and Christ
1. He is the promised Messiah, the son of David; but he is also Lord Almighty, seated at the right hand of God
2. This is the overwhelming exaltation of Jesus Christ… he has been raised from the dead and lifted up through the heavenly realms to sit on a throne of absolute power to reign over all the universe
D. Peter Drives the Conviction Home… “WHOM YOU CRUCIFIED”
1. He specifically lays the blame for the death on Jesus on the people of Israel
2. They did not intervene and stop it; they actively called for the death of Jesus, as he will make plain in Acts 3 as well
Acts 3:13-15 You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
3. This is the greatest crime the human race has ever perpetrated… and Peter does not in any way hold back
4. But under the influence of the Spirit, he is not trying to be cruel… he must show them their spiritual disease so they will seek the cure
Luke 5:31-32 Jesus [said], “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Before the Holy Spirit can save someone, he must do a deep work of conviction of sin within their hearts
III. Christ’s Command Proclaimed
Acts 2:37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
A. Cut to the Heart
1. Peter’s words gave them a heart wound essential to their salvation
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
2. They felt the pain of their sins, especially of having condemned and killed the Son of God
B. Ready to Act: “Brothers, what shall we do?”
1. They want to do something to be made right with God
2. “DO”? Is there a work we can do, an action to pay for our sins?
Matthew 19:16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
3. No good work can ever atone for sin…
4. Jesus gave the final answer to this question
John 6:28-29 they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
5. So Jesus’ apostle Peter gave the same answer
Christ’s Command: Repent and Believe in Jesus Christ
Acts 2:38-40 Peter replied, “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. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off– for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
6. This is the work God requires… it is no work at all, no merit in it!
7. Repent: clear sight of your sins and deep inner sinfulness; hatred of all sin and a turning from it from the heart to God
8. Believe in the name of Jesus Christ
a. Name = his person, reputation, his history, his works… fundamentally his identity as the Son of God
b. Believe = seeing the invisible Christ with the eyes of the heart; grasping onto him in the full abandonment of a drowning person grasping a strong hand
C. Baptism
1. Peter also commands water baptism… immersion in water
2. This is part of the Great Commission that Christ gave… to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of Jesus Christ
3. It is the outward sign of the transformation the Spirit has worked
4. It is also a simple and practical step of obedience
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.
There is nothing difficult about being immersed in water… but it shows willingness, obedience, faith
All over the world, this simple sign is performed so that a repenting sinner can declare openly to the world, “I am a follower of Jesus Christ!”
D. Promise: The Gift of the Holy Spirit
1. If you repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ, you also will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
2. This promise was made to the entire human race… not just to the Jews
Acts 2:39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off– for all whom the Lord our God will call.
3. “All whom the Lord our God will call”… the call there is the sovereign drawing of the Holy Spirit coupled with the outward call of the gospel message… and the gift of the Holy Spirit is guaranteed to all who respond to that call
4. On that day of Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit was displayed outwardly and spectacularly in miracles… tongues, prophecy, healings
5. In our day, the gift of the Holy Spirit is most powerfully displayed in a transformed life… holiness, putting sin to death; the virtues of the fruit of the Spirit
6. The consistent and hidden work of the Spirit in a person’s life is the greatest proof of salvation
E. Warning: Save Yourselves
1. “With many other words”: we only have a short summary of his sermon recorded for us in Acts 2… there was a lot more Peter said that day
2. Peter’s passion for souls was on clear display
Acts 2:40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.
3. There is a PLEADING that comes on a servant of the gospel… the evangelist deeply cares about the sinners listening to the message… it matters more than they can put into words
David Brainerd, missionary to native Americans, wrote this in his journal, July 21, 1744, when he heard that the people were planning to hold an idolatrous feast and dance the next day, wrestled over their souls in anguished prayer:
“This morning about nine I withdrew to the woods for prayer. I was in such anguish that when I rose from my knees I felt extremely weak and overcome, and the sweat ran down my face and body … I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through, so that I could but gain souls for Christ. I continued in this frame all the evening and night.”
This is the kind of passion for souls that the Holy Spirit causes to come on his servants when they are fully immersed in the work of the gospel… it DEEPLY MATTERS to them whether or not the people believe in Christ and are saved.
So Peter PLEADED with the people… I BEG you!!!
4. Save yourselves… “Corrupt generation”… every generation is corrupted by sin; no pure generations
5. “Save yourselves” from the wrath to come… by repenting and believing in Christ
IV. Christ’s Harvest Accomplished
Acts 2:41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
A. “Accepted His Message”
1. The word accept means to allow in or to welcome, as a host at the front door with a guest
2. The Holy Spirit worked this welcome in the hearts of three thousand souls that day
3. The opposite is to close their hearts… to shut out the word of God
B. An Astonishing Harvest of Souls!
This is an amazing first day of evangelism for the newborn church of Jesus Christ
THREE THOUSAND SOULS… in one day! An immediate mega-church in Jerusalem!
But it was just the beginning of the vast harvest of souls to the ends of the earth and to the end of time
C. Transformed Lives
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
More next time!!
V. Applications
A. This same gospel message saves today… there is no other!
1. Are you walking under the burden of sins? Do you have a dark sense of your own corruption? Are you addicted to pleasures of various kinds? Is there anything you are ashamed of?
2. Do you realize that Judgment Day is coming? That there is an eternal condemnation and wrath from a righteous God for all your sins?
3. Do you understand that this is the very reason Christ was born, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross? To save sinners like you?
4. Have you repented of your sins and turned to Christ in the abandonment of faith?
5. Have you testified to your faith by water baptism?
6. Are you living a changed life in obedience to the Word of God?
B. Marvel at the Infinite Majesty of Christ
1. Vs. 24 “It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him”
2. “Exalted to the right hand of God”… he is “Both LORD and Christ”
C. Embrace Your Role
1. We are not apostles… it is not the day of Pentecost
2. But we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, if indeed you see the works of holiness and the fruit of the Spirit in you
3. And we have available to us the same power that Peter and the early church did
4. Let us be faithful THIS WEEK!
a. At work: say something to a non-Christian this week
b. Ask that person what their spiritual background is? If they ever fear death? What they know about Jesus Christ?
c. Share with them some stories from the life of Christ
D. Ask God to give you a holy agony for souls… like Peter, pleading and begging Like David Brainerd. If you don’t have a deep concern for lostness, confess that coldness and deadness to God in prayer.
