Peter’s Pentecost Sermon, Part 2 (Acts Sermon 5)

Turn in your Bibles to Acts Chapter 2.  We continue our sermon series on the Book of Acts. Specifically this morning, we continue our study of the most significant sermon there’s ever been in the history of Christianity, Peter’s great Pentecost sermon. There’ve been many great preachers, many amazing sermons since that day, but I would say none has been as impactful and significant and essential to the history of the church as this great Pentecost sermon. Last time we looked at the beginning of it, we started to walk through Peter’s sermon, and this morning we seek to finish it.

Let’s step back and get context here in the Book of Luke, the Gospel of Luke. Jesus Christ lived the only perfect life there’s ever been, a sinless life, had a physical practical ministry it seems scholars tell us for three years. But at the end of that He was arrested and tried, convicted, sentenced to death, He was crucified on the cross. On the third day He was raised to life and for 40 days appeared to His apostles, to His disciples and gave them many convincing proves that He was alive. He also taught them many things, establishing in the scriptures, everything that was written about Him in the Old Testament, the law of Moses, the Psalms and the prophets. He gave them at many times and in different words, a Great Commission, a work to do that would dominate the rest of their lives.

In Acts 1:8, He said, “You’ll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you’ll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” Those are His last words on earth. Immediately after speaking those words, He ascended from earth through the heavenly realms until at last a cloud hid Him from their sight. The church went back to a gathering room where they waited as He had commanded them to do, waited for the gift of the Holy Spirit, waited to be clothed with power from on high.

Finally, on the day of Pentecost, when Jerusalem was filled with Jewish pilgrims from all over the world for the great Feast of Firstfruits, Jesus’ disciples gathered in one heart and one spirit and in one mind in prayer, and suddenly there came the sound of a violent rushing wind from heaven. Just the sound, no actual movement of air, but just a miraculous sound. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages, foreign languages that they’d never studied. They began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit moved them. The crowd came together hearing the sound of the wind, met together outside the place where they were staying. Then Peter and the other apostles went down and preached the gospel to them, preached the word to them. Amazingly, those Jewish pilgrims from all over the world were hearing that proclamation in their own mother tongues. Some of them however, mocked and said, “They’re drunk. They’ve had too much wine.” 

So Peter gets up and begins to speak, and we walked through this last time. He began by defending the outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God from scripture. Look at verses 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. These men are not drunk as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning.'” No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel,  “In the last days,” God says, ‘I’ll 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. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

So having established the outpouring of the Spirit, he then defended the life and the death of Christ. In verses 22 and 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. 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.” He defends the life and death of Christ, but then he proclaims the fact of Christ’s resurrection in verse 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.” That’s right where we were last time. We walked through all of that. As much as I’d love to go back through it all over again, there’s more work to be done.

I. Christ’s Resurrection Proved

He begins by proving Christ’s resurrection, Christ’s resurrection proved. He’s going to do this both from scripture, prophecies of scripture and from eyewitness testimony. Now first concerning prophecies of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, Jesus Himself, the quintessential and foremost prophet of all, predicted His own crucifixion and resurrection. He did this again and again with His own disciples. Beginning at Caesarea Philippi, from that time on, He began warning them exactly what would happen, but they were not able to understand it. They could not grasp it, His own disciples and followers, they had no categories for a dead Messiah. It didn’t make any sense to them, but He did it. He predicted it again and again.

He also did it in front of his own enemies in more oblique terms. When He cleansed the temple at the beginning of his ministry in John Chapter 2, He made a whip of cords and He drove out the animals and all those that were buying and selling, and they demanded a sign of His authority and His right to do this. Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I’ll raise it up,” and they didn’t understand what He meant. “It’s taken 46 years to build this temple. You’re going to raise it up in 3 days?” But the temple He had spoken of was His body, a clear prediction in retrospect of His resurrection. So Jesus predicted it.

But Peter’s point here is it was predicted in prophecies of Old Testament scripture. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, “For what I received, I passed on to you as a first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that He was buried and that He was raised from the dead on the third day according to the scriptures.” This was predicted in the Old Testament, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are many prophecies of His resurrection, but Peter focuses on Psalm 16: 8-11. Let’s walk through Psalm 16. It was written 1,000 years before Jesus by King David, Psalm 16, written a millennium before Jesus. Listen to what Peter says, “David said about Him.” It’s a key phrase, “David said about Him,” the Messiah, the Christ.  “I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I’ll not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body also will live in hope because you’ll not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the path of life. You’ll fill me with joy in your presence.” That’s a quotation of Psalm 16: 8-11. 

Peter’s going to make his main point subsequently that David was not writing about himself but he was writing about the Christ, about the Messiah who had come later. Look at verses 29 -31, “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and he knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned of the grave, nor did His body see decay.”

The key insight Peter’s making here is the text speaks of dying and being buried but not being abandoned to the grave and not decaying, but David’s body decayed. That’s Peter’s point. David died and was buried in his tomb. He means his corpse, is here to this day, he decayed. So David was not writing about himself. I just want to stop and say one of my purposes here, they say “Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man a fish, he eats for a lifetime.” I just want to give you food and also teach you to harvest it for yourself. This is a key hermeneutical or a biblical interpretive principle. This happens again and again. Modern biblical scholars, when they read the Old Testament, especially the prophecies, they focus in on what they call the author’s original intent. What did the author intend by what he wrote? They’re trying to tether it to the actual text. That’s a good effort, but it has limitations.  So they’re going to look at the author’s circumstance, the author’s context, his culture, what caused him to write and what his purposes were. Then if they’re Christians, they’re going to say secondarily, now let’s look at Jesus, sometimes in footnotes. It’s awful. I think a Christian commentator should be Christ-centered, amen. Christ-centered. In this case, however, there is literally no immediate fulfillment in David. The words he’s writing about could not been about him. That’s Peter’s whole point. He was writing about the Messiah who had come later.  So every word he’s writing, David was writing 1,000 years before, were written as though he was Christ. He was speaking on behalf of his greater descendant. He did this writing by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit on him. This is essential to our faith, the supernatural origin of the scripture, the supernatural nature of prophecy. He was a prophet.

God alone knows the future and this sets Him apart from all the gods that Israel worshiped.

Peter makes plain the case that David was a prophet who was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and by the power of the Spirit, David was able to see into the distant future, seeing what was to come.  Acts 2: 31, “This is the supernatural, timeless, eternal power of God that God alone possesses. God alone is sovereign over heaven and earth.” He’s the one that decides what will happen and if any of His creatures makes a prediction and God says it will not take place, it will not happen, it’s not going to take place or happen. But if God says it’s going to happen, it happens. Therefore God alone knows the future and this sets Him apart from all the gods that Israel worshiped. They can’t tell the future but God can. So by the Spirit, David was writing on behalf of his own son, his descendant whom God had promised that He would put on his throne. 2 Samuel 7, the Davidic covenant, one of his descendants will be put on his throne forever. Peter says David knew that and was writing about him.

Now let’s look back at the actual words of the prophecy with that way to interpret it. Don’t think about David. David’s out of the picture now. The point is he’s writing about Christ, about the Messiah. The “I” he’s speaking of, “I saw the Lord always before me,” we should see that as Jesus speaking. It’s the Spirit of Christ in him. “I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I’ll not be shaken.” This is written as if Christ is speaking these words concerning His own death on the cross. In the first person Jesus was speaking about His Heavenly Father, God Almighty, and Jesus died entrusting Himself to God. In Luke 23:46, “When Jesus died, He cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father into your hands, I commit my spirit.’ And with that He breathed his last.”

“I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Only God could rescue Jesus from death. Psalm 16 therefore speaks of Christ’s confidence in his Heavenly Father. He was right there before Him and He was at his right hand to help him even as He cast himself into the dark pit of death, into the dark pit of the grave. “Therefore, my heart is glad, my tongue rejoices,” He says. Even facing the horrors of the grave, Christ could not be shaken. He had total confidence in God’s power to raise Him from the dead. His heart was glad. His tongue rejoiced in the power of God to raise Him from the grave.

“My body also will rest secure,” He says. Even though death is destructive to the body, Christ was fully confident of the future of His own body. The same God who knit His body together in his mother’s womb would raise Him up in a resurrection body from the grave. He has full confidence of this, Psalm 16. The verse literally says, “My flesh will abide in hope.” “Abide” means “pitch a tent or settle down” as if His permanent dwelling place is a place of hope even in the face of the grave. Then He says, “Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your holy one see decay.” This is the key promise. God will not abandon Jesus to the grave. On the cross, He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken or abandoned me?” But once Christ paid the death penalty for our sins, paid in full, He knew that God, His Father would rescue him from the grave.

Christ was miraculously therefore spared, uniquely spared from the decay process once He died. He literally died, physically died, but He was spared miraculously from decay. Forensic science is able to determine the time of death by what happens to the corpse after it dies. People make a study of this and the parasites that are constantly in our bodies, but our body’s immune system fight them off, continually fight them off. Once you’re dead, the body’s immune system stops and the parasites win. The insects win.  God the Father would not allow that to happen to His son. There’s no bad odor like Martha talked about. There was no decay process.

 Also, Christ’s resurrection body would be the first of a pattern of bodies that would never decay and brothers and sisters, that includes you and me. He’s the first fruit of a vast harvest of resurrected bodies that will never decay. And we’re told this because Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:42, “The body that is sown is corruptible.” It’s raised incorruptible meaning we can’t decay. So though primarily Psalm 16 is about Christ, it’s secondarily about David and all believers that just as Christ was raised from the dead in a body that would never decay, so will we be someday. We can have that same confidence secondarily. Jesus did it for us and we step up in Him and His resurrection. Says in Romans 6:9, “We know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again. Death no longer has mastery over Him.”

Now we know that there’ve been a lot of, we generally call them resurrections in the Bible, but they’re not resurrections. They’re more like resuscitations. Lazarus was resuscitated. Jairus’s daughter was resuscitated. Dorcas was resuscitated in the Book of Acts. Peter did that miracle. Eutychus was resuscitated by Paul. Why do I say resuscitated and not resurrected? Because they resume the pattern of normal life under the curse and their bodies continued to age and decay and then they died. But Christ was not like that. Once He was raised from the dead, death no longer had mastery over Him. He cannot die again. Someday that’s going to be us brothers and sisters. I can’t wait. How beautiful is that? And then He says, “You have made known to me the path of life. You have filled me with joy and your presence.” [Psalm 16:11

God would show Jesus the way up and out of Hades. He would lead him up and out of the dark grave in a resurrection body and into eternal life that could never perish, spoil or fade. The ultimate end of that resurrection would be eternal joy in the presence of God himself. That’s the point of everything. This opens the door. Therefore to the next verse, Peter will quote about Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of God. The entire point of the resurrection, indeed the entire point of salvation is that we also would enjoy eternal pleasures at God’s right hand as the rest of Psalm 16 says, Peter doesn’t quote every word, but it says, “You have made known to me the path of life. You’ll fill me with joy and a presence with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” That’s heaven brothers and sisters, and Jesus had it first,  He led the way as the captain of our salvation and we will follow after Him in the same joy. That’s what it’s all about.

Then Peter brings in another scripture, and this point’s going to be the same thing again. David could not have been talking about himself. In this case, he’s bringing up Psalm 110. David in Psalm 16, his body decayed, Jesus rose from the dead. Psalm 16 is predicting the resurrection of the Christ. That timeless prophecy outlasts all the physical evidence of the resurrection. We cannot go and see anything that we’re absolutely certain of as the empty tomb. You can buy a ticket to Jerusalem and go to some place where someone will tell you this is Jesus’ empty tomb. What are you going to think when you look into that cave along with all the other tourists? We don’t have any idea, and we certainly can’t see any grave clothes or anything like that. No. Our faith in the resurrection must be based on prophecy, on the writings of scripture. By that scripture alone, we’ll believe in the resurrection from the dead.

Now he goes beyond that to prove the resurrection by eyewitnesses. You have a combination of prophecy plus eyewitnesses and that together is the testimony of the New Testament to Jesus. Look at verse 32, “God has raised this Jesus to life and we are all witnesses of the fact.” Now eyewitness testimony is essential to the planting of the church, the establishment of the church of Jesus Christ, and it fulfills, of course, what I’ve already said and say every week Acts 1:8, “You’ll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and be my witnesses.” Be my witnesses. So they were in verse 32, eyewitnesses.

1 Corinthians 15 says the same thing. Paul says, “What I received, I passed on to you that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures that He was buried and that He was raised on the third day according to scriptures and that He appeared to Peter and then to the twelve and after that He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James and then to the apostles. And last of all, he appeared to me also,” Paul says, “as to one abnormally born.”

This is an assembly of eyewitnesses, 500 of them who saw Jesus in His resurrection body after He was raised from the dead. This is essential to our faith in the resurrection. Eyewitnesses, they’re essential to the New Testament. As you read the 27 books of the New Testament, they’re built on the foundation of the Apostles, the eyewitness testimony of the Apostles. In 1 John 1:9, the Apostle John wrote, “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.” That’s the unique role of Apostles as eyewitnesses to Jesus.

Then Luke as he writes his gospel says the same thing in Luke 1:1-4, “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us just as they’re handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good to me also to write an orderly account for you most excellent Theophilus so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”  Luke is saying, “I was a historian. I went around and listened to the eyewitnesses and I wrote them down and I put together this orderly account. It’s all based on eyewitnesses.” Christ’s resurrection then proved by prophecy and by eyewitnesses secondly. 

II. Christ’s Enthronement Declared

Look at verses 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. For David did not ascend to heaven and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit in my right hand until I make your enemies a foot stool for your feet.’”  The outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God there on the day of Pentecost, which had gotten that crowd together, is evidence according to Peter, of Christ’s enthronement in heaven. He ascended from earth through the clouds, He passed through the heavenly realms. The author of the Book of Hebrews tells us that He sat down at the right hand of God and received the gift of the Holy Spirit from God and poured it out. It’s His enthronement. He proves it again by scripture that could not have been talking about David, Psalm 110. “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a foot stool for your feet.” David did not ascend to heaven, but he wrote those words. It’s the same thing. He was writing by the spirit of God about Jesus Christ.

Jesus in His day used the same prophecy to expand their understanding of the Messiah. What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He? “Son of David,” they all answered. Knee jerk. “Descendant of David, son of David” and He was, but Jesus pushed at it. He said, “Well, how is it then that David speaking by the Spirit calls Him Lord for he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies of foot stool for your feet.'” If David calls Him Lord, well how can He be his son? They had no answer. We know that He is David’s physical biological descendant, but he’s also David’s Creator and King and Savior and Lord. It’s the mystery of the incarnation. Peter’s not making that point, but he’s going back to the same Psalm, Psalm 110.

He’s saying the same thing there about David that he said about Psalm 16. David couldn’t have been writing about himself because he didn’t get to sit at God’s right hand as God Himself. He’s just a human being. He was righteous within that understanding, a good man within that level of understanding who was a good warrior and he did the things we write about, but he was a sinner and he was not elevated through the heavenly realms to sit down at God’s right hand. No, that was Jesus. God was inviting the Messiah to sit down at his right hand and reign over heaven and earth as co-equal with Him, and that’s an honor He would never give to a creature. Never, and it certainly wasn’t given to David. From that exalted position of absolute authority, He received the gift of the Holy Spirit and poured the spirit out on His people. Look at verse 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.”

Do you realize if Jesus didn’t pray that your faith wouldn’t fail, and if God didn’t answer that prayer, then your faith would fail.

Oh dear friends, do you realize that the lover of your soul, we sang about that earlier, “Jesus, Lover of my Soul,” He’s at the right hand of God and reigning heaven and earth on your behalf. How comforting is that to you? How comforting is it that the absolute authority of God mediated by His Son as King of the Universe, is for your benefit, for your salvation, for your final blessedness? Not only that, He’s at the right hand of God. He’s praying that your faith won’t fail as He did for Peter. Do you realize if Jesus didn’t pray that your faith wouldn’t fail, and if God didn’t answer that prayer, then your faith would fail. If you think, “Oh no, it wouldn’t. I’m a really good believer,” you don’t know yourself. You’re assaulted by the world of flesh and the devil, but He’s at the right hand of God and is praying to the Father to sustain your faith.

Part of my job, my privilege every week, is by the ministry of the Word to help with that. It’s not the only thing, but feeding your faith, that your faith won’t fail, and that He’s praying for you and He’s reigning. He has received, Peter says, “The gift of the Holy Spirit and has poured the spirit out on His people.” Verse 33, “Exalted 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.”  Conclusion. Verse 36, “Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this. God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.” You should be absolutely assured of this. Israel, the Jewish nation should be assured that God made Jesus of Nazareth, both Lord and Christ. He is indeed the promised Messiah, the Son of David, the Christ. He is that, but He’s more than that. He’s Lord. He’s God. He who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made Himself nothing. He also prayed in John 17:5, “And now Father, give me the glory I had with you before the world began,” and He gave it back to Him. “Sit at my right hand and take the glory as God,” and that’s what He did. This is the overwhelming exaltation of Jesus Christ raised from the dead, ascended through the sky, ascended through the heavenly realms to sit down at the right hand of God as God and reign forever.

But Peter, in the midst of this, drives the point of conviction home. God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. He specifically lays the blame for Jesus’s death at their feet. “You killed Him. God raised Him.”

Now, not everybody there yelled, “Crucify, crucify.” Some of them probably wept that day. They were bewildered, didn’t understand, but he is taking a kind of a consolidated view of the nation of Israel and say, “Israel rejected Jesus. They did not recognize the time of His coming and they officially rejected Him and officially condemned Him to die.” And he’s not going to shrink back. He’s going to do the same thing in the next chapter. You can look there if you want or just listen. In Acts 3:13-15, he’s going to say the same thing to the population of Jerusalem. “You handed Him over to be killed and you disowned Him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the holy and righteous one and ask that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life. God raised Him from the dead. We are witnesses of this fact.” This is the greatest crime the human race has ever perpetrated, the killing of the Son of God. Peter does not in any way hold back from this.

Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, he’s not trying to be cruel here, but he wants to give them a heart wound through conviction of sin. Jesus said, “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I’ve not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” If you don’t think you’re sick, Jesus can’t do anything for you. He won’t do anything for you. But if you know the nature of your sickness, He can heal you. The Holy Spirit doesn’t save anyone without first convicting them deeply of sin. Our job as evangelists is to be part of that process, not pleasant, but people need to see that they’re condemned because of their violation of God’s laws, they stand guilty before Him and need a savior. Without that, they’re not going to seek a savior in Jesus. They don’t understand their peril. And so Peter gives them that heart wound.

III. Christ’s Command Proclaimed

Thirdly, Christ’s  command is proclaimed. Verse 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?’” They were cut to the heart. Peter’s words gave them a heart wound. It’s what the scripture does. Hebrews 4:12, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything’s uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.” We as evangelists have to be willing by the leading of the spirit and by the use of the law and the Word of God to cut people to the heart. And we’re not different than them. We’re not better than them. But without that, they will not seek salvation. 

They felt the pain of their sin that day. They’re cut to the heart and they’re ready to say, “Brothers, what shall we do?  What shall we do? How will we escape being condemned to hell?“ Do? What do you think you can do? What good work could you do to earn eternal life? The rich young ruler came in and said that, “Good teacher, what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Why don’t you talk to me about what is good? No one is good, but God alone.” You don’t have any good works and no, you’re not basically a good person. So what good work do you think you can do? What can we do? No, there’s always one answer to this. There’s no doing. In John Chapter 6, they came to Him and said, “What must we do to work the works of God?” Jesus said, “This is the work of God. You want to know the work of God? Believe in the one He sent. That’s the work. Do that.”

Peter gives the same answer, doesn’t he? Look at verse 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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Verse 40, “With many other words, he warned them and pleaded with them. ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.'” This is the work that God requires. Believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. It’s no work at all. There’s no merit in it. There’s no wage that comes from it. God doesn’t owe you anything if you do it. It’s a work actually God does in you to believe in Jesus.

What does that mean? “Repent and believe.” Repent means change your way of thinking about your life. Think differently about sin, think differently about God, think differently about Christ. Repent means turn away from that way you’ve been living your life. Repent. Turn away from wickedness and sin and turn to God. Believe in the name of Jesus Christ, in His person, His reputation, His great works. That’s what “name” means. First and foremost, Son of God. Believe that and believe in His resume of miracles and His death and His resurrection. Believe in that and see the invisible Christ with eyes of faith. And in the abandonment of faith, cast yourself on Jesus the Savior and let Him forgive you. “Repent and believe in the name of Jesus and be baptized,” He says. He commands water baptism, immersion in water.

Part of the Great Commission that Jesus gave in Matthew 28, “Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” It is an outward invisible sign, this water, this plunging in water of an internal baptism and transformation the Spirit has already worked through faith in Christ. It’s also a simple act of obedience. It’s just doing what He told you to do. Jesus said, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and you do not do what I tell you to do?” It’s a simple thing you do, and you get up in front of people and you tell the people around that you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, that you love Jesus. You know you’re a sinner and Jesus is your Savior. And then you go under the water, united with him in His death and also in His resurrection, you come up out of the water. All over the world, this simple sign is being performed on people who have repented and believed in Jesus. So do that.

The promise is if you do that, if you repent and trust in the name of Jesus, receive the baptism, you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call. It’s not just a Jewish promise here, it’s for the entire world. Anybody. Far away. That’s us living here in North Carolina, thousands of miles away. And 2000 years later, the promise is still there. If you repent of your sins and believe in Jesus, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In that first generation there were signs and wonders and manifestations, speaking in tongues. There were other things that happened. But for me now, I believe the clearest evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a transformed life. It’s a life of holiness characterized by the fruit of the Spirit, characterized by mortification of the deeds of the flesh, by the Spirit. It’s a whole different way of life and that is the clearest evidence of being born again. The Spirit comes and starts changing your life.

In verse 40 it says, “With many other words,” I like my translation a little better than ESV. It says this, “With many other words, he warned them and pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.'” There is a pleading that comes. It comes from a passion and a sense of understanding, the danger of an unconverted person, the danger that they’re in, they underestimate the danger they’re in. They don’t understand what’s going to happen to them if they die lost. He’s pleading with them, “I’m begging you. Come to Christ, save yourself from the lake of fire. Save yourself from that destruction that will most certainly be the outcome of the way you’re living your life.”

A number of years ago I was visiting some missionaries in Macedonia, and we went to an old Roman fortress there that was built up on a high place surrounded by deep ravines. It was a place easy to defend, and it was a tourist attraction.  I went up to a wall there that went up about to my waist, looked down, and it was hundreds of feet down to the rocky ravine. I have a kind of moderate fear of heights. If there’s a possibility I might topple and fall to my death, I get a tingly feeling like right in here. I kind of stepped back at that point. The man told me a terrible story. He said the year before his in-laws had come, his wife’s parents had come and they had a daughter who was older and they had a son who was a little bit older and I was a year later. But he was a toddler at that point.  The father, and I mean the man and his father-in-law were talking and the boys slipped away from them and got up on that wall and he was walking along that wall. And as a father, I almost couldn’t hear that story because they turned and they were paralyzed and they were stunned. They’re like, “What do we do to not startle this toddler and get him safely on this side of the wall?” So they started kind of talking to him gently and moved closer and closer, and then at the right time, they were able to pull him off the wall. I thought about that and I thought, look at verse 40, “With many other words, he warned them and pleaded with them.” Do you not feel that it’s our job to be deeply worried about the eternal perdition that lost people are about to face when they’re not at all concerned about it?

Frankly, the lost people in your office or in your neighborhood or in your family are in greater danger than that toddler was. He was facing physical death, there’s no doubt. But we’re talking about an eternity apart from God in the lake of fire from which there’s no escape. I think we ought to plead, I think we ought to beg, but it’s hard. I think it’s because we don’t consider lostness to be that big a deal. Sometime ago, I was reading the Journal of David Brainerd, a missionary to Native Americans in the 18th century. He wrote this in his journal. In July 21st 1744, he heard that the Native Americans that he was seeking to win with the gospel were going to hold a pagan festival, a religious festival the next day, and he was in anguish over the lostness of their souls. He wrote in his journal,  “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 my 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 through the evening and through the night,” sweating as he prayed for lost people. I was convicted, as I was preparing this sermon, I was convicted. It’s like, have I ever done that? I believe we would be more evangelistically powerful and effective if we cared more about the lostness of the people around us and prayed like that. I think we can do that. We can begin by saying, “I am pretty distant and cold from this, but I don’t want to stay that way. God, would you please heat me up? Would you please kindle in me an affection for lost people and a sense of their danger so that I pray like that and then as I witness like that?” It deeply matters.  He said, “With many other words, he warned them and pleaded with them, ‘Save yourself from this corrupt generation.'” 

IV. Christ’s Harvest Accomplished

Then we see finally, Christ’s harvest accomplished in verse 41, “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 souls were added to their number that day.” They accepted the message. They welcomed it in, threw open the doors of their heart, threw open the doors of their lives and said to the message, come in. The message is Christ. They welcomed Christ into their lives. They wanted that. There was this astonishing harvest of souls, and they begin living transformed lives. We’ll talk about that next time. Verse 42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.” We’ll walk through that next time.

V. Applications

Friends, the same gospel message that we’ve carefully walked through these two times is the message that saves sinners now. We don’t need a new message. This is the gospel. This is what we are preaching. The question I want to ask you, first and foremost, did you come here today under a burden of unforgiven sin? Are you on the outside looking in? Are you lost? Are you in danger of going to hell? Do you think about your own death? Are you aware of your spiritual condition? Did you come here today to hear the gospel? Well, you’ve heard it.  All you need to do is repent and believe and you’ll be forgiven. Don’t leave this place an unconverted person. This is exactly why Christ came to earth, why He lived, died, and rose again to save sinners like you and me. And have you testified to your faith by water baptism. It’s a command, a clear command. Have you done it?

If you’re already a believer, marvel at the infinite majesty of Christ exalted to the right hand of God. Think about that phrase. It was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him. Think about that phrase. Think about the fact as I said, that Christ reigns over heaven and earth for your behalf. 

Then finally, let’s all of us embrace our role as Christian messengers of this gospel message. Let’s ask God to work in us enough compassion for the lost, that we care what happens to them, that we yearn to rescue them from the lostness that’s standing over. Ask God to give you a holy agony for souls. 

We have an opportunity now to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. I’m going to close this time in prayer and then we’ll go to the ordinance. Father, thank you for the power of the Word. Thank you for the things that we’ve learned in it. Now as we give our attention to the Lord’s Supper, we pray that you would strengthen each one of us, enable us, oh Lord, to receive its benefits as well in Jesus name, Amen.

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.