Acts 2:37-47 - The Saints

Introduction

[READING - Acts 2:37-47]

Acts 2:37–47 NASB95

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

[PRAYER]

[CONTEXT] Acts 2 begins with the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus at Pentecost.

Then the Spirit filled Peter to preach Jesus as the Christ.

And then, as we’ve just read, some souls believed and were counted as saints—those set apart to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

There are two parts to Acts 2:37-47…

The second part focuses on the growth of the saints.

The first part, which is our focus this morning, focuses on the salvation of the saints.

[INTER] How were they saved?

[CIT] In Acts 2:37-41, we see the saints saved by repenting of sin and trusting in Jesus, which was publically confessed in baptism.

[PROP] Examine yourself this morning: Have you repented of your sin and trusted in Jesus? Have you publically confessed Him as your Savior and Lord through baptism?

[TS] Notice The Most Important Question in v. 37…

Major Ideas

Notice the Most Important Question (Acts 2:37)

Acts 2:37 NASB95

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”

[EXP] A sinner doesn’t become a saint unless he or she is pierced to the heart, convicted of sin and unbelief by the Holy Spirit. As Peter was preaching Jesus as the Christ, the Holy Spirit was moving in the hearts of those listening, revealing to them the truth.

Jesus is the Christ.

They had rejected Him and crucified Him.

Raised from the dead and ascended to the Father’s right hand, he now had all authority.

They would see Him again when He returned.

They would face His wrath unless there was something they could do.

So, they asked Peter and the rest of the Apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”

Later in Acts, when Jesus appears to Paul on the road to Damascus, Paul will ask, “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10)

In Acts 16, the Philippians jailer will ask Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

This is the most important question.

[ILLUS] We feel the anxiety of important questions. Cheryl and I were in Mississippi visiting family, when I asked her, “Do you remember if I turned off the coffee pot?” She said she didn’t remember. So, I drove the hour-and-a-half back to Mobile only to find that I did in fact remember to turn off the coffee pot.

The anxiety of that question (small as it was) caused me to act.

Those of you who cooked this morning for out Thanksgiving Feast, did you all remember to turn off your ovens?

If you’re not sure, then the anxiety of that question makes you want to check or double-check.

But we are so backward that we feel the anxiety of a question like that more than we do a question like, “What must I do to be saved?”

Someone may say, “Well, yes! Our homes could burn down if we left our ovens on!”

But don’t you understand that your eternity will burn if you do not answer correctly the question, “What must I do to be saved?”

[APP] I want you to feel the weight of that question this morning. Your eternity is at stake. Have you asked that question? How would you answer that question?

You are too old to ask that question.

You are too young.

You are too sinful to ask, for their is no sinner Christ can’t forgive.

You are not too holy to ask, for we are all called to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith.

You must not be too busy or too lazy or too distracted by the world or too focused on this life to ask, for this is the most important question—What must I do to be saved?

[TS] Notice The Most Costly Answer…

Notice the Most Costly Answer (Acts 2:38)

Acts 2:38 NASB95

38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

[EXP] Repentance is turning away, changing the mind.

It involves not only turning from sin in general, but turning from the sin of unbelief in particular.

When Jesus came preaching in His public ministry, He said in Mark 1:15…

Mark 1:15 NASB95

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Peter called for his hearers to turn from every sin but especially the sin of unbelief because unbelief lies at the root of every sin.

He called them to turn from disbelieving Jesus as the Christ to believing Jesus as the Christ.

If they did repent and believe, they were to be baptized in the name of Jesus.

Baptism refers to being dipped or immersed in water.

It was significant in Judaism at this time because as a final step, Gentile converts would become members of the Jewish religious community through the rite of water baptism.

John the Baptist made quite a stir when he preached that everyone—Jew and Gentile alike—needed to be baptized as a sign of repentance in preparation for the Christ.

Jesus Himself was baptized to fulfill all righteousness, and He told His disciples that they were to go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

In obedience to that command, Peter called these people to be baptized in the name of Jesus.

To be baptized in the name of Jesus would have been a humbling confession for these people.

They had rejected Jesus as Christ, but in baptism they would be calling on Jesus Christ for salvation.

To be baptized in the name of Jesus would have been a costly profession for these people.

If they called on Jesus Christ for salvation, they could expect to be rejected by family and friends who continued to reject Christ.

Even so, Peter called them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We’ve talked about repentance in relation to salvation, but how does baptism relate to salvation? Is Peter saying that one has to be baptized in order to be forgiven and receive the Holy Spirit?

No. Peter is saying what Paul said in Romans 10:9-10…

Romans 10:9–10 NASB95

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Baptism in the name of Jesus is the public profession of faith in Jesus as the Christ. It’s the inward belief of the heart that saves, but baptism is the outward statement to the world that we are with Christ.

Those listening to Peter would not be allowed to be undercover Christians, which would’ve been a tempting idea considering that the Christ was crucified.

But no, they must believe on Jesus, and the genuineness of their belief would be demonstrated in their public association with Jesus through baptism.

If they were not willing to take up their cross in baptism, they could not be His disciple.

[ILLUS] Jesus once told people to count the cost before following Him. Large crowds were following Him but Jesus said they should be like the builder who first calculates to see if he has enough to finish the project before laying the foundation. They should be like the king who first considers the strength of his army before declaring war.

If those following Jesus couldn’t pay the full price of following Him, they should turn around and go home. Jesus said…

Luke 14:27 NASB95

27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

[APP] Salvation is free. Jesus has paid it all. But following Jesus will cost you.

It will cost you your sin.

It will cost you your pride.

It might cost you your family and friends.

It could cost you your life.

Have you counted the cost?

Are you willing to take up your cross and follow Him?

Have you made your public declaration of faith in Him? Have you been baptized in His name?

[TS] …

Notice the Most Assuring Promise (Acts 2:39)

Acts 2:39 NASB95

39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

[EXP] The promise of salvation in name of Jesus was not for the present generation only or even for the present people only. It was and is for all future generations and for people all over the world Jew or Gentile, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.

If they thought Peter was saying in v. 38 that they were responsible to save themselves by repenting and believing, he now introduces them to the sovereignty of God in salvation.

Every person is responsible to turn from sin and trust in Jesus, but the only ones who do so are those called by the Lord God Himself.

In Adam, every human being has turned away from God.

But in God’s grace, God has called some—Some from every generation! Some from all around the world!—back to Himself through faith in Christ.

[ILLUS] Lazarus was dead. Four days dead. He “stinketh” dead as the King James says. But when Jesus called, Lazarus came forth.

He was dead and could do nothing, but he was brought to life by the sovereign call of Jesus.

The little girl was dead. Officially dead. People weeping and wailing dead. But when Jesus called her to get up, she got up and began to walk.

She was dead and could do nothing, but she was brought to life by the sovereign call of Jesus.

The widow’s only son was dead. Body being carried out to the tomb dead. Crowd in mourning dead. But when Jesus told him to arise, he sat up and began to speak.

He was dead and could do nothing, but he was brought to life by the sovereign call of Jesus.

[APP] Just as they were physically dead and could do nothing, so we all were spiritually dead and could do nothing until the Lord God Himself sovereignly called us to life through faith in Jesus. Colossians 2:13 says it like this…

Colossians 2:13 NASB95

13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

In His death and resurrection, Jesus has forever defeated sin and death. If the one who has defeated sin and death has called us to Himself, then death can no longer touch us because we are in Him!

What assurance of salvation!

In every generation and in every people group God has His own whom He foreknew and predestined and called and justified and glorified (Romans 8:29-30)!

This is the promise of salvation in Christ Jesus!

This is the assurance of salvation in Christ Jesus!

If God is for us in Christ, who can be against us?

[TS] …

Notice the Most Passionate Plea (Acts 2:40)

Acts 2:40 NASB95

40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

[EXP] Peter kept preaching. He kept declaring Jesus as the Christ and kept warning them of the judgment to come by saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

“Perverse” is sometimes translated as “crooked” or “corrupt.”

What had made this generation crooked, corrupt, or perverse—stubborn in its sinfulness?

It was unbelief—refusing to believe on Jesus as the Christ.

One must be saved from such an unbelieving generation because the wrath of God will fall on unbelievers.

[ILLUS] A Jewish man escaped a Nazi death camp during the Holocaust. This was before everyone knew what the Nazis were doing to the Jews in those death camps. But this man knew. He had seen it. He had witnessed it. And went back to warn others.

But when he warned them, no one believed him. They thought he was crazy. They told themselves, “Surely no one would do such a thing.”

As he watched more and more of his fellow Jews just go about their lives, he wept because, despite his warnings, very few believed that they were headed for destruction.

[APP] I’m sure Peter and the Apostles felt like that. I know the prophets of the OT often felt like that.

It was like that in Noah’s day.

Noah warned of the wrath to come, but people just kept living life until the flood came.

Jesus said it would be like that on the last day.

People would be eating, drinking—living life to the full—and then the end would come.

Peter passionately pleaded with his listeners to wake up and realize the eternal danger they were in for rejecting Jesus as the Christ.

Some woke up and called on Jesus for salvation.

Many did not.

Will you?

Jesus is passionately pleading with you through His Word to repent and believe on Him for salvation.

Will you repent and believe?

Or will you just go on eating and drinking—living life to the full—until the end comes?

[TS] …

Notice the Most Astounding Result (Acts 2:41)

Acts 2:41 NASB95

41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

[EXP] There may have been hundreds of thousands gathered for Pentecost, so three thousand may not seem like a lot, but remember that that was three thousand on day one! There would be more to come in days ahead, but on day one these three thousand received the message Peter preached about Jesus as the Christ and were baptized in the name of Christ.

All three thousand sinners now saints by the work of the Spirit of Christ.

What an incredible response!

Let me tell you about another incredible response to the Gospel.

[ILLUS] When I was in high school, I was given the privilege of presenting the Gospel to some children during a Vacation Bible School. At the end of the Gospel presentation, I asked, “Who would like to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord right now?”

Out of probably 20-30 kids, one little hand went up.

What an incredible response!

Another sinner now a saint by the work of the Spirit of Christ.

[APP] What is your answer to that question? Would you like to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord right now?

In our rebellion against God, we were all sinners, but we can be saints if we receive the word about Jesus.

He lived perfectly to die as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

He rose victoriously from the grave so that we can have the victory over sin and death through faith in Him.

Will you repent of your unbelief and believe on Jesus for salvation?

Will you publically profess Him by being baptized in His name?

[TS] …

Conclusion

[PRAYER]