Why Not Me?

You want to just sit it. Blesses me so much less has me. So I'm glad you rough guys are here. I am glad God bless you guys and and speak in a rough guys, down here, Brian. Just told me he's made it 60 days, 60 days. Oh man. And, you know enough and I've never, I've never faced that battle. But Brian's been fighting it, his whole adult life. And to go 60 days sober, man, that's a victory. So keep praying for Brian every day, every day at the Battle every day.

You need to try it again. How how, how long is it for you now, Jenny and Josh?

Almost a year. God bless old man. You want to fight guys? What if I God bless you, as you continue that. All right, all right. I got to actually preach. So let's do that.

Okay, so last week we're in Acts chapter 2 last week, the story we had last week we talked about a very important day in the history of the church. That was the day that the Holy Spirit, descended and began taking up residence, permanent residence in Believers. And that event marked. The beginning of the church age, what we call the church age and I forgot to let the kids go for a Monumental event, the Holy Spirit descends and that arrival of the Holy Spirit, it was manifested by some miraculous signs. Some of them were very visible like the descended like fire from the heavens and that fire separated and and was like tongues of fire on the heads of those hundred and twenty people that have been waiting for the arrival. Of the holy spirit that miracle was audible. It was like the sound of a mighty rushing wind that people could hear. And then the those hundred and twenty people and they were baptized with the spirit, they started speaking in other tongues. So that was an audible aspect of the of the miracle. So the arrival of the Holy Spirit was demonstrated through this very public miracle and it was one that was impossible to explain. And our passage last week used words like this, to describe the bystanders. It says they were bewildered. They were amazed. They were astonished. They were perplexed. All of those things. And we saw the reaction of the world to the super natural movement of the holy spirit that was happening right before their eyes. So it's yeah, some of these people were amazed and wanted to know more they wanted to know more. But others, refuse to believe that God was really at work in front of their faces. They mocked these new Believers and they try to find a non-spiritual explanation for what was happening right in front of them. And so they said that, this could only be done because these people must be drunk and then we came to versus 14 to 15 and that's where Peter counter this argument. He basically said that doesn't make any sense people because it's only 9 in the morning and it's pretty unlikely that these people would already be plastered. That's essentially what he said and then Peter began to preach now, that's where we left it off last week because last week we stop there and we looked at the Functions of the Holy Spirit, comparing with the Holy Spirit did during the Old Testament times to what the Holy Spirit does a new testament times. But I want to pick it up there now, where Peter began to preach, because he began to explain to this crowd what was really happening. And if you think about it, by doing this, by starting to preach these people, Peter was beginning to obey. Jesus is command to be his witness beginning in Jerusalem. So he was already starting to obey that command. Saint. So today I want to study the sermon that Peter gave on that day of Pentecost to this crowd of bystanders. Now, as we as we look at the sermon, we need to keep in mind that the audience that Peter was speaking to was devout Jews, that it come to Jerusalem from all over the world. They were in town to celebrate one of the major Jewish festivals of the year the day of Pentecost or it was known in the Old Testament is the Feast of Weeks. And so this crowded for this crowd of Jews who were well-versed in the Old Testament scriptures. Peter began to walk them through three of the Old Testament. Prophecies to explain what it was that they were witnessing and his entire sermon goes from where in Acts chapter 2. It goes from verse 14, through verse 41, But I want to break it down this morning into each of those three different prophecies and then sort of the conclusion of Peters sermon. So I'll start in verse 14, which we read last week because this first couple of verses sort of leads into Peter sirmon. But Peter standing with the 11 lifted up his voice and address them, men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you and give you her to my words for these people are not drunk as you suppose since it is only the third hour of the day but this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel and in the last days it shall be. God declares that I will pour out my spirit on All Flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams even on my male servants and female servants. In those days, I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy and I will show wonders in the heavens above Signs on the earth below blood and fire and Vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned to Darkness and the moon to blood before the day of the Lord, comes the great and magnificent day and it shall come to pass that. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So, Peter begins his sermon by quoting, the prophet Joel from the Old Testament and this part of Joel's prophecy, if you're taking notes, it's found in Joel 2, verses 28, to 32 that's Joel 2:28 to 32. All right. Now keep in mind, that Joel's prophecy. It may not be familiar to us wasn't familiar to me before this week to be honest with you but Joel's prophecy would have been familiar to his Jewish audience on that day of Pentecost. And they would have known the story of Joel in the context of that Prophecy in the context. Is this Joel Davis prophecy at a time of deep turmoil in Israel, there's been a plague of locusts a plague of locusts and come and they'd wiped out The Vineyards and all the other crops until these people were suffering. The nation of Israel was suffering from a famine. And this also kept them from being able to bring their normal offerings of grain and wine to the Temple. And so people were just stressed about that too. So Joel was a prophet and like we talked about last week, one of the things, the Holy Spirit did was Inspire the profits to give the messages to the people. So Joel, through the inspiration of the, Holy Spirit called the people to repentance. And he promised them that if, if they began following God's laws, God would restore the land. and this prophecy about bringing, About God bringing his people out of this particular Calamity. That sort of set the stage for Joel to give sort of a parallel prophecy about how in a similar fashion, God is going to protect his people at the end of time. What you and I might called you pocalypse. But what jewelry refers to as the day of the Lord, the day of the Lord Joel describes this day of the Lord, as the time when the presence of the Lord is going to bring judgment on some but Deliverance to others, it is a day of Destruction for most of the world but it is the day of salvation for God's people. Now, again, the Jews in the audience who would have, they would have understood that this was sort of the our overarching message of Joel's prophecy. But like most of the prophecies in the Old Testament, the specific things that are being described in that prophecy in Joel. They're not always easy to interpret. And so, Peter began to explain how one portion of this prophecy and just been fulfilled in their presents on that day of Pentecost. Versa 1718 winter clothing from Joel 2:28 and 29 say that in the last days God will pour out his Spirit on All Flesh. And Peter saying that this is just what happened that, these people are just seen and heard with that fire with that. Mighty rushing wind, that was a physical expression of the holy spirit being poured out. But let's not mess with Elsa Peter saying here. He says that the spirit will be poured out on All Flesh, All Flesh. And then he goes on to recite that it'll include men and women young old. So, the holy spirit will be available to everyone. Not just the leaders like the judges that we talked about last week or the prophets or the artisans in the temple or even people like the Virgin Mary, those are people that the Holy Spirit. You know, gave special filling to in the Old Testament times. But now the holy spirit will be poured out on all Flash and the events of that day were evidence that this prophecy was being fulfilled because there were men and there were women in that group of 120, believers who were baptized in the Holy Spirit on that day and they were all prophesy. They were prophesying in the sense that they were making utterance as the Holy Spirit was inspiring them. It just happened to be that they were uttering things in a language that they didn't even know a foreign language that their listeners understood, but the speakers didn't know. No, let's not gloss over another very important thing that Peter's saying, here in that is a 17 that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit had been predicted to take place in the last days, the verse makes reference to the last days. Meaning the final period of time, preceding that day of the Lord, the Joel talked about. And so what that means then is that the arrival of the Holy Spirit was a sign that they were now in those last days. And from there then Peter goes on and in verses 19 to 22 quote from Joel and describing. Some of the other things that will happen before the day of the Lord comes. So that's when he says that God will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below with blood and fire and Vapor of smoke in the sun will be turned dark and the moon to blood. Okay? Now, commentators are kind of split on whether that list of things, is describing things that had happened on the day of Pentecost, like the fire coming down from heaven or things that happened on the day of Jesus's crucifixion when the sky turned dark. And there was a blood moon in the sky or maybe it's things that will happen during the during the tribulation period before that final day of the Lord. Okay, so there's disagreement about that. But for our purposes, I didn't even try to sort all of that because for for us I'm not sure it matters because the thing that I need to know from this is that the coming of the Holy Spirit on that day, ushered in the last days, so we can know that we are living in the last days. And yeah, it seems a little weird to think about the last days lasting more than two thousand years. I recognize that, but does this description of being in the last days? It's not intended to be a measurement of time. It's it's intended to give us a sense of urgency to our mission. No matter how long that last the last days is the final era of in God's plan for the world before that apocalypse or before that day of the Lord comes. When the world as we know it is going to be destroyed. And Jesus is going to rain is Kane. It's the time that's given for this us as the church to evangelize. And to grow before he comes again, these are the last days, that's what that means. We should have a sense of urgency about our work and that brings us to the key part. What I think is the key part of Joel's prophecy that that Peter's highlighting here in his sermon in verse 21, Peter quotes, Joel and saying that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now, Going to hack, you know, I sometimes like to go back to the original Greek. And if you go back to the original great care, you'll find that everyone means everyone, okay? Not just the Jews in Jerusalem. Not even just the Jews of Judea and Samaria, but including us Gentiles and the uttermost parts of the earth. Okay. Who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And this ties back the verse 17 where it says that in the last days, the holy spirit will be poured out on all. So this will happen to everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, those things fit together. All right. So then this is a distinctive aspect of these last days that we're living in. During this time during these last days, God is extending his salvation to all people. And, and we're going to discover as we go through the book of Acts that he's now doing it through his church, rather than a chosen family rather than working just through Abraham's descendants. And that's why we call this the church age, okay? Cuz God is doing its work through the church now. Now, having established that theme that lives arrival of the holy spirit, that was happening right before their eyes, Mark the Fulfillment of Joel's prophecy and the arrival of these last days. Peter then begins to explain how Jesus fits into all of this. And especially that part about how everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. All right, in the next section of the sermon versus 2232 Peter starts out this explanation, by showing that Jesus's death and Resurrection was part of God's plan all along. So let's read that men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, the man attested to you, by God, with Mighty works and wonders, and signs that God did threw him in your midst, as you yourselves. This, Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of Lawless men. God raised him up losing the Pains of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it for David, says, concerning him. I saw the lord always before me or he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken there. For my heart, will go ahead and my tongue rejoiced, my flesh. Also will dwell in Hope for you will not abandon my soul to Hades or let your Holy One. See corruption you've made known to me. The paths of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence. Brothers, this is Peter continuing on a sermon Brothers. I may, I may say to you, with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried in his tomb, is with us to this day, being there for a prophet knowing that God is worn with with an oath to him that he would set one of his Descendants on his throne. He first saw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ that he was not abandoned Haiti's nor did his fleshly. Correction this. Jesus, God raised up and I'm that we are all Witnesses. So this this section, I think requires a little less explanation, may be in the quote from Joel, but, Peter here starts and verse 22. By reminding, these guys of the Miracles that Jesus performed in front of many witnesses, and that they had no doubt heard about Because they were Miracles that were similar and sort of awe and amazement to what they had just seen on this day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended and I think part of what Peter is doing here is basically saying, you know, don't make the same mistake again. And try to explain away. What is clearly the work of God in your midst. And and then in the next two versus Peter tells the crowd that God used their prior disbelief, which resulted in the crucifixion of Jesus to accomplish his purposes, he accomplished his own purposes. Without the death of Jesus was actually part of God's plan all along. Because God wanted to use it to show his power over death. And then Peter quoted King, David in Psalm 16 vs 8 to 11. Again if you're taking notes he's quoting from psalm 16 8 to 11 to show that the resurrection was also part of God's plan all along Peter. Explain that when David said, you will not abandon my soul to Hades or let your Holy One, see corruption. The David couldn't have been talking about himself. Because he was buried in his body decayed. So that phrase there for first of all, Hades means the place of the dead and it sometimes that used to refer to hell yes. But other times that used to just refer to the grave and that's probably the the more correct sense here in this purse. And when it says, let your Holy One, see corruption that's talkin about the Flesh of the Holy One, okay? So it's talking about your corpse, rotting essentially. And what Peter is saying is here, as we know that David couldn't have been speaking about himself because he died and he went to a grave and he wrought it, okay, so David must have been speaking for one of his descendants that promised Messiah, the Christ who would not Decay and his grave And Jesus's resurrection. Then proved that he was that promised Messiah and there were 120, people standing there, that it been witness to the fact that he came back up out of that grave, okay? So that's Peter's. First point that Jesus, is that promised Messiah? And then Peter turns to his next point, which is the Jesus was not only the Messiah, but he was God, in human form. So let's pick it up in verse 33 being there for exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father, the promise of the Holy Spirit. He poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing for David did not Ascend into the heavens. But he himself says the Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool, your footstool Let all the house of Yisrael, therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ. This Jesus crucified. So here's another one of David's use this time. It's Psalm 110 first one that he's quoting from, so feeders, using one of them. Another one of David Psalms to show that it's a prophecy about the Messiah and not really about David and, you know, we saw this work as we went through ours, or series on Psalms over the summer, I just love how God. So to work these things together. Anyway, so this was a prophecy about the Messiah, not really about David. And this time Peter say explaining that it's about the exaltation of the Messiah, the exaltation of the Messiah to a place of honor and glory and power at the right hand of God, the father. And Peter explains here that when, when David said, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, David couldn't have been referring to himself because he was telling her that the time and not in heaven. so instead this had to be a reference to the Messiah but note, David is calling him, my Lord, my Lord. So in other words, David is referring to Jesus as his Lord and making them equal to God. The Father, And inverse 36. Peters make makes it very clear that this is his point because Peter declares to this assembled crowd that Jesus who they had crucified just weeks before this Was both Lord and Christ, Lord, and price. Meaning, the Jesus was not only the Messiah, but he was divine, he was God. Okay now, so what that point in mind, let's go back to the verse that we looked at earlier, which was again, I think the main theme of Peter sirmon here in verse 21, Teeter, quoted, Joel and saying that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And now, Peter is established that the Lord that he's talking about, is Jesus until the summary of Peter sermon sermon, is that the arrival of the Holy Spirit, marks, the beginning of these last days, what we now call the church age and era in, which everyone male female, young sermon Master Jew. Gentile, everyone who calls on the name of Jesus shall be saved. That's what he's proving to these people. That's what he's showing them. And this means that this era of these last days, it's the era of a New Covenant between God and man, one in which salvation is through belief in Jesus, and it has nothing to do with whether you're descended from Abraham, okay? Now as you can imagine this provokes, a response from the crowd. So let's finish our passage to see what that response is. And it's picking up in verse 37. Now, when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter in the rest of the Apostles, Brothers, what should we do? And Peter said to them, repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the Forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the holy spirit, for the promise is for you, and for your children. And for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord, Our God calls to himself. And with many other words, he meeting Peter bore witness, and continue to exhort them saying, save yourselves from this crooked generation. So those who received his word were baptized. And there were added that day about three thousand, Souls three thousand people came to Christ. All right. Now, notice back in verse 22, Peter, it refer to Jesus, as Jesus of Nazareth, that's where he's from, that's what you called people back then. But now, I'm verse, 38 Peter uses for the first time in the Bible, the name that we've come to know him by Jesus Christ. Really. That's his title. Not just his name, Jesus, the Christ Jesus, the Messiah, but this is the first time in the Bible, that is referred to as Jesus Christ. And and many In This Crowd were convinced that Jesus really was the Christ. he was the Messiah not because of some emotional rush, but because of the logical, rational explanation that they've been given, they had seen this amazing, inexplicable thing happened before their eyes, and Peter explained it to him, and they understood it and they believed So he appealed to their intellect, not just their emotions. In this, this realization that Jesus was the Messiah, it gave them some emotion, it put them in anguish because they realize now that they were guilty of having put the Messiah to death. And so they cry out in desperation. What do we do now? What do we do now?

Guys, I hope for everyone of you. That is some point in your life. You have asked that same question, I hope that you have come to realize that you are a sinner that you have offended, the very god of the universe and that you've asked that question. What do I do now? And if this is the first time that you're confronting, that question in your life, I want you to listen to the answer that Peter Graves and I hope you'll respond like those three thousand people on that day, that were added to the kingdom of God. In verse 38, Peter says in response to this question. What do I do now? He says repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the Forgiveness of your sins. So the answer was do two things, repent and be baptized the first of those repent. Now we discuss this just a few weeks ago when we, when we talked about Jude and how Judas regretted what he did, he went off and killed himself. But he didn't repent. And when we talked about that, we talked about how repentance is is more than just regretting what you've done that were. Translated, literally means to change her mind. And so here, it would have meant stop rejecting Jesus and start trusting in Him. And we're generally this, this repentance in the Bible involve scene sin differently than the world sees, then it's a change of mind that helps us to hate sin for what it is an affront to The God Who Made Us the god of the universe. And so genuine repentance involves turning away from that sin. And committing to follow Christ. So, that was the first thing you told him, that's your answer. What do I do now? Repent, second thing was to be baptized, now I want us to be cautious about this because we shouldn't take this to literally, because we know from other passages in the Bible, that wasn't really the baptism itself that save these people. In fact, the Greek phrase that's translated here. Be baptized for the Forgiveness of your sins. Could also be translated be baptized on the basis of the Forgiveness of your sins. And other words, be baptized because your sins have been forgiven. And what stage of these people was their faith in Christ. Their belief that his death made a way for them to be forgiven. And the and the baptism then provided evidence of that change that had taken place in their heart. And in fact, in those days it was very strong evidence of that change to the taking place out for us today in America least there's not a high cost associated with giving your life to Christ and making a public profession of Faith. But in those days, there was a high-cost, you know, persecution takes many forms. The first thing that would have been done to you. If you would have been excommunicated from your synagogue and you would have been basically a social Pariah, you would have been ostracized from your community. You could have lost the job, you could have lost your family. You could have been arrested, you could have been beating. You could have even been killed and we're going to see every one of those things happen to these people. These Believers in the book of Acts And so basically by Pelon telling these people to be baptized Peter saying that there shouldn't be any secret Christians. The ritual of baptism would keep that from happening because it was a clear public break from Judaism, and it was a public identification with Jesus as their Messiah and their lord. And so, the act of baptism would reflect the fact that their repentance was genuine and that their heart had truly changed. Now, the rest of Hurst. 38 goes on to describe what happens if they do. Repent and have this kind of saving Faith. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now, like we saw earlier and Peter sermon, we see that all believers now. Receive the Holy Spirit, And that rip means that we receive all of those benefits from the holy spirit that we talked about last week, the gifts of the Spirit, the fruits of the spirit. Sing the song again. Love, joy, peace. All that. Okay. The leading of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives. We get all of those things when we receive the Holy Spirit and let's not forget what else. Peter told them verse 40 says and with many other words, he many Peter bore witness and continue to exhort them saying save yourselves from this crooked generation. So Peters urging his listeners here to separate themselves from the dominant culture of that day, from the people who had witnessed the coming of the Messiah and send him to a cross. Don't be like those people. Save yourselves, save yourselves from the Crooked generation was kind of another way of saying stop living like the world. Stop living like you did before you came to Christ. So Peter, spend some time explaining and it says with many words that the salvation the Jesus provides is it's not just to wash you clean in a one-time thing, but it transforms you into a new person. A person that is Born Again into a new life in Christ or the Holy Spirit. Helps you turn from the world ways and follow Jesus.

So, you know, as we close today, I just want to encourage you. If, if you are a someone that's never really confronted in that confronted that question. What do I do now? This is the answer, this is the answer, repent. And then later, as a sign of that repentance we can do the baptism. That's that's no problem. All right? And if you've already made that commitment then I encourage you to do what Peter also encouraged his crowd. Save yourselves from the Crooked generation. Stop living like the world. Stop living like the world. Does you have been born again to a new life in Christ? Let's look like it. Let's live like it. Alright, let's pray. God, we're so thankful for your word and how it speaks to us. And I pray that this passes that we look at today even though it was given to Jews, and it was given two thousand years ago. And it talks about old prophecies that are hard for us to wrap our heads around. But this, that you would just speak to our hearts today and help it to apply today.

I pray that you would open our eyes to see you and see your truth in a new and fresh way. And got any one that's here, that doesn't know you. Man, I just pray that you would just just throw a spear through their hearts and make them come to the point where they say what do I do now. We thank you so much that you offer that salvation that repentance can lead to New Life. And for those of us that it may be been walking with one foot in the world. I pray that you would help us to break free from that and and save ourselves from this crooked generation. Help us to live as you want us to live free. All these things in your son's name and then alright. Alright. Benediction today I've been forgetting my benediction the last couple of weeks and Michelle is really been on me cuz she likes a good benediction. But it comes from Romans 15:13, May the god of Hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope. Now I'm going to do something different today. I'm going to leave the stage during these last two songs. My office is in the back, corner over there. If you go to the Parlor area and hang a left, that's where I'm going to be during these last two songs. And if you need an answer to this question, what do I do now? Come see me You know, I got all the time in the world. I can spend some time. When church is over, but we can talk. We can talk about it. So come see me if you would like to do that.