Sunday School Study on Acts 2:22-47
Notes
Transcript
Opening
Opening
Pray
Background
The Holy Spirit came to the first followers of Jesus on the day of Pentecost, which is described in Acts 2:1–13. This is where the promised comforter first appears in the history of the church, which Sinclair Ferguson describes as the opening of a large valve to give water to a city for the first time.
When were you asked to do something that you thought was impossible and what gave you the power to do that task?
“The Holy Spirit came to the first followers of Jesus. They then had the power they needed to take the Gospel to the nations (Acts 1:8). This work started with Peter, who boldly and clearly proclaimed the good news about Jesus to the people who had gathered for the Pentecost celebration. God’s power through the Holy Spirit was on display, both in the message Peter proclaimed and in the response of those who believed.” -Gospel Project
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Point 1: God’s people are empowered to proclaim Jesus boldly Acts 2:22-31
Point 1: God’s people are empowered to proclaim Jesus boldly Acts 2:22-31
“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. “For David says of Him, ‘I saw the Lord always in my presence; For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. ‘Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; Moreover my flesh also will live in hope; Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, Nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. ‘You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’ “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. “And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay.
What would have made it difficult for for Peter to share this message to the group?
Those that were mocking had just accused those affected by the Holy Spirit of being drunk. There was already opposition against Peter. How easy is it to just not address someone who is actively opposed to you?
Notice how Peter pointed to the word. This is an example to us, that we should always have the word on our hearts and minds. Some say those that use the word to make arguments are legalistic. While we should not be purposefully contentious, we are called to speak the truth in love.
“Christ’s death was a stumbling block to the Jews. The apostles responded to this issue by presenting it as a victory that had been planned by God. It was not the unfortunate defeat of a good man who had no power to save himself from such a death.” - Ajith Fernando
This quote is supported by Matthew 26:53
“Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
Additionally, when reading this verse, I remembered the song that says he could have sent ten thousand angels, so I look up the word legion. The Roman legion would have contained around 6K foot soldiers and 700 calvarymen. So you’re actually looking at around 80K angels.
man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst: Show forth, display, prove
God literally proved to them that he was the Christ through the miraculous signs that he gave them.
2. Predetermined Plan and foreknowledge of God
foreknowledge. A biblical term (from Greek prognōsis) that literally means “to know in advance.” Some theologians view foreknowledge as referring to God’s selective choice of individuals or groups of people with whom to enter into a loving relationship. Foreknowledge understood in this sense is more than simply knowing events in advance of their happening (although this may be included) because the Scriptures seem to use the term in a more relational than chronological sense. Thus the foreknowledge of God involves God’s favorable disposition to certain people, even before they existed.
“For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
“But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
“For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you
What do we learn about what is needed to share the good news of Jesus through Peter’s sermon?
We need to know the word and the truth of what happened. What took place on the cross was real and planned out by God. It is a reality and it is history. We should be in the word and to the best of our ability, we should know what the bible says with precision and accuracy. We should tether our minds to the word so that we do not stray from the truth. If those oppose us, the only ground we have to stand on is the word. We have scripture. Even Jesus when tempted by satan used the word.
Matthew Henry says: “This is observable, that Christ answered and baffled all the temptations of Satan with, It is written. He is himself the eternal Word, and could have produced the mind of God without having recourse to the writings of Moses; but he put honour upon the scripture, and, to set us an example, he appealed to what was written in the law”
Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 1623.
It also helps to know our audience. Peter knew his audience was primarily Jewish and that they would know the old testament scriptures and know David’s life in detail. He makes an appeal to the from the perspective of what they already knew to be true and showed that David was actually prophesying concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus and salvation through him.
This does not mean we change any truth to conform to our audience. What it does mean is that we need to explain things in a way people understand. If we were to try to explain what an oil change was to someone who had never heard of a car, they would have no hope to understand, before we first explained the car.
Why is it important to know our audience to better spread the message of the Gospel?
Part of the reason why it is useful to know the audience we’re sharing the gospel with is that we can better understand the presuppositions they have about God and Christ. Peter appealed to the prophesies of David in order to show that Jesus is the Messiah, knowing that they esteemed David and he was credible to them. They also believed that the Messiah would come from the line of David.
See below the passage quoted by Luke:
I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Point 2: God’s people are empowered to call others to repentance Acts 2:37-41
Point 2: God’s people are empowered to call others to repentance Acts 2:37-41
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?” 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. “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.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
I want to point out the biblical pattern here between the circumcision, circumcision of the heart and being born again. Let’s read a few passages:
“And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.
“Circumcise yourselves to the Lord And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised— Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.”
Pierced to the heart (wounded in conscience), ESV says “cut to the heart”
Verb which literally means to be cut or stabbed.
Also can mean wounded in conscience
ESV says “cut to the heart”
See Hosea 5 for further study
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XLIX A Caution for Sin-Sick Souls (No. 2,819)
Ephraim felt his sickness, but he did not know the radical disease that lurked within. He saw the local ailment, but was ignorant of the organic derangement of his very vitals. He only perceived the symptoms; he was uneasy, he felt pain; but the discovery did not go deep enough to show him that he was actually dead in trespasses and sins. “He saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound.” Yes, he saw his wound; it smarted; and therefore his eye was drawn to the spot. But he did not know how deep it was; he did not know that it had pierced to the heart, that it was, in fact, a death-blow; that the whole head was sick, that the whole heart was faint, and that, from the crown of the head even to the sole of the foot, it was all wounds, and bruises, and putrefying, festering sores. There was but a partial discovery of his lost estate.
How many men there are who have got just far enough to know there is something the matter with them! They little reck that they are totally ruined, though they do feel that all is not quite right with them. They are conscious that they are not perfect,—not even up to their own low standard of rectitude; hence they begin to be uneasy, albeit they still seem to think they can make themselves better, and that by degrees of reformation and daily prayer they will become superior to what they are. They have not yet learned the doctrine of the Fall, the deep depravity of mankind, the total perversion of the human heart; they have only got so far as some modern ministers, who speak of man as being a little marred, but not entirely broken; as having had a fall, and become somewhat damaged, and rather spoiled as to outward beauty, though not altogether ruined, or incapable of raising himself up, and recovering his strength.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
We need to see the correlation here. God is saying we must be circumcised. We see from the Jeremiah verse that it is possible for those who are circumcised can yet not be circumcised. You must be circumcised in your heart. I believe this is symbolic of salvation in the same way being born again is. If we draw this conclusion, we see that one is changed by the word of God. Faith comes from the double edged word of God circumcising our hearts (making us born again). This shows that the way someone comes to faith is by hearing the word of God. Thus, if we want to be effective in sharing the Gospel, we must know the Word. The power is in the word.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
When our hearts are truly broken, God will respond with forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice.
Why do you think Peter combines repentance and baptism as a response to the Gospel?
Baptism is a step of obedience which is tangible repentance. Obedience is a hallmark of a true christian.
“We don’t have to wait for the Holy Spirit to come, for he did come on the Day of Pentecost, and he has never left the church” -John Stott
How does the Holy Spirit Shape your life?
Sanctification. The Holy spirit renews our minds through the teaching of the word.
Renews our minds
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Change our behavior
So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Helps us
“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
Teaches us
As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.
I don’t think this means that you don’t need a teacher, so much as it means that you’ll be kept from a total deception. God seems to give believers a certain disposition to the truth in that they tend to love it. This is supported in Matthew 24:23-25, where Jesus implies that it is impossible for the elect to be finally mislead.
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. “Behold, I have told you in advance.
“Repentance Starts on the inside. The word denotes a complete change of direction — someone is walking one way and they turn around and walk in the opposite direction. To make this changes, the heart must be willing to admit that pursuing sin is to go the wrong direction. The heart must also see that a relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the best and right way to live. This isn’t to suggest that repentance is purely inward. Any true inward repentance will demonstrate itself in external change.” (Gospel Project).
Note: Among these people who were saved, were those who had crucified Jesus (verse 23). Jesus’ prayer from Luke 23:34 was answered (verse 37 and 41).
But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
Point 3:God’s people are empowered to live together as one Acts 2:42-47
Point 3:God’s people are empowered to live together as one Acts 2:42-47
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 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, 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.
Can you identify some of the things that we see the early church was doing here?
It is important to note that this is not necessarily normative for the church, meaning, this is not intended to be the sole guide for what the church should do today. - Gospel Project
A few things they were doing are:
Devoting themselves to the apostles teaching
Engaging in fellowship
Having meals together or maybe taking part in the lords supper together
Praying
Key Doctrine: Body of Christ
“The New Testament Church as the body of Christ. The church lives and operates as Christ’s representative here on earth, with Christ as its head (Colossians 1:1). This means that the church is an extension of Christ’s ministry, carrying out His work by fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). In addition, the picture of the church as the body of Christ shows us the interconnectedness of individual Christians, with each member dependent upon one another for growth and sanctification (1 Corinthians 12).
Matthew 28:18–20 (NASB95)
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.
How can you be a part of building up the body in your church?
Edify other believers
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Use your gifts and talents to contribute to the Church for God’s glory
For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
With what attitudes do you perform christian activity or service?
Depends on what I’m doing. It could be better in some areas.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Peters sermon at Pentecost, a mere fifty days after the crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, demonstrates the Holy Spirit’s power to change those who trust in Jesus. The power of the gospel changed peter, whom God used to preach Jesus to the crowd so that thousands would believe and be changed as well. All who believe in Jesus are changed, never to be the same. Because we are a new creation in Christ, we seek to live according to our new identity ad we put our old selves to death day by day. - Gospel Project
Head: Where are you being asked to repent today?
We know that the word is the primary means we have to communicate the gospel.
We also know that Jesus’ Resurrection validates his claims of atoning for our sin.
We know that a sinner changes when he is saved.
Heart: How is your heart pierced as you think about what Jesus has done for you?
Hands: How can your engagement with the local church lead to kingdom growth?
Pray