Luke-Acts: From Bethleham to the World!

Good morning friends, today we are continuing our series on Luke-Acts. We have 3 weeks lest in this series, so we are almost done. Just an FYI, beginning in September we are going to be looking at a book I’ve never preached on: The Book of Daniel.

So, between this week and the 2 subsequent weeks I will be taking us up to Acts chapter 15, which is the Jerusalem council. Perhaps next year we will do the last half of Acts. On your handouts I’ve included what we’ve been covering the past couple months. I’m not going to go over it though. Also, I want to tell you all that if you are ever interested in getting a past handout, let me know and I’ll print it out for you. I will also offer, for anyone who wants one, if you ever want a copy of my sermon for any week or series, let me know and I will either email you a digital copy or I can print out the sermon on paper. I pretty much script my sermons, so what you hear is what you will read. One of the nice things about my preaching software if that it allows me to pull up any sermon, handout or even Power Point whenever I want.

PRAY!

There are a few truly watershed moments in scripture.

The term “watershed” is used metaphorically to describe events from which later developments take their origin. A watershed is an event which, if it did not take place, future events related to it would not take place.

For example: Creation is a watershed moment. If creation did not happen, nothing else in the Bible would have taken place. The fall of man is a watershed moment, as it was the fall of man that caused humanity to become separated from God and caused sin to enter the world…lots of things took place because of the fall. For example, the flood, the ten commandments, etc. The tower of babel is a watershed moment, as it explains why humanity speaks so many different languages and how God spread humanity out to the 4 corners of the earth. The calling of Abraham was a watershed moment, as the entire story of the Israelites would not have happened without Him. Lot’s of very important events in the O.T. have their origin in the calling of Abraham. The calling of Abraham then paved the way for the next watershed, which is the arrival of Christ. If Christ did not appear, the rest of the N.T. would not exist. Through Christ, humanity was (once again) reconciled to God, which allowed for The day of Pentecost. The Day of Pentecost was a watershed moment, as for the first time since the fall of man, the Holy Spirit was poured out in Jerusalem, then in Acts 10, the Holy Spirit was given to Gentiles.

1. Creation (Genesis 1-2)

2. The Fall of Man (Genesis 3)

3. The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11)

4. The Calling of Abraham (Genesis 12)

5. Christs’ birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. (Matthew, Mark Luke, John)

6. The Day of Pentecost (Acts 2)

7. Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 10)

According to scripture, we are due a couple more watershed moments, such as the Lord returning for His church, and the ultimate creation of the new heavens and new earth. Before anyone has a heart attack, I’m not saying that these are the only watershed moments in scripture, but to me, they are the ones that stuck out the most. These moments are things that have impacted history, as we know it today.

This is why I have really taken my time with Acts 2. I want us all to have the best possible understanding of the Day of Pentecost, as it is such an important part of our faith. In my view, the day of Pentecost is secondary only to the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

So, today we are going to be looking at Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. Everything we’ve covered in Acts 2 has lead up to the moment where Peter gets up and preaches. Often time, the emphasis on Acts 2 is the miracles in the upper room, which were very important, no doubt, but the miracles were there to prepare the hearts of the people for the gospel. Had Peter not gotten up to preach the gospel, the Day of Pentecost, the early church would not have been birthed. Peter’s message is broken up into 3 sections.

1. The Introduction (Vs. 14-21)

2. The Explanation (Vs. 22–36)

3. The Application (Vs.37-40)

I. The Introduction: Acts 2: 14-21.

First we had the 120 disciples in the upper room, just as Jesus had instructed them to do; next, the H.S. begins to spread among the followers. A mighty sound, followed by (what appeared to be) tongues of fire resting on the heads of the followers, then, they began speaking in languages unknown to them. This is referred to as

"xenolalia" or "xenoglossy": Speaking in a language that one did not previously know.

Luke, the author then describes how people reacted to these sound, sight, and speech miracles. The people were amazed and perplexed…as would be the normal reaction. Some of those in the audience commented that perhaps the people speaking the languages were drunk. This is when, under a new anointed power, given to him by the Holy Spirit, Peter began to address the audience that had been gathering.

Acts 2:14–21 (CSB) Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning. On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all people; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. I will even pour out my Spirit on my servants in those days, both men and women and they will prophesy. I will display wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Something interesting to note about the very first few words in verse 14. Luke says that

Peter stood up

We read that, thinking that Peter had probably been sitting…so he needed to stand up. No big deal…but the phrase being used here is not actually about the position of Peter’s body. The NASB translates this phrase as:

14 But Peter, taking his stand with the other eleven… (NASB)

Photo of man making a pronouncement

We’ve probably all seen a TV show or movie where two guys are arguing, then one of the guys stands up and just towers over the other guy…who instantly backs down. That is what Luke is conveying here. Peter was likely already standing…but “taking his stand” Peter became confident that what he had to say was directly from the King himself. Peter was about to make a royal pronouncement, where everything he said had the weight of the ultimate authority. It wasn’t just Peter to took a stand, Luke says that the other 11 disciples also did the same.

Whether Peter was standing or sitting is a rather minor difference, but it shows that Peter and the other disciples were no longer lost puppy dogs…sad that their master had gone away. All of the fear and doubt had disappeared, now they were taking a stand to declare the gospel of Christ.

Acts 2: 15 “For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning.”

As Peter begins his sermon, he addresses the accusations of some of those in the crowd. It was a Jewish rule that on either the Sabbath or a feast day a person could not eat or drink anything before 9 AM. This is why Peter mentions the fact that it’s only 9 am. Other translations say:

Since it’s only the 3rd hour of the day. I’ve mentioned this before, but the Jewish days were different than ours. Their new day began at 6 AM (or right around there), not midnight. So, the 3rd hour of the day would be 9 AM. Regardless, Peter is speaking to the fact that it was considered dishonorable to be drinking in the morning.

Isaiah 5:11 “Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of beer, who linger into the evening, inflamed by wine.”

I would say that is one of those universal truisms that never change. Peter tells the crowd that the people are not drunk with wine, rather, something else is happening…something special that has never happened before.

Acts 2:16–17 “On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all people; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.”

In the introduction to Peter’s sermon, he makes 2 (what is called) points of contact. Points of contact are things that the preacher can mention that the audience can relate to. This is why most preachers will begin their sermon with a funny story or a joke. It is something that ties the audience to the speaker. On that day, Peter first talked about the fact that good Jews do not drink in the morning. The next point of contact is a well known O.T. prophecy. Keep in mind what Luke said earlier in the chapter about the people in the crowd.

Acts 2:5 “Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven.”

Luke is saying that the people in the crowd that day were devout Jews…most of them had traveled very far distances in order to be in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. Peter says, listen you may think these people are drunk, but on the contrary, these people are, in fact, not filled with wine, but the Holy Spirit. The same spirit that was talked about by the prophet Joel. The people that day would have been very familiar with the prophet Joel and in particular, this prophecy. Peter is quoting from

Joel 2:28–32 “After this I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. I will even pour out my Spirit on the male and female slaves in those days. I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised, among the survivors the Lord calls.”

There is often some misunderstanding when it comes to Peter quoting from the book of Joel. Although Peter does quote Jo. 2: 28-32, not all of that passage in Joel was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. The prophecy in the book of Joel talks about 2 or even 3 different prophetic events. Notice that Peter begins the passage a bit differently.

Acts 2:17 “And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all people; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.”

Joel 2:28 “After this I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.”

There is a slight difference in how Peter begins his use of Joel. Many people have gotten hung up on this, as it appears as though Joel is talking about something completely different, as far as prophetic events are concerned. For example, the passage in Joel begins as “ After this,” but Peter says: in the last days.

Here is where the debate is…in the book of Joel, right before Joel says “after this” the prophet is talking about a time of great blessing for Israel.

Joel 2:26–27 “You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied. You will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. My people will never again be put to shame. You will know that I am present in Israel and that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other. My people will never again be put to shame.”

Most would argue that this has not happened yet, yet Joel says “After this,” I will pour out my spirit...In essence, Joel says that God longs to show mercy to Israel if they admit and confess their sin. One day, God will defeat evil, both in our world and inside ourselves, bringing his healing presence to make all things new. Part of this prophecy was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. The substance of what Peter is saying is that, rather than the Holy Spirit being given only to certain individuals for a certain task, Peter declares that the Holy Spirit is now available to all who place their faith in the Messiah.

Let’s move the the 2nd part of Peter’s sermon. As with any sermon, first Peter gives the introduction, then he moves on to the

2. The Explanation (Vs. 22–36)

The explanation in a sermon is where the speaker then explains what he put forward in the introduction. It is in the explanation that Peter makes it clear why he is quoting an old testament prophet. This section is a bit longer...

Acts 2:22–36 (CSB)“Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death. For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me in Hades or allow your holy one to see decay. You have revealed the paths of life to me; you will fill me with gladness in your presence. “Brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He was not abandoned in Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay. “God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this. Therefore, since he has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says: The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

As I said, Peter explains why what they are all witnessing today is so very important. It is a watershed moment that will change the course of history. Peter is assuming that pretty much everyone in the crowd has hear of Jesus and knows who he was. Throughout the centuries there were a few men who came along claiming to be the Messiah, but none of them were able to perform miracles, signs and wonders. I’m sure People knew about Jesus both near and far. Not only that, but just 50 days prior, Jesus had been crucified.

As Peter continues his sermon, he continues to use points of contact to draw himself and the audience closer. In a very bold manner, Peter tells the crowd it is their fault that Jesus was crucified. Despite the Jews intention to kill Jesus, death could not hold Him and the grave could not keep him.

In verse 24 Peter declares that this Jesus was raised to life.

Peter now proved to the Jews that Jesus Christ was alive, using 5 arguments:

(1) Christ’s Person and life demand that He be raised from the dead (22–24).

John 10:17–18 “This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.””

(2) Psalm 16. predicted the resurrection (vs. 25–31).

Psalm 16:8–11 “I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely. For you will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful one to see decay. You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.”

(3) The apostles themselves were witnesses and had seen the risen Christ (v. 32).

In other words, Peter and the other apostles were first hand witnesses, which was considered a big deal back then. In order for someone to be found guilty in a court there needed to be a certain amount of first-hand witnesses…for sure less than 12 first hand witnesses. So, either all of them were lying, or it was true.

(4) The coming of the Spirit is proof Jesus is alive (v. 33).

All in the crowd that day were first hand witnesses to the pouring out of the Spirit. They could try to explain it away somehow, but it happened. It was Peter’s job to help draw the connecting lines between tradition and what was happening before their very eyes.

(5) Psalm 110:1 promised His resurrection (vs. 33–35).

Psalm 110:1 “This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.””

Both of the Psalms that Peter quotes are from King David. This matters, as David was very well respected among the Jews. Although Peter was preaching the gospel, he was not doing it how we do it today. We was telling the crowd they were guilty of killing not only an innocent man, but the seed of David, the messiah. They had rejected their long-awaited savior. Peter was giving Israel one more opportunity to receive Christ. They had slain John the Baptist and Jesus, but God was now giving them another chance.

One can’t claim that Jesus did not try to get the Jews to understand. While Jesus was still on the earth, He actually predicts His own resurrection while speaking to the Pharisees.

Matthew 12:38–40 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.”

The resurrection of Christ was this sign of Jonah that Jesus predicted. Peter is hoping that his fellow Jews will turn to the Lord.

Let’s finish up by looking at the last part of Peter’s message

3. The Application (Vs.37-40)

As with any good sermon, there needs to be some practical application, else the speaker is only giving a history lesson. Before we read the final passages, I want to share a couple stories with you.

One thing I love to do is to watch police interrogations. Laura will tell you that while I’m having dinner, or sometimes while feeding Ezra I will turn on YouTube and watch a couple of channels that have real police interrogations. I don’t like the ones where someone is trying to narrate in the background…telling us what is going on every second. I rarely get through an entire one in one sitting, as they are typically (at least) 2 hours long. I think the longest I ever watched (over the course of days) was a 9 hour interrogation. It was this lady who had claimed to have been kidnapped, then ended up showing up on the side of the road about 60 days after she went missing. Her story was that she had escaped her captor, except she was in excellent health and showed no signs of sexual or physical abuse. I’ll give her this though, she stuck to her story that she had been kidnapped for the first 8 hours, eventually she relented though, admitting that she was with a former boyfriend. She just wanted to get away from her husband and kids for a while.

maybe you are thinking…what in the world does this have to do with Acts 2....that is a great question. I promise I’m getting somewhere. I want to tell you about 2 of the most memorable interrogations I’ve ever watched.

Well, a couple weeks ago I was watching an interrogation of a guy who turned himself in to the police after fleeing from a road rage incident. What happened was, this guy was driving down the road when a mini-van approached the drivers side window. As is unfortunately common, the two exchanged words. The driver of the mini-van was a woman who had a teenage niece in the front passenger seat and 2 babies in the rear seat. After exchanging cross words with one another, the lady in the minivan told her niece to throw a water bottle at the car next to them. Not wise advice. So, after exchanging words, the guy begins to drive forward and all of a sudden hears a loud crashing sound. The water bottle had broken his back window. The problem, he didn’t know it was a water bottle. He thought the person in the minivan fired a gun at him. Without thinking, he upholstered his pistol and (stupidly) returned fire at the minivan behind him. His bullet went through the minivans windshield and hit the driver square in the chest. The guy continued driving, trying to get away from the threat, not knowing that he had hit the driver, killing her. The minivan kept going for close to a quarter-mile before crashing in someones front yard.

The guy went and turned himself in after fleeing the scene. He had no idea he had killed someone. Now, in most of the interrogations I watch, the person who is guilty does not really care about the victim at all. They may get upset, but that’s because they got caught, they could care less about the person they hurt. This one was different thought. During the interrogation you can watch this man absolutely break as soon as they tell him that he killed someone. You could just tell that the man was wracked with real regret and remorse. His action had led to the death of another person. He ended up being convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 17 years in prison. The lady’s family was not pleased with the sentence, thinking he should spend the rest of his life behind bars.

The second interrogation I actually watched after I wrote this sermon, so I had to go back and make some edits.

One afternoon a mother and her boyfriend called 911 to report that their daughter was having trouble breathing. The 911 operator instructed the mom (who worked at a daycare for a living) to begin CPR on the little 4 year old girl. The paramedics arrived and took the girl to the hospital. The police asked the mom and her boyfriend to come down to the station to answer questions. They separated the 2 adults and began asking them about the overall health of the little girl. Both adults told the exact same story. The previous Friday (3 days prior) they had gone to Red Lobster, later that evening the little girl began to feel sick. She was throwing up and acted very lethargic. The man and woman both reported that they tried to give the girl chicken-noodle soup and ginger ale, but she kept throwing it up.

Throughout the 4 hour interrogation, the man and woman kept asking how the other adult was doing. Neither of them once asked how the little girl was doing. Turns out, this man had only been dating this lady for 6 months. He wasn’t the little girl’s father either. Eventually they began to show the adults photos taken of the girl at the hospital. She was severely malnourished, her legs were covered with sever burns, her teeth had fallen out due to lack of nutrition over a very long period of time. They had supposed answers for every injury the girl had…again, both of the adults telling the same story, but neither one asking about the girl the entire time.

Eventually they told the adults that the girl had (in fact) died of severe physical abuse and neglect. After learning of her fate, neither adult expressed an ounce of remorse or guilt. They were both arrested for murder. Their trial is still going on.

During this watershed moment on the day of Pentecost, Peter let his listeners know that they were guilty of the death of the Messiah. We do not know if there were any Pharisees in the crowd that day, but it’s clear that most pharisees, even though they knew that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, did not at all care about their own culpability in Jesus’ death. They are like the mom and boyfriend who are confronted with the gruesomeness of their crime, but feigned ignorance and did not care. However,the people in the crowd that day…their hearts were pierced straight through. Peter’s sermon had broken their pride and self-righteousness. They knew they stood guilty as charged. They asked Peter what can do to make things right with God. After all, unlike the man who killed the lady in the minivan, they were guilty of rejecting and killing God himself.

So, how did Peter apply the message of the gospel to the lives of those who heard him speak that day?

Beginning in verse 37, Peter applies everything he has said previously.

Acts 2:37–40 (CSB) When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each 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, as many as the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!

Peter responded by giving them two action steps:

1. Repentance.

Repentance means turning away from sin, changing the mind and turning toward God.

This is what is needed to become a disciple of Jesus. It is establishing a personal relationship with Jesus through faith.

It is notable that Peter did not pile upon his listeners a list of ethical demands to which they had to agree before they could be saved. Some today have the tendency to superimpose their own ethical agendas on the gospel, thereby hindering its spread. Repentance should come at the point of guilt of which the Holy Spirit is revealing at the moment, such as crucifying Jesus, in this particular case. Even still today, preaching that is anointed by the Holy Spirit will pierce the hearts of the listeners, bringing repentance.

2. Baptism.

Baptism is the primary outward, visible action that validates the inward decision to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

If there is an area that the modern church has stepped away from the biblical example of salvation it would probably be baptism. It’s clear that baptism was and is a super important part of being a disciple of Christ. Baptism does not save, but it is evidence that a person has been saved. This is why we do not baptize babies, as they are unable to see their need for a savior. In certain sects of Christianity, baptism is a sacrament that a person must have, in order to go to heaven. We know this not to be true, as Jesus did not demand that the criminal on the cross be baptized. It was his faith in Christ, his recognition that he was a sinner. Outside of extreme circumstances though, we are called to be baptised.

Acts 2 goes on to say that around 3000 people put their faith in Christ that day and were baptised…this is what birthed the early church.

Although you and I are separated from the Day of Pentecost by some 2000 years, the core of the gospel message remains the same. The way the gospel is presented may be a bit different, as we must speak to the audience in front of us, but people are still called upon to put their faith in Christ, repent, and be baptised. The message has not changed and will never change until the Lord returns for His church.

How do we take what Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost and help us grow as believer in Christ? If you have put your faith in Christ and have repented of your sin, then you belong to Christ…yet, if we read the entirety of the N.T., we see that Paul teaches that repentance is not just a one time thing and then we are done. There are two types of repentance. The initial repentance that leads to salvation, but then there is the daily choice of living a life of repentance that leads to a sanctified life in Christ.

Repentance is not self-loathing, it is far from that. Self-loathing is from the enemy, while repentance is from God. In a number of locations, the N.T. describes it as endurance or running a race.

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 “Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown. So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

I think we can view Peter’s sermon as a mandate to live a life of repentance, similar to how Paul describes here in 1st Cor. This doesn’t mean that we have to go around constantly questioning our standing with the Lord, but it does mean that we live in such a way that we want to finish first. Aside from the encouragement we can receive from reading about the day of Pentecost, we can use it as a reminder to live an intentional life for Christ, making sure our hearts are soft and that we remain correctable and humble.

PRAY