I'VE BEEN CHANGED!

Biblical Text: Acts 2:36-41 (NKJV)

I will read our text today from the New King James Verson for a clear understanding. Listen to the Apostle Peter as he preaches HIS FIRST SERMON.

Acts 2:36  "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 

Act 2:37  Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"  38  Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39  For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."  40  And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."  41  Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 

If you’ve were to read Peter’s entire sermon in Acts chapter 2, you will know that Peter preached a powerful sermon. You know Peter. He’s the disciple with the dual personality. First, he cut off the ear of a soldier who tried to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. And then, just hours later, he is the disciple who denied knowing Jesus three times on the night they dragged Jesus from court to court and whipped him.

Now we see a different Peter…a resolute convert…a devoted disciple whose faith will not budge. Gone is the gangster with the knife who would cut off your ear at the least provocation. Gone is the coward with excuses who ran into the dark streets of Jerusalem to hide from his accusers. What brought about the change in Peter? What made Peter do a total turn-around and become a preacher of the Gospel? Let’s take a closer look at this first sermon to see if we can find out what changed Peter.

I’VE BEEN CHANGED!

So what changed Peter?

First, it was the Resurrection.

That’s where Peter begins his testimonial sermon. In your study time read verses 22 through 24 of Acts chapter 2. Peter says “God planned the whole thing to prove to us that death could not keep Jesus in the grave!” It’s clear that all Peter’s doubt and indecision disappeared when he stepped into Christ’s empty tomb. All of a sudden, it became clear to him what Jesus meant when He told the Jews selling their wares in the temple, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). At the empty tomb, Peter finally understood…Jesus was not talking about the Temple at Jerusalem!

All the teachings of Peter’s Master became remarkably clear, as though he had been looking through a dark glass, but was now seeing with perfect spiritual clarity. Now he knew what Jesus meant when He told Lazarus’ grieving sister Martha, ”…I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). No wonder Peter’s first sermon began with "O men of Israel, listen to my words!” Peter had some great news to share…the preordination of a Resurrected Christ! And Peter was determined to make sure that everyone heard about it! Peter got it! Do you get it?

Do we get that Jesus performed tremendous miracles that are recorded in history? Do we get that Jesus fulfilled every prophecy made hundreds of years before His birth? Do we get that God followed a prearranged plan that allowed His Only Begotten Son to be crucified on a cross, and then released Him from death back to life again?

I get it! It’s written right here. We have Peter’s original FIRST SERMON, preached right after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thanks to Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, Peter’s whole sermon…his first-hand account of the empty tomb, and his revelation of the Resurrection…has been preserved for all eternity.

I know for some people it may be hard to believe. So let me break it down some more.

Luke recorded Peter’s sermon around 60 A.D. from his own firsthand recollection. In other words, HE WAS THERE. He was an eyewitness to Peter’s first sermon…or should I say ear-witness! Luke was an educated man, and the only Gentile writer of the New Testament. All the others were Jews. Luke was also a faithful companion of Paul, the Apostle. His Book of Acts is a letter written to Theophilus; and though we are not absolutely sure about the identity of Theophilus, it is believed he was a Roman with a keen interest in Christianity who Luke knew would share his writing “with all those who love God”.

Why do we need to emphasize how the Gospel of Luke came to be? Because there have been skeptics down through the ages who question its legitimacy and authenticity. It’s not a new thing. Men have been challenging the Word of God for centuries. But I tell you…THIS TEXT TODAY is the FIRST SERMON preached after the Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And I couldn’t have preached it better. Peter witnessed the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that’s good enough for me. It was the Resurrection.

But what else changed Peter so dramatically?

Second, it was the fulfillment of David’s Prophecy.

In Verses 25 through 32, Peter gives us a careful account of the promise God made to King David. God promised David that the Messiah, our Savior, would be born from the lineage of David…He would be a descendant of the house of David.

All his life, Peter had been taught this. He was a good Jew who read from the Torah and the Book of Isaiah and the Psalms of David. Peter KNEW that the Messiah would be born into David’s family tree. But what did Peter think when he read David’s Psalm 16:10 which reads, “…thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” I imagine that up to now Peter thought David was affirming his own belief that God would one day carry his corruptible body off to heaven.

But now…on the occasion of Peter’s first sermon, Peter knows the truth. The light has suddenly been shed on that scripture, and Peter now knows that it was a prophetic description of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He now knew that it couldn’t be about David because David is still dead!

We don’t get excited about prophecies, or predictions as we call them, until they come true.

I can tell you that you are going to inherit a million dollars, but you won’t believe it until you get the check. A father can tell his son that he will one day grow up to be the president, but her son won’t believe it until it happens.

We write these predictions off as something else…something we call speculation or wishful thinking. Peter was no different. He may have thought David’s prophecy was pure speculation about David’s death experience. But now Peter knows better. He doesn’t have to speculate. He’s no longer dealing with a prediction…he’s dealing with FACT…the fact that David was not talking about himself, but about the Messiah….because God did not leave His Son’s soul in hell, or suffer it to see corruption! It was the fulfillment of David’s Prophecy.

So Peter has witnessed the empty tomb; he has witnessed the fulfillment of David’s prophecy. Still, there is one more thing that changed Peter.

Finally, Peter believes!

Peter could have rejected the proof. He could have bought into the lie being circulated by the soldiers at the grave sight that they fell asleep and someone stole Jesus’ body from the tomb. Peter could have continued to believe that David’s song in the Psalms was nothing more than a plea for personal preferential treatment. But NO…Peter was smart enough to connect the dots…to take the leap of faith…to understand that “…God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise…”

I wish proof were all a sinner needs to repent and accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. But the proof is right here in this book, and still men and women choose to reject Him and make hell their home.

They reject the Bread, and would rather go hungry.

They reject the Comforter, and would rather suffer.

They reject the Living Water, and would rather thirst.

They reject the Deliverer, and would rather be imprisoned.

They reject the Guide, and would rather be lost.

What proof will it take for you to believe?

You believe that you will get paid on payday, even though you have no proof. You believe that your car will get you to your destination and back, even though you have no proof. You believe that you will wake up tomorrow, even though you have no proof!

Are you one of those Doubting Thomas’s who has to touch his Lord’s pierced side and see His pierced hands before you believe? You can wait, and do that when you stand before God, but it will be too late then. Or can you be like Peter…and say, "…God has made this Jesus you crucified to be the Lord, the Messiah!"

It’s your choice.

Will you crucify Him, or will you worship Him?

Will you be silent about Him or sing about Him?

Will you struggle with Him or surrender to Him?

Will you be ashamed of Him or testify of Him?

Will you lie about Him or will you cry loud and spare not about Him?

Will you be a stubborn skeptic or a believing saint? Finally, Peter believes!

The proof is right here in Peter’s first sermon. The choice is yours.

Will you believe?

It was the Resurrection.

It was the fulfillment of David’s Prophecy.

Finally, Peter believes!

The question that I have for you today is have you been changed?