Everyone Who Calls
You Are Witnesses of These Things • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Today is the Super Bowl...
Here are some Super Bowl stats:
The highest paid player is Patrick Mahomes; he is paid over $45 million per year.
The lowest paid player is punter, Matt Araiza, making just under $800,000 per year.
The winning team’s players will get $171,000
The losing team’s players will get $103,000
A 30-second spot on the Super Bowl will cost you $7 million
The cheap seats will run you $3000
The average ticket price is $8076
The most expensive tickets run $22,663!
And it is estimated that over 120 million people will watch the game today. Of those 120 million, almost all of them will not be greatly impacted by the outcome of the game, regardless of whether their team wins or not.
Those 120 million viewers will not receive $171,000 or $103,000 depending on the outcome. And, though Patrick Mahomes seems to be one of the truly good people in the NFL, he’s not going to share any of his $45 million with any of us.
My point is, while the entertainment factor is always high when it comes to the Super Bowl (if not in the game, at least in the commercials and/or junk food!), the long-term impact is negligible at best.
But, what we will see this morning in Acts is a truth so vitally important that it can change the course of a person’s life and a person’s death.
Body: Acts 2:14-41
Body: Acts 2:14-41
Context:
Feast of Weeks in Jerusalem...
Holy Spirit has come upon the disciples, enabling them to speak languages they previously didn’t know in order to tell those in Jerusalem about the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
Some people are amazed and wondering how this is possible, while other accuse the disciples of being drunks!
Peter is about to preach the first sermon of the church of Jerusalem not preached by Jesus.
It is only through the indwelling of the HS that this uneducated, hot-headed, fisherman will be able to preach the Good News...
This sermon is incredible, in that it gives us a window into the preaching of the first century church:
Stooped in the OT...(this was absolutely vital...)
It was Jesus-centric, Gospel-centric & resurrection-centric...
The resurrection was defended...
God moved in people’s hearts to cause them to respond...
Verses 14-21
Peter’s first response to the crowds is actually humorous.
The third hour is 9 AM...the first meal wasn’t typically eaten until 10 AM.
Essentially, Peter says, “It’s way too early for being drunk!”
Then Peter essentially says, “What happened here today fulfills the Scriptures!”
The Holy Spirit has been poured out, just as Joel prophesied.
In context, Joel’s prophecy was given after a locust plague had ravaged the land, creating a severe famine. Joel called the people to repentance, promising restoration of their prosperity and going on to foresee the Day of the Lord, the dawn of the messianic age, when the Spirit would be poured out on all of Israel, and His people would, in turn, respond with righteousness and mercy.
In Joel’s prophecy there is a call to repentance in hope of divine forgiveness. Which is what the push of Peter’s sermon will be as well.
What Peter is saying, then, is that day when the Spirit is poured out on God’s people is that very day!
And therefore, God was speaking through His people. They would:
Prophesy...
Experience visions & dreams...
There would be signs & wonders...
It’s quite possible that this prophecy stood out to the people because just 7 weeks earlier then had seen the sun go dark when Christ was crucified.
Notice also:
Not gender specific...
Not generational specific...
Not socially specific...
Peter also wants them to understand that the Day of the Lord has begun!
While we often immediately think of the “end times” when we hear the term “last days,” here the last days probably refers to the Messianic age, which had started then and continues on until the end of history. Thus, these are the last days before the end.
Already/not yet...
The day of the Lord begins with the first coming of Christ Jesus and will culminate with his second coming.
If all this is true, then who is counted as God’s people?
Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved...
Peter will flesh this out more throughout this sermon, but Joel’s point is Peter’s point: if you want to be saved, you must call upon the name of the Lord (which mean’s more than just calling His name...it means you must claim Him as your Lord and your Savior...)
But, Peter must now tell them who this ‘Lord’ is that Peter is speaking of.
Verses 22-24
Something interesting to consider: Peter doesn’t need to elaborate on the mighty works and wonders of Jesus, because some of those present were there and saw for themselves, and it was doubtlessly still the talk of Jerusalem.
Instead, he focuses on what Jesus accomplished:
Mighty works, wonders and signs through the power of God...
Peter tells them that Jesus first witness of His Lordship is God Himself, as God did miracles through Jesus.
The mighty works and miracles were signs that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah.
He was delivered up...
It’s very important to remember that everything was within God’s plan and foreknowledge...
In speaking of God’s definite plan and foreknowledge, Peter guards God’s sovereignty against any claims that He isn’t completely sovereign, even in the midst of what seems at first to be a defeat.
In fact, this doesn’t discredit God’s sovereignty, but all that happened was, in fact, part of God’s purpose...
You crucified Him, with help from the Romans...
There was plenty of guilt to go around, and they needed to recognize their guilt before they could truly repent of it.
God raised Him from the dead...
Thus Peter tells them bluntly who that Lord they must call upon is: Jesus.
Verses 25-36
One of the most vital teachings of the Christian church is the resurrection of Jesus.
In fact, if there is no resurrection, there is no Christian faith today!
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Because of the importance of the resurrection, it is vital that Peter attempt to convince his audience of the truth of the resurrection.
Peter argues that Jesus resurrection was part of God’s saving plan all along.
Quotation from Ps. 16:8-11
This is one of the interesting passages in the OT where two things are being talked about. The meaning, and then the deeper meaning. It is very possible that David didn’t even know the deeper meaning when he penned it, we don’t know.
David is talking about his own experience, but it’s even more deeply talking about the Messiah.
We see the same thing with Isaiah 7:14.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Peter’s argument then is that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of this prophecy because his body did not see corruption or decay (v. 27). Thus, Jesus is the Messiah.
Peter points out that David couldn’t have been simply talking about himself because he was, in fact, dead and everyone there knew where his body was (south of the city, near Siloam).
Next, Peter brings the focus back to the Pentecost experience, helping the people to see that what was going on was brought about because of the fulfilled promise of God through the exaltation of Christ Jesus.
Peter furthers the argument by showing that this “power” they had, is actually the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, yet another proof that Jesus was the Messiah.
Then Peter quotes Ps. 110:1
Once again, pointing out that David didn’t ascend to the heavens, so this Psalm is talking about the Messiah.
Where did Peter get this idea? (Luke 20:41-44)
But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’
David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”
This isn’t suggesting that David didn’t go to heaven. What Peter is saying here is that David, unlike Jesus, was dead and buried and remained so. Jesus, on the other hand, die and rose again, then ascended into heaven alive.
Verse 36 is the invitation to respond to the truth.
They were being called to respond to Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, but also as exalted Lord.
Verses 37-39
What does it mean to be “cut to the heart”?
“cut to the heart” here means “pieced” or “stabbed.”
The people were overwhelmed with their guilt.
And why not! If Jesus was indeed the Messiah and Lord, then how great is the offensive of having him killed!
Imagine that there may have been some there that yelled, “Crucify him!”
They likely felt like they had no hope!
But there was hope!
The hope is found in the call to repent.
Repentance is more than a feeling of fear because of the potential punishment. It’s a deep feeling of remorse because of our sin, and a turning away from said sin towards Christ Jesus for forgiveness.
It is a radical reorientation of one’s life because of sin.
It doesn’t mean we will never sin again, or even never sin again like the sin before. It means we recognize that the sin is an affront to the Holy God, and a concerted effort to not turn back. When one stumbles, he or she will confess and repent.
While repentance call for human effort, it is also a gift of God through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.
They were also called to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
The idea here is to be baptized on the basis of their faith in Jesus.
Baptism was, and continues to be, a public identification with Christ Jesus.
Calling upon Jesus as one’s Lord and Messiah is what makes someone Christian. Following Jesus through the baptismal waters is a first step of obedience within that new confession.
But wait, it says, “...for the forgiveness of your sins...”
It’s important that we don’t separate this from the repentance; Peter is not suggesting that baptism forgives sins.
If someone has to be baptized to be saved, then no one in Hebrews 11 was saved.
Additionally, the thief on the cross was never baptized.
And, throughout Scripture we see that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.
Here, a better interpretation of the Greek sense is: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins.”
What is the “gift of the Holy Spirit”?
The Holy Spirit himself!
Not to be confused with the “gifts” of the Holy Spirit.
But things didn’t end there, they just began.
It was for those there, their families, and even those far off.
It’s unlikely that Peter even knew the full extent of his words at this point. He was probably referring to Jews alone, not knowing yet that it would extend even to the Gentiles.
Throughout his sermon, Peter continues to make it clear that God is doing all this; the gift of the Holy Spirit, the death and resurrection of Christ, and calling people to himself.
Called his effectual calling...
Verses 40-41
Consider that fact that 3000 people getting saved is more in one day than in all of Jesus ministry.
It’s proof positive of what Jesus said in John 14:12
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
A new community is formed as new believers are added to the original 120.
And we will see what God does with this new community next week.
So What?
So What?
Peter’s sermon makes the points easy for a preacher!
Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be saved.
Jesus was killed and yet rose victoriously from the grave and is, even now, living and exalted in Heaven as both Lord and Christ.
If we haven’t already, the call for us is to repent and then follow Jesus through the baptismal waters.
