The Great Miracle of Pentecost - Acts 2:14-41

©March 2nd, 2025 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Acts

Last week we looked at the account of the Holy Spirit descending upon the disciples gathered on the day of Pentecost. He then did a miracle, enabling them to speak in different languages so the people gathered each heard them speaking in their native tongue. If you were to ask most people to describe the great miracle of Pentecost, most would undoubtedly point to this ability to speak in tongues. And while that is certainly a tremendous miracle, I think there is a far greater miracle that happened on that day; one that is often overlooked and taken for granted.

Today we will see Peter preach to the crowd gathered there and see around 3,000 people become Christians in a single day. Every time a person turns to Christ in faith, it is a miracle of God’s working in their hearts. When 3,000 repent in a single day, it is a miracle that can hardly have an equal.

Answering the Question

If you recall where we left off last week, some scoffed at the disciples’ speaking in tongues. Though it made no sense, some in the crowd began to grasp for a natural explanation for what they were seeing in front of them. Their conclusion was the disciples must be drunk! Peter stood and addressed their concern and then launched into his sermon—the first sermon preached after the coming of the Holy Spirit.

14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: (Acts 2:14-16, NLT)

Peter first sought to discredit the charge being leveled against them. He said the disciples weren’t drunk, as it was only 9 in the morning! It was true that it was a feast day, and wine would often be part of the festival celebration, but the celebration would not even have begun yet. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to think this large group of disciples was drunk. And as we pointed out last week, the notion that being drunk would have enabled them to speak clearly in other languages is ridiculous on its face.

Before we launch into Peter’s explanation of what was happening, and the sermon he preached, we should notice a couple of things about this account. First is to remember who Peter was. Just two months ago, Peter was self-assured yet weak. When Jesus told him that he would fail, Peter boldly declared that even if everyone else abandoned Him, he never would. And of course, we know the story. In less than 12 hours-time, Peter had denied even knowing Jesus. Peter surely felt as though he had failed the Lord mightily, but when Jesus had risen, He forgave and restored Peter. The man we see stand up at Pentecost is not the same man who was so self-assured on the night Jesus was betrayed. It is a testimony to the truth of the gospel that Peter, who had once denied Jesus in fear now takes a bold stand for Jesus, taking center stage to point others to the truth of the resurrection.

Second, notice that Peter did not stand alone. He stood with the other eleven apostles. Peter may have been the one speaking, but they were all standing together as witnesses of the truth of the gospel. Each of them could testify independently that what Peter was saying was true. There is a lesson here for us. Standing with other believers grants credibility to the message, but it also grants strength and courage to stand for Christ. Just as the other apostles stood with Peter, we ought to stand with one another, as it serves as a testimony to the world around us, and it helps others to know they aren’t standing alone.

As for Peter’s sermon, he began by explaining what was really going on. He pointed to the prophet Joel to demonstrate that the disciples were not drunk, but that Joel’s prophecies were being fulfilled before their eyes! Joel had declared that God would pour out His Spirit upon people and this outpouring would be accompanied by many signs and wonders. Peter was making the argument that this explained the miracle they had seen. Drunkenness made no sense whatsoever, but seeing this as an act of God that had been prophesied beforehand actually made a lot of sense. Peter was drawing his audience in. They were intrigued. So he continued to the next phase of his message.

Who Is Jesus?

The crux of Peter’s message was to point people to who Jesus was and is, and to their need for Him to be their savior. Peter shifts from talking about the miracles they had performed as evidence of God’s Spirit to pointing out the same in Jesus,

22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. (Acts 2:22-24, NLT)

Peter appealed to their knowledge of Jesus. They had all surely heard the stories about Him, and many may have even seen some of the miracles he had performed. Peter pointed to these miracles as evidence of God’s endorsement of Jesus. But Peter didn’t just stop by pointing to the miracles Jesus performed in His life, he pointed to what God did through His death as well.

Peter said that Jesus’ crucifixion was prearranged by God yet was accomplished through the actions of the Jewish people, with the help of the lawless Gentiles. In this singular statement, Peter sums up a profound truth that still boggles our minds: God is sovereign over all things. Nothing happens without Him causing it or allowing it. And at the same time, mankind is responsible for their decisions and the consequences of them. God, whose ways are so much higher than ours, uses our free choices to accomplish His purposes.

The crucifixion was carried out by sinful people of their own volition. God did not make them do it. But God did use their evil actions to accomplish His good purpose. And in so doing, he effected salvation for all of mankind!

Peter pointed to the fact that the greatest miracle of Jesus’ time on earth was one that had the rumor mill abuzz in Jerusalem. It was the claim that Jesus, who had been crucified publicly, had come back to life! This rumor persisted because the religious leaders couldn’t disprove it! No one could prove He was still dead (because He wasn’t!), but many could testify that He was alive.

Peter points to the fact that Jesus was delivered from death because death could not keep Him in its grip. I love how one preacher described it: “The abyss can no more hold the Redeemer than a pregnant woman can hold the child in her body.” Jesus rose again because that was the only thing that could happen. Death could not keep Him!

Peter punctuated this point by bringing up a famous Psalm of David,

27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. (Acts 2:27, NLT, quoting Psalm 16:10)

Peter explained that David must have been speaking prophetically, because he certainly couldn’t have been describing himself. David did rot in the grave! Peter said they all knew exactly where his tomb was. They had quite possibly walked past it earlier that day! So, if the “Holy One” David spoke of was not himself, then who was it?

Peter explained emphatically that David must have been speaking prophetically of the Messiah! David knew that one day one of his descendants would sit on his throne and rule forever. It was this descendant, declared Peter, that David had in mind. This descendant would not rot in the grave.

I imagine Peter almost reaching a fever pitch at this point—does this sound like anyone you might have heard of recently? Who died and was buried, but was not there long enough for His body to see decay? Who could this refer to but Jesus of Nazareth! Peter makes the clear declaration here that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah, and that they had all been complicit in crucifying the One God had promised for thousands of years! This is terrible news…but thankfully Peter was not done yet.

Jesus is Lord

Peter next turned his attention to another Psalm of David to make an equally important point. Not only was Jesus the Messiah, Jesus was the Lord God Almighty!

32 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34 For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand 35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.” ’

36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” (Acts 2:32-36, NLT)

Peter quotes a famous passage from Psalm 110. David says that the Lord (God the Father) said to [his] Lord, that He would sit in the place of honor at His right hand and that God would make all his enemies a footstool under His feet. Jesus used the same passage to make the same point Peter is making. David was obviously not speaking of himself; he is speaking of someone who is even greater (because he calls this person “my Lord”). Who could he be speaking of? Who would be greater than the greatest king of Israel? The only reasonable answer is exactly what David says, this person is his Lord!

The word used in Greek here is the word kyrios. It is the same word that is used in the Greek version of the Old Testament to describe God. Peter points out that this was the address Peter used of the Messiah—meaning not only was the Messiah a great king who would come, but He was God Himself! Only God Himself would have the right to sit at the right hand of God the Father, because that would imply equal standing with Him. No one else in the universe except Jesus would have been qualified to fill that position.

Thus, Peter reaches his conclusion. He says that Jesus, the man they had crucified, was both the Messiah and God incarnate!

It is distinctly possible that some gathered there that day were directly involved in the plot to assassinate Jesus. For others, while they may not have been directly involved, they had waited their whole lives hoping for the Messiah to come, and they had missed Him because they had chosen not to believe Him. Still others may not have disbelieved Him entirely, but they had not embraced Him and followed Him. Peter’s point was this—they had rejected their only hope!

Response

After saying this, we see the response of the people,

37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. (Acts 2:37-41, NLT)

Suddenly, the people gathered were acutely aware of their sin, their need for a savior, and the reality that they had rejected the One God had provided to save them. So many turned to the disciples and asked, what should we do? Peter’s response was simple, yet direct: they should repent of their sins and turn to God, and they should be baptized. Then they too would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This is an important declaration, but it has been oft misunderstood by well-meaning Christians. It is important we understand this properly, as the message of the gospel is at stake. What was Peter saying needed to happen for a person to be saved?

There are some who say that Peter said that in order to be saved and receive the Holy Spirit, two things must happen. First, you must repent and turn to God. Second, you must be baptized. Then, you will be saved and receive the Holy Spirit. I see how reading this passage on its own could lead to that conclusion. But that understanding does not make sense with the rest of scripture. Let me give just a few examples.

In the very next chapter of Acts, Peter preaches once more, proclaiming the gospel message again, but there he does not mention baptism as being necessary for the forgiveness of sins,

19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. (Acts 3:19, NLT)

Later in Acts when Cornelius (the first Gentile convert) comes to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit descends on him. It is only after this happens that he is baptized.

Much of the rest of the New Testament testifies to salvation by God’s grace alone through our faith alone. One of the clearest statements of this is in Ephesians 2,

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9, NLT)

So, what is the right way to understand what Peter is saying here? I think the right way to understand it is that the proper response to this message is to first repent and turn to God, then you will receive forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit, and then you should be baptized. Noticed that Peter does not leave baptism as a mere option—it is something we are commanded to do. But the act of baptism does not save us, nor is it the means by which we receive the Holy Spirit. Rather, baptism is an act of obedience and a signpost in our own lives. It is a time when we identify and stand with Christ. It should mark a turning point in our lives. Baptism itself is not the turning point, but rather it marks the turning point. This, I believe, is the right way to understand what Peter said.

In any event, the people gathered grasped Peter’s message, and many embraced it wholeheartedly. We are told that 3,000 people trusted in Christ and were baptized that day. In a single day, the church increased thirty-fold! This, the changing of hearts, the drawing of a multitude of people to place of repentance and faith in Jesus is what I think is the great miracle of Pentecost. Heart-change is the realm of the Holy Spirit, and any time we see a person (let alone thousands!) turn from their sin and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we are seeing an amazing miracle, a great movement of the Holy Spirit. Let us never take this for granted!

Conclusions

We’ve covered a lot of ground today. So let’s draw some applications from what we’ve seen.

First, we see how to preach the gospel. Peter understood something we sometimes forget. The power of the gospel message is not found in our eloquence or cleverness. It is found in the reality of Christ! When we talk to people, we should point them to the fact that they are sinful and in desperate need of a savior, just as we are. And then we should point them to the reality of Jesus and tell them how they too can be saved. While we should try to communicate this clearly and winsomely, we must remember that it is not our methods that change people, but the truth of the gospel, so we should keep our focus there.

Second, faith precedes repentance. Sometimes we focus on trying to correct the behavior of non-Christian people. We tell them they need to give up their vices, they need to go to church, they need to vote like we do, they need to start acting differently, etc. But none of these things can save a person. And most people will never change their minds or hearts about such things until Christ has gotten hold of them. Rather than trying to change people’s behavior, focus on introducing them to the gospel. Once they see their need for a savior and trust in Christ for forgiveness, repentance will follow.

Third, baptism is important, but it doesn’t save us. I believe it is wrong to tell people they must be baptized to be saved. But I believe it is equally wrong to tell people that it doesn’t matter whether they are baptized or not. Baptism is commanded of Christians. It is intended to be a time of identification and a statement to ourselves, other Christians, and the watching world that we stand with Jesus. If a person claims to be a Christian but refuses to be baptized it should raise some serious questions. Baptism is the initiatory act of the church—a person cannot rightly be considered part of the body of Christ if they have not been baptized.

Finally, the gospel is for you. I would be remiss if I didn’t call you to examine your own life. If we are honest with ourselves, we know we are sinful. We might like to imagine we aren’t as bad as the next guy, but the truth is every one of us has broken God’s law. As such, we deserve condemnation. But I want you to see the good news Peter preached—this message is for all! It doesn’t matter who you are or what is in your past. The Bible promises that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. My hope today is that you will take Christ up on that wonderful offer. If so, you too will experience the great miracle of Pentecost—the greatest miracle and greatest gift any of us can ever receive; salvation, forgiveness, and new life through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

©March 2nd, 2025 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Acts