Repent
This Way: Missions in Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
Introduction
Introduction
The Holy Spirit has come! What wonderful works of God are spread by His Power! This morning, we will see the sermon of Peter, through the ability of the Spirit, on who Jesus is.
The mission of the church is the same mission given to the Eleven during the forty days that Jesus was on earth after His Resurrection. Jesus commissions them to take the good news of the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus for all mankind to each and every person. We see throughout the book of Acts that those Eleven, and the others who were part of the church at Jerusalem, went everywhere preaching this gospel. In our series on missions in Acts, we will study several of these chapters to learn about missions in the local church.
Do you give to support missions? Do you have a heart for those here in Virginia, the United States, and the world that have not accepted the free gift of salvation? Evangelism comes from a heart that has been changed by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross for sin. Missions comes from that same heart that has caught the command that Jesus has given us, His church.
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Together, we need to ask God to gives us, as a church, a desire to send and support those who are going to the lost people around the world just as we go to those here in Virginia. This is the focus of our series on “This Way” in the book of Acts.
The centrality of the Cross and the Empty Tomb to Christianity cannot be overstated. Other religions have books that they read and follow. Other religions have “legendary figures” that they point to as the foundation of their belief. Yet, only in the sacrifice of Jesus do we see the God who would give His life for we sinners who are in rebellion against Him. This sets the words of the Bible apart and give us a trust in Him!
This is the content of the sermon this morning: Jesus lived a perfect life, died on a cross in our place, and rose again on the third day. This is the Gospel. We should all know the Gospel because this is what we found our faith upon. No other Rock can hold us firm for eternity than the Rock of Jesus! I remember as a child memorizing these verses,
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Foundations are essential parts of any building. When a foundation is leaning, the building will be leaning quickly. When a foundation is sinking, the building will be shorter than planned. What is your foundation for your faith? Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 is the foundational sermon for the rest of Acts. We must always go back and measure off of the foundation.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Declaration
Declaration
Peter says, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation!" Listener, are you saved today? Today, we must receive and preach the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus as Peter did! Peter has four major points in his sermon at Pentecost.
1. The Spirit Signals Salvation
1. The Spirit Signals Salvation
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Peter begins his sermon by answering the questions in the hearts and minds of the people as they are listed in the previous verses in Acts 2.
And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
We saw last week that the Holy Spirit had come at Pentecost and the people had gathered. The Holy Spirit was preparing them to hear the good news from the church. This was an exciting day. Peter now steps up to address the people in the theme of verse 11, “the wonderful works of God.”
Peter begins his sermon with a command to listen up to the words that he is about to say in verse 14. Those who are speaking in tongues previously unknown to them are not intoxicated. He appeals to the time of the day as proof of this statement. Instead, this is fulfilled prophecy! Turn to the passage that he uses here in verses 16-21.
And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids In those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, Blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, As the Lord hath said, And in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
Peter preaches to those gathered the truth that the prophecy of Joel is referring to what is happening at that moment, the coming of the Holy Spirit. From this joyful event, there is a promise that there will be “deliverance” or as Peter quotes “salvation” in Jerusalem. Using Joel allows Peter to set the thoughts of the people on the right path to interpret the coming of the Spirit toward the prophecies of the Old Testament. The “pouring out” is God giving gifts to those on the earth, specifically here the Holy Spirit.
Why would Peter begin his sermon here? The answer is that salvation is the objective of the Holy Spirit’s coming. We find throughout the New Testament a series of actions that the Holy Spirit takes. One of these is the conviction of sin and the calling of the sinner to salvation. In the Upper Room, Jesus promised
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
We see here that the purpose of the Spirit coming, of the signs and wonders, of the coming Day of the Lord, is salvation to all that will come. God offers salvation to “whosoever will come”. The Holy Spirit brings into the heart of the sinner conviction through the Word of God.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
All of these signs and wonders point to the power and the plan of God. He is moving all things toward the final eternal state where His perfect kingdom will be made up of the redeemed. The “last days” are now here because of the coming of the Spirit and the offering of salvation. This is the first point of Peter’s sermon. We must remember that the Holy Spirit has come to point to salvation and that part of our job is to let Him work.
2. Salvation Comes from the Cross
2. Salvation Comes from the Cross
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
The second point of Peter’s sermon is the means of the now fulfilled salvation. In the Old Testament, salvation was by the same means that it is now after Pentecost. Yet the knowledge that God had given to the people was different. In the Old Testament, salvation was believing in the Promise of God to send the One, the Messiah. We see that in Genesis. In the Garden, God promised that a Seed would come that would bruise Satan’s head. In Genesis 15, God promised the same to Abraham who believed to salvation.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Now the salvation is visible in Jesus and the cross. This is the transition that Peter now makes from the questions about the Spirit to the Gospel message. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again for mankind’s sin. This allows us to have new life in Him. Let’s see what Peter says about Jesus.
Jesus was “approved” or shown forth or made clear by “miracles and wonders and signs”. These were the healings, feedings, calmings and others that Jesus made to occur during His three years of ministry. These proofs were known to those who listened.
Jesus according to the plan of God was handed by the Jews to the Gentiles to be put to death. Nailed to a cross, Jesus was suspended between heaven and earth to take all of our sin and pay the penalty. His death brought a clearing of the debt.
Jesus was raised again by God. He could not stay dead because the victory was won over death as well as sin. Jesus was released from death by God.
This is the Gospel. Jesus lived a perfect life, died and was buried, and rose again. All of this was not out of God’s control or inconvenient. Instead, God had decided on it from eternity past. God was in control every step toward the cross and out of the tomb! Jesus said,
And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!
God knew what the plan was and how man would react to His Son. They crucified Jesus. Peter’s point is that the salvation prophesied is now seen in Jesus who died. However, Jesus is now living because God raised Him from the dead! If you look today for salvation anywhere else, you miss the one and only way!
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
3. Jesus Reigns in Heaven Today
3. Jesus Reigns in Heaven Today
For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
The third point of Peter’s sermon is more complicated than the first two. In verses 25-36, Peter is developing a series of proofs for the identity of Jesus as Messiah. The Messiah was the Descendent of David and reigned in his line. Today, Jesus is reigning, Peter says.
The proofs of Peter should be something that we study out on our own. There is more here than we can look at in one sermon, as there is with any passage. Let’s see some of what Peter is saying.
Peter says that David is referring to Jesus when he said that the “Holy One” will not see corruption. This is a prophecy of the Resurrection in Ps 16:8-11. We see this in verses 25-28.
I have set the Lord always before me: Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: My flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; Neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Peter says that David is referring to Jesus when he says that God will make enemies a footstool for a King. This is a prophecy of the Exaltation of Jesus in Ps 110:1. We see this in verses 34-35.
The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
There are a series of actions by God in the passage from David. Peter preaches here to prove that Jesus is the Lord; He is God. Why would this be so important to the people? Why would he use David as an authority?
The people will not react to the logic of Peter. Those in the lost world will not respond to arguments and guarantees that we might make to them that we have the truth by experience. The reason that it matters that Jesus is God-the reason it mattered for them-is that we crucified Him! Our sin brought Jesus to the Cross. What can be done about such a reaction to the One who was prophesied to come? This is the question on the minds of those listening to Peter at Pentecost.
Peter is clear, Jesus is God. He was crucified by mankind, yet He was raised by God and is reigning now. What should we do? Peter preaches to the gathered from these nations and brings them to a point of decision.
4. Repentance and Salvation is Offered
4. Repentance and Salvation is Offered
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
The fourth point of Peter’s sermon is the application. It is two simple commands with two blessings for obedience. Those listening are convicted. They are ready to hear an answer to their question.
Two commands:
Repent - Peter tells them to change their minds and convert to believing in Jesus! Turn from your sin and believe in Him!
Be baptized - this was a sign of those who had changed their mind under the preaching of John the Baptist. Now it will be an ordinance of the church showing that repentance has taken place!
Two blessings:
Remission of sins - forgiveness is the result of repentance. This is the same pattern from Luke 24:47. The cross makes forgiveness possible.
Gift of the Holy Ghost - salvation comes with the immediate Indwelling of the Spirit
The command of Peter to “Repent!” is repeated in verse 40 as “Save yourselves!”. Repentance is in response to the removal of sin through Jesus.
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
This is personal choice to change and to choose Jesus. We call this conversion. Have salvation today! Peter is correct; the people and times in which we live are “crooked” and perverse.
They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: They are a perverse and crooked generation.
The final point of Peter’s sermon is repentance. We have in Acts 2 an evangelistic message. Peter preaches the Gospel for people to accept salvation. Such is the pattern that each and every believer and each and every missionary is to follow. Have you ever repented of your sins? Are you preaching repentance to those you come in contact with?
Conclusion
Conclusion
Peter says, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation!" Listener, are you saved today? Today, we must receive and preach the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus as Peter did!
The sermon of Peter at Pentecost is clear. Jesus is God. He died and is alive. He reigns today. Salvation is available for those who come.
Believer, are you faithful in preaching this clear Gospel message? This morning, we should smile at what God has done through Jesus! We should thank God with all our hearts for salvation! We should commit to take this clear Gospel to the lost nations that have not yet heard the good news. Peter takes leadership on Pentecost because he saw the lost men gathered to see what the church was about. What is our church about? What will we tell them?
Maybe you have never repented of your sin. There is still a debt that you face for the many things you have done against God’s law. The good news is that the application of the message at Pentecost is the same application today: Repent! We are sinners! We have chosen the wrong path.
All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
As that verse ends, so we have seen in our passage today. The sin of the world has been laid on Jesus on the cross. If you have never repented of your sins for forgiveness, why don’t you do that this morning! The Bible says you can be saved today!
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
