The Prophet and the Promise

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Acts 2:25–41 ESV

25 For David says concerning him, “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

It would be really easy to preach this message and break down all the OT meanings, point to Christ and finish by saying, “here you go, do this”, and in so doing miss one of the biggest encouragements we can get from this passage.

So what is it? What is the big idea here?

Was it, to know your audience? I mean peter knew he was talking to Jews so he uses OT texts to convince them… He knew his audience? That is a good point but not the big idea.

Was it, be sure to bring people to a conclusion? We can clearly see that peter didn’t just say some things about Jesus and left them alone, rather he preached until they wanted to know what they needed to do about this message.

So what is the big Idea we see from Peter’s first sermon… from the first Apostolic sermon preached in the NT?

I would submit to you it was this...

God’s Spirit Empowers God’s People to be on God’s Mission by Preaching God’s Word

The big idea that we have been seeing through the earlier verses in … God’s Spirit Empowers God’s people to be on God’s Mission, is now accomplished by God’s people Preaching God’s word.

Peter doesn’t just stand up and try to convince people that Jesus is alive. He doesn’t just try really hard to be persuasive with using lots of good illustrations. He knows his audience, recognizes they are guilty yet unaware of the truth of Jesus, and preaches God’s word to them in order to show them they have missed it.

Peter shows them how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is connected to past… How the OT points to a Messiah, and that Jesus is that messiah.

Peter Proclaims the Prophet and the Promise. Let’s look at it.

Acts 2:25–28 ESV

25 For David says concerning him, “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

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What is Peter doing here? Why is he quoting the OT to these people? Please keep in mind he is speaking to Jews from all over who have come out of obedience to the law to worship in Jerusalem.

So who was his audience? Jews who knew the law.

He already showed them from the Prophet Joel that this was God making an appeal through them just like God did in the OT days through the prophets. God the Holy Spirit was now displaying an ability to supercede a need for languages in an effort to present the Gospel to people from all over.

The Prophet Joel makes sense of what they are seeing and hearing. To make matters more serious Peter now points to David. He uses to show that the OT anticipated the resurrection.

This is a direct quote that David made about someone other than himself. David was sure of a Promise to not allow God’s Holy One to see corruption.

The Prophet Knew the Promise

David was saying that the Lord was before him and at his right hand… Meaning he was confident of God’s presence in his life. And this caused him to rejoice and have great confidence and Hope. Yet he goes on to say something that had caused God’s people some confusion, because he says you will not abandon me to the grave or pit, which is the literal translation of Hades, and that God will not let his Holy One see Corruption. this spoke of what happen when someone is buried and their flesh decays.

So the Prophet knew the promise yet, how do we know he wasn’t talking about himself?

Acts 2:29 ESV

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

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Peter easily shows them what David was talking about because they all knew where David was buried.

They may have wondered for years what David meant by this passage but now Peter was able to show them that the Prophet did not fulfill the promise

The Prophet did not fulfill the Promise

David couldn’t have been talking about himself since he was dead and buried and they all knew it and anyone could go visit his grave.

Peter masterfully preaches to people making sure to not only sight scripture they would be familiar with but can illustrate it plainly causing a tension that would make them think.

If David was not talking about himself, if this passage is talking about a Messiah to come, that person would not be allowed to decay in the grave. David did not qualify, so who was David talking about

Acts 2:30 ESV

30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne,

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First off, we see that they not only regarded David as a great King but as a Prophet, because he spoke as God was making an appeal through him.

As a Prophet, God had made an Oath to him. What does it mean if God makes an oath to a Prophet?

Think about it… The creator makes an oath to you? It is safe to say that whatever the Oath, it is definitely gonna happen.

So what is the Oath?

One of David’s descendants will sit on his throne. This is one of those things that Jews of that time would’ve been waiting for and quite frankly would’ve known meant the Messiah who would deliver God’s people.

Peter explains further how David interprets his own words...

Acts 2:30–31 ESV

30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.

Now an important thing we need to keep in mind is that when we read this verse we say, “he is talking about Jesus” because he said the Christ… Yet please understand that they believed King David was Prophetically speaking of a Messiah or the Christ, yet no one knew who that was.

So all this information is making sense to them, except for the fact that everyone wants to know who the Christ is and no one does, because as of yet he hasn’t come. So what do we know?

The Prophet Foresaw and Spoke of a Resurrection

Peter explains that the Prophet foresaw and spoke of a resurrection.

They needed to hear that God spoke long ago through David who they very much esteemed, that the Christ would not be abandoned to the grave and see corruption… SO, the Christ will somehow die and not be left in the grave and have his body decay???

The implications of what Peter was saying to them was really bringing them to a Climax in the story here...

Who… Who is this Christ??? Do you know Peter??? David saw it and spoke about it and we haven’t really seen that before, but now we do… So who is it???

Acts 2:32 ESV

32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

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This Jesus… the One he had just told them God has Raised up from the dead… Jesus of Nazareth he said in vs 22… the one who did mighty works, wonders and signs in their midst. THIS Jesus of Nazareth that God sovereignly decided to have delivered up and crucified by lawless men… THIS Jesus who is no longer dead because death has loosed its Pangs on him, Because the Grave Cannot possibly hold him...

THIS Jesus that David foresaw and spoke of as being resurrected because the grave can’t hold him and death can’t decay him.

THIS JESUS GOD RAISED UP...

And do you remember ???

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

When the Holy Spirit comes they would be Empowered to Witness...

THIS Jesus God raised up… OF THAT WE ARE WITNESSES!!!

Peter now full of the Holy Spirit, Witnesses, to a people who very possibly a few months earlier were screaming Crucify him. He Boldly stands up and uses God’s word to show them that THIS JESUS is that Christ they are looking for. He is the Messiah they were in search of.

And all these 120 people, that have them bewildered because of the gift of tongues that displayed God’s power over a language barrier, are now standing before them as witnesses to this Resurrection… They cannot deny all of their testimonies and they certainly cannot ignore the spiritual experience that has captivated their attention.

Peter does not leave it there… He continues in case there is any doubt of who David was talking about...

Acts 2:32–35 ESV

32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’

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So they are all witnesses of this Christ that was resurrected… and further more he has Ascended, and they can know this because the Holy Spirit has now been poured out… They can see and Hear it as a sign that God is in his people now.

But Who is this Lord that David is talking about? How can the Lord… God say to my Lord, my God… Sit at my right hand? What was David talking about here? Sitting at the right hand of God is a place of extreme honor and no prophet would dare proclaim he is worthy to be seated in honor in God’s presence… What is talking about?

Peter can hardly hold himself back from bringing them to the moment in the story when they move from tension to turmoil… look at this!

Acts 2:36 ESV

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

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Do you feel that tension turning to turmoil in the hearts???

Listen up everyone… all the house of Israel… every Jew within ear shot is being called to pay attention… Know for certain, stop debating and stop pretending like you don’t care… Know for certain that God, The Father and Creator, the All Powerful, All Knowing, Ever Present God of Everything has made him BOTH LORD and CHRIST.

If that wasn’t a powerful enough statement, he ends it with this little gem...

THIS JESUS WHOM YOU CRUCIFIED!!!!

When the Gospel is preached with such power, and the people are captivated by it, there comes a moment of fear. Fear because you know that even if you didn’t drive those nails in his hands and feet, it was because of your sin and my sin that it was necessary for him to be pierced. Whether they yelled Crucify him or they wept, there sin and our sin was responsible for crucifying Him.

These that stood before Peter that day surely had some in their crowd that were part of that crowd on the day they screamed “Crucify Him”...

Yet this very scene is repeated every time the Gospel is preached and we see that we hated God, we ignored him and his Laws, we despised his holiness making us feel guilty and dirty because we are. We were by nature objects of Wrath, loving the darkness rather than the light of the glorious gospel of Jesu Christ.

And like their response our needs always to be the same...

Acts 2:37–39 ESV

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

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What Shall we do?

The Answer… You can’t DO anything but Repent… Meaning Turn from your Sin that Crucified him. And if you mean it then be baptized in Jesus name because you know he has forgiven you of your sins… Something Only God can do.

The Promise is for you… For ALL who are far off… in distant lands and distant in their hearts… all who God calls.

This is a simple gospel message. Proof that Jesus is the Christ and Lord, understanding your part in being opposed to him and repentance which is a turning away from what you have been all this time. Learning to identify with THIS JESUS because he has forgiven your sins, and receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

The question for us of course is, how do we apply this truth to our hearts???

If you are here today and you have never heard this… please understand that it isn’t just for someone else to believe but for you to believe… Jesus is God and he is Alive. The Grave could not hold him and the death didn’t decay him, because he defeated it and rose victorious. This Jesus is God and he is Lord and Savior, he is the Christ! And your sin and my sin held him to die and innocent death he didn’t deserve but took upon himself because of pure love for you. So… Repent… Turn from sin and turn in Faith to him and he will forgive your sins. Come and tell us of this in your life that you m ay be baptized!

What about for those of us who already know this.

We need to remember this today...

We need to remember this today...

The Gospel doesn’t just grow us… First the Gospel WINS US!

Before these people grow in the Gospel, they are won by the Gospel. The Gospel still wins people to this day… and this is the Mission of God that he empowers his people Preach by His Spirit.

Are we preaching the Gospel to anybody? Because the Gospel will win people before it grows them in spiritual maturity.

If we only use the Gospel to grow ourselves and forget its power to win the lost, then we are nothing like the early church and we need to be brought back into balance. In some cases it is just plain sinful to not preach Christ and the Gospel that Saves, because we are obsessed with our Christian life being one of growth personally.

Today feel the same tensions they felt, but not because it was the first time you are hearing this Gospel, rather today feel the tension because there are so many left to hear it for the first time and we are charged with carrying this Gospel to the nations… and it starts right here and right now.

Today let us pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit because of either new birth in Christ or because we need the empowerment to be witnesses as the early church was.