Acts the Story Continues (8)

Peter’s First Sermon

As we have been going through the book of Acts we are now at the point where Peter preaches his first sermon. The Spirit of God fell. People spoke in tongues and Peter begins to explain this manifestation of God.

Out of all the disciples I feel as though I am closest to Peter. As we will find out Peter didn’t care about stepping on toes-He cared about saving lives. Imagine you just witnessed the great noise, people start coming out speaking in your language. Now this guy, who in the midst of it all starts speaking—without thought, just prompted by the Holy Spirit. He didn’t have a week to prepare his message. He had minutes. But Peter understood one of the biggest concepts in Christianity.

The Message Wasn’t His-It’s was God’s

I can’t tell you the number of times I hear people state

“I don’t know what to say...”

When asked why they don’t share their faith They forget Jesus’ words

Matthew 10:19 ESV

When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

The person guided by the Spirit of God will never be lost for words. If God hasn’t given you something to speak it means you went out in the flesh and not divine appointment because if God sends you to someone he will equip with everything you need to do His will.

I find it interesting how Peter Starts his sermon—He first Rebukes the crowds ill-conceived notion of drunkeness. This goes against everything most Christians try to do. As Christians we lean on scriptures that state we need to turn the other cheek. That God will seek revenge. That we are supposed to sit idlely by and allow people to destroy the validity of the words we speak. But Peter Squashes all of that in the first sentence.

Acts 2:14–15 ESV

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.

Understand this:

Peter doesn’t defend himself—he defends His message.

We need to be ready to give an answer when someone calls our qualifications out on the table. We cannot sit by and expect God to defend us. He gave us mouths to speak. He gave us the Spirit of God to give us words of wisdom for our mouths. If someone tries to weaken the message of salvation you are bringing it is ok to defend yourself, but remember you have the shield of faith and the sword of God’s word. Peter doesn’t stand up and say

Hey you jerks. We aren’t drunk you’re just too stupid to be used by God. Peter defends himself through scripture.

Acts 2:16–21 ESV

But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

First I want to draw your attention to something. Notice Peter doesn’t state that Joel’s prophesy was fulfilled. This was the start of the prophesy, not the fulfillment. This is one way we know that God’s gifts are still relevent today. If Peter said it was fulfilled we would have know it was done. When Jesus fulfilled the Levitical LAw he said it is finished. Jesus said he came

Matthew 5:17–18 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

We no longer sacrifice animals because Jesus fulled the law. He didn’t do away with it. We still have to plead the blood of Jesus over it or

APPLY THE GRACE

to our sin, but we no longer have to sacrifice.

Peter is saying this is what Joel was talking about. Then Peter gives a clear path to salvatiuon: anyone who calls upon the name.

He’s stating that this power you see before you is available to everyone. No longer does the Spirit of God rest on certain people. Everyone can be FILLED with the Spirit.

Lastly for this morning, I could spend weeks on this because I believe it’s so imperative to our message, but I will try to contain my zeal and my rant.

Acts 2:22-

Acts 2:22–23 ESV

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

May ask why I feel so passionately about this verse and here’s why

Notice the point accusations. Peter states that look Jesus came, But YOU killed him. You sinned. You fall short of the glory of God. You beat him.

And if you’ll allow me a moment on my soap box. I am getting weary of the endless sermons concerning God’s wanting to bless us and make us happy. I am tired of the edgeless swords preachers are weilding from the pulpit. A sword is only as good as the sharpness of it’s blade.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Christianity is getting so powerless. I read this week that pope created a new word

Chrislam

He is trying to join Christians and Islamic faiths. Understand Chrislam’s are going to hell. Only true Christians will make it to Heaven.

I am not saying we must brow beat people into heaven. No—We don’t need endless turn or burn messages but we also can’t lose our accountability for the si in our life. I get so tired of hearing. Well the devil made me do it. I have staired in the eyes of a demon. I have seen what it is to be demon controlled and I guarentee in 99% of the cases in the world we chose to sin—we weren’t forced to sin.

We need to Own our sin, Claim our Sin, and release our sin in the blood of Jesus.

If you don’t own your sin you cannot be forgiven of your sin.

Have you ever had someone appolize like this:

Well I’m sorry you walked into my fist.

How many of us would receive this appology when someone punches us in the face? no one. So why do we expect God to? Well I’m sorry you planted that tree that adam ate from and now Satan can make me sin.

No. Pete didn’t make it easy for Jews to come to Christ—Because Christ didn’t make the path to salvation easy to walk on.

Narrow is the way that leads to heaven.

Easy is sin—wide is the gate that leads to hell. You wonder why we cannot get out loved ones saved it would be the same if we took one bottle of wine dumped 30 gallons of water in it and wondered why no one was getting drunk.

You can’t remove God’s convicting power and expect people to receive God’s saving power.

Come one church…sin is sin. We don’t have to beat people with it, but we cannot deny it either. We can’t marry it. We can’t join it to Christianity and hope Jesus won’t notice that’s not how it works.

Stand up with me if you are tired of a conviction-less gospel. I want to pray with you. Stand up if you want to bring the boldness back to the Spirit of God. Stand up if you are ready to own your sin, understand that Jesus saved you despite your sin, and desire to see people set free from sin. I want to pray with you!