Praise for Salvation

Devotional Reading Acts 2:37-47

Acts 2:37–47 KJV 1900

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. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Background Scripture Acts 2:32-33;37-47

Acts 2:37–47 (KJV 1900)

King James Version Chapter 2

This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 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.

King James Version Chapter 2

37 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? 38 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. 39 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. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

lesson context

The Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were both written by Luke, a Gentile disciple and physician (Colossians 4:14). The Gospel is like a Part 1, while Acts is Part 2. Luke addressed both of his books to a certain Theophilus (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). Acts 1:8 anticipated the spread of the gospel message from Jerusalem to Samaria and on to the remotest parts of the earth. The contents of the book of Acts span about 30 years, beginning in AD 30. The time frame of our lesson is 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection. The apostle Peter was the one speaking in today’s text (see Acts 2:14). There’s a very good chance that many or most of his audience had been in the city during Jesus’ trials, crucifixion, and resurrection; it was natural for those making the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for observances of Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:5–6; Luke 22:1) to stay for the Festival of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16:9–12). The latter came to be known as Pentecost. The people who heard Peter preach were from various locations (Acts 2:8–11). Imagine the non-stop talking in the streets about the events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth! There would have been rumors, questions, and remotest parts of the earth. The contents of the book of Acts span about 30 years, beginning in AD 30. The time frame of our lesson is 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection.

The apostle Peter was the one speaking in today’s text (see Acts 2:14). There’s a very good chance that many or most of his audience had been in the city during Jesus’ trials, crucifixion, and resurrection; it was natural for those making the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for observances of Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:5–6; Luke 22:1) to stay for the Festival of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16:9–12). The latter came to be known as Pentecost. The people who heard Peter preach were from various locations (Acts 2:8–11). Imagine the non-stop talking in the streets about the events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth! There would have been rumors, questions, and doubts about the identity of Jesus. Did he really rise from the dead? Was he really the Christ? At first glance, we may be surprised that Peter exhibited the boldness we see in today’s text. After all, he had denied Jesus three times before the crucifixion (Luke 22:54–62) and had cowered afterward in a locked room (John 20:19). But having been reinstated by Jesus himself after the resurrection (21:15–19), Peter became a different man.

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I. A Divine Plan (Acts 32-33)

32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

The Jewish people were excepting a King in the likeness of David see Matthew 12:23 “23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?” Not this Jesus . the people expected their messiah to deliver them from Roman rule and restore again Their Kingdom to Isreal see Acts1:6 “6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”

instead this Jesus humbled himself as a servant amd had no Palace Compare (Isaiah 53:1-3 “1 Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, And as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

save them from their sins and deliver them to a better Kingdom ( GOD’s ), not the kingdom of Isreal see John 18:36 “36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”

the is why the leaders could not except him as their messiah and had him crucified . not knowing that this was all in God plan from the beginning ((Acts 2:22–23; Galatians 1:4).Acts 22:22-23;Galatians 1:4).

“22 And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. 23 And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,”

so you see these people that could not grasp the full understanding of Jesus this is what they decided to do to him. just think if this is they way we think about someone who claims to be able to help us as a people and never show up or the wrong person shows up and we did say he aint fit to be president but we couldnt have him killed. for we would be spending alot of time in prison… our plan would not it has to be Gods plan........

you see now that the death of Jesus was no accident it was all in gods plan from the beginning of time back in the garden of eden when god promised to strike the serpent see (Genesis 3:15; compare Romans 16:20),

20), to the promise to Abraham, wherein his seed would be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:1–3), god worked his plan God worked his plan (compare Galatians 3:16–18). 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

That plan included raising Jesus from the dead just as the Scriptures had predicted (Acts 2:23–35). The apostles were witnesses. They had seen Jesus alive again and had watched him ascend to Heaven to sit at God’s right hand (see next verse; also Luke 24 and Acts 1).

v33) Exalted to the right hand of GOD

to be at the right hand of someone is to be in the position of honor or preeminence Ref (Genesis 48:13–20; Psalm 80:17; Acts 7:56; Ephesians 1:20; etc.).peter expanded on this a bit by quoting Pslam 110:1 in Acts 2:34 (not in today's lessons )

v 33b.) 33b. he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. Just before returning to Heaven, Jesus reminded the disciples of his Father’s plan to send them the promised Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; compare John 14:16–17; 15:26). God began to fulfill this promise as he poured out his Spirit in Acts 2:1–4. The phrase what you now see and hear points back to the evidence of the audible and visual phenomena of Acts 2:2–4. To correct a misinterpretation seen in Acts 2:13, Peter quoted from Joel 2:28–32 in Acts 2:16–21. That prophet had pronounced one of the greatest of all prophecies of Christ’s church. Joel foresaw Judah devastated by a terrifying locust plague (Joel 2:1–11). Yet God promised to remove the plague and pour out his blessings if the people repented (2:12–27). In looking into the distant future, Joel also said that God planned to do more than restore crops: he also promised to pour out his Spirit (2:28–29). Visual for Lesson 4. Start a discussion by pointing to this posted visual and asking, “What’s the connection between the image and the imperative?” In Acts 2:34–36 (not in today’s text), Peter concluded his sermon with convicting words. His message is often called the first complete gospel sermon because it was the first public announcement announcement of the significance of Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. The Scriptures had predicted that all this would happen to the Messiah (examples: Psalms 2; 16; 22; Isaiah 53; Luke 24:25–27). now understand this all we have to do is repent and God will in his time pour us out a blessing through the holy spirit .... all of this is from the spirit of God .

B. Promises Offered

(vv. 37–40)

v 37. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” This gospel message penetrated like a sword (Hebrews 4:12) as the people were called to account. Many came to the painful realization that God sent Jesus out of love for them (see John 3:16) but they had rejected him (Mark 10:32–34). Even though they had not personally driven the nails into his hands and feet, they had either agreed with those who did (Luke 23:21) or they had approved of the crucifixion by their silence.

Though we probably think of the reaction of being cut to the heart as little more than a gut feeling, certainly many in the crowd had their hearts prepared to receive correction from the Lord. A heart that is willing to ask what shall we do is prepared to discover the rich blessings of God. In this case, the people were asking the apostles for immediate help with their realized need. sometimes the truth can hurt but when it feels like a sword has pierced you that means that its hurt is one that will pierce the soul and that's deep your mind and your thoughts are cloudy and all you want to do is clear it up so where do you go???? to Christ in prayer.......

GOD’S PLAN OR MINE? A few years ago, I was comfortable. Semi-retirement suited me, especially as I remarried after my first wife’s death. Everything was working according to my plan—until my new wife and I were approached by a ministry that served at risk youth. The ministry was seeking a short-term leader who could effect some needed changes. The ministry leaders asked if we were interested. Our answer was essentially, “Not really. Life is going according to our plan.”

Israel’s plan for the type of Messiah they wanted and expected wasn’t working. That was because God had other plans. With the Spirit’s guidance, Peter was able to show the people how God was at work in ways they never expected! Are you alert to the possibility that your plan may not be God’s plan?

this shows us that our plans are nots Gods plan just like Rev Jackson our ways are not Gods ways our thoughts are not Gods Thought . so rmember we have to wait on Gods plan . not ours.

38a. Peter replied, “Repent The words repent and repentance occur more than 50 times in the New Testament. To repent is to turn away from sin and toward God in heart, mind, and lifestyle (compare Ezekiel 14:6; 18:30; Acts 3:19; 26:20). Throughout history there have been moments of truth in which people were faced with the stark choice of either walking away from God or toward him (Joshua 24:14–15; 2 Chronicles 7:14; etc.). A hard-hearted, prideful individual will not admit wrongdoing. But through repentance, that person can find peace with God. Instead of denying, excusing, or justifying sin, people must admit it and turn from it.

38b. and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ The apostle Paul later explained that to be baptized was to be “buried with [Christ Jesus] … into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead … we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4; see also Colossians 2:12). He further noted that “all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). There is nothing magical about the waters of baptism; rather, baptism is God’s chosen time when regeneration and renewal happen (Titus

when i said that we all have to repent its not my saying its Gods saying dont be afraid to admit to your sins stand up and let it be known to God that you do repent remember you are all baptized .

3:5; 1 Peter 3:21). As such, baptism is not a human work of merit (compare Ephesians 2:8–9); rather, it is a work of God....

38c. for the forgiveness of your sins. The most important thing anyone can do when reaching the age of knowing that they have sinned against God is to have those sins forgiven. The wonderful thing is that God is willing to forgive us and to help us resist future sin. The former (known as justification) happens through Christ; the latter (known as sanctification) happens through the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:11; also see next).

if you know about your sins and confess God will forgive them believe you me when i sin and trust me we sin and i can feel the guilt .

38d. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. With the gift of the Holy Spirit, Christians have the power to put off the works of the flesh and to bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–25). In this regard, Peter’s sermon foreshadows the church’s submission to the leading of the Spirit in the book of Acts and beyond.

39. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off​—​for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Those who heard this sermon likely understood all who are far off to refer to Jews who had left Israel in the diaspora (the dispersion of Jews beyond Israel). That dispersion was not limited to the exiles of 2 Kings 17:6 and 25:21. The reality of the diaspora is a context of the first century AD, with Jews living all over the Roman Empire (see Acts 2:9–11; James 1:1). In both Acts 8 and 10, there was confusion and questioning about the nature of God’s call. Christians of Jewish background initially believed that Jesus had come to redeem only Israel (compare Luke 24:21; Acts 11:18). But throughout the book of Acts, the Spirit led messengers to take the gospel to Gentiles as well.

so back then it the message of Christ was delivered to the gentiles also meaning all people . even unto us here in the US the gosssiple of christ is to be wherever or whom ever God has CALLED

40. With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” The word translated corrupt is also translated “crooked” in Luke 3:5. That’s the idea in Deuteronomy 32:5,   They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children:

Including results for corrupt.

Do you want results only for crrupt?

Dictionary

Look it up

corrupt [kəˈrəpt] ADJECTIVE having or showing a willingness to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain. "unscrupulous logging companies assisted by corrupt officials" synonyms: dishonest · dishonorable · unscrupulous · unprincipled · amoral ·[more] (of a text or a computer database or program) made unreliable by errors or alterations. "a progressively corrupt magnetic record is usable nonetheless" archaic (of organic or inorganic matter) in a state of decay; rotten or putrid. "a corrupt and rotting corpse" VERB cause to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain. "there is a continuing fear of firms corrupting politicians in the search for contracts" synonyms: bribe · suborn · buy · buy off · pay off change or debase by making errors or unintentional alterations. "Epicurus's teachings have since been much corrupted" synonyms: alter · falsify · manipulate · tamper with · interfere with · tinker with · doctor · distort · adulterate · bastardize · dilute · contaminate · taint · vitiate archaic infect; contaminate. "the corrupting smell of death" synonyms: bribe · suborn · buy · buy off · pay off · pervert · debauch · deprave · warp ·[more]

They are a perverse and crooked generation

which refers to “a warped and crooked generation.” Christians must shine like stars in a sin-darkened world and keep themselves “from being polluted by the world”

so our light must always shine so everyone can see the God in us see the holy spirit in us see the christ in us this light must always shine in us . let it not get dim let shine bright. so when people see us they CAN SAY you look different and that difference is this light we have from Christ . like the song says this little light of mine im gonna let it shine.

II. A Divine Change (ACTS 2:41–47)

A. Added to the Church

(v. 41) 41. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Modern estimates suggest that Jerusalem’s population was 60,000–80,000 at the time. With the annual observance of Pentecost, however, the number would have been temporarily much higher. The three thousand who accepted Peter’s message were therefore a small fraction of those who could have. Even so, their influence in Jerusalem and their hometowns located in the regions listed in Acts 2:9–11 could be enormous (compare Luke 13:20–21).

I accepted Christ and was baptized at a young age. In middle age, I visited Israel. At a spot in the Jordan River, I watched as several in our tour group were baptized. Most also had been Christians from their youth. As a teacher of Christianity, I focused on biblical truth. In that light, I knew of no precedent for rebaptism in the New Testament except in the case of John’s baptism (Acts 19:1–5). Since that didn’t apply to me, and since I had already been baptized, I decided not to join them. Years later, I went to Israel again. I approached that trip from a different perspective. I had begun to look at faith less academically. I reflected on how abundantly God had blessed me since I had been baptized. Standing again at the Jordan River, I decided to be baptized again. That decision was not necessary in God’s eyes since there is “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). But I did it as an act of personal spiritual and emotional renewal. How has your perspective on spiritual life changed with maturing faith?

I remember when i first got baptised back in 1969 shortly after that i went out on faith and did alot of things i shouldnt have and it took along time for me o come back to the word of God . but durning all that time i was not in the word our God protected me through all i went through and some from running the streets of warrenton to being in the army to living in a forgieon country to back to the us in 1980 until i return back to worshiping God Christ and the holy spirit starting in 2007 until now thanks be to God .

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