The Beginning of the End

Introduction

What is the gospel? Can you answer this question in a minute or two?

What is the burning heart of Christianity? Do you know?

What is that message which summarizes your only hope in life and death?

Martin Luther (16th century Reformer) said, “At its briefest, the gospel is a discourse [or message] about Christ… that he is the Son of God and became a man for us, that he died and was raised, and that he has been established as Lord over all things.”[1]

Richard Sibbes (17th century Puritan) said, “What is the gospel itself but a merciful moderation [or reduction in severity], in which Christ’s obedience is esteemed ours, and our sins laid upon him, wherein God, from being a judge, becomes our Father, pardoning our sins and accepting our obedience, though feeble and blemished? We [who repent and believe] are now brought to heaven under the covenant of grace by a way of love and mercy.”

These two pastor-theologians were summarizing the gospel, and there are several great passages in the Bible where we may read a short and focused summary as well. I love Romans 3 and Ephesians 2 and Titus 3, because each of these passages drill right down the heart of the Bible… to the heart of the gospel… and they tell us the good news in short order.

Our main text today is one of the Bible’s gospel-passages.

In Acts 2, we’re going to read the very first recorded account of a public gospel presentation after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ… This is how Christians proclaimed the gospel right from the beginning.

But this message (in Acts 2) was preached just after the momentous arrival of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to a Jewish audience in 1st century Jerusalem, and so Peter (the one preaching) assumed that his hearers had a good understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures – especially God’s promises of judgment and salvation… through the work of a Messiah.

If you know the OT well, then you’ll probably follow Peter’s message pretty easily. If you don’t have a good handle on the OT, then don’t worry… I’ll help you (Lord willing) with an explanation in today’s sermon.

Either way, listen to these words as I read them, and follow along in your own Bible. Listen to the tone of this gospel message. Is it soft? Is it strong? Is it passive? Is it authoritative?

Listen also to the urgency of this gospel message. Does Peter think his hearers have lots of time to think this matter over? Or does he call them to respond right now?

And listen also to how Jesus is portrayed the message. Does Peter speak of Jesus politely inviting sinners to receive Him? Is Jesus meekly knocking at their heart’s door (whatever that might mean)?

Let’s turn to Acts 2:14-41, and let’s stand together while I read God’s word.

Scripture reading

Acts 2:14–41 (ESV)

14 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. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.

16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17 “‘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; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

22 “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— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 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.

Main point

The coming of the Holy Spirit was the beginning of the end, both for Israel and for the world, and there is salvation through judgment for all who repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Message

1) The Day of the LORD Has Come

As I pointed out a couple of Sundays ago, the major theme of Peter’s explanation of what happened on the day of Pentecost was this concept and arrival of “the day of the Lord” (v20). And this is exactly what we’re reading here. Look at v14 and following with me.

Amid all the commotion in Jerusalem that day – when Jews from regions all around heard the works of God in their own language, as the Holy Spirit filled every person among that small band of Christian-disciples and gave them the ability to speak in languages they’d never learned – Peter (standing with the other eleven Apostles [v14]) spoke up to provide an explanation.

And Peter answered those who mocked, saying, “these people are not drunk, as you suppose… But,” he said, “this [i.e., what they were seeing and hearing at Pentecost] is what was uttered through the prophet Joel” (v15-16).

Then he recited directly from Joel’s prophecy, “in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh [i.e., all humankind]” (v17).

And, of course, that’s what God had just begun to do in Jerusalem on that day!

Joel said God would pour out His Spirit – not merely give His Spirit temporarily to some people, but fill all His people with His Spirit – and that’s what God did in Jerusalem (2:1-13), in Samaria (8:14-17, 10:44-48), and all the way to the other end of the Roman empire in Ephesus (19:1-7).

But Joel’s prophecy didn’t just predict the coming of God’s Spirit to dwell among His people (as wonderful and momentous as that was and is), Joel also spoke of the coming of “the great and magnificent… day of the Lord” (v20).

And Peter said, “This (Pentecost) is that (the day of the LORD)!” But what in the world does that mean?! Well, I’m glad you asked…

2) The Day of the Lord Means Judgment

The coming of the Holy Spirit was – as Peter clearly says in our passage this morning – the beginning of the end, in the sense that Pentecost spelled the arrival of the “day of the Lord.” As we shall see, this meant-and-means both judgment and salvation… but let’s focus first on the judgment.

I want to explain the reason why we see judgment here and then explain why we should understand that God’s judgment was aimed both at Israel and also at the whole world.

God’s judgment – as a major feature of the “day of the Lord” – is most obvious in Peter’s message here when he cited Joel’s prophecy in v17-21. The brief portion of Joel’s prophecy found in Acts 2 already presents images of divine judgment… see especially v19-20.

God spoke through Joel, saying, “I will show wonders… and signs… blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood…” (v19-20). This is the biblical language of God’s judgment, which is not uncommon in the Old Testament.

For example, when God spoke a word of judgment against ancient Egypt through the prophet Ezekiel, God said, “Alas for the day! For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near… A sword shall come upon Egypt… I will drench the land even to the mountains with your flowing blood… When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light” (Ezekiel 30:2-4, 32:6-7).

And again, when God spoke a word of judgment against Babylon through the prophet Isaiah, God said, “Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation… For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light…” (Isaiah 13:9-10).

So too, when God spoke a word of judgment against Israel through the prophet Joel, God said the very words we’ve been reading this morning in Acts… and many more. Just like Ezekiel and Isaiah, Joel spoke of “darkness” in the heavens (2:10) and “desolation” on the earth (Joel 2:3). Joel echoed the same poetic imagery of these other prophets of God’s judgment… and they all spoke of something they called “the day of the LORD” (Joel 1:15, 2:1, 11, 31, 3:14; cf. Ezekiel 30:3; Isaiah 13:9).

Whatever else we might learn from Peter’s explanation of what happened at Pentecost, we must understand that the coming of the Holy Spirit meant that “the day of the Lord” is here… and that means God’s judgment is here too.

It’s also important for us to know that “the day of the Lord” is something theologians and Bible scholars call a telescopic prophecy or a prophetic concept with a telescopic fulfillment.[2]

Some of you know the basics of how a telescope works. Two or more lenses produce a greater magnification as they cooperate. With our naked eye we can see one picture of a distant object, and with a telescope we can see yet another (much more definitive) picture of that same object.

That’s basically what a telescopic prophecy is. Ezekiel and Isaiah and Joel were all prophesying God’s judgment… on Egypt, on Babylon, and on Israel… but they were also warning of God’s definitive or final judgment on the world.

The “day of the Lord” already came for ancient Egypt and ancient Babylon… These ancient nations fell under God’s wrath and judgment.

In Acts 2, Peter was telling his first century Jewish hearers that they too were about to experience “the day of the Lord” in Jerusalem.

We will get to the world in a minute, but let’s not leave Jerusalem too quickly.

The descendants of Abraham, those under the Mosaic covenant in 1st century Jerusalem, deserved God’s judgment because of their horrific rebellion against the God who created them and gave them His covenant. They and their ancestors had repeatedly and systematically and arrogantly broken God’s covenantal law… This is the story of the Old Testament… Read it for yourself.

Those 1st century descendants of Abraham also deserved God’s judgment because of their appalling rejection of God’s man – Jesus – who was the rightful Davidic king and “Holy One of Israel” (Ps. 16:10; cf. Ps. 89:18).

Look at Acts 2:22 and following with me. Peter said that “Jesus of Nazareth [was] a man attested [or “approved” (KJV) or “pointed out” (HCSB) or “publicly endorsed” (NLT)] to [them] by God with mighty works and wonders and signs…” (v22). And what or who did God show Jesus to be?

Peter says the Psalmist spoke of Jesus as God’s “Holy One” (v27), and Peter’s argument is that Jesus (not David) was and is the true divine king (v30)… since Jesus (not David) is “the Christ” who was “raised” from death to life forevermore (v31-32). Furthermore, it is Jesus (not David) who now sits at the “right hand” of the Father, ruling and reigning this very moment, “until” all His “enemies” are made His “footstool” (v34-35).

It’s fascinating to see how significant it was for the early Christians to show both the Jews and the Greeks that Christianity wasn’t a “new” religion. Christianity was, in fact, older than Greek paganism and as old as Judaism… because those early Christians saw themselves as the ultimate recipients of the promises God originally gave Abraham (this was Paul’s point in Romans 4-5).

And what does Peter say the “Men of Israel” did with God’s anointed man… this one who was the culmination of all God’s OT promises and predictions?

They “crucified” Him (v23)… Look at v36. “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

For their rejection of the Christ (the Messiah), and for their disobedience under the Mosaic covenant, the descendants of Israel suffered God’s judgment. Peter said that “the day of the Lord” had arrived on the day of Pentecost, and within a generation both Jerusalem and the rebuilt temple were destroyed.

The desolation and brutality that came upon Jerusalem in 70 AD is hard to say out loud, and the earliest Christians saw that event as the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy and Peter’s declaration regarding God’s judgment upon Israel on the “day of the Lord.”[3]

Friends, do you believe God has the right to judge people and nations who sin?

Do you believe God sees every injustice and keeps a record of every wrong?

Do you believe that one day, sooner or later, the bill will come due?

What will you do when “the day of the Lord” arrives for you? It will, as we shall see…

But first, let’s note that the “day of the Lord” also means salvation.

3) The Day of the LORD Means Salvation

Most of the substance of the gospel is implied in Peter’s message here in Acts 2, but there’s a lot packed into the last several verses of our passage this morning. Look at v37 with me.

When the people in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost heard that “the day of the Lord” was upon them and they were about to experience the horrific judgment of God, some of them “were cut to the heart, and said… ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” (v37).

They were asking, “How do we escape?!” or “How can we be saved?!”

Peter said, “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 Holy Spirit… 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” (v38-39).

As I said, there’s a lot here…

Questions might arise about baptism, the relationship of conversion with the reception of the Holy Spirit, and what Peter means by saying that the “promise” is “for your children.” Ask me or another of our pastors or a fellow church member about these anytime… but right now, I’m going to focus on the offering of salvation here as part of the arrival of “the day of the Lord.”

My lengthy second point still stands – The day of the Lord means judgment – but it is through that judgment that God brings about salvation for all who repent (turn from sin) and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ (as baptism in the name of Christ indicates or signifies).[4]

You see, it is not as though God’s judgment burns hot against some sinners and it simply fizzles out when He looks at others… No! God’s judgment comes for us all! No sin will go unpunished in God’s economy!

The salvation Peter offered his hearers on the day of Pentecost – the salvation available to those upon whom “the day of the Lord” had come – was the “forgiveness of… sins” based on the “promise” of God which was and is fulfilled in Jesus Christ!

Packed away in these words (“promise” and “forgiveness” and “repentance” and “Christ”) is the full freight of the biblical gospel. Sinners deserve God’s judgment, but God (in unimaginable mercy and grace) has promised forgiveness of sins through the person and work of a Messiah or Christ… a mediator who would absorb the judgment of God on behalf of all those sinners who would repent and believe (or trust) in Him.

When God’s judgment against sin was poured out on Jesus, the sin of every believer was judged, and God’s wrath was completely satisfied. As the Scripture teaches us, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of [God’s] law by becoming a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13).

And we can know that Jesus did in fact finish the work of salvation in full because (as Peter said), “This Jesus God raised up… [and] exalted [Him] at the right had of [the Father]” (v32-33).

On the basis of the person and work of Christ, Peter told those 1st century Jews in Jerusalem that God’s judgment was coming because of sin, but God’s salvation was also coming… because God was bringing His plan of redemption to its final and ultimate end in the very man they had crucified.

Therefore, Peter exhorted them, “Repent!” …and… “Save yourselves from this crooked [i.e., unbelieving and wicked] generation!” …and… Turn to Jesus Christ for the “forgiveness of sins!”

This is the gospel pronouncement of Christianity… and it’s still true today.

4) The Day of the Lord is Still Imminent Today

Friends, just as sure as God’s judgment came upon ancient Egypt and ancient Babylon and ancient Israel, so too it will ultimately come upon the whole world. Remember, I said that the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel and Joel not only spoke a word of judgment on those people back then… but telescopicallyand explicitly they also spoke an all-encompassing word of judgment on every sinner, everywhere.

Hear Ezekiel’s word of warning again, “the day of the LORD is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations…” (Ezekiel 30:3).

Isaiah too said, “Behold, the day of the LORD comes… [God] will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity” (Isaiah 13:9, 11).

Jesus Himself (in an apocalyptic revelation to the Apostle John) said, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done” (Revelation 22:12), and the Scripture clearly teaches us that there is coming a “day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” against “every human being who does evil” (Romans 2:5, 9).

But the “day of the Lord” doesn’t only mean judgment… it also means salvation… and not just for 1st century Jews… but as Peter says in our passage, “the promise” of “forgiveness of sins” is for “all who are far off” (both geographically and chronologically) “everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself” (v38-39).

Since we are living (in a sense) in “the day of the Lord” …and since “the day of the Lord” will soon come upon us and our world in full … What kind of people ought we be? What kind of lives ought we live? What kind of gospel ought we proclaim?

Let me spend the remaining sermon time this morning offering some pastoral application in the form of answers to these very questions.

What kind of people ought we be?

I think we ought to be a humble and grateful people since God has not left us in our sin… and He hasn’t brought ultimate ruin upon this world as of yet.

I think we should be a trusting/believing and repenting people since God offers us today the same forgiveness of sins through the promise of the same Christ that He did in 1st century Jerusalem.

I think we ought to be a hopeful and contented people since whatever circumstances we might be presently facing in this life will soon give way to the eternal realities, which are always there… though sometimes they’re hard to see.

What kind of lives ought we live?

I think we should live with one foot in the present world and one foot in the world to come.

I mean, I don’t think we should aim to seclude ourselves from the world around us, merely trying to protect our own freedoms or privileges or comforts. Rather, I believe we (Christians) should labor for the good in the world: contributing to good in our communities, raising virtuous children, guarding and honoring faithfulness in our marriages, showing hospitality to our neighbors, working good jobs, making helpful investments, learning and teaching for the progress of knowledge and wisdom, and a host of other wonderful efforts.

However, we (Christians) should not forget that this world and everything in it is passing away. We aren’t building a worldly kingdom. We won’t create a perfect culture, government, or citizenry. Jesus’ mission for His people – local churches – is not kingdom-building in an earthly sense. Rather, He has called us to make disciples by proclaiming the gospel, by baptizing new converts into fellowship with the rest of us, and by teaching ignorant/new disciples everything they don’t yet know about trusting and living for King Jesus.

What kind of gospel ought we proclaim?

It seems clear that Christians today should proclaim the same gospel as our ancient ancestors. It’s not for us to answer every question our unbelieving friends ask… You don’t have to be an apologetics wiz or a Bible-drill champ to proclaim the gospel… We simply tell others about the judgment and salvation that are both found in Jesus Christ… and we urge them to repent and believe.

Barry has been teaching a course group for several weeks now, going through a book called “Evangelism.” Mack Stiles (the author of the book) uses a helpful structure for proclaiming the kind of gospel we’re talking about today.

God – man – Christ – response

A lot of Christians have found this a really helpful way to proclaim the gospel, and I think it’s fantastic.

God: God is the creator of all things and the ruler over all people.

Man: God made man in His own image, originally good, and for His glory; but humanity sinned against God – from our first parents onward – and we have put ourselves under God’s curse and judgment.

Christ: In His great love and mercy, God sent His Son – Jesus Christ (the only God-man) to live the perfect life and to die on a cross in order to fulfill God’s law and to take on Himself the punishment of sin for all who turn from sin and trust in Him. This same Jesus conquered death and now rules and reigns as Lord over all.

Response: God, in Christ, and through His people, now calls every sinner everywhere to repent (to turn from disobedience and unbelief) and to believe (to trust and submit to and follow) Christ as both Savior and Lord. Sinners who hear this message should turn this instant toward Christ, throw yourselves upon His mercy, and receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and reconciliation with the God who made you.

This is the gospel we not only proclaim… It’s the gospel we should believe… It’s the gospel we should know and love and cling to with all our might!

Praise God for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost! Praise God for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all believers from that day to this one! And praise God that this means the beginning of the end… both judgment against sin and sinners and salvation for all who repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Endnotes

[1] This and the other gospel citations are pulled from Trevin Wax’s incredibly helpful compilation, which I’ve cited (along with a link) in the bibliography of this sermon. [2] See this helpful article on “the day of the Lord” with telescopic fulfillment https://bible.org/article/basic-introduction-day-lord-old-testament-writing-prophets [3] See Eusebius’ “The Church History” in (I think) chapter 20, where he cites Josephus’ account of the destruction of Jerusalem and attributes that event to God’s judgment. [4] My use of this phrase “salvation through judgment” comes from my reading of Jim Hamilton’s biblical theology. My own view has been shaped by his phraseology, and I am unable to parse out all the places where I may be drawing from Hamilton’s words and themes.

Bibliography

Calvin, John, and Henry Beveridge. Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010. Print.

Peterson, David G. The Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

Polhill, John B. Acts. Vol. 26. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992. Print. The New American Commentary.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015. Print.

Wax, Trevin. Gospel Definitions. The Gospel Coalition, 2009. Online/digital. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/gospel-definitions-pdf-format/