Introduction:

this is the first sermon ever preached in the new church age, after Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost, that is, after the coming of the Holy Spirit.  If men would preach what is preached here, what a difference would exist in men’s lives, in the church, and in world history.  Because of its length and the limited time we have, the message preached by Peter is split into three studies, this being the first of three.

A.                 Infilled believers (v.14-16).

1.                  “Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them…”  (v.14).

a)                  An explanation required (v.14).

(1)                 Some were amazed at this behavior and wanted to know what it meant.  An answer was required (Acts 2:12).

(2)                 Others mocked, jokingly suggesting that such behavior was crazy and foolish, just like the behavior of a drunken man; and they, too, were needed an answer (Acts 2:13).

b)                  An influence that is not man-made (v.15).

(1)                 What a difference the Spirit of God made in this man who used to be up and down.

(2)                 Peter had been the acknowledged leader and often the spokesman for the apostles during Christ’s earthly ministry.

(3)                 He now continues in that role, taking his stand, along with the eleven other apostles, facing the crowd.

(4)                 I believe when Peter addressed the crowd he was respectful, yet firm. 

(a)                 He proceeded calmly to show them their error.  When the enemies of Christianity mock us or the gospel, we should answer them kindly and respectfully, yet firmly.

(b)                We should reason with them calm manner, and convince them of their error:

Proverbs 15:1 says "A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger." 

(c)                 In this case Peter acted on the principle which he afterward spoke about to all:

In his 1 epistle, Peter said  "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15, NKJV)

(5)                 Obviously a Spirit-filled Peter was a very different man than the one who cringed before a lowly servant girl and denied his Lord on three occasions.

(6)                 One other side note: it says that Peter standing up, in Acts 27, Paul stood up… the point is, we need men to stand up for the truth, to give out the Gospel, to intercede for our nation:

In Jeremiah 22, the Lord says "The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger.  So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." (Ezekiel 22:29-30, NKJV)

(a)                 Let’s look at Moses interceding and the result from it (Exodus 32:10-14).

2 Chronicles 16 says "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”  (2 Chronicles 16:9)

(b)                Yes, men are to be the leaders but the woman should and can take a stand as well:

When Esther learned that her people were going to be destroyed and at first she was not going to go in the presence of the king "Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.  For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”" (Esther 4:13-14, NKJV)

!!!! c)                  Experiencing the fulfillment of Scripture (v.16).

(1)                 Peter declared that they were not drunk; they were not acting and speaking foolish things like a drunken man.  The third hour from sunrise was 9:00 a.m.

(2)                 Even those who were drunkards were not intoxicated that early in the day.  That was especially true on a festival day such as Pentecost.

(3)                 What was happening was just what Scripture predicted.  

(4)                 It was the work of God, just what God had promised to man.  It was the gospel.

B.                These are the last days, the days of God’s last work on earth (v.17-21).

1.                  “It will come to pass in the last days, says God…”  (v.17a).

a)                  We are in the last days.

(1)                 This refers to the present era of redemptive history from the 1st coming of Christ to His return.

The writer of Hebrews says that "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”  (Hebrews 1:1-2, NASB95)

Peter wrote "For He [speaking of Jesus] was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you" (1 Peter 1:20, NASB95)

Peter also said to "Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?" (2 Peter 3:3-4)

(2)                 So, we are already 2,000 years into the last days.

2.                  “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…”  (v.17b).

a)                  The last days include the great outpouring of God’s Spirit (v.17-18).

(1)                 The word “pour” means to pour out, to pour forth, to shed forth.  It means that God gives His Spirit...

(a)                 to dwell in the believer (John 14:17; 1Cor. 6:19-20).

(b)                to abide with the believer forever (John 14:16).

(c)                 to fill, to overflow, to abundantly fill the believer (Eph.5:18).

(d)                to give very special manifestations of Christ to the believer (John 14:21).

(2)                 God pours out His Spirit upon all flesh...

(a)                 upon son and daughters.

(b)                upon young men and old men.

(c)                 upon His slaves, servants, and handmaidens.

(d)                The point is this: God’s Spirit shows no discrimination.  The Spirit of God is available to all: male and female, young and old, slave and free, rich and poor.

(3)                 God pours out His Spirit with very special gifts...

(a)                 the gift of prophecy: proclaiming and predicting the truth.  Note this gift is given to both men and women.  This was part of the Scriptural promise.

(b)                the gift of seeing visions, especially among young men.  The Greek word “visions” means appearance (Rev. 4:3) or an ecstatic revelation (Rev. 9:17).  In Scripture the Greek word is used for both what a man can envision (see, imagine, think, cause to appear) within his own mind and what is given him by God through a special revelation (Rev. 9:17).  

(c)                 the gift of dreaming dreams, especially among older men.  The idea is that a dream is given by God.

(d)                We must guard against thinking that every dream or vision is of God.  We must stand upon God’s Word and measure every vision and dream by God’s Word.

3.                  “I will show wonders… and signs… before the coming of the day of the Lord…”  (v.19-20).

a)                  The last days include the days of judgment at the end—the Day of the Lord (v.19-20).

(1)                 The important biblical term the day of the Lord describes God’s cataclysmic future judgment on the wicked.

(2)                 It is mentioned explicitly nineteen times in the Old Testament and four times in the New Testament, and is alluded to in other passages.

(3)                 It will be the time when God pours out His fury on the wicked; in fact, Scripture three times calls the Day of the Lord the “day of vengeance” (Isa. 34:8; 61:2; 63:4).

b)                  Signs that the Day of the Lord is drawing near.

(1)                 The first sign that the Day of the Lord is drawing near will be the appearance of an Elijah-like forerunner.

(a)                 In Malachi 4:5 the Lord declared, “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” 

(b)                Like many other Day of the Lord prophecies, this one had a historical fulfillment in John the Baptist (Luke 1:17) and will also have a future fulfillment in the end times.

(2)                 Second, a worldwide rebellion against God and His Word will precede the Day of the Lord.

(a)                 In (2Thess.2:3) Paul reminded the Thessalonians that the Day of the Lord (v. 2) “will not come unless the apostasy comes first.”

(b)                That apostasy will include a worldwide system of false religion.

(3)                 Third, the Day of the Lord will not come until “the man of lawlessness is revealed”.

(a)                 The mans of lawlessness is also called “the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thess. 2:3–4).

(b)                The rise of Antichrist and his desecration of the temple will precede the coming of the Day of the Lord.

(4)                 Fourth, the nations will begin to assemble for the battle of Armageddon (Joel 3:2–14).

(5)                 Fifth, dramatic signs in the heavens will precede the coming of the Day of the Lord.

(a)                 God “will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns of smoke.  The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes ….  The sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness”.

4.                  “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved…”  (v.21).

a)                  The last days include the days of great salvation (v.21).

(1)                 Throughout the last days, during the whole period, man can be saved.

(a)                 He has to call: to sense the need to be saved.

(b)                He has to call upon “the name of the Lord”: You need to call on the right person.  To know and believe that Jesus is the Lord and to be ready to submit to His Lordship, to serve Him as Lord.

Paul makes it clear "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."  (Romans 10:9-10, NASB95)

Jesus said "Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 10:32, NASB95)

(2)                 What about (Matt.7:21ff.)?

!! C.                This is the day of God’s Savior: Jesus of Nazareth (v.22-24).

1.                  “A man attested by God to you…”  (v.22).

a)                  His life: Approved by God (v.22).

(1)                 The word “approved” means to point out, display, show, attest, accredit, sanction, certify, endorse.

(2)                 God put His stamp of approval upon Jesus, demonstrating and showing to all men that Jesus is perfectly acceptable to Him. Jesus of Nazareth had God’s approval, His perfect acceptance.

(3)                 There is proof of this: His miracles and wonders and signs.

(a)                 The works of God, the kind of works that only God could do.

(b)                The works were done (through Christ) “in the midst of you,” in the very presence of people.  God attested and demonstrated to the world that He was working through Christ.  

(c)                 “You yourselves also know” this.  Man knows, for God has clearly shown that Jesus is approved by Him.

2.                  “Him being delivered by the determined counsel & foreknowledge of God…”  (v.23).

a)                  His death (v.23).

(1)                 Planned by God (v.23a).

(a)                 Revelation 13:8

(b)                Isaiah 53:10

(c)                 (Genesis 50:20) God meant it for good in order to save many.

3.                  “You have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death…”  (v.23b).

(1)                 Due to man’s wickedness (v.23b).

4.                  “Whom God raised up, loosed the pains of death, that He should not be held by it…”  (v.24).

a)                  His resurrection: Ended the agony of death (v.24).

I.  The First Sermon (Part I): The Gospel Message, 2:14-24

A.  Infilled believers (v.14-16).

B.  These are the last days, the days of God’s last work on earth (v.17-21).

C.  This is the day of God’s Savior: Jesus of Nazareth (v.22-24).