2013.10.13 Peters Sermon
Acts 2: 14-39
Good morning…… We are studying the Birth if the church in
the Book of Acts…….
We have been redeemed to Glorify God in our lives…… We
are called to be witnesses……. To be salt
and light in this dark and dying world……. Big job… How do we do that?…… How
does the individual Christian become what God wants him to be?……. We can´t
do it on our own….
We
desperately need the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us….. transforming us….. Working through us….. so
that we can be effective witnesses for Him…… So that we can finish the work
that Jesus began…. When we are in the position of really seeing the power of
God in our lives….. When we really yield to the Spirit of God….. Then we can
begin to be the salt and light that Jesus has called us to be…. We are here to finish the work that Jesus
began…. We need to see the power of God at work in our lives….
The Christian life is all about helping the Lord Jesus
Christ finish the work that He
began…... Well the first disciples got it…… They shook the known world with the
Gospel of the Lord Jesus…..They knew that they were called to finish the work that
Jesus began….
During the last few weeks….. We have been looking at the
tools that we need to finish the work that Jesus began…..
Tools
for finishing the work…
1
The Correct message…. The GOOD NEWS……
Repentance for the forgiveness of sins….. mercy….
2
Our own personal experience with the risen Lord Jesus…….
3
The power of the Holy Spirit….
I would like to focus again this morning on the third
point……. The Power of the Holy Spirit….
Our text for this morning is Acts 2:14- 42….. Peter´s sermon on the day of Pentecost…… It is very
important because it is the first Christian sermon ever preached……. And thus it
sets a pattern for us….. A pattern for all Gospel preaching to this day….. When Paul gave Timothy advise about his ministry…. He
said, "Timothy, preach the Word……. The book of Acts is the historic record of
apostolic preaching…...
All through the book
of Acts and you'll find that the
priority in the church was the preaching of the Word…...
Let´s read …. Acts 2: 14…
Acts
2: 14- 39 NKJV
14
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men
of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my
words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third
hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of
My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young
men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
18
And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those
days; And they shall prophesy.
19 I
will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and
fire and vapor of smoke.
20
The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the
coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
21
And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be
saved.’
22
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to
you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as
you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and
foreknowledge of God, you have taken[c] by lawless hands, have crucified, and
put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because
it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning
Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand,
that I may not be shaken.
26
Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also
will rest in hope.
27
For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to
see corruption.
28
You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in
Your presence.’
29
“Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he
is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore,
being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the
fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit
on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the
Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.
32
This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being
exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the
promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
34
“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said
to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,
35
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’
36
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this
Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this,
they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,
“Men and brethren, what shall we do?”38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and
let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise
is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the
Lord our God will call.”
40
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved
from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were
baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Acts 2: 14- 39 Schlachter 2000
14 Da trat Petrus zusammen mit den Elf auf, erhob seine
Stimme und sprach zu ihnen: Ihr Männer von Judäa und ihr alle, die ihr in
Jerusalem wohnt, das sollt ihr wissen, und nun hört auf meine Worte!
15 Denn diese sind nicht berauscht, wie ihr meint; es ist
ja erst die dritte Stunde des Tages;
16 sondern dies ist es, was durch den Propheten Joel
gesagt worden ist:
17 »Und es wird geschehen in den letzten Tagen, spricht
Gott, da werde ich ausgießen von meinem Geist auf alles Fleisch; und eure Söhne
und eure Töchter werden weissagen, und eure jungen Männer werden Gesichte
sehen, und eure Ältesten werden Träume haben;
18 ja, auch über meine Knechte und über meine Mägde werde
ich in jenen Tagen von meinem Geist ausgießen, und sie werden weissagen.
19 Und ich will Wunder tun oben am Himmel und Zeichen
unten auf Erden, Blut und Feuer und Rauchdampf;
20 die Sonne wird sich in Finsternis verwandeln und der
Mond in Blut, ehe der große und herrliche Tag des Herrn kommt.
21 Und es soll geschehen: Jeder, der den Namen des Herrn
anruft, wird errettet werden.«
22 Ihr Männer von Israel, hört diese Worte: Jesus, der
Nazarener, einen Mann, der von Gott euch gegenüber beglaubigt wurde durch
Kräfte und Wunder und Zeichen, die Gott durch ihn in eurer Mitte wirkte, wie
ihr auch selbst wißt,
23 diesen, der nach Gottes festgesetztem Ratschluß und
Vorsehung6 dahingegeben worden war, habt ihr genommen und durch die Hände der
Gesetzlosen ans Kreuz geschlagen und getötet.
24 Ihn hat Gott auferweckt, indem er die Wehen des Todes
auflöste, weil es ja unmöglich war, daß Er von ihm festgehalten würde.
25 David nämlich sagt von ihm: »Ich sah den Herrn
allezeit vor mir, denn er ist zu meiner Rechten, daß ich nicht wanke.
26 Darum freute sich mein Herz, und meine Zunge
frohlockte; zudem wird auch mein Fleisch auf Hoffnung ruhen;
27 denn du wirst meine Seele nicht dem Totenreich
preisgeben und nicht zulassen, daß dein Heiliger die Verwesung sieht.
28 Du hast mir die Wege des Lebens gezeigt; du wirst mich
mit Freude erfüllen vor deinem Angesicht!«8
29 Ihr Männer und Brüder, es sei mir erlaubt, freimütig
zu euch zu reden von dem Stammvater David: Er ist gestorben und begraben, und
sein Grab ist unter uns bis zu diesem Tag.
30 Da er nun ein Prophet war und wußte, daß Gott ihm mit
einem Eid verheißen hatte, daß er aus der Frucht seiner Lenden, dem Fleisch
nach, den Christus erwecken werde, damit er auf seinem Thron sitze,
31 hat er vorausschauend von der Auferstehung des
Christus geredet, daß seine Seele nicht dem Totenreich preisgegeben worden ist
und auch sein Fleisch die Verwesung nicht gesehen hat.
32 Diesen Jesus hat Gott auferweckt; dafür sind wir alle
Zeugen.
33 Nachdem er nun zur Rechten Gottes erhöht worden ist
und die Verheißung des Heiligen Geistes empfangen hat von dem Vater, hat er
dies ausgegossen, was ihr jetzt seht und hört.
34 Denn nicht David ist in den Himmel aufgefahren,
sondern er sagt selbst: »Der Herr sprach zu meinem Herrn: Setze dich zu meiner
Rechten,
35 bis ich deine Feinde hinlege als Schemel für deine
Füße.«
36 So soll nun das ganze Haus Israel mit Gewißheit
erkennen, daß Gott Ihn sowohl zum Herrn10 als auch zum Christus gemacht hat,
eben diesen Jesus, den ihr gekreuzigt habt!
37 Als sie aber das hörten, drang es ihnen durchs Herz,
und sie sprachen zu Petrus und den übrigen Aposteln: Was sollen wir tun, ihr
Männer und Brüder?
38 Da sprach Petrus zu ihnen: Tut Buße12, und jeder von
euch lasse sich taufen auf den Namen Jesu Christi zur Vergebung der Sünden; so
werdet ihr die Gabe des Heiligen Geistes empfangen.
39 Denn euch gilt die Verheißung und euren Kindern und
allen, die ferne sind, so viele der Herr, unser Gott, herzurufen wird. 40 Und
noch mit vielen anderen Worten gab er Zeugnis und ermahnte und sprach: Laßt
euch retten aus diesem verkehrten Geschlecht!
41 Diejenigen, die nun bereitwillig sein Wort annahmen,
ließen sich taufen, und es wurden an jenem Tag etwa 3 000 Seelen hinzugetan.
It says that when the Spirit of God had filled them, they
stood up and Peter spoke….. And later in Acts 4:31… it says when they were
filled with the Spirit….. they spoke the Word with boldness…..
This is a fantastic sermon……. It is full of scripture and
it is accompanied with the Holy Spirit´s power….. Look at verse 37….
Acts
2: 37 NKJV Schlachter 2000
37
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the
rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
37 Als sie aber das hörten, drang es ihnen durchs Herz,
und sie sprachen zu Petrus und den übrigen Aposteln: Was sollen wir tun, ihr
Männer und Brüder?
They were convicted of their sins….. What shall we do…. Peter
said repent!!! And they did….. Verse 41
says, "Three thousand of them were
saved and baptized."
It's wonderful to see Peter doing this, isn't it? And so
Peter stood up….. He says listen
people…. I've got something to say and you better listen…... That's
boldness. Now where did he get that boldness?
This is exactly what Jesus said would happen when the
Holy Spirit filled them…. in Acts 1 v 8…. Let´s remind ourselves…
Acts
1: 8 NKJV Schlachter 2000
8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you
shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
end of the earth.”
8 sondern ihr werdet Kraft empfangen, wenn der Heilige
Geist auf euch gekommen ist, und ihr werdet meine Zeugen sein in Jerusalem und
in ganz Judäa und Samaria und bis an das Ende der Erde!
This is the same man who ran away when a little girl
asking him if he knew Jesus…… The Power of the Holy Spirit has given Him the
Boldness that he needed to do what Jesus called him to do….. no matter what the
consequences were….. this is the Spirit filled Peter….. Showing No Fear…… Psalm 118 v6 says…. I will not fear what man can
do to me….
You
see Spirit filled Peter is transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit…. Remember…. Peter had already received the Holy
Spirit when Jesus breathed on them…. The day of Pentecost was the first of many
fillings that Peter and the others experienced in their lives….. We will read
of more fillings as we study the early church….
And so now Peter stands up to preach…… We are back in
Acts 2 v14…
The crowd had already heard the Christians speaking the
wonderful works of God in their own language…... All were amazed and perplexed….. they asked….
Whatever could this mean?
Remember what the people heard the disciples say as they
were speaking in tongues…. Acts 2…v11…
They
were Speaking the wonderful works of God…… The disciples declared the praises of God….
thanking Him with all their might in unknown tongues……. The gathered crowd simply overheard what the
disciples joyfully declared to God…... They were not proclaiming the Gospel to
the people…… The idea that these disciples communicated to the diverse crowd in
tongues is wrong….. They spoke to God in Tongues worshipping Him……
And God miraculously allowed those
standing by to understand their worship in their own native language….. Remember
that communication with God, not man, is the purpose of the gift of tongues (1
Corinthians 14:2)……
Is the speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gave
them utterance in Acts 2 the same gift of tongues described in 1 Corinthians 12
and 14?
The gift of tongues in Acts 2….. and the gift of tongues
in 1 Corinthians is the same Gift….. The
same term is used for both in the original language (heterais glossais)… Other
tongues of a different kind…... Except for tongues and interpretations….. The
gift of Tongues is always direct conversation with….. and worship of God the
Father! Sometimes theoretically….. The Lord will provide an interpreter so that
the church can be edified…..
On
this miraculous occasion….. God supernaturally allowed everyone to understand
in their own language….They were amazed….
Now
God has their undivided attention…. The sound of a mighty
wind…. But no wind…. The appearance of tongues like fire…. But nothing burned….
Well their hearts burned within them…. and Peter seeing that God has drawn a
crowd gets up to preach…. Peter preached
the Gospel to them……
We are not finished with this subject of the
manifestations of the Holy Spirit…. We will encounter these subjects over and
over in the Early church….. It is a good idea to take a close look at 1
Corinthians chapters 12,13 and 14 as soon
as possible…. …. That´s a great place for your own personal quiet times…. It
will help us as we study the Book of Acts…. For now…. Let´s look at Peter´s
sermon…. Acts 2: 14….
Acts
2:14-16
NKJV Schlachter 2000
14
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men
of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my
words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third
hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
Acts 2:14-16 Schlachter 2000
14 Da trat Petrus zusammen mit den Elf auf, erhob seine
Stimme und sprach zu ihnen: Ihr Männer von Judäa und ihr alle, die ihr in Jerusalem
wohnt, das sollt ihr wissen, und nun hört auf meine Worte!
15 Denn diese sind nicht berauscht, wie ihr meint; es ist
ja erst die dritte Stunde des Tages;
16 sondern dies ist es, was durch den Propheten Joel
gesagt worden ist:
Filled with the Holy Spirit…. Peter stands and preaches
to the crowd as a representative of the whole group of apostles…..
We should notice that the speaking in tongues stopped
when Peter began to preach…… The Holy
Spirit now worked through Peter's preaching…… and would not work against
Himself through tongues at the same time…...
Peter raised his voice….. As I have already said…. Here is a remarkable
change in Peter….. He has courage and boldness….. This is the exact opposite of his
denials of Jesus before being filled with the Holy Spirit…….
Peter
proclaimed the truth with great certainty and boldness to the very powers that
Had killed Jesus……...
v15…. These are not drunk….. We shouldn't think that these
Christians were acting as if they were drunk……
The idea of "being drunk in the Spirit" has no foundation in
Scripture…. The fruit of the Spirit is 'self-control,' not the loss of
it." Galatians 5…. Now
continuing in the sermon…. Peter
quotes the prophet Joel…..
Acts
2: 17-21 NKJV
17
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of
My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young
men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
18
And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those
days; And they shall prophesy.
19 I
will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and
fire and vapor of smoke.
20
The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the
coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
21
And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be
saved.’
Acts 2: 17-21 Schlachter 2000
17 »Und es wird geschehen in den letzten Tagen, spricht
Gott, da werde ich ausgießen von meinem Geist auf alles Fleisch; und eure Söhne
und eure Töchter werden weissagen, und eure jungen Männer werden Gesichte
sehen, und eure Ältesten werden Träume haben;
18 ja, auch über meine Knechte und über meine Mägde werde
ich in jenen Tagen von meinem Geist ausgießen, und sie werden weissagen.
19 Und ich will Wunder tun oben am Himmel und Zeichen
unten auf Erden, Blut und Feuer und Rauchdampf;
20 die Sonne wird sich in Finsternis verwandeln und der
Mond in Blut, ehe der große und herrliche Tag des Herrn kommt.
21 Und es soll geschehen: Jeder, der den Namen des Herrn
anruft, wird errettet werden.«
v17 In the midst of this great outpouring of the Holy
Spirit….. among signs and wonders and speaking in tongues…… what did Peter
do?
I love it …. He said….. Let´s look at the Word of God……
It will explain what we are experiencing…. he said, "Let's have a Bible
study! Let's study what the prophet Joel said!
This focus on God's
Word did not quench the moving of the Holy Spirit….. it fulfilled what the
Holy Spirit wanted to do…… All the signs
and wonders and speaking in tongues on the day
of Pentecost….. were preparing for this work of the Holy Spirit…. Using God's
Word………
This quotation from Joel 2:28-32 focuses on God's promise
to pour out His Spirit on all flesh….
What happened on the day of Pentecost was a partial fulfillment of that
promise….. with the final fulfillment coming in the last days….. The idea of
the last days is that they are the times of the Messiah…… encompassing both His
humble coming as the Suffering servant of God…Isaiah 53….. and His return in
glory at the end of time…..
In the whole span of God's plan for human history, we are
in the "season" of the last days…… I will pour out of My Spirit on
all flesh: In using the quotation from Joel, Peter explained what these curious
onlookers saw - the Holy Spirit poured forth upon the people……
This outpouring of
the Holy Spirit means that God is offering salvation in a way previously
unknown…. Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved…..v 22…
ACTS
2: 22- 36 NKJV
22
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you
by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you
yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and
foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put
to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it
was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning
Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand,
that I may not be shaken.
26
Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also
will rest in hope.
27
For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to
see corruption.
28
You have made known to me the ways of life;You will make me full of joy in Your
presence.’
29
“Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he
is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore,
being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the
fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit
on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the
Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.
32
This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being
exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the
promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
34
“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said
to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,
35
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’
36
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this
Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Acts 2: 22- 36 Schlachter 2000
23 diesen, der nach Gottes festgesetztem Ratschluß und
Vorsehung dahingegeben worden war, habt ihr genommen und durch die Hände der
Gesetzlosen ans Kreuz geschlagen und getötet.
24 Ihn hat Gott auferweckt, indem er die Wehen des Todes
auflöste, weil es ja unmöglich war, daß Er von ihm festgehalten würde.
25 David nämlich sagt von ihm: »Ich sah den Herrn
allezeit vor mir, denn er ist zu meiner Rechten, daß ich nicht wanke.
26 Darum freute sich mein Herz, und meine Zunge
frohlockte; zudem wird auch mein Fleisch auf Hoffnung ruhen;
27 denn du wirst meine Seele nicht dem Totenreich
preisgeben und nicht zulassen, daß dein Heiliger die Verwesung sieht.
28 Du hast mir die Wege des Lebens gezeigt; du wirst mich
mit Freude erfüllen vor deinem Angesicht!«8
29 Ihr Männer und Brüder, es sei mir erlaubt, freimütig
zu euch zu reden von dem Stammvater David: Er ist gestorben und begraben, und
sein Grab ist unter uns bis zu diesem Tag.
30 Da er nun ein Prophet war und wußte, daß Gott ihm mit
einem Eid verheißen hatte, daß er aus der Frucht seiner Lenden, dem Fleisch
nach, den Christus erwecken werde, damit er auf seinem Thron sitze,
31 hat er vorausschauend von der Auferstehung des
Christus geredet, daß seine Seele nicht dem Totenreich preisgegeben worden ist
und auch sein Fleisch die Verwesung nicht gesehen hat.
32 Diesen Jesus hat Gott auferweckt; dafür sind wir alle
Zeugen.
33 Nachdem er nun zur Rechten Gottes erhöht worden ist
und die Verheißung des Heiligen Geistes empfangen hat von dem Vater, hat er
dies ausgegossen, was ihr jetzt seht und hört.
34 Denn nicht David ist in den Himmel aufgefahren,
sondern er sagt selbst: »Der Herr sprach zu meinem Herrn: Setze dich zu meiner
Rechten,
35 bis ich deine Feinde hinlege als Schemel für deine
Füße.«9
36 So soll nun das ganze Haus Israel mit Gewißheit
erkennen, daß Gott Ihn sowohl zum Herrn als auch zum Christus gemacht hat, eben
diesen Jesus, den ihr gekreuzigt habt!
Many people would think it enough for Peter to stop after
the quotation from Joel - think of what we have in it! An outpouring of the Holy Spirit…. dreams…..
visions….. prophecy…. signs and wonders regarding the Day of the Lord…. and an
invitation to call on the name of the Lord…..
But it isn't enough…. because
Peter hasn't spoken about the saving work of Jesus on our behalf…… Everything that Peter says until now has been
introduction… now comes the
essential message…… Peter says let this be known to you, and heed my words
(Acts 2:14)…..
Peter boldly says…. "You
crucified this Man who was sent by God."
What a difference from the
man who, a few months before, denied even knowing Jesus! (Matthew 26:69-75)
Peter
goes on to preach from the Psalms of David….These prophesies by
David were pointing to Jesus…. Peter tells us that Psalm 16:8-11 is prophetic,
with application to the Messiah…….
Jesus took our punishment for sin on the cross…..
This Jesus God has
raised up, of which we are all witnesses…..
The sermon concludes with a summary…..
Peter said… all
Israel should know that even though they crucified Jesus….. God has declared
Him both Lord and Christ…... It is as if Peter said, "You were all wrong
about Jesus…… You crucified Him as if He
were a criminal, but by the resurrection, God proved that He is Lord and
Messiah......Let´s look at the response to Peter's preaching…...
Acts
2: 37- 39 NKJV
37
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the
rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”38 Then Peter said
to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar
off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Acts 2: 37- 39 Schlachter 2000
37 Als sie aber das hörten, drang es ihnen durchs Herz,
und sie sprachen zu Petrus und den übrigen Aposteln: Was sollen wir tun, ihr
Männer und Brüder?
38 Da sprach Petrus zu ihnen: Tut Buße, und jeder von
euch lasse sich taufen auf den Namen Jesu Christi zur Vergebung der Sünden; so
werdet ihr die Gabe13 des Heiligen Geistes empfangen.
39 Denn euch gilt die Verheißung und euren Kindern und
allen, die ferne sind, so viele der Herr, unser Gott, herzurufen wird.
What an incredible work of the Holy Spirit happened here….. The exercise of the gift of tongues produced
nothing in the listeners but astonishment and mocking….. But when the gospel was preached…… conviction from the Holy Spirit came on them
and they were cut to the heart…. This was the work God really wanted to
accomplish…... They were Cut to the heart…. It is a good way of describing the
conviction of the Holy Spirit…..
They now knew that they were personally responsible for the death of
Jesus….. Just like we are also responsible because of our sin and rebellion……..
When God is working on someone's heart…. they want to
come to Him…. they will come to Him……
"What shall
we do?" Peter gave them something to do…... Repent
and be baptized…..
When John the Baptist preached, he said Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand! (Matthew 3:2)….. When Jesus began to preach, He said Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew
4:17)….. Now when Peter begins to
preach, he starts with repent….
Repentance
describes what coming to God is…. You can't turn towards God without turning
from the things He is against….. In this sense, repent is a word of great hope…..
It says "You don't have to continue the way you've been going, you
can turn to God….. He will forgive…… There
is grace to help in time of need….…. The second thing Peter says they must do
is be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ…. Baptism made a clear statement…… In that day, Jews were not commonly
baptized…. only Gentiles who wanted to become Jews…... For these Jewish men and women to be baptized
showed just how strongly they felt they needed Jesus…... He wanted them to stop
relying on the fact that they were sons of Abraham……. He wanted them to see
themselves as desperate sinners…. Like the Gentiles….. totally outside the
grace of God….. You see in those days only Gentiles were required to be
baptized….
They were cut to the heart and totally aware of their sin…..
He said repent and cry out to God for forgiveness…… You are no better than the
Gentiles….
Naturally we know that Baptism doesn´t save anyone….. It
is only a picture….. It is the outward demonstration of an inward change….…..
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