Acts 2:1-2:41
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. – Acts 2:1
Remember our crew of disciples? Last week we left them waiting. We talked about all the challenges of doing this – the waiting without a known resolution, the challenges of providing for so many people, etc.
On this particular day, it was Pentecost – the Feast of Weeks. This was one of the “big three” Jewish holidays described in Exodus 23:14-17. The passage states, “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to Me.” The passage goes on to describe these festivals as the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Harvest (Pentecost – which literally means count fifty – it occurs 50 days after Passover), and the Feast of Ingathering (Feast of Tabernacles).
Regarding the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the passage instructs us with the following: “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.” Passover celebrates the Israelites release from bondage from Egypt – one is to remember all that God did to secure their freedom. Jesus fulfilled Passover by dying for us so that we could have freedom from Satan. Just as people were only protected by the angel of death by believing and putting a mark over the doorways with the blood of an innocent lamb, we can only partake in the freedom that Christ offers by, in effect, putting a mark over our hearts with His innocent blood.
Regarding the Feast of Harvest, the passage instructs, “Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.” As we read through Acts Chapter 2, it is pretty awesome to see how this was fulfilled: the three thousand people who came to faith in Christ were the firstfruits of the crops Christ had sowed in His field. It truly was a Feast of Harvest!
Regarding the Feast of Ingathering, the passage states, “Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.” Can you guess how this is fulfilled in Christ? A hint: it hasn’t happened yet!
I never cease to be amazed how God has written history as prophecy. He uses real events of the past to point to future events that are about Christ. It reminds me of a sunrise. As a teenager, I used to backpack with my father and sister in the Sierra Mountains in California. I remember several times waking up while it was still dark, but just before dawn. I could tell that dawn was approaching because it was no longer pure black – it had started to become brighter, but I was still were only able to see in black-and-white. After a little while longer, there was enough light that I realized I could now see color. This was great, but it was just a prelude to the main event. Finally, the sun suddenly appeared – it really was a glorious moment. Anyway, seeing fulfillments of these Feasts in Christ reminds me of those sunrises I saw.
This picture of the sunrise also for me is a good comparison to what happened to these disciples/apostles after all their waiting.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. – Acts 2:2-4
The amazing events of this Pentecost day came suddenly, without warning. It is interesting to read this passage carefully. It wasn’t windy. It was the sound of wind. It was the sound of a violent wind. It filled the whole house. Then they saw what looked like tongues and looked like fire. They separated from being one and came to rest on each of them. This was, with no question, miraculous, unprecedented, tremendously exciting, and fantastic. But it was only the prelude to the main thing.
Is this the first time someone in the New Testament was filled with the Holy Spirit?
No. The same wording is used in Luke 1 to describe Elisabeth in verse 41 and to describe Zacharias in verse 67. What happened to Elisabeth after she was filled with the Holy Spirit? What happened to Zacharias? They too praised God. These were wonderful happenings, prophecy mixed with praise, but again, they paled in comparison to the miracle that happened here. It was only the hint of light before the dawn.
Here, in Acts 2, they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. They were speaking praises of God in languages they didn’t even know! It is easy as Christians to get jaded – we have heard the same stories over and over, and lose the “shock.” This was an amazing miracle.
Others have pointed out that Acts 2 was, in a way, a reversal of the “language curse” that happened at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). Because of man’s wickedness, God confused their language and scattered people away from Babel. Here, because of the good news, the solution to man’s wickedness, the availability of Christ’s righteousness imputed to all who called on His name, God did the opposite! He brought people together – this was Pentecost, after all, a special holiday where people came from all over to Jerusalem – and helped them all to understand one another! The bad news of Babel was that, even after the flood, man was still wicked and God needed to limit their power so as to limit their capabilities to do evil. Here in Jerusalem, the good news was that people who believed in Christ, who trusted Him for their salvation, became changed and, to the degree they handed over their lives to Him, they could do good in Him, by Him, and through Him. And of course, this good news is still true today. Anyone, anywhere, can respond to the good news and experience forgiveness, peace, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Also, some have pointed out that the idea of fire coming down from heaven also has precedent. Consider the dedication of the Temple:
When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "He is good; his love endures forever." – 2 Chronicles 7:1-3
Fire also came down from heaven at Mount Sinai when God initiated His law covenant with the Israelites. Fire came down from heaven at the burning bush where God initiated His new relationship with Moses. There is a history of fire from heaven beginning something new in the relationship of God and His people. Here the fire from heaven represented the new “temple” dedication, where the Holy Spirit no longer resides in a temple, but in His people.
In the case of the temple dedication, the fire from heaven consumed the sacrifice. It showed that God was pleased with the sacrifice. In a sense, here in Acts, the fire from heaven on the Apostles showed that God was pleased with them who would be living sacrifices, following in the footsteps of their Master who was the ultimate Living Sacrifice for us.
Continuing on in Acts 2:
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? – Acts 2:5-8
Again, the reason there were God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven in Jerusalem that day is precisely because it was Pentecost, the Feast of the Harvest. Not all people in any group are “God-fearing.” Some are and some are not. But the ones who were serious about following God’s laws would have made every effort to come.
So the crowd came together. The passage is not absolutely clear, but I think they came together because of the sound. I can picture them hearing this tornado-like sound, and all conversation in the streets stops for a moment. Then people start asking, “What was that?” “I think it came from over there!” “Let’s go there!”
And the crowds converged on the disciples. As they did, they heard people speaking in their own languages. Some of the languages were from remote areas, spoken by very few people. And yet, looking at the disciples’ clothing and appearance, it is clear that they are Galileans. Galileans shouldn’t know all these languages! Certainly not “plain” men like these, some look to be common fishermen! “How can this possibly be?” they asked.
“Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" – Acts 2:9-12
Verse 11 makes it clear that the disciples were praising God. Literally, they were speaking the wonderful works of God.
Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! – Acts 2:13-15
Now, I want to stop here for a minute. If this were a movie, I would shout, “Stop the film!” Do you realize how critically important it is what happens next? What if Peter became fearful again and ran away? What if he said, “Well, it is a bit strange, but don’t worry about it. We’ll go back to our house now.” What if he laughed it off and changed the topic? “Nice weather today, isn’t it?” But what happened? “Roll film!”
No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. – Acts 2:16-18
Peter is saying to Jews who knew the Scripture, look, what is happening this very minute was prophesied by Joel hundreds of years ago! It is being fulfilled right here, right now!
I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' – Acts 2:19-21
What Joel spoke has only been partially fulfilled so far. The sun and moon references are yet to happen right before the second coming of the Lord. But the truth of verse 21 holds for those who have come before us, for us, and for those who come after us (until He comes and completes the “ingathering.”).
"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. – Acts 2:22-23
Last week, I talked about how Acts 1 presented a single verse showing the confusing combination of predestination and free will – summarized, it said, “God knew, but Judas chose.” Here, in Acts 2:22-23, Peter tells the crowd, “God knew, but you chose.”
But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him. – Acts 2:24
This is the heart of Peter’s message. God raised Him from the dead! He is risen!
David said about him: "'I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.' – Acts 2:25-28
Verse 27 is the central point of Peter’s quote of David: Nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. How can God let Jesus stay dead? Such a thing is impossible!
"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay. – Acts 2:29-31
This is really powerful. David “got” the resurrection of Christ! Amazing!
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. – Acts 2:32
Peter expands on his central point. He is risen, and we know it because we saw! He spoke to us! He is risen! To me, this is the “sunrise.” The amazing miracles of the sound of wind, the vision of tongues of fire, and even the praising God in other languages, are all “pre-dawn” experiences. They all point to this. Peter is sharing the gospel! People are about to be saved! There are 3000 eternal consequences about to happen!
Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. – Acts 2:33
I can hear Peter say, “Jesus has done this. Jesus has done this.” (He says it as he points around him to the disciples either still praising God or quiet but with tears of joy on their faces.) “Jesus – the guy you crucified.”
For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ' – Acts 2:34-35
Peter suddenly is talking about how God punishes His enemies! This is not a comfortable thought. It is a reminder of what God can do. We tend to think of the curses of God as just during the time of Moses, but this is not true. It happened later too. It happened in David’s time, for example. See I Chronicles 21, for example. There a plague wiped out 70,000 people. So if you were a Jew listening to Peter’s message, you were suddenly quite concerned. You would be thinking, “So these prophets pointed to the time right now. That means anything that happened back then can happen now. That means God’s punishments can happen now.”
Do we think like this? No. Should we? Yes.
"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."- Acts 2:36
“He is both Lord and Messiah. God made Him so. And you crucified Him.” Do you guys get the picture? Peter’s listeners sure did!
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" – Acts 2:37
The people suddenly understood the nature of their problem. Some of them spat and jeered at Jesus. Others weren’t there at the crucifixion, but they understood that God had in the past judged them as a nation. He could do so again now. Some of the people probably looked inward and realized that they had never before taken seriously the implications of a real God. Had they lived up to the demands of the Law? Had they even obeyed the Ten Commandments? In this moment, they realized the terrible truth that they hadn’t. Because of their rebellion, they had become enemies of God!
With the benefit of the New Testament, we see that the situation was even more serious for them (and even more serious for us). Not only their lives (and ours) were at stake; eternal consequences were on the line!
Peter replied, "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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." – Acts 2:38-39
That’s us mentioned there! We are the children who are far off.
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. – Acts 2:40-41
In terms of application, I gave just one point: Speak!
Again, the “sunrise” was the gospel. If Peter had not explained the gospel, nobody would have been saved that day, regardless of the miracles.
I have thought about this with regards to our worship on Sunday mornings. We can have an incredible time praising the Lord together. Worshiping the Lord is incredibly important – we were made to worship Him. But if we expect an unbeliever to see us worshiping God and, from it and it alone, expect Him to become a believer, I think we are mistaken.
Similarly, if we expect God’s divine acts in people’s lives, arranging their circumstances, even performing miracles, to save people, I again think we are mistaken.
All these things do is leave people “confused and perplexed.” It makes them ask the same question the Jews asked: “What does this mean?”
We need to tell them what it means. We need to be ready. We need to be unafraid. We need to not be shy. We need to be not ashamed. I pray we would be like Peter, boldly proclaiming the good news of God’s redemption of sinful, judgment-deserving man.
Remember our crew of disciples? Last week we left them waiting. We talked about all the challenges of doing this – the waiting without a known resolution, the challenges of providing for so many people, etc.
On this particular day, it was Pentecost – the Feast of Weeks. This was one of the “big three” Jewish holidays described in Exodus 23:14-17. The passage states, “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to Me.” The passage goes on to describe these festivals as the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Harvest (Pentecost – which literally means count fifty – it occurs 50 days after Passover), and the Feast of Ingathering (Feast of Tabernacles).
Regarding the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the passage instructs us with the following: “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.” Passover celebrates the Israelites release from bondage from Egypt – one is to remember all that God did to secure their freedom. Jesus fulfilled Passover by dying for us so that we could have freedom from Satan. Just as people were only protected by the angel of death by believing and putting a mark over the doorways with the blood of an innocent lamb, we can only partake in the freedom that Christ offers by, in effect, putting a mark over our hearts with His innocent blood.
Regarding the Feast of Harvest, the passage instructs, “Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.” As we read through Acts Chapter 2, it is pretty awesome to see how this was fulfilled: the three thousand people who came to faith in Christ were the firstfruits of the crops Christ had sowed in His field. It truly was a Feast of Harvest!
Regarding the Feast of Ingathering, the passage states, “Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.” Can you guess how this is fulfilled in Christ? A hint: it hasn’t happened yet!
I never cease to be amazed how God has written history as prophecy. He uses real events of the past to point to future events that are about Christ. It reminds me of a sunrise. As a teenager, I used to backpack with my father and sister in the Sierra Mountains in California. I remember several times waking up while it was still dark, but just before dawn. I could tell that dawn was approaching because it was no longer pure black – it had started to become brighter, but I was still were only able to see in black-and-white. After a little while longer, there was enough light that I realized I could now see color. This was great, but it was just a prelude to the main event. Finally, the sun suddenly appeared – it really was a glorious moment. Anyway, seeing fulfillments of these Feasts in Christ reminds me of those sunrises I saw.
This picture of the sunrise also for me is a good comparison to what happened to these disciples/apostles after all their waiting.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. – Acts 2:2-4
The amazing events of this Pentecost day came suddenly, without warning. It is interesting to read this passage carefully. It wasn’t windy. It was the sound of wind. It was the sound of a violent wind. It filled the whole house. Then they saw what looked like tongues and looked like fire. They separated from being one and came to rest on each of them. This was, with no question, miraculous, unprecedented, tremendously exciting, and fantastic. But it was only the prelude to the main thing.
Is this the first time someone in the New Testament was filled with the Holy Spirit?
No. The same wording is used in Luke 1 to describe Elisabeth in verse 41 and to describe Zacharias in verse 67. What happened to Elisabeth after she was filled with the Holy Spirit? What happened to Zacharias? They too praised God. These were wonderful happenings, prophecy mixed with praise, but again, they paled in comparison to the miracle that happened here. It was only the hint of light before the dawn.
Here, in Acts 2, they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. They were speaking praises of God in languages they didn’t even know! It is easy as Christians to get jaded – we have heard the same stories over and over, and lose the “shock.” This was an amazing miracle.
Others have pointed out that Acts 2 was, in a way, a reversal of the “language curse” that happened at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). Because of man’s wickedness, God confused their language and scattered people away from Babel. Here, because of the good news, the solution to man’s wickedness, the availability of Christ’s righteousness imputed to all who called on His name, God did the opposite! He brought people together – this was Pentecost, after all, a special holiday where people came from all over to Jerusalem – and helped them all to understand one another! The bad news of Babel was that, even after the flood, man was still wicked and God needed to limit their power so as to limit their capabilities to do evil. Here in Jerusalem, the good news was that people who believed in Christ, who trusted Him for their salvation, became changed and, to the degree they handed over their lives to Him, they could do good in Him, by Him, and through Him. And of course, this good news is still true today. Anyone, anywhere, can respond to the good news and experience forgiveness, peace, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Also, some have pointed out that the idea of fire coming down from heaven also has precedent. Consider the dedication of the Temple:
When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "He is good; his love endures forever." – 2 Chronicles 7:1-3
Fire also came down from heaven at Mount Sinai when God initiated His law covenant with the Israelites. Fire came down from heaven at the burning bush where God initiated His new relationship with Moses. There is a history of fire from heaven beginning something new in the relationship of God and His people. Here the fire from heaven represented the new “temple” dedication, where the Holy Spirit no longer resides in a temple, but in His people.
In the case of the temple dedication, the fire from heaven consumed the sacrifice. It showed that God was pleased with the sacrifice. In a sense, here in Acts, the fire from heaven on the Apostles showed that God was pleased with them who would be living sacrifices, following in the footsteps of their Master who was the ultimate Living Sacrifice for us.
Continuing on in Acts 2:
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? – Acts 2:5-8
Again, the reason there were God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven in Jerusalem that day is precisely because it was Pentecost, the Feast of the Harvest. Not all people in any group are “God-fearing.” Some are and some are not. But the ones who were serious about following God’s laws would have made every effort to come.
So the crowd came together. The passage is not absolutely clear, but I think they came together because of the sound. I can picture them hearing this tornado-like sound, and all conversation in the streets stops for a moment. Then people start asking, “What was that?” “I think it came from over there!” “Let’s go there!”
And the crowds converged on the disciples. As they did, they heard people speaking in their own languages. Some of the languages were from remote areas, spoken by very few people. And yet, looking at the disciples’ clothing and appearance, it is clear that they are Galileans. Galileans shouldn’t know all these languages! Certainly not “plain” men like these, some look to be common fishermen! “How can this possibly be?” they asked.
“Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" – Acts 2:9-12
Verse 11 makes it clear that the disciples were praising God. Literally, they were speaking the wonderful works of God.
Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! – Acts 2:13-15
Now, I want to stop here for a minute. If this were a movie, I would shout, “Stop the film!” Do you realize how critically important it is what happens next? What if Peter became fearful again and ran away? What if he said, “Well, it is a bit strange, but don’t worry about it. We’ll go back to our house now.” What if he laughed it off and changed the topic? “Nice weather today, isn’t it?” But what happened? “Roll film!”
No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. – Acts 2:16-18
Peter is saying to Jews who knew the Scripture, look, what is happening this very minute was prophesied by Joel hundreds of years ago! It is being fulfilled right here, right now!
I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' – Acts 2:19-21
What Joel spoke has only been partially fulfilled so far. The sun and moon references are yet to happen right before the second coming of the Lord. But the truth of verse 21 holds for those who have come before us, for us, and for those who come after us (until He comes and completes the “ingathering.”).
"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. – Acts 2:22-23
Last week, I talked about how Acts 1 presented a single verse showing the confusing combination of predestination and free will – summarized, it said, “God knew, but Judas chose.” Here, in Acts 2:22-23, Peter tells the crowd, “God knew, but you chose.”
But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him. – Acts 2:24
This is the heart of Peter’s message. God raised Him from the dead! He is risen!
David said about him: "'I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.' – Acts 2:25-28
Verse 27 is the central point of Peter’s quote of David: Nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. How can God let Jesus stay dead? Such a thing is impossible!
"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay. – Acts 2:29-31
This is really powerful. David “got” the resurrection of Christ! Amazing!
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. – Acts 2:32
Peter expands on his central point. He is risen, and we know it because we saw! He spoke to us! He is risen! To me, this is the “sunrise.” The amazing miracles of the sound of wind, the vision of tongues of fire, and even the praising God in other languages, are all “pre-dawn” experiences. They all point to this. Peter is sharing the gospel! People are about to be saved! There are 3000 eternal consequences about to happen!
Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. – Acts 2:33
I can hear Peter say, “Jesus has done this. Jesus has done this.” (He says it as he points around him to the disciples either still praising God or quiet but with tears of joy on their faces.) “Jesus – the guy you crucified.”
For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ' – Acts 2:34-35
Peter suddenly is talking about how God punishes His enemies! This is not a comfortable thought. It is a reminder of what God can do. We tend to think of the curses of God as just during the time of Moses, but this is not true. It happened later too. It happened in David’s time, for example. See I Chronicles 21, for example. There a plague wiped out 70,000 people. So if you were a Jew listening to Peter’s message, you were suddenly quite concerned. You would be thinking, “So these prophets pointed to the time right now. That means anything that happened back then can happen now. That means God’s punishments can happen now.”
Do we think like this? No. Should we? Yes.
"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."- Acts 2:36
“He is both Lord and Messiah. God made Him so. And you crucified Him.” Do you guys get the picture? Peter’s listeners sure did!
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" – Acts 2:37
The people suddenly understood the nature of their problem. Some of them spat and jeered at Jesus. Others weren’t there at the crucifixion, but they understood that God had in the past judged them as a nation. He could do so again now. Some of the people probably looked inward and realized that they had never before taken seriously the implications of a real God. Had they lived up to the demands of the Law? Had they even obeyed the Ten Commandments? In this moment, they realized the terrible truth that they hadn’t. Because of their rebellion, they had become enemies of God!
With the benefit of the New Testament, we see that the situation was even more serious for them (and even more serious for us). Not only their lives (and ours) were at stake; eternal consequences were on the line!
Peter replied, "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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." – Acts 2:38-39
That’s us mentioned there! We are the children who are far off.
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. – Acts 2:40-41
In terms of application, I gave just one point: Speak!
Again, the “sunrise” was the gospel. If Peter had not explained the gospel, nobody would have been saved that day, regardless of the miracles.
I have thought about this with regards to our worship on Sunday mornings. We can have an incredible time praising the Lord together. Worshiping the Lord is incredibly important – we were made to worship Him. But if we expect an unbeliever to see us worshiping God and, from it and it alone, expect Him to become a believer, I think we are mistaken.
Similarly, if we expect God’s divine acts in people’s lives, arranging their circumstances, even performing miracles, to save people, I again think we are mistaken.
All these things do is leave people “confused and perplexed.” It makes them ask the same question the Jews asked: “What does this mean?”
We need to tell them what it means. We need to be ready. We need to be unafraid. We need to not be shy. We need to be not ashamed. I pray we would be like Peter, boldly proclaiming the good news of God’s redemption of sinful, judgment-deserving man.
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