In this message we examine Peter’s first recorded sermon on the day of Pentecost.  What things was Peter anxious to communicate to these unbelieving Jews? How was his preaching different from our preaching today?

Teaching Notes:

Peter’s Pentecostal Preaching

Acts 2:14-40

Intro: Jesus had told the apostles that they would receive power when the  Holy Spirit came upon them and they would be His witnesses. Well, that’s exactly what we read taking place in Acts chapter 2. The Spirit came with power! There was a noise from heaven like a violent rushing wind. There were visible tongues as of fire that rested on each one of them. Further, these men began to speak in other languages they had never learned, voicing the mighty deeds of God. These supernatural phenomenon drew a great crowd together to see what was going on. The response? Bewilderment, Amzement, astonishment, perplexity. But others just mocked, saying they were drunk. It is at this time, that Peter steps forward, raises His voice, and begins to proclaim God’s truth to the assembled throng. Peter does some explaining to this crowd. He explains what happened, how it happened, and then why it happened.

1.   Peter Explained What Happened:  The Spirit Had Come (Acts 2:14-21)

·        The Unusual Speech Was Not Because of Drunkenness:  2:14-15. Evidently, some in the crowd did not understand their speech. To them it sounded similar to a drunk who slurs his speech and becomes unintelligible. However, it was only 9:00 a.m., not the time of day people usually carouse and party!

·        The Unusual Speech Was a Result of the Holy Spirit Being Poured Out:  2:17-18. Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32. All mankind, sons and daughters, young men, old men, bond slaves, men and women. Surely these words are intended to arrest our attention to something new. In the OT, the Spirit was given to a favored few. Now the prophecy says he would be given to all God’s people.  Prophecy, visions, dreams:  Peter explains that these supernatural languages were a fulfillment of God granting prophecy through the Spirit. So, in a sense, tongues is prophecy. Remember our working definition of prophecy? “The communication of a divine revelation.” Well, that works here. What was the divine revelation? The mighty deeds of God (2:11). They were supernaturally communicating those divine revelations. 

·        The Prophecy Was Fulfilled in the Last Days:  What did Peter mean by that phrase? Most people today use the phrase to refer to the time at the very end of human history. However, the Bible never uses the phrase in that sense. It is always describing the time in which the apostles lived.  Heb.1:1-2; 1Pet.1:20; 1Jn.2:18; 1Cor.10:11. 

·        What is 2:19-21 Referring To?  There are various options:  1) signs that will take place right before Jesus returns. However, why would Peter continue to quote those verses if they had no significance to the time in which He was living?  2) The signs surrounding Christ’s death (sun turned into darkness, blood). But how do we explain “fire, vapor of smoke, moon into blood”?  3) The signs that would precede the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. That would make the prophecy more relevant to the audience at hand – it would take place in that very generation. Is there a Biblical basis for this suggestion? 

A)   Last Days could refer to the last days before the end of the Jewish age. God would soon bring to an end the Old Covenant. In Heb.8:13 it says that the Old Covenant was becoming obsolete, and growing old, and ready to disappear. If God did not destroy Jerusalem and the temple in judgment, there would forever be 2 rival religions, each claiming it was established by God. But after 70 A.D. all the ceremonial trappings of the Old Covenant were obliterated – there was no longer any priesthood, temple, or sacrifices. 

B)   Acts 2:20 – “the great and glorious day of the Lord”. The “day of the Lord” in the OT does not refer to the 2^nd coming of Christ, but to a particular time in which God would bring judgment upon His enemies (such as the Babylonians, Edomites, Moabites, Egyptians). There is another OT passage with a reference to the “great and terrible day of the Lord” in Mal.4:5. There we are told that God would send Elijah before that day. Who is this Elijah? Jesus said it was John the Baptist (Mt.17:10-13; Mt.11:13-14. Luke quotes Mal.4:5 and applies it to John the Baptist in Luke 1:17. Well, what was this “great and terrible day of the Lord?” Whatever it was, it seemed quite soon. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees.” The only “great and terrible day of the Lord” that occurred within a generation of John the Baptist was the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D.  

C) What about the signs predicted by Joel and quoted by Peter?

      Wonders in the sky above:  Josephus, a Jewish historian who wrote about the destruction of Jerusalem, wrote that directly before 70 A.D. people could see a star in the shape of a sword that hung over Jerusalem and a comet that lasted for about a year. Also, people could look up and see soldiers in an army running in the clouds

      Signs on the earth below:  Josephus also wrote that there was a light behind the altar that shone brighter than the daytime in the middle of the night. A large gate that 20 men had difficulty opening, opened of its own accord. Also, believe it or not, a cow gave birth to a lamb. 

      Blood:  Josephus writes of rivers of blood running through the streets

      Fire and vapors of smoke:  The Romans set the city on fire, and there were pillars of smoke.

      The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood:  this took place because of the smoke of the fire.

2.   Peter Explained How It Happened:  Jesus Died, Rose, and Ascended (Acts 2:22-36)

·        Jesus Died: 2:22-23. His death was predestined: 2:23; 4:28. Notice here that foreknowledge and predetermined plan belong together. God’s foreknowledge is explained by His predetermined plan. God knows beforehand, because He has planned beforehand. When this foreknowledge is of people, the word carries the idea of “loved beforehand” or “known beforehand” or “chosen beforehand. Well, if Christ’s death was planned by God, does that mean that God will not hold responsible the men who put Him to death? No, far from it! They are called “godless” men. Here are 2 truths that you must believe, but may never be able to harmonize. Truth #1: God is absolutely sovereign over all things.  Truth #2: Man is absolutely responsible for his actions.

·        Jesus Rose:  2:24-32.

In order to prove the resurrection Peter quotes OT Scripture. He begins with Ps.16:8-11, in which David predicts that God will not abandon Him to Hades or allow His holy one to undergo decay. Peter is quick to point out that David did undergo decay, and he did go into Hades. But because David was a prophet, he was communicating a divine revelation. He was speaking, not of himself, but of Jesus. So, if Jesus never suffered decay, he must have risen from the dead.

 A further proof of Christs’ resurrection is the witness of the apostles. Remember that the primary purpose of the apostles was to be a witness of Jesus’ resurrection (1:22). These apostles saw Jesus risen with their own eyes!

·        Jesus Ascended:  2:33-36. He was exalted to the right hand of God. He received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit. Then He poured out the Holy Spirit. The supernatural signs of noise like wind, tongues of fire, and supernatural languages all should enable these Jewish men to “know for certain” that God had made Jesus Lord and Christ. You see, God made Jesus Lord by raising Him and exalting Him to His right hand. Then, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit is proof positive that Jesus is Lord! And you are in big trouble, because you murdered Him!  The truth is not that sinners have Jesus in their hands to do with Him whatever they wish. No, the truth is that Jesus has the sinner in His hand to do with him whatever He wishes!

3.   Peter Explained Why It Happened:  To Save Sinners (Acts 2:37-40)

·        Peter’s Sermon is Interrupted: notice that there was no altar call. In fact, there are no altar calls anywhere in the NT. Peter didn’t get to His application, because they interrupted him first. Why did they interrupt him? Because their hearts were pierced. The Holy Spirit was convicting them of sin, specifically the sin of killing their Messiah who was now Lord of the Universe. Now that they know that Jesus is Lord, the only question is “what shall we do?” In other words, how can we escape His wrath? 

·        Peter’s Answer To What They Must Do?  There are 2 things they must do, and there is something God must do, and there are 2 things that they will receive if they obey Peter’s instructions.

What they must do: 

·        Repent: they are guilty of going against God’s will, killing His Son. They must change their mind and their heart, and go in a brand new direction.

·        Be baptized:  this is the way they were to express their faith in Christ. They must turn away from their sin of rejecting God’s Son, and now must publicly embrace and own Him as their Lord and King. 

What God must do:  2:39. He must call them to Himself. This answers the question, “how does a person come to repent and believe?” He does so in response to God’s call. The effectual call changes the man’s heart, grants him a new nature, and makes him a new creation. The very first thing he does as a new creation is repent and believe. 

What they will receive: 

·        Forgiveness of sins: 

·        The gift of the Holy Spirit: 

Is Baptism Essential To Salvation? This verse has been used by the United Pentecostal Church and the Church of Christ to “prove” that you can not be forgiven of your sins until you are baptized. On the surface, that’s what this verse sounds like it is saying. However, in all of Peter’s preaching, he never says that a person must be baptized in order to be saved (Acts 3:19; 10:43; 15:9. Paul says the same thing (Acts 13:38-39; 16:31). There are 2 possible solutions to this problem:

1) The word “for” (eis):  This Greek word, just like the English word “for” can be used in 2 different senses. The prisoner was executed for murder. There “for” means “because of.” However, we could also say, “she went shopping for groceries.” There “for” means “in order to obtain.” Sometimes eis in the NT means “because of” as in Mt.3:11; 12:41. Thus, this passage might mean, “Repent, and then be baptized because of the forgiveness of sins you have received.”

2)   The Greek grammar:  In Greek verbs, the word contains the person and number. Repent is 2^nd person plural. Your sins is 2^nd person plural. You will receive is 2^nd person plural. The only verb that is different is “be baptized.” That is 3^rd person singular. In other words all the other verbs belong together, while “be baptized” belongs by itself. Understood in this way, there would be a parenthesis at “and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ”. The verse would be read like this: “Repent for the forgiveness of your sins, and then each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Life Application:

1.   We should always be able to explain what is taking place Scripturally: 2:16. One famous charismatic once said, “You have to realize that more can be cooked up in the kitchen than appears on the menu. God is bigger than the Bible.” Not so! When you can no longer say “This is that” you are in trouble. You have just opened pandora’s box, and now anything is permissible. Sound doctrine and good church practice is to always be able to say, “This is that”

2.   We should emphasize the Resurrection of Christ in gospel preaching:  notice how much space Peter gives to the resurrection of Christ in this sermon! He passes over the death of Christ in one verse, and doesn’t even explain how the cross atoned for sins. Yet he spends 8 verses on establishing Christ’s resurrection. Let’s not make the mistake of only speaking of the cross. Sinners need to hear that Jesus rose, is alive, and can given them new life!

3.   We need to emphasize the Lordship of Christ in gospel preaching:  2:36. Too often in contemporary gospel presentations, Jesus is only presented as Savior. But that is a truncated gospel. This Savior is also the Lord, and Master of your eternal destiny. Unless and until a sinner surrenders himself to Jesus as Lord, he is still lost! Rom.10:9-10.

4.   We need to aim at the conviction of sinners in gospel preaching:  2:37. They were pierced to the heart. We should employ those doctrines and truths of Scripture which are calculated to prick hearts:  the Law, sin, judgment, hell.  One preacher said, “We are to afflict the comfortable, and comfort the afflicted.” After the sore has been lanced, then we pour in the medicine of the gospel. 

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