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The book of Acts

The preaching of Peter

Chapter 2: 13-40

The baptism of the Holy Spirit, upon the disciples gathered in Jerusalem, immediately gave them the power to be able to magnify God in foreign languages, ??understood by outsiders coming from everywhere for the feast of Pentecost, in that city. Soon a crowd nearby joined them to hear this miracle, and many marvelled at what was happening - no doubt they were talking in foreign languages ??perfectly well.

However, many scoffers did not understand, and said they were drunk. It is typical of the world to misinterpret things they cannot understand, and seek to demean those who are more capable than they are.

The apostles stood up and Peter addressed the crowd in a loud voice to clarify what was going on. He had been transformed, and was no longer a fugitive, fearful of being caught and punished by the authorities, which had crucified the Lord Jesus. The undoubted experience of His resurrection and ascension, and the power from the Holy Spirit gave him the courage, wisdom and fluency necessary to fulfil the responsibilities of an apostle of Christ perfectly.

On this occasion, Peter would use the “keys" that the Lord Jesus had given him, metaphorically, on one occasion, to open the doors of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 15:19) to the Jews. Later he would do the same thing to the Gentiles.  The preaching of Peter was made without previous preparation, spontaneously in the enthusiasm of the moment. It is remarkable how he was able to remember a prophecy of Joel, and texts taken from two psalms to explain the coming of the Holy Spirit and the death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

With this support in the Word of God, he was enabled to announce the meaning of the miracle they were witnessing: he gave his personal testimony of the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus, fundamental for believing that Jesus was indeed the Messiah promised by God, and for the forgiveness of sins through repentance and baptism in His name.

Joel's prophecy (see. 14-21)

Peter immediately responded to the sceptics who sought to ridicule the disciples who spoke foreign languages ??(which obviously the sceptics did not understand). They were not drunk, as they were only 9 in the morning, too early for meals where they used to drink wine.

Then he satisfied the curiosity of the crowd that wanted to know how the disciples had instantly gained the ability to speak foreign languages. It was a special gift coming from the Holy Spirit, of a kind foreseen in the prophecies contained in the Scriptures written by Joel. Joel (Jehovah is God), was the son of Pethuel (Vision of God), and we know nothing about him personally, but there is evidence in his book that this was the first of the prophetic books to be written, except perhaps that of Obadiah.

Thus, he provided the first structure of the end times, called The Day of the Lord, a term he introduces and defines, and on which are built the other prophetic revelations from God. The first half is about the great desolation, and the rest, starting in chapter 2 verse 12, is about deliverance of God’s people. A plague of locusts is used as an illustration of an invasion on the terrible Day of the Lord, and the outpouring of God's Spirit on all people comes after the "great and awesome day of the LORD," when "the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood” (Joel 2:28ff).

It is therefore obvious that Joel's prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. However, Peter used this prophecy to show how the Scriptures support the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon "all people". It will happen at a set time in the future, but what happened that day was similar to that. We must remember that the current era of the Church was not revealed in the prophecies of the Old Testament, being a hiatus that God created because of the rejection of the Messiah by Israel.

One day the church will be raptured to meet their Lord in the air, and the world will be plunged into the "day of wrath" and "vengeance of the Lord." Then comes the fulfilment of Joel's prophecy.

The prophecies of David (see. 22-36)

Peter then specifically addressed the Israelites, and demonstrated that Jesus of Nazareth was, without any doubt, the Messiah they all awaited, and that His life, death, resurrection and ascension to take position at the right hand of God was also in keeping with Scripture.

The miracles, signs and wonders which Jesus did among the people through Jesus proved that He had been approved by God for the work He came to do, and that it was God's purpose to deliver Him to them to do whatever they wanted with Him, according to His foreknowledge. With the help of wicked men, they had killed Him, nailing him to the cross.

Therefore, without their knowing it, God had already predicted that this would happen, but God raised Him from the dead "because it was not possible that He should be held by it." It was not the body of a mortal man, subject to decay, but what had been used by the Son of God here on earth for His redemptive work, and it would be preserved for eternity as a trophy. Death could not hold the body of the Creator of all things!

Peter quoted verses 8-11 of Psalm 16 to show that the “patriarch”, king and prophet David had prophesied the death and resurrection of the Messiah, called “Holy One” in this passage. David wrote as if he himself would go through this experience, but did so knowing it would be one of his descendants, who would occupy his throne.

Christ was a descendant of David, thus entitled to his throne. He did not take possession of it on this occasion, but spiritually he is the King of the Kingdom of God, and will effectively sit on it on earth at His second coming. He took His place at the most important position in the universe, at God's right hand, as David also prophesied in the first verse of Psalm 110, that Peter recited in his speech. David here calls Christ "my Lord".

In His lofty position, Jesus Christ received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, and bestowed Him on His disciples, resulting in the manifestation that the people were witnessing.

The conclusion (see. 37-40)

Based on his personal testimony, in the prophecies whose fulfilment he had demonstrated and on the evidence of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit the effect of which  everyone could see, Peter could now assert with all courage, "... this same Jesus, whom you crucified, God made Lord and Christ. "

His words and the evidence given was so convincing, that the crowd panicked feeling the guilt of their sin, and cried "Brethren, what shall we do?"

This is the first step in the conversion of a sinner: to convince himself of his sin. Who feels safe does not think he needs salvation. The preacher of the Gospel, therefore, must first convince the audience of its sin, and of the judgment to come, and then show the way of salvation.

Peter spoke up again and said to them:

1. Repent - convinced of sin, the first step of any person is to repent: admitting he did wrong and resolving never to sin any more.

2. Each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ - baptism is individual; each person can only be baptized for himself. It means testifying to everyone that he accepts the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for himself, symbolically dying to sin and rising to new life in Christ, and receiving Him as his own Lord (as David did).

3. For the forgiveness of your sins - forgiveness is granted immediately and without charge to those who repent and receive for themselves the redemptive work of Christ. Even those who condemned Him and took Him to the cross could have this forgiveness when they satisfied these two conditions.

4. Moreover, you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit - In addition, the Holy Spirit is given to them. 

This wonderful forgiveness and gift is extended to all whom the Lord, our God, calls - and He calls everyone.

 

R David Jones

 

 

 

13 Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine."

 

 

 

 

 

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 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."

Book of Acts, chapter 2, verses 13 to 40