Pentecost: Peter's Sermon (Part 2) Series

Pentecost: Peter’s Sermon

Part 2: Peter’s Reference To David’s Psalms

Acts 2:21-36

For the last several weeks we have been studying the subject of Pentecost. In that time we have examined the arrival of the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit of God transformed the Believers and how it confounded the Jews. The last time we were gathered we began to walk through the very first Christian sermon. Addressing the Jews who were present on the Day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and declared that the amazing sights and sounds that they were witnessing were not the effects of too much wine; rather it was the pouring out of God’s Spirit. In the first half of his sermon, Peter referenced a prophecy that had been declared by the prophet Joel. Following this, Peter transitions to the words of King David; Here he references two Psalms that would have been very familiar to his Jewish audience to point to the fact that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah. I would like to pick up where we left off and consider:

PETER’S REFERENCE TO DAVID’S PSALMS

In verse 21, while referencing Joel’s Prophecy, Peter says “it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.” It is his desire for these “men of Israel” to know that when he says “call upon the name of the Lord”, he is speaking specifically of the Lord Jesus Christ.

v22 "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-- v23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; v24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

These Jews have seen the amazing sights of Pentecost, and they have heard the sound of a “rushing mighty wind” and they have heard the disciples speaking in their own native languages. As a result some were curious and some were cynical. Peter takes this opportunity to explain the truth about Jesus Christ. He boldly declares that Jesus, (the man that they had recently crucified) was both Lord & Christ. He references the life of Christ and the many “miracles, wonders, and signs” that He had performed in their presence. These people may not have believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, but they could not ignore the miracles that He had performed. Peter says that “God did these things through Him in their midst”. Even after all the miracles that Jesus performed, they took Him “by lawless hands, crucified Him, and put Him to death.”

It is important to remember that at this point it had only been a few weeks since Jesus was crucified. After His resurrection, the religious leaders and the soldiers who guarded the tomb spread the lie that the Disciple’s came in the night and stole the body of Jesus. Many of the Jews who were present certainly believed this false narrative. But Peter boldly declared that Jesus was alive! He says that God raised Him up, “having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”

If these things were true (and they were) then the Jews in attendance must come to grips with the fact that the One that they had killed had been resurrected, ascended to Heaven and He is coming back to judge the earth someday. Peter boldly lays the death of Christ at the feet of these “men of Israel”. He indicted those Jews who rejected Christ and instigated His crucifixion. They were the ones who cried “crucify” when Pilate asked “what shall I do with Jesus called the Christ?” They were the ones who turned Him over to the Romans who in turn carried out His execution.

It cannot be overlooked that Christ’s death was part of God’s plan of redemption from the beginning; Peter says Jesus was “delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God”. However, even though this was part of God’s sovereign plan, it does not absolve the guilt of those who carried it out. Confronted with this information, these “men of Israel” had to decide how they would respond. They would either accept this information and respond accordingly or they would continue to reject the idea that Jesus is the Messiah.

We also cannot overlook the fact that we are also guilty concerning the death of Christ. Jesus came to die for our sins; our sinfulness is what made His death necessary. Though we were guilty and unworthy, God loved us enough to make a way for us to be redeemed. Paul says (God) made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21).