Peters First Sermon And Best

Peters first sermon and best

Reading: Acts chapter 2 verses 12-37.

Ill:

• Pentecost Sunday – the birthday of the Church!

• Speaking of birthdays – I love the story of the man who heard his wife say:

• “I would like to be 8 again”.

In Acts chapter 2, Peter gave his first sermon:

• Now if you want to embarrass a preacher:

• Just ask him how about the first sermon he ever preached went.

• Most of can remember it well, because it was not a very enjoyable experience!!!

• Often during a preachers first sermon they are very, very nervous.

• Often they get very tongue-tied or memory goes blank or they dry up etc.

• Often you feel that you are the wrong person in the wrong place.

• However, for Peter - I believe this first sermon broke all the rules;

• Not only was it his best ever sermon – it was certainly his most influential.

• It ignited a flame that would spread across the whole world,

• And share the message of Christ with incalculable numbers of people.

(A). 4 things to note about Peter’s Sermon:

(1). His sermon is Down to Earth.

(1ST). PETER’S SERMON IS SIMPLE!

Ill:

The great preacher of the early 19th century G. Campbell Morgan says;

• That when his book ‘Life Problems’ was published.

• One critical reviewer wrote concerning it;

• “This man evidently has no use for language

• other than making people know what he wants to say”.

• Campbell Morgan cut out and pasted that review in a book and prayed;

• “The Lord help me to keep right there”.

Quote Leonard Ravenhill after listening C.S. Lewis:

“I was fascinated with his message, and stunned by his simplicity.

That’s preaching!”

• As a preacher there is no merit in trying to be deep and complicated.

• Good preachers can take deep and complicated truths and present them simply.

• Quote:

• "A good preacher makes you see the obvious".

• By that I mean, when you read the passage, you can say;

• "It was here all the time, but I didn’t see it until he pointed out".

(2ND). PETER KNEW HIS AUDIENCE.

• The message preached, was given by a Jew, to Jews (Vs 14, 22, 29, 36).

• So that affected the content of his sermon, what he went on to share.

Ill:

Bob Telford:

• Tease him about the length of his messages (ill: Cut it in half!)

• First thing he always wrote on his paper was "Who am I speaking too!"

Ill:

"Horses for courses" or "Cut your cloth accordingly".

Ill:

• Do a study of Jesus in the gospels:

• Notice how he spoke differently depending on who his audience was:

• Religious people (Scribes & Pharisees).

• Crowds.

• Individuals.

• 12 Disciples.

(3RD). PETER STARTED WHERE THEY WERE AT (verse 22):

• With things they knew;

• Verse 22: "As you yourselves know".

Ill:

• He was going to build a bridge of truth, starting on their side:

• And then take them across that bridge,

• So he could reveal to them truth they didn’t know!

Ill:

One day King George V:

• Was to give the opening address at a special disarmament conference,

• The speech was to be relayed by radio to the U.S.A.

• As the broadcast was about to begin, a cable broke in the New York radio station,

• And more than a million listeners were left without sound.

• A junior mechanic in the station,

• A man called Harold Vivien,

• Solved the problem by picking up both ends of the cable;

• And allowing 250 volts of electricity to pass through him.

• Harold Vivien became the living link that allowed the king’s message;

• To get through to the people - I am sure you can see the application!

Notice:

• Peter actually started his sermon because of a question;

• Verse 12:"What does this mean".

• He started with a question and because "he scratched where they were itching",

• Notice: when he finished, they responded with a question;

• Verse 37: "What shall we do?"

• That is effective communication!!!

(2). His sermon is Bible Based.

• Quoting from Joel (verse 17) and David (verses 25 & 34) from our Old Testament,

• Peter constructs solid, biblical reasons to believe in Christ.

• As Christians our message is not to be based on popular opinion:

• As Christians our message should not simply be what people might like to hear:

• If you want to build people up in their faith or bring them to Christ.

• We need to tell them what the book says (and explain it to them!!!)