Context: When we left off we were looking at the Day of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which was referred to in Prophecy as “The Promise of the Father”. We also covered a portion of the message that Peter preached on that day. This morning we will carry on from that point.
Peter, the first disciple to recognize the truth about Jesus, was also the first to bear witness of Him in his preaching.
• His new passion for the Kingdom is like fire shut-up in his bones.
(Note: Peter denied Christ 3X just fifty days earlier but now has the power to be an uninhibited witness to Jesus Name. (Acts 1:8 )
• The dynamis power of God that’s fallen upon Peter is impossible to contain, so he impulsively stands up, and begins preaching.
Peter preaches a 3 point sermon and gives an altar call.
His Sermon: This message’s basic components:
A. It was the first sermon preached after the resurrection.
This, being the first New Testament sermon, is significant in that it sets a
pattern for the early church’s message to come. This is one of the most basic Gospel messages in the Bible.
B. It was a street message, preached to the Jews who had come from all over the world to worship at the feast. Peter gave no thought as to who was there to hear him; he simply saw an opportunity and jumped on it.
C. It was spontaneous and by the Holy Spirit. “Peter standing up with the eleven raised his voice and said…” /Note: We need more Holy Spirit filled evangelist preaching Jesus today.
a. A true evangelist:
i. Is Spirit led/Philip and the Eunuch – because of this most have to live from faith to faith and as a result are not willing to lay down their lives and step out in faith. This example of faith is desperately needed in the body.
ii. Preaches Christ/Philip and the Eunuch (IS.53)
Ex.) Paul said: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor. 2:18)
21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a 9stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
iii. Is one of the 5 gifts to the church. (Eph. 4:11)
1. Note: Pastors are Shepherds, teachers, and leaders. Evangelists are gatherers and workers of miracles. (Cor.12:28) Both are crucial in the Kingdom.
iv. Preaches to everyone whether masses or individuals.
The evangelists’ that I have known are always preaching to someone. “Woe is me if I preach not” is his beckoning call.
Today this office seems to be drying up and as a result fewer and fewer unbelievers are coming into the church to be disciple. “Is God calling you to be an evangelist?”
Peter’s There Points
a. The Prophecy is fulfilled: What you see today is what the Prophet Joel prophesied would come in the last days. (2:14-21)
i. The Spirit would come and fill the common man who would now be used like the Prophets of old. (That’s great news! No hierarchy in the Kingdom God, but all are equal):
Col. 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
b. The Prophet that Proclaimed Him. The same Jesus that you crucified and killed, is the Messiah spoken of by your father David.
i. He was attested to you by God through miracles, wonders, and signs. (Vs. 22)
ii. He is greater than David, because (Vs. 29)
1. David’s body has decayed and is in the grave to this day, but Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day.
2. And Jesus is seated at the right hand of God in the heavens.
c. The Proclamation is Clear. Therefore men everywhere should know that THIS JESUS is both LORD and CHRIST! Note: You cannot follow Jesus as Christ and not as Lord. He is both!
His Altar Call:
3000 souls respond and were added to the church that day.
Closing:
This is the same message we should be preaching to our friends and family!
1. We are in the last days and God is working on the earth through His Church, preparing a spotless Bride for the soon coming Christ.
2. That Jesus is the Messiah spoken of in scripture who came just as it had been predicted for over 3000 years.
3. That this Jesus is both Lord and Christ; yesterday, today and forever!
NOTE: Community/ The new believers were to be trained in the fellowship of the church. The Greek word translated fellowship means sharing in the lives of other believers.
The response to Peter’s sermon was tremendous. Such impressive growth in the number of believers created additional needs and responsibilities. The apostles had the duty of training this large group and bringing them into fellowship with the other believers. This was a four-step process: (1) The new believers were to be trained in the apostles’ doctrine. Uniformity of belief concerning the person of Jesus Christ—based on the eyewitness testimony of His followers—was essential. (2) The new believers were to be trained in the fellowship of the church. The Greek word translated fellowship means sharing in the lives of other believers. (3) The new believers were to be trained in the breaking of bread, probably a reference to the Lord’s Supper (see 1 Cor. 11:23, 24). Some believe this is a broader reference to the “love feast,” a meal of fellowship in the early church. (4) The new believers were to be trained in the discipline of prayer. Corporate prayers were viewed as an essential part of the spiritual growth of the church. Wonders and signs apparently were given by the Lord to the apostles to validate their divinely ordained position and to verify the truthfulness of their witness in the establishment of the early church
