He Was There All the Time
(Acts 2:14-36)
1. Some people have a lot of nerve. Take this late-breaking odd news item:
KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - An Indian man who took an impersonator to court to get a divorce faces legal action after his real wife found out, lawyers said Friday.
Sanjib Saha presented a woman as his wife in a lower court in the eastern city of Kolkata this month. Both said they sought a mutual divorce, something the court granted immediately.
Saha’s real wife was then asked to leave the marital home. She has since appealed the ruling at a higher court, charged her husband with cheating and the original divorce was suspended.
"The case exposed the legal loopholes in our system," Kaushik Chanda, lawyer of Saha’s real wife, said.
2. Likewise, in the church world, we see a lot nerve as people claim that faith in Jesus will always cure your body or remove all your problems.
3. Jesus Christ makes a tremendous difference in our lives -- nothing else compares. But we have to wait for heaven. We may get tastes of heaven here, but certainly not always.
4. What happened on the Day of Pentecost was not hype, it was real. We know it was real not only because reasonable people witnessed it, but also because it was predicted centuries before it happened.
5. The Apostles were now on spiritual steroids; the Spirit of God had come upon them and the others, and God was moving them to launch out the Kingdom of God. But the New was completely connected to the Old.
Main Idea: The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not merely a New Testament phenomenon; it is stealthily sprinkled throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. This is one way we know it is true.
I. The Hebrew Scriptures PREDICTED Pentecost (12-20)
➢ This is Peter’s first sermon; he had come off a great trial, having denied Christ three times. Although Jesus restored him, this was his first time to prove himself.
➢ Preaching can be a frightening thing. In the Bible, preaching is not limited to a clergy caste, but church leaders did take the lead. Speaking of clergy…
➢ A motorist was driving in the country when he saw some men who had come from an ecumenical meeting: a Baptist Pastor, a Catholic Priest, an Anglican Vicar, and a Jewish Rabbi. They were standing on the shoulder of the road, fishing. Next to them was a sign that read "Turn Around. The End Is Near."
The motorist didn’t like to be preached to, so he rolled down the window and yelled, "Mind your own business, you religious nuts!"
A few seconds later the two fishermen heard tires screech, then a splash.
The rabbi turned to the others and said, "I told you we should’ve just written, ’Bridge Out.’ "
(Reader’s Digest, adapted)
➢ Of course, there is more than one way to gain people’s attention. Those who heard people praising God in their native dialects asked, “What does this mean?” while others mocked.
➢ Peter set an example for us when it comes to sharing our faith. We should be eager to answer questions and clear up misunderstandings.
A. The drunkenness explanation does not make SENSE (12-16)
➢ In Acts, we see Peter as the one who unlocks the Gospel to first the Jews, then the Samaritans, and then the Gentiles. All 12 apostles rise as Peter speaks.
➢ He begins with simple reason: it is unlikely that the disciples would be drunk at 9AM in the morning. There is a better explanation! This is a fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy!
➢ These are only highlights of Peter’s sermon, which would have been much longer. As recorded by Luke, Peter would have preached between 3 and 4 minutes.
B. The Miraculous explanation makes sense and was PREDICTED (17-20)
Since this was a Jewish audience, they were fluent in the Old Testament. This is not typically the case when we share the Gospel. So Peter is doing two things: He is using Scripture and starting at a point that his audience could relate to.
1. The INAUGURATION of the End Times
2. The POURING out of the Spirit
3. Upon ALL in contrast to some (meaning all classes, not just the prophets)
4. Tribulation EVENTS yet future
5. DOUBLE fulfillment
C. Applications
“Stephen Kuusisto grew up feeling a stigma about being legally blind. For him, sight consisted of a kaleidoscope of shapes, colors, and shadows. Privately he would press his face close to the page of a book and memorize street names in an exhausting attempt to appear more able to see than he really could.
“When Stephen was 39, his life changed after he acquired an affectionate and carefully trained guide dog named Corky. In learning to use Corky to lead him, Stephen reflected on the growing trust in their relationship. He said, “Faith moves from belief into conviction, then to certainty. We are a . . . powerhouse!” When Stephen admitted that he needed the help of a sighted companion, a new world of freedom and mobility opened up to him.
“Many believers blindly stumble their way through the Christian life in their own strength. Seemingly, they are unaware that God has provided a supernatural Guide to lead the way. Jesus said He would send us a Comforter who would guide us into all truth (John 16:13). When we confess all known sin and then depend on the Holy Spirit to guide us (Gal. 5:16,18), we become a powerhouse for God! “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). “ From Our Daily Bread, (Dennis Fisher):
II. The Hebrew Scriptures POINT to Salvation in Jesus (21)
A. Everyone who CALLS
--the idea is calling in repentance and faith, not meaningless verbiage
B. On the NAME
--the Name of the Messiah, Yeshua; we call Him Jesus. Understood is the idea that the Messiah is also God, who was referred to by the Jews as “the Name.”
--It is not just believing in God, but specifically in Jesus that saves us; later in this sermon, Peter communicates some essential facts about Who Jesus is and what He did
C. Will be SAVED
--saved means to be delivered from the wrath of God and the penalty of sin and brought into a right relationship with God through the forgiveness of sins
D. Applications
1. Many people would say Italian food is their favorite food: pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, Italian sausage; but most people do not realize that Italian cuisine is considered the simplest around…
2. Theology may get complex, but the important, basic things are beautifully simple, like how to be saved. Peter reduces it down to one verse.
3. We send out missionaries because people must believe in Jesus if they are to be saved, as we see in Romans 10:13ff:
13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
III. The Hebrew Scriptures PRESAGED the Gospel (22-36)
Matthew Henry observed, “Christ’s scholars never learn above their Bible; and the Spirit is given not to supersede the scriptures, but to enable us to understand…”
I get antsy when I hear someone exalted scholarship to the point where the Bible becomes anything but primary…
A. Jesus very LIFE evidenced He was Messiah (22)
B. His death was PLANNED by God (23)
In Acts 4:27-28, we can eavesdrop on John and Peter in the midst of this prayer to the Lord, “Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.”
Who killed Jesus? The Jews? The Romans? Yes, representatives of both Jewish and gentile peoples. But ultimately, Jesus death was in the plan of God.
C. He was RESURRECTED as seen in the OT (24-32)
--Peter argues that these Scriptures could not have pertained to David
D. He ASCENDED as implied in the OT (33-35)
--for Him to be waiting at the Father’s throne for the Father to make His enemies His footstool implies His ascension…
E. He was made LORD and CHRIST (36)
--God the Son was always LORD, but now Jesus’ human nature is also Lord (Master) and Christ (Messiah); we call this His exaltation.
F. Applications
1. Next week, we’ll see Peter pulled in the net; the fisher of men would catch a mighty catch on Pentecost
2. But right now, maybe some of you have never responded to Jesus Christ
3. Salvation by faith
4. Next step is baptism by immersion
5. Then a lifetime of discipleship…
