Pentecost: Peter’s Sermon
Part 1: Peter’s Reference To Joel’s Prophecy
Acts 2:14-20
There have been many great and powerful sermons preached throughout the history of Christ’s Church. Most of you have probably heard Johnathan Edwards’s sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. Maybe you have heard R.G Lee’s sermon “Payday Someday”. C.H Spurgeon preached many wonderful sermons at the Metropolitan Tabernacle that are referenced each week by pastors all over the world. Perhaps the greatest sermon in the Bible (other than those preached by the Lord Jesus) is the sermon that Peter preached on the day of Pentecost. As a result of this bold Gospel message, some three thousand souls came to faith in Jesus Christ. For the next couple of weeks I would like for us to examine this sermon and see the context and the content of this powerful sermon that was instrumental in the birth of Christ’s Church. Throughout this message we will see:
i. Peter’s Reference Concerning Joel’s Prophecy
ii. Peter’s Reference Concerning David’s Psalms
iii. Peter’s Declaration That Christ Is The Messiah
iv. Peter’s Call To Repentance & Invitation To Salvation
There was an amazing response to the sermon that Peter preached. Thousands of Jews came to faith in Christ; they repented, were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. Following their conversion, this multitude began to worship, pray, study and serve together. Their influence spread and eventually the Gospel covered the entire earth.
The message that Peter preached back then is a message that the world needs to hear today. We have been assigned the glorious task of sharing the content of that message with the world around us. Therefore, it is essential that we understand the fundamentals of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can learn these fundamentals by studying this great sermon. So, I invite you to join me as we examine “Pentecost: Peter’s Sermon”. Let’s begin in:
v14 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.
“But Peter”, it is significant to note that the man whom God chose to preach this amazing sermon that led to thousands of conversions is the same man who had recently denied even knowing the Lord Jesus. This is proof of his full restoration and evidence of God’s call on his life. Peter is no longer the wavering follower of Jesus, whose foot was perennially in his mouth, now he is the leader of the Apostles and a man that Jesus would use to advance His Kingdom. What made the difference in this man? Certainly seeing the risen Christ had a tremendous impact on Peter’s life and now he is a man who is “filled with the Spirit”.
Before His death, Jesus promised to give Peter the “keys to the Kingdom”. (Matthew 16:18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.) At Pentecost, Peter used those keys to open the door of the Kingdom to the Jews; in Chapter 10 he will be used by God to open that same door for the Gentiles. This door was opened through a very powerful sermon that led to the establishment of the Church and resulted in over 3,000 conversions.
We are told that Peter “stood up with the eleven”. After Judas’ betrayal there were only 11 Apostles, at this point the number is back at 12 with the addition of Matthias (Acts 1:23-24). This amazing sermon began as a response to certain Jews who determined that the followers of Christ were drunk on “new wine”. Peter refutes that assumption in verse 15, he says: “For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.” Peter wanted these Jews to know that the amazing sights and sounds that occurred on Pentecost were not the result of too much wine. He points out that it was only 9 a.m. and it would be very uncommon for so many people to be drunk at such an early hour. Furthermore, the Jews who were involved in synagogue activity on an established feast day abstained from drinking until at least after 10 a.m. These people were not under the influence of alcohol, what was happening was actually the fulfilment of Bible prophecy.
Peter says in v16 “ this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel”. The entirety of Joel’s prophecy will not be fulfilled until the millennial kingdom. In fact, most of what God said through Joel in verses 17–20 did not occur on the day of Pentecost. But those things that did happen were a preview of what will happen in the Millennial Kingdom when “the Spirit is poured out on all flesh”. (v17)
[The quotation from Joel is an example of the Law of Double Reference, by which a Bible prophecy has a partial fulfillment at one time and a complete fulfillment at a later time. The Spirit of God was poured out at Pentecost but not literally on all flesh.] (Source: MacDonald, William. Believer's Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson.)
This “law of double reference” also applies of Christ’s Kingdom. The Kingdom is both a future and a present reality. We who are saved are part of Christ’s invisible Kingdom, and one day He will return and establish His literal Kingdom. Immediately following the Tribulation and prior to the return of Christ there will be “wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath”.
The Bible has much to say about the great and powerful Day of the Lord. We could spend much time considering all that is described in the scriptures concerning that day. For the sake of time I will simply remind you what Jesus taught His Disciples about the end of the Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. He said in Matthew 24:29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
After these things Jesus will return to earth, judge His enemies and establish His Kingdom. It is at this time that “the Spirit of God will be poured out on all flesh”. God said through Joel that these things would occur during the “last days”. Peter referenced this in:
v17 '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. v18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. v19 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.
There are several opinions as to when the “last days” began; some believe that the last days began when Christ was born in Bethlehem; others believe that they began when He ascended, and some believe that Pentecost marked the beginning of the “last days”. Regardless of the starting point, it is apparent that we are living in the last days. Furthermore, this period of time will continue until the glorious return of Jesus Christ. We can be sure that we are indeed living in the last days because the promised Messiah has come into the world. Jesus (the Messiah) lived a sinless life went to the Cross and paid the price for our sins, three days later He victoriously rose from the grave and ascended to Heaven. Before He departed He promised that one day He would return to earth; when He does He will establish His Kingdom.
These last days are not a period of inactivity, for God is moving in the earth through the Holy Spirit. Lost people are being saved, the Church is increasing in number and the Kingdom is being advanced. This leads us to:
PETER’S REFERENCE CONCERNING JOEL’S PROPHECY
- In his sermon, Peter quotes from Joel 2:28-32:
Joel 2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. 32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
In this prophecy, God declares that there is coming a time when all who follow Him will receive His Spirit. This is not some honor that will only be bestowed upon kings, priest and prophets; it is a promise to all who belong to God. As we have already seen, the complete fulfillment of this prophecy has yet to be accomplished, but the events of Pentecost were a preview of what is to come in the Millennial Kingdom. At Pentecost, God poured out His Spirit on all who believed in Him. Men & women, Jews & Gentiles (proselytes), Apostles & laymen all received the Holy Spirit on that day. In Joel’s prophecy, God says that when He pours His Spirit out on the people many amazing things will happen. Men and women, and Jews and Gentiles alike will see visions, dream dreams and prophesy. There will be wonders in Heaven and signs upon the earth. Verse 20 tells us that “The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.” These supernatural “signs and wonders” will occur “Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.”
“The day of the Lord” is a reference to the personal return of the Lord Jesus to earth. When He arrives He will destroy His enemies, establish His Kingdom and rule and reign with great power and authority. When He came the first time Jesus was meek, gentle and compassionate; things will be much different when He returns. He will return in flaming fury and judge all the sinners of the world. This will be a time of devastation, wrath, judgment and condemnation. The Lord will punish human sin; deal with a Christ-rejecting world, and bring every soul into judgment. The day of the Lord will be a dreadful time for the enemies of Christ. Those who reject Him will face His wrath and judgment.
Thankfully, in the present time there is hope for salvation. In fact, this is seen in verse 21 “And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.' In this passage, Peter is still quoting from Joel’s prophecy. He declares the promise that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This is not a truth that only applied to the Jews who were gathered at Pentecost, it is not a promise that is only given to people in future generations, this promise is the very Gospel of Jesus Christ; it is a promise for all ages. Salvation is available to you and if you will repent and believe in Jesus Christ you can be saved from the wrath to come.
Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
In response to the Gospel that Peter’s declared in his sermon, over 3,000 Jews called upon the name of the Lord and were saved. If you have never been born again, I encourage you to follow their example, repent, call upon the name of the Lord and you too can be saved!
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