Pentecost: Peter’s Sermon – Part 3
Peter’s Call To Repentance & Invitation To Salvation
Acts 2:37-40
(Antioch Baptist Church: Wednesday June 4th, 2025)
We are currently examining the first and perhaps greatest Christian sermon ever preached. On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended and the followers of Christ, they began to “speak in other tongues” praising the Lord for His greatness. Upon hearing the sounds of a “mighty rushing wind” a multitude of Jews came running to see what was happening. They were astonished when they arrived and heard these Galileans speaking in their own native languages. Many of those Jews came to the conclusion that the Believers were drunk. In response, Peter stood up and addressed this multitude and refuted the idea that the followers of Christ had been drinking. He explained to them that what they were experiencing was the pouring out of God’s Spirit that Joel had written about many years earlier.
As we have examined this sermon we have seen Peter’s Reference Concerning Joel’s Prophecy and Peter’s Reference Concerning David’s Psalms. In both of those references Peter declared that Jesus Christ is the Promised Messiah. Furthermore, the Apostle laid the death of Jesus at the feet of the Jews with whom he was speaking. He proclaimed in verse 36, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”.
This declaration coupled with the information provided in Peter’s sermon, and obviously the convicting work of the Holy Spirit prompted the desired result amongst a great many of those in attendance. Some of the people cried out “what shall we do?” In response, Peter called on the people to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. He promised that if they would respond accordingly they would “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”.
As we conclude our study of Peter’s sermon at Pentecost I would like to examine: “Peter’s Call To Repentance And Invitation To Salvation”
Often we preachers will spend 30 minutes expounding a passage and then at the very end summarize the entire message in a short simple statement. I am not sure how long Peter’s sermon lasted on the day of Pentecost, but that is essentially what he did. In verse 36 he drives the main point of his sermon home by declaring that David’s prophetic words in Psalm 16 & 110 pointed to the life, death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ. The One they had crucified was “both Lord & Christ”.
It is also important for us to notice that verses 33-35 clearly indicate that there would be a certain span of time between the ascension and glorification of Christ and His Second Coming and the establishment of His Kingdom. King David said, 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." Jesus is currently seated at the right hand of the Father. One day He will return, judge the world, punish His enemies, establish His Kingdom and rule and reign over all the earth. The Jews needed to know this truth and the people in the world today need to hear it as well. Peter’s sermon was certainly a powerful one and it had its desired effect.
Every minister of God has an intense desire to see people respond to the Gospel message. Every time that I enter a pulpit and preach the Word of God it is my desire to see lost people saved, backslidden people restored, and faithful Christians grow stronger in their relationship with the Lord. There have been certain occasions where I have been amazed at the number of people who responded to the message from God’s Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I am sure that Peter was elated by what happened at the conclusion of this sermon. (v37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?")
There were multitudes more than 3,000 people in attendance on the day of Pentecost. As we have seen throughout this study there were some who heard this message and scoffed. Some of those Jews were cynical when they arrived and even more so when they left. Some came running to see what was happening and they assumed the Disciples were drunk, when they departed they still believed this to be the case.
There were other Jews who came there that day who were confused by the sights and the sounds, but after hearing the message from the Apostle Peter and experiencing true Holy Spirit conviction they were convinced that what he was saying was true. They believed the message and accepted the testimony of the Apostles that Jesus was indeed the Messiah; He had risen from the dead and He was responsible for the amazing things that had taken place earlier in the day. In response they humbly asked Peter “what shall we do?” They asked this because “they were cut to the heart”.
When reading this passage we immediately rejoice in the conversion of a multitude of people, but we often overlook how devastating this news must have been for those in attendance. Think about it for a moment, these men of Israel had read the scriptures, they believed the prophets; they knew what David had said in the Psalms. Many of these Jews had been anxiously anticipating the arrival of God’s promised Messiah their entire lives. Now they are confronted with the reality that they had been instrumental in killing the Son of God and the Savior of the World. Furthermore, upon realizing their guilt and acknowledging the fact that Jesus was alive, they must have been fearful that they would be judged for their part in His death. This was a logical assumption because if they had continued to reject Him then that is exactly what would have happened. Moreover, it is what happened to those who refused to heed Peter’s call to “repent and be baptized”.
This will be the case for all who refuse to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Like these Jews, lost people today should be “cut to the heart” when they hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They should be overwhelmed with guilt because they are living in rebellion against a Holy God who loved them enough to send His Son to deliver them from their sins. They should also be fearful of the consequences that come as a result of rejecting the sinless Son of God. The wonderful news is that such people can be forgiven of their sins, granted eternal life, assured of a home in Heaven, and they can have a personal relationship with the God that they have rebelled against their entire lives.
Many lost people think that there is no hope of them ever being saved. They feel that they have gone too far or done too much for God to forgive them. I can think of no greater rebuttal to that argument than the very passage that we are studying today. Peter has just boldly indicted these Jews for the murder of Jesus Christ; he declared that they were responsible for His death! In spite of this, God extended mercy and grace to them and gave them the opportunity to be forgiven and redeemed. This same mercy and grace is available to lost people today.
In response to the question “what shall we do?” Peter instructs the people to “Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”. Repentance speaks of a change of mind that results in one turning away from sin and turning to God. When describing the repentance of the Thessalonians, Paul said that they had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God”. Those believers in Thessalonica had turned away from their manmade idols and turned to the living God. The Jews who were gathered on the day of Pentecost turned away from their skepticism, cynicism, their unbelief, the traditions & legalism that they had received from the elders. They also turned from their sins and they turned to God. They repented and trusted in Christ for salvation and following their repentance they were baptized. As a result they were “filled with the Holy Spirit.”
When we are confronted with the Gospel and respond by surrendering to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we are saved. We have seen that the scriptures say in numerous places “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved”. On the other hand, those who refuse to repent, will die in their sins and face eternal consequences as a result of their rejection of Jesus Christ. I pray that have properly responded to God’s call to repent and that you have accepted the invitation to receive salvation through Jesus Christ.
Peter not only called on the people to “repent”, he also instructed them to be “baptized for the remission of sins”. The Greek word “baptize” {bap-tid-zo} literally means to be immersed in water. Weeks earlier, just before Christ ascended to Heaven, He gave His Apostles the Great Commission, in it He said: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20) On the day of Pentecost, Peter was obedient to his Lord’s command. He urged the men of Israel to repent and turn to Christ and to identify with Him through believers baptism.
Baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It has often been said that “Baptism is an outward expression of an inward experience”. Many of the Jews had experienced the Baptism of John the Baptist. Those Gentile proselytes who were in attendance had been baptized when they became Jewish converts. But the baptism that Peter prescribed was something totally new. This is the first time the apostles publicly instructed people to observe the ordinance of baptism.
There has been much confusion concerning the phrase “for the remission of sins.” It is because of this verse that many people hold to the doctrine of “baptismal regeneration”. This is a doctrine that declares that one must be baptized in order to be saved. It is important for you to understand that water baptism does not produce cleansing from sin. No one has ever been saved simply because they were baptized. In fact, Hell is full of people who were baptized.
The scriptures make it clear that we are saved and justified by faith alone, not by works, rituals, or ordinances. (Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.) When someone truly repents and believes in Christ, they immediately receive the “remission of sins” that Peter refers to in this verse.
The confusion that arises concerning this verse is due to the word “for”. It is important to understand that this word can also be translated “with a view to”. Simply stated one is to be baptized in view of the forgiveness that they have received from God, not in order to receive that forgiveness. With that being said, anyone who is truly born again will observe the ordinance of believer’s Baptism. In baptism we identify with Christ; we are publicly declaring that our sins have been forgiven because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. The concept of unbaptized Christians is foreign to the New Testament scriptures. John MacArthur says: (Baptism) was to be the ever-present act of obedience, so that it became synonymous with salvation. Thus to say one was baptized for forgiveness was the same as saying one was saved. (Source: Nelson, Thomas. NKJV, MacArthur Study Bible, 2nd Edition) Baptism is very important to the Christian faith.
Peter follows the command to repent and be baptized with a promise that all who will trust in Christ for salvation, will “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Earlier that day, when the Holy Spirit descended upon those God’s people, amazing things began to happen. They began to speak in other languages and to praise God for His marvelous works. Those faithful followers had received the promise; the Holy Spirit came to dwell within them.
The exciting news is that the Holy Spirit is still abiding within the followers of Christ today. When we turn to Christ for salvation we too receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is because of this gift that we are able to commune with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is also the One, who enables us to live in a way that is pleasing to God. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables us to share the Gospel and He equips us to serve the Lord.
In the following verse, Peter makes it clear that the promise of the Holy Spirit applies to us today just as it did to those who were gathered on the day of Pentecost. Notice v39 “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
This promise certainly applied to the Jews who were gathered listening to Peter’s message, it also applied to their children and future generations. Furthermore it is a promise that is given to “all who are afar off”, this speaks of the Gentiles who would also enjoy the blessings of salvation.
This promise is given to “as many as the Lord our God will call”. This verse is a reminder that salvation is the work of God; He calls us and gives us the opportunity to receive salvation. When we trust in Christ, we are brought into a personal relationship with Him and one of the amazing benefits of this relationship is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
After going into great detail concerning the heart of Peter’s message, Luke then summarizes a portion of this sermon by saying “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them”. Peter ends his sermon with a final call and an invitation to those in attendance to "Be saved from this perverse generation." The generation that was living in those days is described as “crooked and perverse”. These were the very people who had rejected Jesus as Messiah and called for Him to be crucified. Peter wanted this multitude of Jews to know that the proper response to the conviction that they were experiencing was for them to repent of their sins, acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, trust Him as Savior, surrender to Him as Lord and then renounce their connection with rebellious Israel and identify with Christ through Baptism.
We do not know how many were gathered before Peter on the Day of Pentecost; but we do know that some 3,000 of them responded by repenting and believing in Christ. Many of them were “cut to the heart”, and they repented and believed in Jesus Christ. They turned away from their skepticism, cynicism, their unbelief, the traditions & legalism that they had received from the elders and they also turned from their sins and they turned to God. Following their repentance they were baptized and they were “filled with the Holy Spirit.” If these people had refused to repent they would not have been converted, they would not have received the Holy Spirit and they would have died in their sins and been condemned eternally.
The same is true for those who are confronted with the Gospel today. If you will surrender to Holy Spirit conviction, acknowledge and turn from your sins, and trust in Christ as Lord & Savior you will be saved. On the other hand, if you refuse to repent, you will die in your sins and face eternal consequences as a result of your rejection of Jesus Christ. I pray that you heed the call to repentance and accept the invitation to salvation through Jesus Christ.
06042025
