Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik was jailed for a maximum term on Friday when judges declared him sane enough to answer for the murder of 77 people last year. The killings shook the nation of five million which had prided itself as a safe haven from much of the world’s troubles. Polls showed that around 70 percent of Norway’s public thought such a complex attack could not have been carried out by a madman and Breivik had to bear responsibility. (http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/24/norway-sends-sane-mass-killer-anders-behring-breivik-to-prison-for-maximum-term/?preview=true)
Whenever such horrific deaths occur, questions of responsibility arise. Who caused, or allowed the particular events that led to the death in quesiton. Sometimes, lessons are learned from death that lead to new procedures. But what if death is a chosen instrument to accomplish something. In terms of responsibility we see fault from the Jews and Romans, but we must also see how it is our sin that put Him there.
In all of this fault, we also must see that the cross was not a surprise to God, but had always been His chosen mechanism (i.e. sacrificial system of Lev. 1–7) for bringing redemption to rebellious humanity (cf. Gen. 3:15; Isa. 53:10; Mark 10:45; II Cor. 5:21). Jesus’ death was no accident. It was the plan of God (cf. Luke 22:22; Acts 3:18; 4:28; 13:29; 26:22–23). Jesus came to die (cf. Mark. 10:45) (Utley, R. J. (2003). Vol. Volume 3B: Luke the Historian: The Book of Acts. Study Guide Commentary Series (35). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.)
Through His 1) Life (Acts 2:22), 2) Death (Acts 2:23), 3) Resurrection (Acts 2:24–32), and 4) Exaltation (Acts 2:33–36) Jesus "Freed (believers) from the Power of Death". As his sermon unfolds, Peter flows through those four elements in chronological order. In keeping with apostolic custom, however, he focuses primarily on the resurrection of Christ (cf. Acts 3:15; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30, 33, 34, 37).
1) The Life of Christ (Acts 2:22)
Acts 2:22 [22]"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-- (ESV)
As he did at the beginning of his sermon (cf. 2:14), Peter boldly challenged the men of Israel present to hear/listen to his words. His boldness was predicated on two undeniable truths: God had worked miracles through Jesus, and they had seen them. That salvation was being offered to Israel despite their unbelief and rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ is a testimony to the magnanimity of God’s grace.
Jesus of Nazareth/the Nazarene was the name by which our Lord was commonly known during His earthly ministry (Matt. 21:11; Mark 10:47; 14:67; 16:6; Luke 24:19; John 18:5, 7). It identified Him with His hometown of Nazareth. It was the name on the inscription on His cross (John 19:19). Peter used it several other times in Acts (3:6; 4:10; 10:38), as did Paul (26:9). It was even used in derision by some (cf. John 1:46), thus Peter’s use of it constitutes a mild rebuke. This name for our Lord reflects His wonderful condescension in leaving the glory of heaven to live in a humble Galilean village.
Please turn to John 5
Peter further describes Jesus as a man attested to them by God (cf. John 5:32–37; 8:18). Apodeiknumi (attested) has various shades of meaning. It is used in 1 Corinthians 4:9 to speak of exhibiting something. In Acts 25:7 it conveys the idea of proof. Second Thessalonians 2:4 uses it in the sense of proclamation to high office. All those shades of meaning are applicable to Jesus. He was exhibited as God in human flesh, and that was confirmed by “many convincing proofs” (Acts 1:3). Finally, God “highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). There is no higher office than that of Messiah, God’s anointed King.
John 5:19-37a [19]So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. [20]For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. [21]For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. [22]The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, [23]that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. [24]Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. [25]"Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. [26]For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. [27]And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. [28]Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice [29]and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. [30]"I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. [31]If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not deemed true. [32]There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. [33]You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. [34]Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. [35]He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. [36]But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. [37]And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. (His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen), (ESV)
Peter describes the means by which God attested Jesus as mighty works/miracles and wonders and signs. The many works/miracles performed by our Lord provide overwhelming evidence that He is who He claimed to be. From His miraculous birth to His miraculous resurrection, to all the miracles He performed during His earthly ministry, the miraculous element was central in our Lord’s life. Nicodemus no doubt spoke for many when he exclaimed, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (John 3:2).
Mighty works/Miracles, wonders, and signs all describe God’s miraculous works. Mighty works/Miracles is from dunamis, a term that describes the powerful, supernatural character of the works. Wonders is the plural form of teras. It describes the marveling that takes place in the mind of the one who witnesses a miracle. Signs derives from sçmeion and gives the intent of God’s miraculous works: to point to spiritual truth. It should be noted that “throughout Acts the term ‘wonders’ only occurs in conjunction with ‘signs,’ a testimony to the fact that mere marvels have no value in themselves except as they point beyond themselves to the divine power behind them and so lead to faith” (John B. Polhill, The New American Commentary: Acts [Nashville: Broadman, 1992], 112).
The miracles of our Lord were thus mighty manifestations of God’s power designed to get people’s attention and point them to spiritual truth. For example in John 6 Jesus followed the miracle of the feeding of the multitude by offering Himself as the bread of life. Similarly, He used the miracle of Lazarus’s resurrection to illustrate the spiritual truth that He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).
• Think how this principle can be used today. Our activity should not be to seek out or try to perform miracles, but follow the same pattern Christ did in getting people's attention and point them to spiritual truth. If we just seek out attention and say nothing, people' lives won't be eternally changed. Yet if we just try to present spiritual truth without getting people's attention, then they won't hear.
Jesus did not do His miracles on His own; God did/performed them through Him (John 5:17–20, 30, 36; 8:28; 14:10). They showed both His deity and the Father’s approval of Him (Matt. 11:1–6; Luke 7:20–23; John 3:2; 6:14). Peter repeatedly emphasizes The Father’s involvement in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection (vv. 23, 24, 32, 33, 36). He drives home the point that ample evidence reveals that Jesus Christ was no impostor but was indeed God’s chosen Messiah.
The miracles God performed through Jesus Christ, Peter reminds them, were done in your midst, as you yourselves know. They could not claim ignorance. Their rejection of Jesus was not based on lack of information but on hatred and love of sin.
• Some times when we present the truths of the Gospel, and people reject it, we mistakenly believe that it is because we have just failled to explain it enough. Although, we may indeed fail to explain the truth because of either fear or apathy, or have our lifestyle contradict it, nevertheless, there is often a heart hatred of God that is benind the rejection of the Gospel. The purpose of the law of God is to show the universal failure to live up to the obvious moral demands of God and drive people to the open arms of a merciful God. The aim in sharing the Gospel is to show the obvious univeral moral failure and consequence before offering the benefit of forgivess and univeral life. Else, the benefit of the Gospel is seen as a redundant addition to life, and not the exclusive lifeboat to salvation.
The evidence from Jesus’ life and works that He was the Messiah of God was conclusive and undeniable. But because "people love darkness rather than the light; for their deeds are evil” (John 3:19), they commit the greatest sin that can be committed—they reject Jesus Christ.
Poem: "The God-Man"
Our blessed Lord combined in one, two natures, both complete; A perfect manhood all sublime, in Godhead all replete. As man He entered Cana’s feast, a humble guest to dine; As God He moved the water there, and changed it into wine. As man He climbed the mountain’s height, a suppliant to be; As God He left the place of prayer and walked upon the sea. As man He wept in heartfelt grief, beside a loved one’s grave; As God He burst the bands of death, Almighty still to save. As man He lay within a boat o’erpowered by needful sleep; As God He rose, rebuked the wind and stilled the angry deep. Such was our Lord in life on earth, in dual nature one; The woman’s seed in very truth and God’s eternal Son. O Child, O Son, O Word made flesh, may Thy high praise increase: Called Wonderful, the Mighty God, Eternal Prince of Peace (W. A. Criswell, Great Doctrines of the Bible, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1982), 122.)
2) The Death of Christ (Acts 2:23)
Acts 2:23 [23]this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (ESV)
Peter’s emphatic use of the phrase this Man, translated here directly as "Jesus", brings out the stark contrast between his hearers’ evaluation of Jesus and God’s. The very One whom God had honored as Messiah, they had rejected and crucified.
Please turn to John 10
In this verse Peter answers an objection that would arise in the minds of his listeners. If Jesus was the Messiah, why was He a victim? Why did He not use His power to avoid the cross? Peter’s reply to this unspoken objection is that Jesus was no victim (John 10:17–18; 19:10–11); rather, He was delivered up according to/by the definite/predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God. God ordains the means as well as the ends of human events without violating human freedom and responsibility (Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: Bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Ac 2:23). Nashville: T. Nelson.)
John 10:1-18 [10:1]"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is b. [2]But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. [3]To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. [4]When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. [5]A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." [6]This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. [7]So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. [8]All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. [9]I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. [10]The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. [11]I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [12]He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. [13]He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. [14]I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, [15]just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. [16]And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. [17]For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. [18]No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father." (ESV)
Ekdotos (delivered up) appears only here in the New Testament. It describes those surrendered to their enemies, or betrayed. God gave His Son to be the Savior of His people, which entailed delivering Him to His enemies. By the design of God, Jesus was betrayed by Judas into the hands of the Jewish leaders, who handed Him over to the Romans for execution.
Definite/Predetermined is from horizô, from which we get our English word “horizon.” It means “to mark out with a boundary,” or “to determine.” Plan is from boulomai and refers to God’s will, design, or purpose. Taken together they indicate that Jesus Christ was delivered to death because God planned and ordained it (Acts 4:27–28; 13:27–29) from all eternity (2 Tim. 1:9; Rev. 13:8).
Foreknowledge translates prognôsis, an important and often misunderstood New Testament word. It means far more than knowing beforehand what will happen. Significantly, the word appears here in the instrumental dative case. That shows that it was the means by which Christ’s deliverance to His enemies took place. Yet, mere knowledge cannot perform such an act. Foreordination can act, however, and that is the New Testament meaning of prognôsis: Proginoskein and prognôsis in the New Testament … do not denote simple intellectual foresight or prescience, the mere taking knowledge of something beforehand, but rather a selective knowledge which regards one with favor and makes one an object of love, and thus approaches the idea of foreordination (Acts 2:23; 4:28; Rom. 8:29; 11:2; 1 Peter 1:2). The idea that God saw in advance that Israel would reject and crucify Christ and worked that into His eternal plan is a implicit denial both of His sovereignty and omniscience ((L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976], p.68, 112)).
Peter strongly emphasizes the point that Jesus was delivered to death by God’s eternal plan. That being the case, His death in no way contradicted His messianic claims. That Jesus Christ was delivered to death by God’s predetermined plan, however, does not absolve those who put Him to death of their guilt. Peter goes on to indict them because they crucified (Jesus)/nailed (Him) to a cross … and killed/put Him to death. Peter intimates that the audience is fully acquainted with the trial and death of Jesus Christ. He employs the personal pronoun you in this verse to involve his listeners in assuming responsibility for Jesus’ crucifixion. However, he views their accountability from a divine point of view. God is in complete control even though the Jews brought Jesus to trial and the Roman soldiers killed him (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 17: Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles. New Testament Commentary (93). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
• I’ll tell you who is responsible for His death. You are responsible, and I am responsible. It was for my sins and for your sins that He died (McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed.) (Ac 2:24). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
They were the human instigators of Jesus’ execution, which by the hands of lawless/godless Romans was carried out. While the judge who sentenced him to this form of death and the soldiers who carried out the execution were Romans, “lawless/godless” in the sense of being outside the range of the law of Israel, yet it was the Jewish authorities, more particularly the chief priests, who handed him over to the Romans (Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Book of the Acts. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (63–64). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Throught time, God has used evil people to accomplish His purpose, yet never violated their will thereby not removing their culpability. Peter thus presents the total sovereignty of God alongside the complete responsibility of humanity. That apparently paradoxical truth is affirmed throughout Scripture and is illustrated in Luke 22:22. Speaking of His betrayer there, our Lord said, “The Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that one through whom He is betrayed!” People are responsible not for God’s plans but for their own sins.
What then about evil:
Illustraiton: EVILDOERS
In Texas, a pilot left the motor running on a plane and somehow this plane engaged itself. It was without a pilot and took off. It was flying on its own. It stayed in the air for over ninety minutes. Then, the inevitable happened: it ran out of gas, crashed, and was totally destroyed.
For a while, you can fly on your own. For a while, you can take off and be somebody. For a while, you can act like God does not exist. For a while, you can play a little religion, but not be serious about subordinating yourself.
Sometimes you look at evil people and you say, How come they can be so evil and can fly so high? Keep watching, because sooner or later, they will run out of gas, crash, and be destroyed. When you fly your life without God in the pilot’s seat of your life, that’s what happens. That’s why the Bible says don’t be envious of the evildoers. Just because they are making money and getting ahead by doing wrong, don’t get jealous of them. One can only fly high on their own for a while, but there will come a point where they will run out of gas and will discover in an abrupt way there is a God who is Lord over the universe (Evans, T. (2009). Tony Evans' book of illustrations: Stories, quotes, and anecdotes from more than 30 years of preaching and public speaking (94). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.)
3) The Resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:24–32)
Acts 2:24-32 [24]God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. [25]For David says concerning him, "'I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; [26]therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. [27]For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. [28]You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.' [29]"Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. [30]Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, [31]he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. [32]This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. (ESV)
The resurrection of Jesus Christ was not only the central theme of apostolic preaching but also is without question the climax of redemptive history. It proves beyond doubt the deity of Jesus Christ and establishes His messianic credentials. It is also the guarantee of our own resurrection (John 14:19; Rom. 6:4–5; 1 Cor. 6:14; 15:16–23). The resurrection is the crowning proof that God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (cf. Rom. 4:25). Without it, His death becomes the heroic death of a noble martyr, the pathetic death of a madman, or the execution of a fraud. The greatest proof that Jesus is the Messiah, then, is not His teaching, His miracles, or even His death. It is His resurrection. That becomes the main theme of Peter’s sermon. After spending one verse each on Christ’s life and death, he spends nine verses on His resurrection.
Verses 23 and 24 form one connected thought. Israel rejected and crucified her Messiah, but God raised Him up. Peter forcefully drives home the point that they were guilty of opposing God— despite their boasts to the contrary (Rom. 2:17–20). That tactic was frequently employed in Acts (cf. 3:14–15; 10:39–40; 13:27–30).
By raising Jesus, God was loosing the pangs/put an end to the agony of death for Him. Agony translates ôdinas, which literally means “birth pangs.” Like the pain of a woman in labor, the pain of death for Jesus was temporary and resulted in something glorious—the resurrection.
• People often make wise decisions not on immediate discomfort, but on long term benefit. Exercise for example, although temporily uncomfortable, has lastng benefit for health and energy.
• How different our lives would be to not focus on temporary discomfort but on long term spiritual benefit. Who would we evagelize, disciple, or bear with the temporary discomfot, to achieve eternal benefit.
God delivered Jesus from death because it was not possible for Him to be held in it (its power). Death was powerless to hold Him for several reasons. First, death could not hold Him because of divine power. Jesus was “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), who died “that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). Second, death could not hold Him because of divine promise (Jn. 2:18-22 cf. Lk. 24:46 “Thus it is written,” our Lord told the disciples, “that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day”). Finally, death could not hold Him because of divine purpose. God has designed that His people be with Him for all eternity. In order to do that, they need to go through death and out the other side. Jesus had to go first to make the way (cf. 1 Cor. 15:16–26). Because He lives, His people will live forever (John 14:19).
To further confirm that the resurrection was God’s plan for the Messiah, Peter quotes a prophetic passage from Psalm 16:8–11 in verse 25. Although written by David, the passage is prophetically of the Messiah speaking in the first person (cf. Ps. 22). It describes Messiah’s confident trust in God as He looked to the cross. His declaration: I saw/was always beholding the Lord before me/in my presence is the key to that trust. Jesus kept His focus on God no matter what trials came His way. He knew that because God was at His right hand, He would not be shaken. The right hand symbolizes protection. In a wedding ceremony, the bridegroom stands to the right of the bride. In the ancient world, a bodyguard stood on the right side of the one he was protecting. In that position he could cover him with his shield and still have his right arm free to fight.
Because of His confidence in God’s protection, Messiah could say in verse 26, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced/exulted. Even the prospect of the cross could not dampen Christ’s joy. As the writer of Hebrews puts it, “Jesus … for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2). Another reason for Messiah’s joy was His confidence that His flesh also would dwell/abide in hope. Flesh here refers to the physical body. Kataskçnoô (dwell/abide) literally means “to pitch a tent.” It expresses Messiah’s certainty that He could commit His body to the grave with the confident hope that it would be raised to life again.
The next statement from Psalm 16, in verse 27, gives the reason for Messiah’s confidence: For/because you wilt not abandon my soul to Hades. Hades is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament term “Sheol.” Although it can refer specifically to hell (Matt. 11:23), Peter uses it here in its more general sense of the abode of the dead. The phrase expresses Christ’s confidence that He would not remain a captive in the realm of death. Nor would God let/allow His Holy One (A messianic title; cf. Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34; John 6:69) see corruption/to undergo decay. During its three days in the tomb, our Lord’s body experienced no corruption/decay.
The significance Christ's preservation is now spelled out in verse 28: how was made known to Him the paths/ways of life (The Hebrew text of Psalm 16:11 uses the singular “path of life”), however, can be interpreted as a reference to the resurrection. It would thus have the sense of “the path to resurrection life.” As a result of the resurrection, Messiah would be full of gladness as He experienced God’s presence.
Please turn to 2 Samuel 7
Peter now comes to the crux of his argument in Acts 2:29. Addressing them once again as brothers/brethren, with confidence he reminds them that the patriarch David that he both died and was buried. In fact, his tomb provided visible evidence that he had not fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 16. It was a matter of public knowledge in and around Jerusalem that David—the “patriarch,” as Peter calls him (because he was the founder of a dynasty)—died and was buried and had never been raised from the tomb where he lay to the south of the city, near Siloam. His tomb is mentioned in Neh. 3:16 (the site having been remembered from preexilic times). It was entered and robbed by John Hyrcanus during the siege of Jerusalem in 135/4 B.C.; over a century later Herod, having been halted (by divine action, it was believed) in an attempt to follow Hyrcanus’s example, made amends for his impiety by building a monument of white marble at the entrance to the tomb. Like David, Jesus had died and been buried, but even if his tomb could be pointed out, there was no need to do so because, unlike David, he was risen; he was no longer there (Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Book of the Acts. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (65–66). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
In verse 30, David spoke as a prophet, however, not of himself. Knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set/seat one of his descendants on his throne.
2 Samuel 7:11–16 records the promise:
2 Samuel 7:11-16 [11]from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. [12]When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. [13]He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. [14]I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, [15]but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. [16]And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.'" (ESV)
David, then in verse 31, forsaw/looked ahead and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, who, in contrast to David, was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption/suffer decay.
Psalm 16 speaks of a resurrection. Since David, however, was not resurrected, it cannot speak of him. Thus, David speaks in the psalm of the Messiah. Hence, Messiah will rise from the dead. Peter now delivers his powerful conclusion in verse 32 that: This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses.
Illustration: Bill Bright’s Maxim
Bill Bright, of Campus Crusade for Christ said: "Although I have shared Christ personally with many thousands of people through the years, I am a rather reserved person and I do not always find it easy to witness. But I have made this my practice, and I urge you to do the same: Assume that whenever you are alone with another person for more than a few moments, you are there by divine appointment to explain to that person the love and forgiveness he can know through faith in Jesus Christ" (Bill Bright, “How To Tell Others About Christ,” Worldwide Challenge, April 1993, 17.)
4) The Exaltation of Christ (Acts 2:33–36)
Acts 2:33-36 [33]Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. [34]For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, [35]until I make your enemies your footstool.'[36]Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." (ESV)
Please turn to Philippians 2
Not only did Jesus rise from the dead, but he also was exalted to the place of honor, glory, and power (cf. Phil. 2:9–11) at the right hand of God (cf. Mark 16:19; Luke 22:69; Acts 5:31; 7:55–56; Rom. 8:34; Col. 3:1; Heb. 10:12; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22).
Philippians 2:5-11 [5]Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6]who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7]but made himself nothing, taking b, being born in the likeness of men. [8]And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9]Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10]so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11]and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (ESV)
From that exalted position, Peter says, Jesus, having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out/forth this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. Peter now brings his listeners full circle back to the phenomena of Pentecost. He tells them that what they had just seen resulted from God’s promise to send the Spirit to inaugurate the messianic age (Joel 2:28–29). Now that Christ was risen and glorified, God fulfilled that promise (cf. John 7:39).
In Acts 2:34, Peter then quotes from another Davidic psalm, Psalm 110, to prove from His ascension and exaltation that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Once again, the psalm could not be referring to David, since David did not ascended into the heavens. In fact, David himself says in that psalm, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand, [35]until I make your enemies your footstool.” Placing one’s enemies under one’s feet was a figure of speech denoting their abject submission (cf. Josh. 10:24–25). David was not exalted to God’s right hand, but Jesus was (Acts 1:9–11). The proof of that was the outpouring of the Spirit that the crowd had just witnessed. Peter has provided overwhelming evidence from Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and exaltation that He is indeed Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.
He now draws his sermon to a powerful conclusion in verse 36 with these ringing words: Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Asphalôs (for certain) speaks of that which is known beyond a doubt. The same Jesus whom God attested as Messiah through His life, death, resurrection, and exaltation was the same Jesus whom they had crucified.
The verdict was in, and they were on the wrong side, guilty of opposing God and rejecting their Messiah. As Peter was later to put it, “He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the very corner stone” (Acts 4:11).
(Format Note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (45–55). Chicago: Moody Press.)
