Peter Emerges
Acts 2:14-41
June 4, 2017 – Pentecost
Today we celebrate Pentecost and I thought it would be good to pay a little visit to our friend, Peter. Earlier this year we spent some time looking at Peter and his time of ministry didn’t end with Jesus ascension. In many ways that is when it began. Peter began to emerge as a leader and we will see that on Pentecost he really steps up. So we take a little break from out Summer Series, “I Met Jesus” to look at Peter on Pentecost.
Go ahead and open your Bibles to Acts 2 and while you are turning there I need to give a little history lesson on Pentecost. You see there is a history and significance of this date before the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
What does the word “Pentecost” mean?
The English word “Pentecost” is a transliteration of the Greek word pentekostos, which means “fifty.” It comes from the ancient Christian expression pentekoste hemera, which means “fiftieth day.”
But Christians did not invent the phrase “fiftieth day.” Rather, they borrowed it from Greek-speaking Jews who used the phrase to refer to a Jewish holiday. This holiday was known as the Festival of Weeks, or, more simply, Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew). This name comes from an expression in Leviticus 23:16, which instructs people to count seven weeks or “fifty days” from the end of Passover to the beginning of the next holiday (pentekonta hemeras in the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture).
Shavuot was the second great feast in Israel’s yearly cycle of holy days. It was originally a harvest festival (Exod 23:16), but, in time, turned into a day to commemorate the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai. This day became especially significant for Christians because, seven weeks after the resurrection of Jesus, during the Jewish celebration of Shavuot/Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon his first followers, thus empowering them for their mission and gathering them together as a church.
Used with permission from Rev. Dr. Mark Roberts http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/
This is significant to help us understand a little better what is all going on when the Holy Spirit is given. If you remember when Jesus ascended into heaven he told his disciples to not leave Jerusalem and to wait for the gift my Father promised, the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:4-5)
Ten days had passed since then. The disciples had selected Matthias to succeed Judas. They were meeting together in prayer and waiting. They were joined in Jerusalem by many others Jews from all over that were there to celebrate the Shavout or the Festival of Weeks.
It says that the disciples were all gathered together in one place on this day when this Feast was beginning. It was then the Holy Spirit comes and fills them. We know that it sounded like a rushing wind and that what seemed to be tongues of fire resting on them and then they began to speak in other tongues as the spirit enabled. As they were speaking it says that a crowd began to gather around them as they heard them speak in each of their own languages. They couldn’t figure it out because they were Galileans and they couldn’t possibly know all these different languages. Then some said that they were just drunk that they had been drinking too much wine.
That leads us to today’s passage in Act 2:14-40.
If you remember back in our time with Peter, Jesus called him Petra or the Rock. You will also remember that Peter most of the time acted very unrock like. We saw him begin to turn a corner at the ascension and we see him take a big step forward here.
As all the disciples are talking in different languages it is Peter who steps up above everyone else and gets their attention. He quickly puts to rest the naysayers who are just trying to dismiss this supernatural event as a bunch of guys that have had too much to drink.
Oh no, this was something big, this was the supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus had told them was coming. This was from God. Just so no one got the wrong idea and believed those that were trying to dismiss what was happening. Peter explains that it is only nine in the morning. There is no way that they could be drunk. Not only was it early but it was a Holy Day and no one would eat or drink 9:00 am on a Holy Day if fact I don’t think they would eat or drink until noon so there was no way that they could be drunk. Remember the history lesson we had earlier, this was the Festival of Weeks, it was 50 days after Passover, it was a religious holiday of sorts.
So Peter puts to rest very quickly that they are not drunk. Not to mention the fact that I have never met a smart drunk. Most people that I have encountered that have had too much to drink slur their speech and it is hard to understand them talking in English much less some foreign language so this statement of them being drunk carries no weight whatsoever.
Peter then filled with the Holy Spirit begins to quote scripture and to teach from it. I doubt that Peter knew this prophecy from Joel by heart. I bet he knew it however. At some point as a boy maybe he had studied this. Maybe Jesus had spent some time on this prophecy. At the right time he was filled with the Spirit and he was able to recall it.
It is so important that as he begins to speak that he comes right out of the gate leading with scripture. You see there is no arguing with scripture. You can argue my opinion or my interpretation of scripture but you can’t argue with scripture itself. We believe that the Word of God is just that, the Word of God. That it was written by man but inspired by God and therefore it is true and it is good.
Peter gets going right away by directing everyone that is listening to the Word of God. I wonder if the rest of the disciples repeated what he said in the languages that they were speaking so everyone gathered around could understand what Peter was saying.
Peter quotes this prophecy from Joel. “In the last days”. The last days began after Jesus resurrection. I believe that we have been in the last days ever since then. Read vs. 17 & 18 again. This first half of Joel’s prophecy was being fulfilled right before them. This was happening at Pentecost. The Spirit was coming in a new form. In the Old Testament the Spirit could come and go. Remember the Spirit of the Lord was on King Saul and when he sinned the Spirit left him.
This also tells us that the Spirit was going to enter not just the Jews but the Gentiles as well. The Spirit would be poured out on the sons and daughters, the Jewish people but it would also be poured out on his servants, both men and women. The Spirit would come to the chosen people of Israel the Jews but it would also be poured out on the Gentiles and all who believed in him.
The second half of this vs. 19-20 has yet to happen yet. We are still waiting on this to happen. He has got their attention now! Peter is doing this without any notes, without any prep, he is being filled by the Spirit and he goes with it. I almost get this vision of Jesus saying, “Yes! Go Peter!”
Now that the crowd gets where Peter is coming from he brings them to the Jesus. Remember this was only 50 days after Easter and so the crucifixion was still fresh. He is bringing them back to Jesus. Now that Peter had established some credibility he tells those gathered there that everything that happened with Jesus was from God and under God’s control the whole time.
While the rumors and stories of Jesus and his resurrection were still hot Peter confirms that they are true. They aren’t just stories but that Jesus has risen. Jesus was perfect and without sin and so it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
And in case you doubt it here what David said about it. All the Jews held David in very high regard. He was a man after God’s own heart after all. You couldn’t argue with David. So Peter goes back to the scriptures to back up his claim that Jesus had risen from the dead by quoting David from Psalms 16:8-11.
David prophesied about the Messiah and was filled with joy. There is joy found in redemption. Jesus body was not left to decay. It isn’t in the grave, the tomb. David is talking about the Messiah and not about himself here. He knows that there is hope and that brings him great joy.
We too know the promises of Jesus. We know that he died for us but that he didn’t stay dead. We know that he rose again and that death had no power over him and neither did sin or hell or Satan. We also should be filled with joy like David was.
Peter makes sure again that they all understand that he is quoting David who was referring to Jesus, the Messiah and not himself, David. Peter reiterates that David died and was buried and that his bones were in a tomb, but guess whose bones weren’t in a tomb?? That’s right, Jesus!
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit is using scripture to bring all those listening to Jesus. This is why it is important for us to read the Bible. So when the Spirit prompts us we have some association with what he is talking about. Everyone would have respected and believed David and so if he saw and prophesied about Jesus then there may just be some merit to what Peter is saying and that Jesus really was the Messiah. Read 29-33. Just for good measure Peter throws in one more from David, vs. 34 & 35.
Peter has them now. They can’t refute what they are witnessing. They can’t refute the scriptures. So Peter goes for it vs.36!
You killed him but God raised him. If we had never sinned Jesus would never have had to go to the cross. We crucified him but God crowned him. Are you hearing this all this morning? Is it making sense to you for the first time or is it all just a good reminder?
Those that were listening to Peter were convinced and they were cut to the heart. Knowing now that Jesus was the Messiah sent from God and that it was they who had crucified him. Oh snap! The light went on. Oh my, what did we do? What do we need to do?
I wonder at times if we really get it? I mean we easily shake our heads at those who called for Jesus to be crucified. We can’t believe that they didn’t see it, that they didn’t get it. How could you not recognize Jesus as the Messiah with all that he was doing with all they authority that he spoke, how could you not follow him?
There are times when we need to be reminded that it was just as much us as it was them that put Jesus on the cross. It was our sins that created the need for Jesus to die. Not one of us is without some blame. Do we ever ask the question, Oh Snap what have I done? What do I need to do next?
The answer is the same on this Pentecost Sunday as it was that Pentecost Sunday. Repent and be baptized. Repent. Repent doesn’t mean go to church more. Repent doesn’t mean to try harder. No, repent means that you must turn to God. Turn to Jesus Christ and confess your sins to him and then turn away from your sins. Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ? If you have never been baptized I urge you to consider it. It is a great symbol that unites us with Christ and others that believe in him. I’d love to talk with you about it.
They believed and about 3000 were added to their numbers that day. On this Pentecost some 2000 years later how many will be added to their numbers? How many are added to the kingdom today? Is there anybody here today that was cut to the heart, that for the first time understood it and realized for the first time the sacrifice that Jesus made for you and that you desire to give your life fully over to him?
When I put this together I truly didn’t know what the response would be? I am hopeful every week that as God give me words to speak to you that there will be someone here that has not given their heart over to God and as I preach or as we worship the Spirit would work so powerfully in their hearts that they could not deny it any longer and that they would then give their lives over to Jesus Christ. Many of us here have already done that and that is awesome.
We gather here every week to better understand God’s word and to be encouraged in our walks with Jesus and to worship our Lord and Savior and that is also great and we should do this but are we adding to the kingdom numbers? Are we not speaking the right language? There are plenty around us who do not know Jesus and need to hear or even see his love. Are we not speaking a language that they can understand?
On this Pentecost Sunday I encourage you to ask the Spirit to speak through you to those gathered around who don’t know Jesus. Peter was now filled and he emerges as a leader and the early church has its beginnings. He was far from perfect but he was willing and he was used. May we ask for that same filling of the Spirit so that we to can speak to those who need to know the love and redemption offered to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen
