“THE PROCLAMATION” Acts 2:14-41
FBCF – 2/13/22
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Ads in Super Bowl tonight will cost $7 million for a 30-sec commercial. Companies will pay this because they know the power of advertising & the importance of getting their message out.
70s & 80s advertising:
- Perfume commercial: “If you want to capture someone’s attention, whisper.”
- Stock brokerage firm: “When EF Hutton talks, people listen.”
Continue “ChURch” series. 2 things about this message:
- Peter didn’t whisper!
- When Peter talked, the people listened!
EXPLANATION – Acts 2:14-41 – The Jewish people had 7 festivals or feasts that they celebrated each year. God appointed these feasts & commanded the Jews to keep them to constantly remind them of God’s provision for them. The festivals are also important to the entire story of redemption in the Bible b/c each one of them points to some aspect of the life, death, & resurrection of Jesus. The 7 feasts are:
- Passover – reminds us the redemption from sins that only Christ, the perfect Passover Lamb, provides.
- Feast of Unleavened Bread – Reminded Jews of their hasty exit from Egypt. NT leaven/yeast associated w/ evil. Just as Jews were to remove the leaven/yeast out of their bread, so we are to remove evil from our lives.
- Feast of Firstfruits – Beginning of the harvest. Signifies Jews’ thankfulness & dependence upon God. Reminds us of Christ’s resurrection b/c 1 Corinthians 15:20 tells us, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruit of those who have fallen asleep.”
- Feast of Weeks/Pentecost – “Pentecost” means “fiftieth” & this feast occurred 50 days after the Firstfruits feast to thank God for provision of the harvest. This feast reminds us of the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to send another Helper who is the Holy Spirit (John 14:16), which happened here in Acts 2, 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection.
- Feast of Trumpets – Numbers 29:1 – This is to be “a day for you to blow the trumpets,” signifying the end of the agricultural season, & the entrance of the people into a sacred season to prepare for the Day of Atonement. This feast points us toward the Second Coming of Christ when everything will be over & sin will be dealt with.
- The Day of Atonement – Happened 10 days after trumpets. High priest went into the holy of holies to make an offering for the sins of the people. This corresponds w/ the time when God will turn His attention back to Israel & call the remnant to Himself out of the Great Tribulation.
- Feast of Tabernacles/Booths – Reminded the Jews of the time of their wandering before they came into the land of Canaan. Looks forward to the time when Jesus rules & reigns on earth & all of His people from every tribe, tongue, & nation will live or “tabernacle” w/ Him forever.
Right in the middle is Pentecost. Jews from many different nations gathered in Jerusalem for this festival. This is why there were so many people who spoke so many different languages in the city – some suggest that Pentecost attracted over 200,000 pilgrims to Jerusalem.
v. 7-11 – The crowd was “amazed & astonished” – “beside themselves w/ wonder” (NLT) when they heard the apostles & others speaking in their native languages – at least 15 language groups. And they didn’t just hear random words in their language – they heard them proclaiming “the mighty works of God” (v. 11).
v. 12-13 – “What does this mean?” What a great question! What a great opportunity to point to the life-changing work of God through the power of the Holy Spirit!
But, like in any group, there were the skeptics & scoffers, folks who want to deny the obvious work of God that’s happening right in front of them as the Church was born, the Gospel was about to be proclaimed, & EVERYTHING was about to change!
APPLICATION – The Church is called to know the Gospel, live the Gospel, & proclaim the Gospel.
“HEY!” – v. 14a – Use this word to get folks’ attention. Peter got the crowd's attention.
“But Peter, standing w/ the 11, lifted up his voice & addressed them…” NLT says, “Then Peter stepped forward…”
The man who stepped back & denied Jesus, is now the one stepping forward to proclaim Jesus! The one who lifted up his voice in fear, anger, & cursing is now the one lifting up his voice to preach the Gospel! TLB – “Then Peter…shouted to the crowd…”
- He’s not being timid – he’s boldly telling them!
- He’s not backing down – he’s bringing the thunder!
- He’s not shutting up – he’s sharing the truth!
“HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING” – v. 14b-21 –
- First, here’s what’s NOT happening: These people are not drunk! Make no mistake about that!
- Here’s what IS happening: You are seeing OT prophecy fulfilled right before your eyes! Joel prophesied that God would pour out His Spirit “on all flesh,” including both genders (and there are only 2!) & all ages (v. 17-18). Verses 19-20 will be fulfilled in the final days before Jesus returns.
- And then Peter makes that awesome universal proclamation of the Good News of salvation: ANYONE & EVERYONE who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!
o Do YOU need to do that right now?
“HERE’S WHAT YOU DID” – v. 22-23 – Empowered & emboldened by the Holy Spirit, Peter plows forward w/ his proclamation of the story of salvation through Christ alone.
- “Men of Israel, I beg you to listen to my words” (Phillips)
- “Fellow Israelites: Listen carefully to these words” (MSG)
- Jesus was “attested’ by God – shown to be the true Chosen Savior, proven by the miracles, wonders, & signs that He did by the divine power of God.
- But in spite of those compelling miracles & signs, the Jews, along w/ the help of the Roman gov’t, crucified & killed Jesus.
- It was God’s predestined plan, but the lawless men chose to kill Him. God’s plan does not release the Jews from the terrible crime of crucifying Jesus. Peter makes it forcibly clear that they are the ones who are guilty.
o God deliberately delivered Him as part of His sovereign, perfect plan for our salvation, but they deliberately killed Him. And they would have to pay for their sin.
o And Peter didn’t pull any punches in pointing the finger right at them when he said, “YOU crucified Him!” Said it again in v. 36.
We are all sinners. Peter’s finger could have been pointed at anyone of us & he would have been right. Could have pointed @ me – “YOU crucified Him!” Pointed @ you – “YOU crucified Him!” Sure, the Jewish leaders demanded that Jesus be crucified. The Roman soldiers carried out the crucifixion. But in reality, it was each of us who killed Him. OUR sins killed Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Jesus laid down His life to pay the penalty for my sins & your sins & the sins of the whole world.
“HERE’S WHAT GOD DID” – v. 24-36 – Everything that happened was under God’s control & according to His sovereign plan. The word “definite” (ESV) means it was an “appointed, set, decreed” plan & decision that God made before the foundation of the world.
- God delivered Jesus up – v. 23 - It was God's will - Luke 22:42
- God raised Jesus up – v.24 - Hebrews 13:20
- God spoke up – v. 30 - Promised that a descendant of David would sit on throne - Psalm 132:11
- God lifted Christ up – v. 33a - Philippians 2:9-11
- God filled Jesus up – v. 33b - Jesus filled w/ the Holy Spirit - Luke 3:22
“HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NOW” – v. 37-41
- Recognize that the Spirit is working -
- Repent & believe in Jesus for salvation
- Respond in obedience & be baptized
And at that moment, 3000 broken, messed up, sinful, needy, unworthy people came into the Church & into your spiritual family.
- People who do things they ought not do, say things they ought not say, go places they ought not go,
- People who think differently than you, look different from you, live in different places than you, have been brought up differently than you.
- People who’ve cheated on their spouse, cheated in business deals, cheated in school, cheated in sports.
- People who gossip, hold grudges, cuss sometimes, lust, covet, don’t tithe or give to the church, struggle w/ same-sex attraction, struggle w/ forgiving someone who’s hurt them, live in constant bitterness, worry, anxiety, & go to bed angry nearly every night, which means that they’ve given Satan the key to their lives.
- People who’ve gotten divorced, gotten in trouble w/ the law, gotten in jail or prison, gotten fired, gotten addicted to porn or drugs or food or gambling
- People who neglect their wives, their kids, their parents
- Husbands who dishonor their wives, wives who dishonor their husbands, children who dishonor their parents
- People who are lazy, or who work too much
- People who aren’t good parents, aren’t good church members, aren’t good friends, aren’t good – PERIOD!
And they ALL came into the Church & they’re all in the Church right now! And aren’t we glad b/c the ONLY answer for them – for US b/c WE ARE THEM! – is JESUS!
CONCLUSION/TAKEAWAYS – And so now, here we are:
- The same Holy Spirit that was working as Peter was preaching is the Holy Spirit who is working as I’m preaching
- The same response is needed today as it was then:
o Repent
o Believe
o Respond in obedience
- Keep responding to the Holy Spirit when He works
- Keep repenting
- Keep believing
- Keep drawing close to Christ
- Keep obeying
