REPENT AND TURN
Text: Acts 2:37-41
Introduction
1. Illustration: If there is no repentance, there can be no pardon. Some years ago, a murderer was sentenced to death. The murderer’s brother, to whom the State was deeply indebted for former services, asked the governor of the State for his brother’s pardon. The pardon was granted, and the man visited his brother with the pardon in his pocket. “What would you do,” he said to him, “if you received a pardon?” “The first thing I would do,” he answered, “is to track down the judge who sentenced me and murder him; and the next thing I would do is to track down the chief witness and murder him.” The brother rose and left the prison with the pardon in his pocket. Because of what this man had done, death penalty was waiting on him. The opportunity was granted to him, but it called for repentance. Since there could be no repentance, there also could be no pardon.
2. The dictionary defines repentance as “deep sorrow, or contrition for a past sin.”
3. Peter had preached, inspired by the Holy Spirit, one of the greatest sermons ever preached. The response was overwhelming.
4. In the response to Peter’s sermon, we see…
a. Holy Conviction
b. Call to Repentance
c. Holy Response
5. Read Acts 2:37-41
Proposition: Conviction is not enough; we must repent and turn from our sins.
Transition: The first response we see to Peter’s sermon is…
I. Holy Conviction (37).
A. Pierced Their Hearts
1. Peter gets the kind of response from his sermon that all preachers would love to hear.
2. In v. 37 Luke tells us, “Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
a. Luke tells us that Peter’s words “pierced their hearts,” which means “to sting sharply or to stun.”
b. They understood that this had a personal effect on them because many of them had agreed with their religious leaders.
c. They were deeply convicted of their sins and sensed the need to fix the problem. It is obvious that the Holy Spirit was at work.
d. They were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah and that they had a hand in putting him to death.
e. As a result, they ask Peter what every preacher longs to hear, “Brothers, what must we do?”
f. They knew that they needed to make amends and get right with God.
B. Convict the World of Sin
1. Illustration: Consider Jonathan Edwards: “’Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ was one of the most famous sermons preached by [him], and it is reported that his listeners were brought to points of “weeping, swooning, crying out, and convulsions.” The most interesting report, however, is that “Edwards read the sermon in a monotone voice with his eyes fixated on the church bell rope.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinners_in_the_Hands_of_an_Angry_God)
2. Conviction of sin can only be brought on by an act of the Holy Spirit.
a. “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” (Jn. 16:8).
b. Christian comedian Mike Warnke once said “the problem with the word repentance is that we don’t say it like we say any other word. We yell it like “REPENT!” It’s no wonder that when we are witnessing to people that all we see are elbows and heels!”
c. You see we cannot force conviction on people. Only the Holy Spirit can.
d. It is His job to convict the world of sin, not yours. And he is a lot better at than us.
e. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t tell people of their need of repentance. But it does mean that we shouldn’t be weird about it.
f. We need to tell them in love what the Holy Spirit lays on our hearts to them, and then let Him do the rest.
g. Share the Gospel with people but do it in a loving, caring way.
Transition: The next thing we see in response to Peter’s sermon is a…
II. Call to Repentance (38-39).
A. Repent of Your Sins
1. In response to their obvious conviction Luke tells us, “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “
a. Peter tells them two things. First, he tells them that they need to repent.
b. The word repent means not only to stop what you’re doing, but also to turn away and head the opposite direction. It means to make a 360 degree turn away from sin and toward God.
c. It involves not only a change of mind and action, but also to express sorrow for your sin.
d. It also includes leaving your old life and embracing a life of obedience to God.
e. Second, Peter tells them to “be baptized,” referring to baptism in water.
f. Now, let’s be clear, water baptism doesn’t bring forgiveness of sin. Forgiveness comes by faith and the grace of God.
g. Repentance results in the forgiveness of sin; baptism takes place because sins have been forgiven.
h. The NT doesn’t say that baptism produces a spiritual change. In fact, John the Baptist wouldn’t baptize people until they showed that they had repented of their sins.
i. Jesus said that repentance goes before baptism. Water can never wash away your sins, but we can also not think that baptism is unnecessary.
j. Look at it like this, baptism is like a wedding ring. We are not married because we wear a wedding ring, but why wouldn’t we want to wear our wedding ring?
k. It is an outward sign of an inward change.
l. Peter says that the result of repentance and baptism is receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.
m. Based on the immediate context of this chapter, this is a reference to baptism in the Holy Spirit.
n. It is a part of Joel’s prophecy and the promise of the Father. It enables us to be Jesus’ witnesses and empower us to do miracles.
2. The proof of this is seen in v. 39 where Peter says, “This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
a. Whenever Luke uses the word promise it is a reference to baptism in the Holy Spirit.
b. “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” (Luke 24:49)
c. “Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5).
d. Now, notice what Peter says about this promise, “this promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away - all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
e. This is not just for certain people, but this promise is for all believers!
f. People tell me, “Well, preacher that stuff is not for me.” Oh really? That’s not what the Bible says! This promise is for you!
B. Believe and Repent
1. Illustration: What keeps us from evangelizing? We fear rejection - 1 in 25 repent and believe. It takes 24 “no’s” to get a “YES.” But all 25 are important and we shouldn’t take it personally. Look at the rejection Jesus faced. He didn’t give up and neither should we.
2. As Christians, we are called to tell people to repent and believe.
a. “Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. 15 “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:14-15).
b. This was Jesus’ first sermon. You’ll notice that in his sermon, he doesn’t just say “believe,” he said, “repent and believe.”
c. When we talk to most people, they will say, “yeah, I believe in God.” But just believing is not enough. We must also repent.
d. “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?” (James 2:19-20)
e. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that we could stay the same.
f. He died so that we could be reborn, transformed, and changed.
g. We ought to tell people to repent and believe the Good News.
Transition: The third thing we see in response to Peter’s sermon is a…
III. Holy Response (40-41).
A. Those Who Believed
1. Now, look at what Luke tells us in v. 40, “Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”
a. Peter continued preaching “for a long time.” You see, it’s not just me!
b. He continued to warn, encourage, and plead with them to save themselves from this crooked generation.
c. People need to hear that today. We live in a crooked and depraved generation.
d. Things that never used to even talk about are now spoken of openly. and people consciences have become numb to these sinful things.
e. “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
f. Now, by saying save yourselves, Peter is not saying that we can work our way into heaven.
g. Rather he is saying we need to repent and come to faith in Jesus.
2. The response to Peter’s sermon is overwhelming. Luke says, “Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.”
a. Three thousand people repented and came to faith in Jesus that day.
b. Plus, they showed the first step of becoming disciples of Jesus and were baptized in water.
c. As a result, they became a part of the church. This shows that the power of the Holy Spirit poured out on the believers that day made a huge impact.
d. Not only had they become witnesses, but people responded in large numbers to their message.
e. The church grew because the promise of the Father empowered them, and people responded.
B. Came to Save Sinners
1. Illustration: D.L. Moody- The monument I want after I am dead is a monument with two legs going around the world—a saved sinner telling about the salvation of Jesus Christ.
2. Jesus came to save sinners, and we are his voice in the world.
a. “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.” (1 Tim. 1:15-16).
b. Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and we are the example to the world.
c. We are the example that God has no hopeless cases.
d. We are the example that no one is beyond being saved and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
e. We are his voice, his hands, and his feet.
f. Let your life be a proclamation that Jesus saves!
Conviction
1. Peter had preached, inspired by the Holy Spirit, one of the greatest sermons ever preached. The response was overwhelming.
2. In the response to Peter’s sermon, we see…
a. Holy Conviction
b. Call to Repentance
c. Holy Response
3. Preacher, what’s the point? Peter was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and thousands of people were saved. He wasn’t special, he was just filled with the Holy Spirit. He simply said, “come on, Holy Spirit, use me!” And that’s what we need to say, “Holy Spirit, use me!”
