Lord and Christ
Acts 2:34-39
An authentic Christian is someone who is converted from death to life. When a person truly receives Christ, they become a new creature.
An authentic Christian is converted by the LORD, from their own righteousness to the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
True conversion means no longer relying on our own righteousness or good works but rather trusting in what Jesus accomplished for us on the Cross.
After salvation, the Holy Spirit empowers Christians. Authentic Christians don’t harbor hate for others, instead, they display forgiveness, love, and compassion. 1 John 2:9-11, 4:16-20
An authentic Christian does not love the world or the things of the world, nor the world’s system, ruled by Satan. 1 John 2:1
The Holy Spirit empowers authentic Christians to hope and longs for the return of the Lord. 1 John 3:2-3
The Holy Spirit empowers Christians to desire to serve and help other Christians. 1 John 3:14, 17
The Holy Spirit empowers Christians to desire to be with other believers and to hear the Word of God. 1 John 5:1
An authentic Christian remains in the truth and perseveres in the faith and an authentic Christian is thankful. 1 Thess. 5:16-18
Please open your Bibles to Acts 2 as we continue in that study.
Last time, we studied the portion of Peter’s sermon where he spoke about David’s prophecy concerning Jesus.
Peter showed how this prophecy was about Jesus because David was dead and buried, but the Father resurrected Jesus and did not leave Him in the grave.
Today, we will hear the closing statement of Peter’s sermon and learn how the people who heard it, responded.
I. Peter’s closing statement.
Read Acts 2:34-36
Notice Peter continued his sermon trying to reason with these men who knew the Old Testament well. Remember, King David was a prominent and well-respected figure in their history.
Acts 2:32, “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
Acts 2:33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” NKJV
Peter said, “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself”. We studied this in Psalm 110 in December.
The authors of Hebrews and the Gospels quoted Psalm 110 demonstrating the superiority and dominion of Christ.
Psalm 110 shows how David was privy to a conversation between God the Father and God the Son.
Psalm 110:1 The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool." NKJV
LORD (all caps) is translated as Yahweh, the Triune God, which can refer to each, the Father, Son, or the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 1:6 when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God worship Him."
Hebrews 1:7 And of the angels He says: "Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire."
Hebrews 1:8 But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions." NKJV
In Psalm 110 God the Father is calling God the Son, God.
This is the First Person of the Trinity speaking to the Second Person of the Trinity, calling Him God, which is a unique and powerful piece of evidence for the deity of Jesus.
Shepherd’s thoughts said, “The Messiah is not just a great king in David’s line; He is the Son of God.”
“The Messiah’s greatness surpasses human understanding, and even the great King David recognized Him as Lord.”
Jesus is King of kings and LORD of lords, who has complete victory which was proven by His resurrection.
Again, Peter said in Acts 2:32, “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
The phrase “Make Your enemies Your footstool”, refers to a complete victory and dominance over an enemy.
1 Corinthians 15:54 "Death is swallowed up in victory."
1 Corinthians 15:55 "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"
1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. NKJV
Then Peter said, “Let all the house of Israel know”.
The age-old question of who crucified Jesus.
Many people lay the blame for the crucifixion on the Romans, after all, Jesus was hung on a Roman Cross, after receiving permission from Pontus Pilate.
Some blame the religious leaders of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, those who brought the charges against Jesus.
Some people blame the whole Jewish nation since Jesus was Jewish and He was their promised Messiah.
Peter said in, Acts 2:22, "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know —
Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death. NKJV
Peter told them even though the Cross was the LORD’s determined purpose, their sin was still responsible for His death.
Peter told them how wrong they were about Jesus. They crucified Him like a criminal, but through the resurrection, the Father proved Jesus is Lord and Christ.
Jesus is Lord (kyrios). The Greek Lexicon says it means, he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, and the possessor and disposer of a thing.
Jesus the Christ (christos). The Greek Lexicon says He is the "anointed" One. Christ was and is the Messiah, the Son of God.
II. The best question.
Read Acts 2:37-38
Do you remember the Holy Spirit’s job we spoke about a few weeks ago?
John 16:8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: NKJV
The first ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin. Before we can authentically repent or seek forgiveness, we must first be convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit.
The fact that they mentioned being cut to the heart was proof that the Holy Spirit had convicted them of their sin.
The question from the people in the crowd showed an obvious move of the Holy Spirit in their lives, they were convicted of their sin, and they asked, “What shall we do?”
The main answer to their question, “What shall we do?”, is to repent.
The biblical meaning of the Hebrew verb to repent is to turn and go in a different direction. In Greek, repent means to change one's mind.
Authentic repentance and forgiveness are gifts from the LORD, but with repentance, we have a cooperating part to play as well.
The Gospel Coalition, “There are stubborn sinners who refuse to apologize, liars who claim to be sorry when they’re not,
…and hypocrites who may truly believe they’re sorry yet lack sympathy or understanding of biblical repentance.
So, what are the attributes of genuine repentance?”
Here are eight signs of genuine repentance:
1. A truly repentant person is appalled by their sin.
Horrified by what they’ve done, repentant people humble themselves, grieve the pain they’ve caused, and are cut to the heart with conviction.
2. A truly repentant person seeks reconciliation with others.
In Luke 19 we read the story of Zacchaeus a tax collector, thief, and oppressor of God’s people. Later, the generosity he showed was proof of his repentance.
3. A truly repentant person accepts the consequences.
A genuinely repentant person will accept the consequences of their actions.
4. A truly repentant person doesn’t demand forgiveness.
They say, “If you don’t forgive me, God won’t forgive you.” But this threatening posture indicates insincere repentance.
That behavior is unloving, and manipulative, and implies the offender doesn’t accept the gravity of what they’ve done.
5. A truly repentant person realizes the pain they’ve caused.
A repentant person won’t try to minimize, downplay, or excuse what they’ve done. They won’t point to all their good works, trying to cancel out their bad behavior.
6. A truly repentant person will change their behavior.
A truly repentant person will realize they need the LORD to cleanse their heart. They will also work together with the Holy Spirit to change their behavior, taking steps to avoid sin.
7. A truly repentant person allows the other person space to Heal
The fruit of the Spirit includes patience, kindness, grace, and self-control. A truly repentant person will demonstrate these consistently.
A truly repentant person doesn’t feel entitled, rather, they are humble, and willing to sacrifice their wants and needs for the benefit of others.
III. Does Baptism save?
Re-read Acts 2:38
Acts 2:38 has an apparent contradiction to other scriptures and has been a point of argument between denominations for years.
At first glance Acts 2:38 seems to place two prerequisites on salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit: repentance and baptism.
The arguments come from the point of how a person is saved. Does a pure work of God save a person, or are works involved?
Are the two potential prerequisites of Acts 2:38 a response or a work? What is the original meaning of Acts 2:38?
First repentance. We already said, “Authentic repentance and forgiveness are gifts from the LORD, but with repentance, we have a cooperating part to play as well.”
Now let’s address baptism within the context of Acts 2:38.
Christians are pendulum people. We either water down the act of baptism until it loses all significance, or others say Water Baptism is a ritual needed for salvation.
We should also be baptized because Jesus, our Lord, boss, and Master demonstrated baptism Himself and commanded His followers to do it as well.
Norm Geisler in his book, “When Critics Ask”, answers an apparent contradiction of Acts 2:38 about the sequence of the events of repentance and baptism.
“Peter seems to be saying that those who responded had to repent and be baptized before they could receive the Holy Spirit.
But this is contrary to the teaching of Paul that baptism is not part of the Gospel and that we are saved by grace alone.”
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Ephesians 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. NKJV
1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. NKJV
Another issue is in Acts 10, as Peter was at Cornelius’ house, the Gentiles were filled with the Holy Spirit before Water Baptism.
Romans 8:9 Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. NKJV
Norm Geisler also said, “In Acts 2:38 the word “for” (eis, GK), can mean “in light of” or “because of”.
When taken with that definition Acts 2:38 says, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for (because of or in light of) the remission of sins…
Norm Geisler went on to say more but we need to move on.
A less likely explanation for Acts 2:38 says that Peter was referring to a Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. NKJV
Jim Cymbala said, "Without the Spirit, we're left to struggle with self-effort, riddled by moral weakness and sinful tendencies.
Baptized means to immerse, submerge, or overwhelm. There are three main Baptisms taught in the New Testament.
John’s Baptism of repentance, which became obsolete once Jesus was crucified, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation, and a Water Baptism, immediately after faith in Christ.
John Bechtle, “It's ironic that Christians have argued so much about the baptism of the Spirit when Paul used it as one of his main arguments to prove that we are all united in Christ!”
A Believer’s (water) Baptism is for someone who has already placed their faith in the finished work of Christ to be saved.
A Christian should be Water Baptized to demonstrate their faith in Christ’s death and resurrection because Jesus said to do it.
To be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ is an expression of belief and complete trust in Him…notice next
IV. Whoever calls on the name of the LORD.
Read Acts 2:39
Here Peter pointed back to what he said in Acts 2:21, “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” NKJV
Notice, “The promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off”.
This is the promise of the New Covenant, which comes from the LORD, to forgive the sins and restore the relationship between Himself and those who believe in Jesus Christ.
When receiving the New Covenant, we receive:
• The Forgiveness of sins, where the LORD promises to remember them no more
• The LORD promises an intimate relationship between Him and us restoring the fellowship man once had with Him.
• The LORD promises He will write His law on our hearts
• The LORD promises He will transform our lives from the inside out.
The New Covenant is based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, with Jesus as the mediator of the New Covenant.
The New Covenant was predicted all the way back to Moses, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.
Here in Acts 2:39, Peter said the promise of the Holy Spirit would be given to those who believe in all future generations (all who are afar off) that the LORD will call.
The people who heard the sermon from Peter, saw the work of the Holy Spirit, and Peter told them that they could be partakers of the promises as well.
Peter did not promise the people that their children would inherit their parents’ salvation because God has no grandchildren.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
John 3:4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' NKJV
Each person must receive Jesus as Lord and Christ themselves.
Peter said the promise of the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit is for all who would repent and believe with an active faith, even to future generations.
V. Practical Application.
In vs. 39, Peter said “Be saved from this perverse generation”.
An authentic Christian is someone converted from death to life.
When a person truly receives Christ, they become a new creature, and they are converted from their righteousness to the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
True conversion means no longer relying on our own righteousness or good works but rather trusting in what Jesus accomplished for us on the Cross.
But Jesus did not leave us here on Earth after salvation to be comfortable, for our pleasure, or to live for ourselves.
Most of us know we must believe in Jesus for eternal life, but some mistakenly think belief is simply an intellectual exercise.
Biblical belief in Jesus is a verb and an action word.
An authentic belief in Jesus causes a reaction that is empowered by the Holy Spirit, living in us.
The Biblical definition of faith contains two aspects: intellectual assent and complete trust.
Intellectual knowledge is believing something to be true. Trust is relying on something by placing your full weight on confidence in the person or object.
Think of a chair; intellectually we know a chair is a piece of furniture designed to support a person sitting on it. But trust is sitting in the chair while believing it will hold you.
Understanding these two aspects of faith is crucial.
Some intellectually agree with the facts the Bible declares about Jesus. But knowing those facts to be true is not Biblical “faith.”
Biblical faith requires intellectual agreement with the facts and trust in Christ, which we receive as a gift from God. We must personally rely on Christ’s death as the sacrifice for our sins.
God gives us salvation when we place our trust in who Jesus is and what He accomplished on Calvary’s cross on our behalf.
But Matthew 16:24 says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Kyle Idleman in “Not a Fan”, describes the statement “Come after,” as a phrase used in the context of a romantic relationship.
Jesus is describing a passionate pursuit of someone you love.
The craziest come after story of all is when God put on flesh, came to this earth, and died in our place. He took the initiative and pursued you.
When we realize the extravagance of His love it begins to change our hearts. We love Him, because He first loved us.
Jesus wants His followers to pursue Him with the same passion we would pursue someone romantically; a pursuit that can easily consume our thoughts, our resources, and our energy.
Are you a follower of Jesus? That is the only way we can enjoy the Abundant life He has promised us!
So, a true follower of Jesus is someone who has pursued Jesus as they come after Him and go in the direction He leads.
We know our Good Shepherd Psalm 23:3 He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. NKJV
Jesus is Lord (kyrios). The Greek Lexicon says it means, he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, and the possessor and disposer of a thing.
Jesus the Christ (christos). The Greek Lexicon says He is the "anointed" One. Christ was and is the Messiah, the Son of God.
Jesus is not the Lord or boss of my life, if He is not having His way in my life.
We need Jesus as our Savior in order to inherit eternal life, but He is also the boss, the Lord of my life.
