I. God Endorsed Jesus with Signs and Wonders
Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know. Vs. 22
A. God worked Miracles Through Jesus.
Throughout the public ministry of Jesus, the disciples had the opportunity to see first hand the signs and wonders, the miracles, which God performed through His Son Jesus. In John 3:2 Nicodemus came to Jesus and said, 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.
The word miracles comes from the Greek dunamis which describes the powerful supernatural character of the work. Wonders is the plural of the Greek teras which describes the marveling which comes to the mind of the one who witnesses a miracle, and Signs is from the Greek semeion which gives the intent of the miracles, to point to spiritual truth.
The working of miracles through Jesus showed God the Father’s approval of the work Jesus, His Son was doing, which provides evidence that Jesus was indeed the chosen Messiah sent by God.
Some in history have tried to write out the miracle working power of Jesus, trying to explain away each and every one. It is a human tendency to try and explain away what we cannot control or identify. If the miracles of Christ are removed, there is little else left, and that would substantiate a godless society, something we know is not true. The same God who supernaturally created the universe is the same God who supernaturally intervenes in our lives with miracles, wonders and signs.
B. They were witnesses of the Miracles.
Peter makes the point that they themselves knew about the miracles. Those who had stood there were unable to claim ignorance to the truth. If they chose to reject the claims of Christ, they would be doing it not from a lack of knowledge, but for a love of sin and a hatred of God. Throughout Jesus earthly ministry, he continually came up against people who, trying to justify their own sin or practices, would come against His teachings. It is still not uncommon today. People will attempt to explain away the heart of the Gospel in order to justify their own preferences. Today, we have the Holy Spirit who testifies of the truth through us, so even when they oppose the truth, they know deep down, in the bondage’s of their lives, the truth, it is just that they don’t want to accept it as truth because it could cause them to have to make changes, sometimes radical changes, in their lifestyle.
Jesus told of this in John 15:24-25 If I had not come and told them all this in plain language, it wouldn’t be so bad. As it is, they have no excuse. Hate me, hate my Father—it’s all the same. If I hadn’t done what I have done among them, works no one would have ever done, they wouldn’t be to blame. But they saw the God-signs and hated anyway, both me and my Father. Interesting—they have verified the truth of their own Scriptures where it is written, ‘They hated me for no good reason.’
The evidence of Jesus work, of the endorsement of God the Father, provides conclusively the claims of Christ to be true for anyone who, with an open mind, will look at them. But, according to John 3:19, men loved darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil, and that is what prevents many from embracing Jesus as Messiah.
C. Peter’s Sermon Title: Jesus the Nazarene.
The title, Jesus the Nazarene was a common reference used of Jesus throughout Luke’s writings. In Acts 24:5, referring to Paul, the high priest through their attorney Tertullus, speaking to the governor Felix, said For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the set of the Nazarenes. From this we can conclude the early Christians were also titled as Nazarenes, as being of Jesus of Nazareth. The title, Nazarene, identified the hometown of Jesus, and the phrase has sometimes been translated as Jesus of Nazareth.
II. Jesus Demonstrates The Truth
This Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. Vs. 23
A. Jesus death on the Cross
Here we find a contrast between divine necessity and human freedom. God’s purpose and
plan contrasted against godless men who were used as God’s instrument to fulfill God’s plan. So, by design, Judas betrayed Jesus to the Jewish leaders by handing Jesus over to the Romans to be executed as part of the predetermined plan of God. The word predetermined in the Greek, horizo, from which we get the English word, horizon, means to mark out with a boundary, or to determine.
The fact Jesus was delivered was delivered to death by a predetermined plan of God’s does not absolve those people who put Him to death. God used evil men to accomplish His purpose, but in doing so, He did not violate their will or remove their responsibility in doing so. Men are responsible for their own sin. Those who put Jesus on the cross used their human freedom in doing so.
B. Jesus Resurrection Proves the Truth
And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. For David says of Him, “I was always beholding the Lord in my presence for He is at my right hand, that I many not be shaken. Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; moreover my flesh also will abide in hope; because Thou will make me full of gladness with Thy presence.” Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants upon his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we were all witnesses. Vs. 24-32
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is attributed directly to God, it was not something man did, or even the action of Christ, but it was the action solely of God Peter points out. This implies, if you opposed Jesus Christ, then you are in opposition to God who raised Him from the dead. Quite a serious charge made.
1. Jesus ends the agony of death.
The word agony literally means birth pangs. Like the pain of a woman in labor, the pain of death is only a temporary result of a glorious event. David cried out in Psalm 18:4-6 The cords of death encompassed me. And the torrents of ungodliness terrified me. The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me; In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.
Most people are afraid of death, most people are afraid of the unknown. Jesus resurrection proves there is something beyond. It is important to understand, He did not come back as something other than how He left. He died as Jesus and was raised again as Jesus, He was not reincarnated into something else. This is encouraging news, death is not final, death is not eternally painful if you believe in Jesus Christ, the pain of death is temporary.
2. Jesus Conquered death.
The passage in Acts states it was impossible for death to contain Jesus. It was powerless to hold Him. a. Death could not hold him because Jesus is divine, He is the resurrection and the life. Hebrews 2:14 says, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.
b. Death could not hold Jesus because of divine promise recorded in John 2:18-22. In this passage, the Jews had come to Jesus looking for a sign, and He told them that when this temple, speaking of himself, is destroyed, that He would be raised up in three days. Jesus also told His disciples in Luke 24:46, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day.
c. Death could not hold Jesus because of divine purpose. This had been God’s design, His purpose for all people for all eternity. Because Jesus lives, so we know we can live also.
3. Backed by the Prophetic Voice of God.
The prophetic passage Peter quotes is from psalm 16:8-11. It was written by David, in the first person, speaking from of the Messiah. Here we read a declaration of trust, always beholding to God the Father. Jesus kept His focus on God no matter what happened in His life. How well do we do with this? When the trials of life come, and the waves of struggle which sometimes accompany those trials, what is our central focus? Do we look to the problem, or do we look to the promise. Is it trials that keep our eye, or is it Jesus?
God was at Jesus right hand, the right hand symbolizes protection. In a wedding, the bride stands on the right side, in ancient days, bodyguards stood on the right side of the one they were protecting. When we have Jesus on our right side, we know we can have the protection of the Lord moving powerfully in our lives.
Peter us using this Messianic passage to show them it is Jesus they have been awaiting for, Jesus who had been crucified, Jesus who had been resurrected and now lives. Jesus did not remain a captive in Shoal, or Hades the New Testament equivalent. God would not allow the Holy One, a Messianic title to undergo decay.
Since the Psalm was written in the first person by David, Peter continues by explaining it was not David himself he was speaking about, but it was of Jesus, for David died and was buried and his tomb proved he was not the one who would fulfill the prophecy, but that God had sworn an oath to David to place one of his descendants upon his throne. We find that promise in 2 Samuel 7:11-16 which states:
The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’
In this, what we find is David who was looking ahead to the resurrection of Christ, realizing he was not being abandoned to Hades, that he would not suffer decay, but there was an eternity awaiting him.
Peter has presented a very strong argument, Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead by God, they are all witnesses of this even, so we can draw conclusively, Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah.
III. The Holy Spirit Testifies
Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet.” Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified. Vs. 33-36
Peter is now reaching the climax of his speech to the people who are gathered. He has shown Jesus to be resurrected by God, that He is the Messiah the Israelites have been awaiting, and now he is calling upon all of Israel to know this truth.
Peter is now coming full circle in his message to them, back to what the Holy Spirit has done which had brought them all together to experience the phenomena of Pentecost. He started with the prophesy of Joel 2, and now they were experiencing the Holy Spirit which God had promised which came after Jesus was risen and Glorified, so now God is fulfilling the promise also given in John 7:39 “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not glorified.
Peter then quotes from another Psalm of David, 110, to prove from His ascension and exaltation that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. And again, the Psalm could not be referring to David, since it was not David who had ascended to heaven. It was not David who was exalted to God’s right hand, but it was Jesus, which we had looked at in Acts 1:9-11. The proof for everyone was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which the crowd has just been witness to.
From all of this, Peter had provided to those who had gathered, overwhelming evidence from Jesus life, His death, His resurrection, and His exaltation to point to the truth, He is the Messiah the Jews had been waiting for, He is the Messiah we have been waiting for. He then draws it to a close, let all the house of Israel know for certain, which in the Greek means to speak of that for which there is no doubt.
The verdict is now in, and there is no doubt, they were on the wrong side when they stood opposed to God and rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Peter is later in Acts 4:11 to refer to Jesus in this way, He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the very corner stone.
What then is the message for us today? It is no different than the message Peter preached, or the message that has been preached down through the ages by various ministers, profession and laity. Just as the people that day had to make a decision with what to do with what Peter had told them, so we also have to make the same decision ourselves.
The first decision we need to make is do we believe the message? Do we believe Jesus to be the Messiah? If we do, then we have to decide what to do with Him in our lives. Are we going to ask Him to be our Messiah, or will be just let the moment pass? Have you made Jesus Lord and Savior, have you asked Him to come into your life and make a difference for you?
Next week we are going to look at the results which came into their lives in Acts, but we don’t have to wait, we can have results in our lives tonight, if we so desire…
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