Sermon Central
-
Then Peter Stood Up
Contributed by Anthony Zibolski on Apr 17, 2020 (message contributor)
Summary: Apostle Peter with the help of the Holy Spirit learned a valuable lesson of being devoted to the teaching of God and the fellowship of the saints.
Prayer-
Introduction-
Do you know what the most important thing in your life is? It is not your family, your job, your house, kids, dog, money… it is your relationship with the Lord. If your relationship with the Lord is right everything else will fall into its place. Most of us learn that lesson too late. Most have made “other things” our priority.
The Book of Acts talks about the Holy Spirit of God coming down upon the 120 people who were in one accord in the upper room in Jerusalem waiting “for something special to happen.”
” How many are hungry and waiting for something to happen?
They were instructed by Jesus Himself to wait until it happens and that what would happen would change them forever. Their lives would never be the same again. They would be equipped to do what God had called them to do.
I think sometimes we misuse the word “come” when we are talking about the Holy Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit is eternal! Part of the Trinity -God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was with King David. The Holy Spirit led the prophet Isaiah.
The Holy Spirit was there when this world was void and the Holy Spirit was standing with Jesus at creation.
The Holy Spirit of God is always trying to reach out to each generation with His presence.
Check this out-
We are sinners! We are sinners because we have sinned against God- there are no good people who will be good enough to get past their sins without Jesus.
Jesus came to redeem us from our sins by going to the cross and paying for our sins. A sinless Jesus saves us from our sins.
He died a horrible death on the cross, but if it stopped there, we would still be in our sins.
It took his death and his resurrection to pay for your sin and my sin.
No shed blood, no death, no resurrection, no salvation.
After his resurrection, He was seen by hundreds of people including his disciples.
He instructs them that they are to be in one accord, in one place, and the Holy Spirit of God is going to come upon them and dwell within them and He would change their lives forever.
Jesus must go so the Holy Spirit can come and He (Holy Spirit) would be the power needed in our lives to survive this corrupt and evil world.
We cannot do it in our own strength, but we must wait on God and be filled with His Spirit.
That is the gospel!
The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Nutshell)
The sanctified life is being surrendered to God and filled with His Spirit to empower our lives in His strength.
That is the last words of Jesus to His followers and the last words for us as we serve God some 2000 years later!
Seek the Spirit of God, “receive power when the Holy Spirit of God comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
If you don’t believe that, or you are not willing to respond to that commandment, you will never live your life as intended by the Lord!
Peter addresses the crowd of people there who had no idea what had just happened and explained it was God doing a new thing!
They used words like amazed and perplexed
We are not drunk. It is the Lord pouring out His Spirit on us. And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
2:37- “When the people heard this; they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, brothers what shall we do?”
“Peter replied, repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit of God is a gift to believers!
As an unbeliever, you cannot be empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to live the life intended by God. He says repent of your sins, ask the Lord into your life, desire to be filled with His Spirit, all in the powerful name of Jesus!
Prevenient Grace draws you toward God
Repentance in Jesus brings the forgiveness of your sins and saves you.
Seeking the Holy Spirit, desiring His presence in your life, surrendering your life to Christ and giving Him all of you brings the filling of His Spirit into your life and brings God’s power.
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
