"Peter's Sermon" | Acts 2 | Midweek | Pastor Keith

Let's take a seat. Open your Bibles to the book of

Acts chapter 2. We'll finish Acts 2 on Sunday

Acts 2 · chapter mention

morning. This is Part 2 and we're looking

at Peter's sermon because I did a fair bit of lead up, but I

want to look at the first sermon ever preached under the

anointing of the Holy Spirit apart from Jesus obviously in in

the New Testament. So we serve from verse 14.

Let's jump straight into it. But Peter standing up with the

11 raised his voice and said to him and of Judea and all who

dwell in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you.

Heed my words. Listen up Peter Sirius, for

these are not drunk. As they'd witnessed the cloven

fire upon the 120 disciples. They'd witnessed and heard the

Galileans speaking in foreign languages, beautiful languages

that they were not cognizant with, but people in the crowd

who'd travelled 3 days to a week.

The feast of Pentecost was the most attended of all the feasts

and and people were hearing these Galileans speak in their

own language, in their own dialect that says in the Greek

of the majesty, the wonders of God.

And Peter is now explaining what has happened.

And someone said, well, they're just drunk.

And Peter says, hey, you people don't think they're drunk.

He he deals with them as you suppose it's only 9:00 AM in the

morning. But this is that the King James

says, I said, I think it says it's best.

This is that which was spoken on the by the prophet Joel.

And now Peter, because the sermon should have, should have

scripture shouldn't be just about, oh, let me tell you a

story, you know, and then I'll tell you another story.

They called skyscraper sermons. You know why?

Because they're story after story after story after story

verse 17 and he quotes Joel and shall come to pass in the last

days. So Peter saying we are in the

last days. Then John in one John says we're

in the last hour of the last days.

That's 2000 years ago. So how how far are we advanced

in the last of the last days of the last hour minutes?

He says I'll pour out my spirit on all flesh.

Your sons and your daughters shall prophecy that word.

Prophecy isn't not like oh, let me tell you what's going to

happen now prophecy here is they will proclaim and speak the word

of God each time you hear like tonight as I teach from the word

of God. It's prophecy.

It's proclaiming the word of God.

Prophecy is not all 4th telling. This is what's going to happen.

Prophecy here in this context is they will speak the gospel, they

will speak the word of God. Your young men shall see

visions. And now this is where I come

into it. Your old men shall dream dreams.

And all my menservants and my maidservants, I will pour out my

spirit in in those days and they shall prophecy.

I will show wonders in heaven, above signs in the earth,

beneath blood and fire and vapour of smoke.

The sun shall be turned Into Darkness and the moon into

blood. Where?

Where have we heard those words before?

Matthew 24, Jesus says last days Book of Revelation.

So Peter is saying not only is this happening today, but these

are the events that are going to happen in the future.

So we're we're actually dealing with the time after Christ's

death. Peter's in and now we're looking

at time in our future during what's called the tribulation,

the moon in the blood, how far before the coming of the Great

Northern day of the Lord, the second coming of Christ.

And it shall come to pass that during the tribulation context

here, whoever calls on the name of the Lord and many people will

get saved in the tribulation. Can you imagine, man?

You've been told, been told, been told, your friends

witnessed to you, told you about the rapture, then they

disappeared, and then they told you about the Antichrist, and

then we got this guy in charge. The events of the world.

Then you see the peace treaty being signed by Israel.

Israel rebuilds the temple. You become, my gosh, all that I

was told it's happening. Most people come to call on

Christ and be saved. The trouble is, during the

Tribulation period, your salvation will be also your

death. Peter quickly dismisses the

mockers. He deals with the the bullheads

in the crowd. John's prophecy, as I said in

context, is really looking more so at the time of the great

Tribulation and into the second coming of Jesus Christ.

People said that these disciples were drunk and we touched on

that on Sunday. No, though under the power of

the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Holy Spirit is what self

control. And also they spoke as the Holy

Spirit gave them utterance. So when we see churches where

people are raging and carrying on, I'm sorry now.

I'm not sorry. It's not biblical.

It's it's terrible. It's terrible now.

So Peter says prophecy is looking to what's going to

happen, and he's talking about it's the outpouring of the Holy

Spirit. It's going to happen during the

Tribulation period as well. But Keith, didn't you say, like,

doesn't the Bible say in the Second Thessalonians that when

the church has gone, that which is restrained is no longer

there? Yeah, the church in that way.

But the Holy Spirit, it's still going to be up on earth because

it's through the Holy Spirit. People come to know Christ

because he convicts of sin, brings us to salvation.

It's the work of God that you and I are saved.

We had nothing to do with our salvation except accept it.

And it was the convicting work of the Holy Spirit that brought

us to this point. So note this, Therefore, the

empowering of the Holy Spirit falling on this day, the day of

Pentecost, and the associated gifts.

Pastor Israel dealt with them in detail when we went through 1

Corinthians, especially chapter 1213 or 14.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit that came on the day of

Pentecost are not limited just to the day of Pentecost.

Yes, the cloven fire, the rushing wind that day, but the

gifts will continue on through our church history because there

are people that say, well, you know, people, those happy

clappers, those charis maniacs that believe the gifts, you

know, all this stuff that all stopped with the disciples.

Well, the Bible says, no, it didn't because it's going to go

on. The the prophecy of Joel says

this continues on into the into the great tribulation throughout

church history, right on to the second coming of Jesus Christ,

when we won't need those gifts after that.

The fact that the power of the Holy Spirit will be experienced

in the last days indicates that those who say the gifts ceased

with the apostles are biblically incorrect.

So now Peter, he's explained what this is.

This is that prophet Joel, He's explained what that is, and now

the central part of his sermon, which is should be the central

part of every sermon, he talks about Jesus Christ.

Now Peter preaches Jesus Christ after he's explained to the

gathered crowd what they had witnessed with the wind, the

cloven fires, the Speaking of languages, dialect foreign to

the Galilean disciples. He says this is the power from

on high. The first sermon, anointed by

the Holy Spirit, is centred on the person of Jesus Christ.

They should tell us what we should do from then on.

Peter identifies Jesus as being Jesus from Nazareth.

It's very important. Jesus was a common name back at

the time of Christ. Jesus is remembered the Greek

name of the Hebrew name Yahshua, and every Tom, Dick and Harry

was Yahshua and in the Greek they were Jesus.

Secondly, Peter brings proof of who Jesus is.

He is the Messiah, so he says the Jesus that I'm going to tell

you about is Jesus, that Jesus from Nazareth, the Rabbi you all

know about, remember. And secondly, I want to give you

proof of who that Jesus is. I'm going to tell you He's

speaking to Jews. He's the Messiah.

Men of Israel, verse 22, hear these words.

Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you.

How? By miracles, wonders, signs

which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves

also know. So the crowd there had witnessed

the events that Jesus had done, him being delivered by the

determined purpose and foreknowledge of who God.

John 316 For God so loved the world.

What did he do? He gave his only begotten Son.

For unto us a child is given, unto us a son is given, a child

is born, a son is given, Isaiah said.

And so him being delivered by the determined purpose and

foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have

crucified and put to death. Well, this is a tough audience

and he's bringing a tough message, isn't he?

Imagine he's talking to the people and he's saying the

Messiah, the Jewish Messiah you're all longing for, looking

for. It was him.

And he died on the cross because God the Father planned it that

way. You're involved in that, and

you're the ones that put him to death through the Romans by the

signs and wonders and miracles that Jesus did of which they

were witnesses. In John chapter 10, the

John 10 · chapter mention

religious leaders came to Jesus. In verse 24, the Jews surrounded

him and said to him, How long do you keep us in doubt?

If you're the Christ, if you're the Messiah, tell us plainly.

Jesus answered them. I told you, you do not believe

the works that I do in my father's name.

They bear witness of me. All the things that I've done,

feeding of the 5000, the 1510 thousand, the raising of the

dead Lazarus, all these events walking on the water.

You've heard all about these things.

They, they witness of who I am. But you do not believe.

Be why didn't and why didn't they believe John 1026 because

you are not of my sheep, as I said to you.

Now Thirdly, the way that Jesus died, invented by the Persians,

polished up by the Romans, crucifixion.

Peter says this was God's plan for Christ his Son, the Lamb of

God, the Messiah, before the foundations of the earth were

laid. Paul picks this very point up in

one Corinthians chapter 15 verse 3.

Paul says, For I delivered to you first of all that which I

also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the

scriptures, and that he was buried, and then he rose again

the third day according to the Scriptures.

Remember Jesus walking with the two on the road to Emmaus, he

says basically said you, you, you foolish people, all these

things that occurred, they're in and he gave them the Bible

study. This is them.

You know, it's the greatest thing.

I, I, I tell you again, I've said it many times before, but

when I was a young boy, Easter was the most difficult period of

my life. I broke down over Easter.

I would weep as a kid on on my own in in my bedroom as a little

kid because I couldn't understand why Jesus was killed

and why no one helped him. Why, why was he treated?

Why why didn't anyone come to his to his aid?

And then I found out the reason that he died.

He died voluntarily. He was led as a lamb to the

slaughter. He had enough word.

He let them LED away. Peter tried to bring out the

sword, cut off the ear, tried to kill the guy arresting him.

Peter put the sword away. This is, This is why I'm here.

This is why Christmas we just celebrated, why that little baby

was born. He was born to die.

God became a man to die. Peter says this is that man.

Peter then moves to the very heart of the gospel.

What's the heart of the gospel? The resurrection.

The resurrection. It was not possible that death

could hold Jesus. Why Acts chapter 2 verse 24,

Acts 2:24

whom God raised up having loosed the pains of death, because it

was not possible that he should be held by it.

Because God had said Jesus would rise from the dead the third day

God's word is going to stand. I love that.

Because Jesus says he's coming back.

Jesus said he's coming back from me.

You and I tonight need to have the same confidence and

assurance in the word of God. We we ought to have no questions

about it, no doubts about it. Does the Bible say go away,

please, sorry. As I gotten older, I know I need

to be tolerant, but I'm less tolerant when when there are

things of the word of God that if you're a believer, this is

the word of God. I am the Lord thy God.

I change not, and we need to have no doubts that what it says

is going to happen. No doubts when God says

something, He means it, and it will come to pass.

The rapture is going to happen. The tribulation is going to fall

upon this earth. What does it mean?

The pains of death having loosed the pains of death.

In the Greek language, this term is to bind with cords until it

hurts. What Peter is saying here is

here the cords of death tried to hold Jesus in the grave,

couldn't, Nothing could hold him.

Nothing could hold Jesus in the grave at this moment, as Peter

is talking about the resurrection.

And there were many Jews who are influenced, Hellenistic Jews,

influenced by Greek philosophy. At this moment in the crowd, the

Greek philosophers, their minds switched off.

He's lost me. I'm out of here talking about

resurrection. Come back.

No. So then Peter, does he come into

an argument? So, oh, no, you're wrong, I'm

right. You're wrong.

Scripture. And so he says verse 25, Peter

gives them biblical evidence for the teaching of the resurrection

for David King David says concerning Jesus, I foresaw the

Lord always before my face for he is at my right hand that I

may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoice, my

tongue was glad. Moreover, my flesh also will

rest in hope for you will not leave my soul.

Peter is talking about not himself.

We'll see. He's talking about Jesus his

resurrection. He's not saying Dave's not

saying my soul won't be in in, in Hades won't be held there,

no, nor will you allow your holy One to see corruption.

You have made known to me the ways of life.

You will make me full of joy in your presence.

Men and brethman, let me speak freely to you of the Patriarch

David who is referenced that he is both dead and buried and

where the upper room is. And we go to the upper room in

old Jerusalem. And just down from the upper

room we go walk down a little ways about sort of like where

the the the car park out of car park is.

And there is David's tomb. He can go in there and visit

David's soon even today. And he says, let me speak freely

to you of the Patriarch David as Peter does that he is both dead

and buried and his tomb is with us to his day.

His point to where the tomb is not far from the upper room.

Therefore, David, being a prophet, and knowing that God

had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of His body

would come the Messiah according to the flesh, he would raise up

the Christ to sit on His throne. He, foreseeing this, spoke

concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul Jesus

was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.

This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.

We've seen Him 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 on which you now see in here.

See how he's relating this to what's happening?

Because we saw Jesus resurrected, He's we saw him

ascend. We now know he's at the right

hand of the Father because David said that's where he's going to

be seated at the right hand of his Father.

And because he's gone, he said, when I go, I will send another

comforter just like me. For David did not ascend into

the heavens. No, Jesus did.

But he says himself, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right

hand. Who said at the right hand?

Jesus, after he's finished the sacrifice.

Sacrifice to end all sacrifices. The man sat down.

Till I make your enemies your footstool.

The Greek word for hell is hades.

It means the grave and a place of torment.

The Hebrew word is sheol, and in Luke 16 we're told what it's

like. This place, remember, there was

a rich man on one side who held him.

Abraham, remember, on the other side was, yeah, sorry, Lazarus

was held by Abraham, Paradise. And on the other side was the

rich man. And between, remember, the rich

man said, can you just send just a little bit of water?

I'm thirsty. Funny how he's thirsty.

And Abrams, we can't cross too late.

One side was paradise. One side was torment.

Remember, like the rich guy said, oh, can you send someone

back? Tell someone I don't want my

brothers coming here. And Isaiah 61 one the prophet

Isaiah said the spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the

Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor that's

poor in spirit. He has sent me to heal the

broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives.

Who are the captives? In Ephesians chapter 4 it tells

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

us, and when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive

and gave gifts to men. Now this he ascended, what does

it mean? But that He also first descended

into the lower parts of the earth.

And so where Abraham was holding Lazarus is empty on the other

side. The rich man's still there and

it's been filled up every day for those who reject Jesus

Christ, the thief on the cross. He where was taken with Jesus to

paradise. Jesus said to him, I surely I

say to you today you will be with me in paradise.

Luke 2343. So David, the writer of Psalm

16, which Peter unloads on this Jewish crowd proof of the

resurrection of who Jesus is. David is dead and buried and has

been at that time that Peter preaches, about 1000 years dead.

His tomb. As I said, we visit in Jerusalem

near the upper room. Peter would be pointing to it

because it's not far from the upper room.

So Peter says David was a prophet.

God had promised to raise up from David's seed the Messiah.

That's why he's coming back to Jerusalem to sit on David's

throne and that Jesus would be resurrected.

Nothing could hold him. Jesus had then ascended into

heaven to take his place at the right hand of the Father.

David prophesied all that and this same Jesus, Peter says

because he's relating it to all that's happened.

It's he who promised the gift that you see the power, that you

see the Holy Spirit to come. Because back in John 1416, Jesus

had said, I will pray the Father.

He will give you another helper that he may abide with you

forever. So the crowd had witnessed all

this now. So this crowd is pretty savvy.

I know about Jesus of Nazareth. Rabbi come from Nazareth and

went down to Capernaum. He's been there.

He lived in the Galilean, and then he was a Caiaphas.

Remember, he was arrested. Remember, he wrote in Palm

Sunday, you know, and the crowd cried out.

And then he was crucified because we were there.

We cried out, crucifying, crucifying.

And then we heard the tomb was empty.

Now the disciples have tell us they've seen him.

Now the falling of the Holy Spirit.

So all this evidence, evidence, evidence is banking up to all

this massive crowd who had seen the cloven fire, the rushing

wind, heard the rushing wind, and Peter's speaking boldly.

Now what? What happens to them?

They're convicted by the Holy Spirit.

Why? Because he's at work.

Now. Verse 36 Therefore, when you see

a therefore you ask what's there for based on all that Peters

just said, let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God

has made this Jesus and he's told them was Jesus whom you

crucified both Lord and Messiah, both God and Messiah.

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said

to Peter and the rest of the apostles men and brethren, what

shall we do in Acts chapter 16 we'll hear a a gaoler say what

Acts 16 · chapter mention

must I do to be saved? You know what I like about this.

We don't see it enough is that people wanting to get saved.

Everyone thinks they're saved, Everyone thinks they're saved.

Everyone thinks they're right with God.

It needs the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.

And when, when he convicts, there's an action men and

brethren, what shall we do then Peter said to them, here's the

answer of what to do. Repent.

Let everyone of you then be baptised in the name of Jesus

Christ for the remission of sins and then you will receive the

gift of the Holy Spirit that you've seen and heard today for

the promise. And here's the wonder of it all,

Mums, dads, grandparents, the promise is to you and to your

children and to all who are far off.

Now we live in Secret Harbour, West St That's about as far off

from Jerusalem as you can get. As many as the Lord our God will

call. Note that as many as the Lord

our God will call. John 10.

My sheep hear my voice. The church today.

And can you see what? Where the churches we're playing

church. Yeah, we've lost.

We've lost our way. The compass bearing has no

needle on it because it should point to repentance in the

gospel. Just keep repentance to gospel.

The church today needs a gospel that what pierces the hearts of

the hearers that that impacts you.

Not a soft gospel, not a seeker friendly gospel, not another

gospel which is in Second Corinthians.

But each time you and I sit under the word of God, we should

sense His Holiness and our frowness and our thankfulness

that Christ has done this for us.

Repent is the answer to what shall we do?

So when you're witnessing to someone and talk about come to

our church, we have a great band, you know, we have great

programmes, we have a marriage counselling class, we have a

good Sunday school. Repent.

When I talk to people about, you know, they come from

counselling. So often the first thing I deal

with is the main thing is what's your relationship with Christ?

And then I'll ask, because they go, well, I think, are you

reading your Bible? No.

Are you praying? No.

And then they wonder why they're at this place of where they're

lost. You can go to church to still be

lost because here it says repent and be baptised.

Because I'm not. No, you need to be baptised.

Well, well, the thief wasn't baptised.

Absolutely it wasn't. But if he had a choice, if he

could have got down on the cross, he would have got

baptised pretty hard. We got nails in you.

Because baptism is the next step.

I want to be baptised. Why?

Because it signifies a change. It's telling the world I, I am a

Christian. I, the old me, we're going to

walk in the water and we're having a funeral and the new me

we're coming out is showing you a new birth, a new walk, a new

life, a new direction, a burial, a birth and a change of

ownership. The devil doesn't own me

anymore. Verse 40 and with many other

words, Peter testified and exhorted them saying be saved

from this perverse generation. Generation was perverse back

then. We think it's perverse today and

notice this and this what breaks my heart then those doesn't say

and everyone got saved. You notice that we kind of think

error or error, it was just 3000 people and all the 3000 got

saved. No, they didn't because verse 41

says then those who gladly received His word were baptised

and that day about 3000 souls were added to them.

And so there were people there that heard all this information

and said, Nah, you see, that's why when we stand before Christ,

the second resurrection, not us, but people stand.

You have no excuse. You're cooked.

It's not a judgement, the second resurrection, the great white

throne judgement. It's a sentencing because you're

guilty. Romans 3, you'll utter not a

word. Peter says be saved from this

perverse generation. The word perverse, interesting,

Greek scolios, scoliosis, crooked, wicked.

And what you and I see in the world today is we don't see

evolution, do we? Funny, we've still got monkeys,

haven't we? How come those monkeys haven't

just kicked on? Well, the next step.

Why are all the monkeys gone? But what we do see, sadly, is

devolution. We're acting more like animals.

When the planes flew into the Twin Towers, Ruth Graham Lotz

spoke and she said, you, you, you wonder why our children are

lost. And you tell them not to act

like animals. But they go to school and are

educated and told that they are but animals.

Those who gladly received the word.

Not everybody was sighted.