The First Sermon

Amen to hand you one.

They're always looking for something to do and this keeps them pretty busy and out of trouble during the service.

So please let them know you'd like a sermon outline.

Well, the more I'm into the book of Acts, the more I realize I wonder if I bit off more than I can chew.

There's a lot in here.

Some of these sermons I literally.

I could do two or three on a passage, but for your sake I'm going to just keep moving.

In Acts, chapter 2, luke records the first Christian sermon by Peter on the day of Pentecost and if you remember, pentecost is the one of the great feasts in Israel where Jews from all over the world came to Jerusalem to celebrate it 50 days after the Passover.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

They were celebrating the first fruits of their wheat harvest.

They were celebrating the first fruits of their wheat harvest, and the Old Testament Feast of Pentecost, as I mentioned before, really looked forward to, I believe, the first fruits of God's spiritual harvest when the Holy Spirit came down on believers at Pentecost in Jerusalem and then when the crowd saw these miraculous things happening the violent wind inside the room and the tongues of fire on their heads and it looks like they're drunk and hearing the gospel in their own language, they turn and say what does this mean?

And in response, peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the first sermon to these people to explain what happened.

So let's look at what Peter says here in Acts 2, beginning in verse 14.

But Peter, taking his stand and with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them Men of Judea, in all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words, for these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day.

But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel, and it shall be in the last days.

God says that I will pour forth my spirit on all mankind, and your sons, your daughters shall prophesy.

Your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams, even on my bond slaves.

Both men and I will, in those days, pour forth of my spirit and they shall prophesy and I will grant wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor and smoke.

The sun will be turned into darkness, the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come, and it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

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.

This man, delivered over by the predetermined plan for knowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put him to death, but God raised him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for him to be held in his power.

For David said of him I saw the Lord always in my presence, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.

Therefore, my heart was glad, my tongue exalted.

Moreover, my flesh also will live in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow your Holy One to undercoat decay.

You have made known to me the ways of life and you will make me full of gladness with your 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 on his throne.

He looked ahead, 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 are all witnesses.

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 till I make all your enemies a footstool for your feet.

Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both the Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

Peter's sermon is incredible.

In it, he explains why Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world, and also what we need to do to be saved by him.

Today, we're going to look at three things from this sermon the explanation from Scripture, the evidence of the resurrection and the conclusion of the matter.

In a sense, you guys are fortunate you get two sermons today, peter's and mine.

So enjoy, enjoy.

After a brief introduction, peter explains what was happening that day, on Pentecost, according to the scripture.

Don't miss that.

The crowd at that time in Jerusalem, because of the feasts, would have numbered in the tens of thousands.

And this first presentation of the gospel, when they heard the gospel in their own language at once from all over the world of the gospel, when they heard the gospel in their own language at once from all over the world.

Look again at the list of people who were listening the Parthians, medes, elamites, mesopotamians, judeans, cappadocians, pontus, asia, phygira, pamphylia, egypt, libya, cyrene, romans, cretans and Arabs.

The people who are there are all Jews who have traveled from all over the world.

And the reason I say that is because they all know they're devout Jews.

They know the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures.

That's why Peter starts there to explain what's happening.

They believe the Hebrew Scripture is authoritative.

He says look at this passage, look at that passage, look at this passage all the way through his sermon.

What they are seeing Peter says is a fulfillment of God's very promises, his word.

He's using the scripture.

This is important to keep in mind because he's going to shift gears in a minute.

He's using the scripture to appeal to their reason, their minds, their intellect, with the authoritative evidence they already accept.

First, to explain Pentecost, peter has them look what the prophet Joel said.

This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.

I'll pour out my spirit in those days.

And at the very end he adds the gospel message.

And Joel mentions this and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

In Acts 2.21.

And because it was a fulfillment of Scripture.

The second thing we can be sure of Peter mentions is that God was behind everything that was happening.

He was behind the death and resurrection of Jesus, which is really hard to grasp, but that's what it says.

Peter says in Acts 2, 22-24, fellow Israelites, listen to this Jesus of Nazareth, man accredited by God to you, by miracles, wonders and signs God did among you.

You yourselves know this man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge and with the help of wicked men, you put him to death by nailing him on the cross, but God raised him from the dead.

God had planned it all and he's showing them that in the scripture.

And he's showing them that in the scripture Now, assuming the authority of the Hebrew scripture to identify Jesus as the Messiah.

Peter then says just look at what David said in Psalm 16.

I saw the Lord and therefore my heart is glad.

My body will rest in hope because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead.

You'll not let your Holy One see decay.

And Peter says David could not be referring to himself.

There's his tomb right there and he's decayed.

He couldn't be referring to himself.

He's referring to Jesus, the descendant of David, who was buried.

But he did not decay.

God raised him from the dead.

Psalm 16, that passage.

He uses it to appeal to their reason, their minds, their intellect.

Don't you see this?

And he says not only that.

Look at what David said in Psalm 110.

David didn't ascend to heaven.

The Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool to your feet.

David didn't ascend to the right hand of God.

Jesus the Messiah did, though.

Peter is showing us something here, amazing in this sermon, something we need to take away from it and learn from it.

He's looking at Scripture after Scripture after scripture and saying every single one of them points to Jesus.

What's great about this sermon is that we're going to see other sermons and speeches in the book of Acts, and the one thing you see is that Christian preachers in the early church always read the Old Testament Christocentrically.

It's about Jesus From the earliest preachers.

They all looked at it that way and according to the authors of the New Testament, jesus is the very point of everything in the Bible.

Jesus is the climax, fulfillment of every theme in the Bible.

He's the climax and better version of every person.

In the Bible, apostle Paul actually calls Jesus the better Adam the second Adam.

The first Adam failed the test of obedience and we all die.

But Jesus, the true and better Adam, passed the test of obedience and we all live.

Adam passed the test of obedience and we all live.

In this passage, the Apostle Peter is telling us that Jesus is the true and better David.

David, if you remember, at the risk of his own life, killed the giant Goliath and was victorious for the entire nation, was victorious for the entire nation.

Jesus, not at the risk, at the cost of his own life, slew the giants of sin and death and his victory is imputed to everyone who believes in him, paul and Peter I mean I could go on and on and on about these themes, all referring to Jesus.

But one last one Peter and Paul refer in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians and in 1 Peter, to Jesus as our Passover lamb.

He is the true and better Passover lamb.

You and I may not recognize it right away, but every single part of the Bible is pointing to Jesus and it's worth your study to consider that, as in your reading programs through the Bible.

If you do that, I encourage you to do that.

Look for him.

Peter and Paul and the rest who preached this.

They knew that.

They preached that.

You know why?

Because Jesus taught them that.

Jesus several times.

I'm going to pick one.

In John, chapter 5, verses 38 to 40, jesus is speaking to the Pharisees who refuse to believe in him.

John 5:38–40

But boy, they love the scripture.

They memorize a lot of it, they study it every day, they teach it all the time.

And here's what he says to them you do not have God's word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he sent.

You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life.

You have eternal life, but it is they that testify to me and you're unwilling to come to me so that you may have life.

Then, after his resurrection Luke 24, 44 to 48, jesus is speaking to his disciples.

He's standing in front of them and he says to them these are my words, which I spoke to you while I was still with you that all the things which are written about me listen to this in the law of Moses, genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy, 1st Deuteronomy, all that was written about me in those first five books, and also the prophets you want me to delineate those for you, all of them and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

All about me, all about me.

Then, and here's the amazing thing that happens at conversions, which I'll talk about as we go through the book of Acts, Something miraculous and amazing happens when you and I are given the Holy Spirit, we actually start to understand the scripture, he says.

He says he opened their minds to understand the scripture and he said to them thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

And you are witnesses to these things.

See, we can read the Bible, and I hope you do, but be careful, because you can miss the forest for the trees.

You can read the Bible and glean from it all the things God expects you to do and miss Jesus.

Thinking the Bible is about you.

What do I got to do to be on good terms with God?

That's why I'm reading it.

Learn to read the Bible with gospel glasses.

It's about Jesus.

Peter and the apostles knew that and they also knew.

Because of that.

They knew what we needed to do to be saved, to be approved of God, to receive eternal life and his spirit.

It was because of what Jesus did for me and I learn about that in here Now.

Throughout his sermon, peter appeals to Scripture as evidence that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

Well, that leads to the second line of evidence he goes through in his sermon about Jesus' identity the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.

The Scriptures not only affirm God raised Jesus from the dead, there's also empirical evidence that God raised Jesus from the dead.

Those who are standing there eyewitnesses.

Peter claims that he and others who were there on Pentecost saw Jesus alive after his death.

Others who were there on Pentecost saw Jesus alive after his death.

Chapter 2, god raised this Jesus to life.

We're all witnesses of it.

He's exalted to the right hand of God.

He's received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and poured out what you now see and hear.

For David didn't ascend to heaven yet he said.

The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.

But they also saw Jesus ascend to heaven, if you remember.

I noticed something else in Peter's sermon he isn't just browbeating them, threatening them.

He's appealing to their minds, logic, truth, reasoning from the scripture.

He's also appealing to historical facts, truths, facts, truths, empirical evidence, eyewitness testimony about Jesus, so they could properly and knowingly identify who he is as the Messiah.

That brings us to the conclusion of Peter's sermon.

Look at how Peter ends his sermon, in verse 36.

The first word gives us a clue that it's his application.

Just finished my sermon here, therefore.

Therefore, this is what I've been talking about and here's what the result and consequences implications are.

Applications are from what I've just said, from the scripture, from the empirical evidence, from the facts.

Therefore, let all Israel be certain of this God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.

Jesus is Savior and Lord of all.

God has exalted him to that.

The scripture, eyewitness testimony that Peter's given, has brought them to this point where they can know this truth about Jesus for certain.

But listen to me very carefully Just knowing the truth about Jesus in your mind isn't enough to save you.

I know a lot of people.

I believe in God.

I believe in Jesus.

He lived, died, rose again In your mind.

That truth, and what it means, has to penetrate your heart.

It has to.

It has to.

It means, has to penetrate your heart.

It has to, has to penetrate your heart so that it moves from here to trust.

And I believe in Jesus as my Savior.

And the response of the people to Peter's sermon shows this.

Acts 2.37,.

When the people heard this, they got all the information they need.

Okay, looks like you're right.

Jesus from the scripture, jesus' empirical evidence.

It looks like it all lines up.

Question what shall we do then?

It's not done.

They heard the evidence, but if you see, look at what it says they didn't just know the facts.

They were cut to the heart, pierced to the heart.

There you go, now you're getting it.

They started to internalize what they just heard, what it meant for them To be cut to the heart.

We looked at this before I know.

But to be cut, it occurs several times to the heart.

We looked at this before I know.

But to be cut.

It occurs several times in the scripture and it's a really interesting word you can translate cut to the heart, pierced to the heart.

First, this statement shows you can't just decide to become a Christian by mental assent.

That's not how it works.

That's not how you receive the Holy Spirit.

You can't just take up Christianity as your religion Well, I'm a Christian now or like a hobby or self-improvement program.

You can't just take it up.

I love what I heard Tim Keller say once.

He said you don't take Christianity up, it takes you up.

I think he's right.

Like the believers on Pentecost, when you become a Christian you will sense you're coming under the power outside of you, into you.

That's what was happening at Pentecost.

Cut to the heart literally means stabbed to your core.

You've gone beyond your mind.

Now it's hit you deep in your very self.

So cut to the heart first means you can't just come to Christ through mental ascent.

The second thing cut to the heart means and this is extremely important because you see it in Peter's sermon cut to the heart means that your sin, your sin against God and Jesus, your Savior, must become personal and not an abstraction.

This is so important.

In Peter's sermon he said I want you to know that you put Jesus to death.

Yeah, you did Personal.

Your sin is personal.

He's helping them understand that Most of them may have been there at Jesus' crucifixion we're not sure, but many of them could have.

He's making sin personal.

You have sinned, not say I'm just a sinner.

How, how have you offended the God of the universe?

How have you just slapped what Jesus did for you down?

That's personal.

The essence of becoming a Christian is when your sin becomes personal and not an abstraction.

And he's helping them understand that and helping them realize Jesus.

You know Jesus is taking all my sins on himself, so I wouldn't have to ever is taking all my sins on himself, so I wouldn't have to ever.

It was my sins.

If you can say this, see this is and identify with it, it was my sins that nailed him there, because you weren't alive yet but he was still dying for every single one of your sins, personally, not even committed yet, and it was for my sins he died.

It has to become personal, not an abstraction, for it to move from mental ascent to heart Cut, from mental ascent to heart Cut.

You know, peter was the perfect person to talk about this, because he experienced this.

Listen to me, listen to me.

This is extremely important for you to understand how to be born again.

How do you know you're a Christian?

After Jesus was arrested, peter denied Jesus three times, even cursed him.

Well, that's about the worst sin you could probably commit.

And you know, I'm sure while he's there he felt a little guilty for that, a little bad, some sorrow.

So until Jesus looked right at him after he did it and it broke him, he wept and ran away.

It cut right to the heart.

It was me that did that.

That's right.

Listen, it's one thing to know you've broken God's rules.

You've broken God's rules.

It's a whole other thing to know we've broken God's heart as he stared at Jesus.

You've got to make that connection.

See, when you realize that you haven't just broken God's law but you've broken his heart, when sin becomes personal and not an abstraction, then Jesus becomes your friend and Savior.

He does, and then he will give you his Holy Spirit so that you can know how much he loves you and how much you are forgiven because of what he did.

We need to know that.

At Pentecost the crowd asked what does this mean.

Peter takes the scripture, reviews the empirical evidence, the facts, historically, once they understand it, they did understand it.

They asked the right question what shall we do?

We're cut to the heart and after?

I think it's a question every one of us should ask after hearing the gospel, after hearing any time God's word being preached, what shall I do?

That's a great question and you could start by asking well, what is the most fitting response when you really understand who Jesus is and what he's done for you?

Peter says basically well, believe in him and you know what, give your life to him.

Basically, he says Peter tells him to do two things Acts 2, 37-39.

Peter replied Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The promise is for you and your children, for all who are far off, for all, and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The promise is for you and your children, for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord, our God, will call.

So, first, repent and get God's forgiveness.

Repent means to change your mind.

He peels two of their minds.

Have you changed your mind about who Jesus is yet and what he came to do.

Repent.

Repent about Jesus, repent about your sin and then be baptized, which really is a way of saying this, evidence that you have put your faith in him, you've believed in him.

So be baptized, identify with him to everybody else.

When you repent, you get God's forgiveness, and when you get baptized, you get a new community, the church.

Church which, in a very exciting thing today, we will witness Because of your faith in Jesus, as Peter goes on, you're going to get the Holy Spirit and you also get God's promises of salvation to everyone who believes in Jesus, even those far off.

Becoming a Christian is something that happens to us.

When we repent, we change our minds concerning the truth of Jesus and let it sink into our hearts that our sin is personal, it's not an abstraction.

As that sinks into our hearts, then let us help God to see, help us to see that Jesus was on the cross paying the penalty for our sins, and on that cross our sins were no abstraction.

They were not.

Here's how the Apostle Paul kind of puts it all together.

In Romans 10, 9 and 10, a very well-known verse, paul says this is the word of faith which we're preaching.

If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and listen to this, don't miss it and believe in your heart.

Okay, I'm confessing all these truths about Jesus.

Jesus is Lord.

Listen to this, don't miss it, and believe in your heart.

Okay, I'm confessing all these truths about Jesus.

But also it has to go here Confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.

You will be saved.

For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth a person believes, resulting in righteousness.

And with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

And as we have, people come forward to be baptized.

Today we're going to see both Everyone who believes in Jesus receives the gift of eternal life, and when we do, scripture tells us God saves us, and we are baptized, sealed and filled with the Holy Spirit at that moment of our conversion.

That's what the book of Acts is going to develop, and I invite you, if you've never done so, begin to repent and believe in Jesus.

Let God show you your sin is not an abstraction, but personal, and then look at what Jesus did for you and welcome him as your friend and savior.

Let's pray, father.

Thank you for Jesus, who died for our sins, not in the abstract, but in the very personal and concrete on the cross.

Were he to look us each in the eye right now, he would have us know that he joyfully died in our place, fully aware of all our great sins and still willing to take our place.

Would you please, father, help that truth to sink deep into our hearts, our psyche, and affect us profoundly, transformingly.

Help us to see, then, jesus in scripture.

I pray in his name, amen.