Acts 2:14-41 - Peter's Pentecost Preaching
The preached Word has power!
Acts 2:14–41 (ESV)
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
“ ‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Heidelberg Catechism
Q&A 98
Q. But may not images be permitted in the churches as teaching aids for the unlearned?
A. No, we shouldn’t try to be wiser than God.
He wants his people instructed
by the living preaching of his Word—
not by idols that cannot even talk.
Summary
“The new is in the old concealed, the old is in the new revealed.” Perhaps you’ve heard this quote from the early church father, Augustine of Hippo, before. It captures the heart of the bulk of Acts 2 as Peter gets up and preaches a sermon, explaining from God’s Word in the Old Testament what had happened that day.
Peter begins this sermon with the Word of the Lord to the prophet Joel, in which the Lord speaks of a coming day when He will pour out His Spirit on all His people, not just select individuals for certain tasks, and how all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Peter then expounds, opens up this declaration by the Lord in the book of Joel, speaking about Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection, which were foretold in the Old Testament at different points. Peter gives a couple of examples from their forefather David, the foreshadowing of Jesus’ resurrection in Psalm 16, and Jesus’ Lordship in Psalm 110.
Because of Jesus’ ascension and enthronement at the right hand of the Father, the promised Holy Spirit, Peter says, the Spirit promised in the book of Joel, has been poured out that day, the fulfillment of God’s Word! Peter concludes his sermon saying: Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.
We see the Holy Spirit at work in these people’s hearts immediately as they are cut to the heart and ask what they are to do. Peter calls them to repentance, to be baptized, and that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as they had; indeed, three thousand that day were brought from spiritual death to life by the Holy Spirit, repenting and believing in Jesus Christ!
Dig Deeper
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’ (Isaiah 52:7).
What a wonderful and beautiful thing the faithful preaching of God’s Word is! Whether Peter on Pentecost some two thousand years ago, as he explained the events of that day and their connection to Christ from God’s Word, or the Reformers as they sought to bring people back to the authority of God’s Word, and throughout the ages to today, the faithful preaching of God’s holy, infallible, inerrant Word is something to be cherished, especially in our day and age of information overload.
Even today, there are plenty of people speaking what itching ears want to hear. God’s Word encourages and strengthens, yes, but also convicts, rebukes, and corrects. May we ever cherish the faithful proclamation of God’s Word, the Good News of the Gospel, this means of grace God has graciously given to His Church!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who pours out His Spirit upon His people;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will be a strong laborer for the harvest;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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