Acts Chapter 2:14-35 Daring the Truth Johann Eck, a papist, was charged to prosecute Luther before Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms. On this occasion, speaking for the Emperor, he called Luther in to answer the charges and called him to recant and Luther responded. Luther went on to speak of the incredible tyranny by which this German nation was devoured. Should I recant at this point, I would open the door to more tyranny and impiety, and it will be all the worse should it appear that I had done so at the instance of the Holy Roman Empire. Eck replied: Martin, you have not sufficiently distinguished your works. The earlier were bad and the latter worse. Your plea to be heard from Scripture is the one always made by heretics. You do nothing but renew the errors of Wycliffe and Hus. How will the Jews, how will the Turks, exult to hear Christians discussing whether they have been wrong all these years! Martin, how can you assume that you are the only one to understand the sense of Scripture? Would you put your judgment above that of so many famous men and claim that you know more than they all? You have no right to call into question the most holy orthodox faith, instituted by Christ the perfect lawgiver, proclaimed throughout the world by the apostles, sealed by the red blood of the martyrs, confirmed by the sacred councils, defined by the Church in which all our fathers believed until death and gave to us as an inheritance, and which now we are forbidden by the pope and the emperor to discuss lest there be no end of debate. I ask you, Martin answer candidly and without horns do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contain? Luther replied, Since then Your Majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen. The earliest printed version added the words: Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. The words, though not recorded on the spot, may nevertheless be genuine, because the listeners at the moment may have been too moved to write. 1 Luther stood against Rome. His intent though was reformation not to start a separate movement. But because he was under the direction of the Holy Spirit, he had no choice but to stand. And this was where Peter found himself after the baptism of the Sprit, standing against the status quo, against those who had rejected their Messiah. III Peter and the Gospel to the Jews 1:1-12:24 B. The Founding of the Church in Jerusalem 2:1-7:60 1. The Coming of the Spirit and Peter s First Sermon 2:1-41 d. Peter s Sermon Verses 14-41 i. Peter s Response Verses 14-21 ii. Peter s Message Verses 22-41 1 Bainton, Roland, Here I Stand, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, 1950, p. 184-185.
1. The Coming of the Spirit : It s been a bit noisy in the Jerusalem neighborhood. First, it sounded like a Sirocco had blown through town. Of course the crowd that came running was even nosier. All the yelling And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? What does this mean? and They are filled with new wine (Acts 2:8, 12 13). d. Peter s Sermon: i. Peter s Response: And since it was 9:00 AM Peter was a bit offended at the latter. Which he had no hesitation in pointing out. There weren t any drunks there. Of course, I suspect this remark was somewhat supercilious, in that being drunk isn t usually a requirement for speaking in a language one doesn t know. In fact as we noted last time, Peter pointed out to the crowds what was happening was the beginning of the fulfillment of Joel s prophecy regarding the day of the Lord. And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls (Joel 2:28-32). And whether one considers the resurrection and accession, or this Pentecost event as the beginning, it is the beginning of the Last Days, which is the point of Peter s opening remarks. But more importantly is conclusion to Peter s quote And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved ii. Peter s Message: Which becomes the starting point for Peter s sermon. His focus is on how one calls upon the Lord and is saved. So, standing in the city of David, Peter, under the filling of the Spirit, takes his audience back to David. that Verses 22-24: One thing hasn t changed about Peter. He gets right to the point. And He s very blunt about what he has to say. He immediately introduces the name of Jesus as the center of his message. What does he say about Jesus? First, Jesus was sent by God. And even more, God announced Him to the world. This is the meaning of the Greek ajpodei knumi apodeiknymi; to show off, i.e. exhibit; figuratively, to demonstrate, i.e. accredit: (ap-)prove, set forth, shew. 2 2 Bennett, Rick, Key Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, OakTree Software, 2009. ) 66 (
The point here being, it is clear Jesus was from God because of the signs, wonders, and miracles He did. And these were known through out Jerusalem and Judah. Remember even Jesus enemies never denied the truth of what He did, though some denied God as the source. The people knew of Jesus feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and the word of the raising of Lazarus had spread though out the nation. By starting here, and as he turns to David, Peter is making two vital points. First God is sovereign, and second, Jesus is both Messiah and God. Therefore, let the whole house of Isra el know beyond doubt that God has made him both Lord and Messiah this Yeshua, whom you executed on a stake! (Acts 2:36 CJB) Today many of the cults will tell us Jesus failed when he died on the cross. This is why Moon has to finish His mission for example. But Peter states everything that happened to Jesus was under the sovereign control of God. The trial and the crucifixion were the result of the specific plan and foreknowledge of God. So while the people, the Jewish leadership, and even the Roman government thought they were in control of these events, they were just kidding themselves. The language Peter uses is harsh. He has the huge crowd standing in front of him, and he tells them they put to death the one that God had sent. They did it by crucifying Him and killing Him, and they did it using the hands of Gentiles. Today a lot of energy is spent watering down the gospel. Many churches are concerned no one is offended. They certainly wouldn t want to talk about sin. They don t necessarily offer a different Jesus, but they certainly offer an incomplete one, one whose primary desire is to be their friend and make their life easier. But Peter isn t concerned about offending. And it probably isn t good public speaking to state, early in your speech, that your audience is made up of murders who are in active rebellion against God. Peter going on, points out that while they had Jesus executed, under God s sovereignty, God didn t allow Him to remain dead. Instead Jesus was resurrected. Death couldn t hold Jesus. Verses 26-35: And to support his argument, Peter takes his audience back to David. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Psalm 16:8-11). Peter presents this psalm and interprets its prophetic meaning. One, David was dead. Two, David, being a prophet, looked to the day when his descendent would sit on his throne. ) 67 (
Three, from the language it is clear that David saw this descendent as his Lord and that this would not be held by death. The only conclusion, Peter points out, is that Jesus is the one David saw, his descendent, the Messiah. Jesus foretold that death couldn t hold Him. This is the trust of the resurrection, that which proves all that came before in His ministry. Then the Jews demanded of him, What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this? Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days. The Jews replied, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days? But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken (John 2:18-22). The other point Peter wants to get across is that just as Jesus was lifted up to the right hand of the Father as a fulfillment of the prophetic word, so was the coming of the Holy Spirit. And the fulfillment of that coming was what had stirred up all the chaos that brought these men to stand before Peter. Finally in a quote of Psalm 110:1, Peter points out that David foretold of Jesus ascension to the right hand of God and victory over His enemies. In other words, those who thought they d won with Jesus death were going to be under His power. So from the very beginning the resurrection is the central theme of the gospel. or you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God (1 Peter 1:18 21). So what did Peter s audience hear? that Jesus had been sent by God, who gave Him credentials to validate His coming. It was this same Jesus who had been crucified some month and a half earlier. He had died because God had controlled the events. David had prophesied that Jesus, the Messiah, would die and be resurrected, that as Messiah He was God. Oh, and by the way, you folks are the ones who crucified Him. Conclusion: There are two points I want to take from this initial section of Peter s sermon. First, without the resurrection there is no gospel. The difference between Christianity and world religions is that our founder is God and is still alive. Paul said it: But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ ) 68 (
from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he has put everything under his feet. Now when it says that everything has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:12 28) Sounds like Paul read the same sources, or was quoting Peter, or maybe both. When we present the gospel, it must include both the need for a savior, because we are all sinners, and the fact that God came in the flesh, died and was resurrected physically. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:21 26). if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (Romans 10:9 11). Second, like Luther, Peter was in a Here I stand situation. And, while we certainly will never find ourselves in a similar one, at least in terms of magnitude, we probably will be in a situation where we have to take a stand. Have you ever found yourself having to take a stand? Can you think of any situations we may find ourselves in that kind of position in the future? More and more we are likely to find ourselves challenged as Christians. God s truth will be attacked. And if we walk the walk we will be challenged as ignorant, narrow minded, hate filled, etc. But finally we need to be able to say with Paul ) 69 (
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith. (Romans 1:16 17). ) 70 (
Acts Chapter 2:14-35 Daring the Truth III Peter and the Gospel to the Jews 1:1-12:24 B. The Founding of the Church in Jerusalem 2:1-7:60 1. The Coming of the Spirit and Peter s First Sermon 2:1-41 d. Peter s Sermon Verses 14-41 i. Peter s Response Verses 14-21 ii. Peter s Message Verses 22-41 1. The Coming of the Spirit : (Acts 2:8, 12 13) d. Peter s Sermon: i. Peter s Response: (Joel 2:28-32) ii. Peter s Message: Verses 22-24: (Acts 2:36 CJB)
Verses 26-35: (Psalm 16:8-11; John 2:18-22; 1 Peter 1:18 21) Conclusion: (1 Corinthians 15:12 28; Romans 3:21 26, 10:9 11, 1:16 17) Personal Application: While we don t need to go looking for challenges, it still appropriate to ask the Spirit for the discernment to know when we find ourselves on a mountain worth standing for. Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me keep my eyes on You, walking in Your ways, and standing up for You. In Jesus name, amen.