Acts 2:22-47
Acts 2:22-47 The most non-seeker sensitive message ever taught
Acts 2:22-47
Recap
We left off with the Holy Spirit empowering the apostles with the gift of tongues
Devout Jewish men were gathered for the feast of weeks on Pentecost and witness the miracle
Many are amazed and drawn to the apostles because of what they see
But some rationalize the miracle away
Peter begins to prophesy and correct them for their skepticism and unbelief
He shows them from scripture (Joel 2) how God said He would pour out His Spirit
He left off with the statement that “whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved”
Scripture
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--
Notice here: Jesus, a Man attested (proven) by God to YOU, by miracles.
He shows us here that God used miracles to prove to you the truth of who Jesus is.
23 “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;
This same Jesus that God proved to you by miracles, God also delivered to be crucified.
He is showing us here that Jesus’s crucifixion was based on Gods sovereign purpose and foreknowledge.
But notice here he says, “YOU have taken by lawless hands”
That is… you have taken and delivered up illegally.
This speaks to human responsibility.
Both sovereignty and responsibility are at play here.
24 “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
God then raised Jesus from the dead, because it was impossible for Him to stay dead.
It was impossible for Jesus to remain dead because:
death had no rightful claim over Him
Scripture had promised His resurrection
God’s saving purpose required it.
25 “For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’
So he says it was impossible for Him to stay dead and then he quotes David in Ps 16
Notice how Peter uses scripture to defend doctrine
Not opinion
Not reason
Not tradition
Then Peter begins to exposit scripture
29 “Men [and] brethren, let [me] speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 “Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 “he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.
Peter says, “David is both dead and buried” — his point is that David couldn’t have been talking about himself when he wrote that psalm
But they all acknowledged that David was a prophet
and that God did swear an oath that from from David’s line would come the messiah
He’s making a point here that David was not prophesying of himself “not being left in the grave” but rather that the messiah would “not be left in the grave”
32 “This Jesus, God has raised up, of which we (120 disciples & 11 apostles) are all witnesses. 33 “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He (who is the “He” here? Jesus) poured out this which you now see and hear. (Poured out this filling or baptism of the Holy Spirit and the miraculous works that follow)
So who is the He here? Who is at the right hand? Jesus
So let’s reread David’s psalm again in light of that:
25 “For David says concerning Him (Jesus): ‘I foresaw the LORD (David calls Jesus Lord, even though He’s his offspring) always before my face, For He is at my right hand (who is at the right hand? Jesus), that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
What causes me not to be shaken? The fact that Jesus is with me
What causes my heart to rejoice? The fact that Jesus is with me
What causes my tongue to be glad, to sing praise? The fact that Jesus is with me
Why will my flesh, my fleshly body, rest in hope? Because Jesus is with me
Peter’s whole point is, that what you are witnessing here in the pouring of the Spirit — is Jesus coming into that close fellowship with me
34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORDsaid to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’ (hes quoting psalm 110 now)
Who is “the Lord” here? The Father
Who is “my Lord” here? Jesus
David calls his great, great, great grandson here Lord — because he recognizes Him as Lord… the divinity of the messiah
David found comfort in His relationship with Jesus BECAUSE he recognized Jesus as Lord
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 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?”
This is the most non-seeker sensitive message of evangelism ever
Peter says “whom YOU crucified”
YOU crucified the messiah
YOU crucified David’s offspring
YOU crucified David’s Lord
Notice the response: they were cut to the heart — they were deeply convicted
This approach would have gotten Peter labeled “unloving” in today’s church culture
Because church culture today equates love with kindness
Love is the motive that is driving Peter to be direct here
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized(immersed) in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Repent - turn from self will, self rule, self determination, toward God
And be immersed in the name of Jesus Christ - surrendering completely to Him as Lord
Has a single person in these first two chapters been baptized in water? No
In every instance where baptism is referred to in these first two chapters, what has it been referring to? The baptism of the Holy Spirit
It is not the act of water baptism that saves — Peter tells us that himself in his epistle
1 Peter 3:18-21 (NKJV) 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while [the] ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Being put to death in the flesh (dying to oneself) and being made alive in the Spirit (being raised to new life in Him as Lord)
This didn’t happen because of water — Noah was not saved by getting wet, they were saved by surrendering and trusting God as Lord when He told them to build an ark and get in.
Which was a type, an example, of what baptism is for us — dying to self and being raised to new life in Christ
This is why he says “it is a good conscience toward God” that saves, not the act of getting wet
Can you be saved without getting baptized in water? Yes
Can you not be saved even if you are baptized in water? Yes
Does this make water baptism unnecessary? No, even Jesus did it
So why do it? Because it’s not the act of getting wet that does anything, it’s the conscience in surrender toward Christ as Lord
Baptism is a outward profession of an inward desire — to die to self and being raised raised to new life with Jesus as Lord
This is why he says:
Acts 2:21 (NKJV) …whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.’
It’s not just asking Jesus into your heart
It’s not being immersed in water
It’s not just CALLING Jesus Lord
It’s a surrendered heart that He IS Lord
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added [to them.]
The most non-seeker sensitive evangelistic message in the Bible yet 3000 were saved
Because he preached TRUTH motivated by LOVE in FAITH
They were baptized — it doesn’t specify whether this was water baptism or baptism in the Holy Spirit
I lean toward water baptism — but it wasn’t the water that he says that saved
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
The proof, the evidence, of the change was that they continued steadfastly in:
The apostles doctrine (where do we find that? Scripture)
Fellowship (koinōnia - community, joint participation, the share which one has in anything, intimacy)
The breaking of bread (communion — Question: were they saved before of after the breaking of bread? Before. The breaking of bread is the evidence they are saved)
Prayer (they prayed with, and for, one another)
And smoke machines… and sacraments… and cruises… is that what it says?
No, they came together steadfastly, faithfully, to study the apostles doctrine, to do life and share with one another, to commemorate why we fellowship with communion and to pray with and for one another bearing one another’s burdens
43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
They were all “together” — not as individuals but collectively united in purpose
They held all things in common — they didn’t view the things they had as “theirs” anymore, because “they” were dead
Their identity was no longer in themselves, their wants, their desires.
They had a new identity and purpose in Christ and saw themselves as part of His body
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
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