Acts 2:14-41
Today's Passage: Acts 2:14-41
The Bible has several grand moments—these giant pinnacle events from which the world will never be the same. When God spoke Creation into existence, when God told Abram “Go” and he went, when Moses shouted, “Let my people go!,” when David as a shepherd boy stood before a giant, when a baby was born in Bethlehem as the son of a virgin—each of these moments changed the world.
One such moment was the day when a reluctant prophet, a faithful man in a sea of wickedness, declared on behalf of the Lord, “Behold, days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah…I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:31–34).
As the Holy Spirit rushed upon the apostles, they busted out into the crowded streets during the Jewish celebration of Pentecost. They were speaking the various languages of the people from all over the world declaring the risen Christ.
As the longtime vocal leader, Peter addressed the crowd—answering immediately the first objection, “It’s only 9 am (aka the third hour) and they ain’t started day drinking yet.” Traditionally, this was the hour of prayer and breakfast came in the fourth hour. Although the Day of Pentecost was a day of celebration that included wine, Peter made a bit of a joke out of the crowd’s mocking.
Turning serious, Peter started quoting the prophet Joel to explain the mysterious outpouring in Jerusalem. He ended in verse 21 with a quote that is familiar to those of us who memorized Prepare to Share to use for evangelism in Romans 10:13, “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Verse 22 and following gets specific: “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—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”
Notice the underlined “you’s” in this passage. Peter is finger-pointing at the crowd. Pay attention to what does not happen. Nobody objects to his statement at all. Nobody denies the claims.
Finally Peter landed with verse 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.” In other words, Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. He died, He rose, and now the promised Holy Spirit has arrived.
Notice the response—or more importantly, the necessity of a response. When a sinner understands the Gospel, when salvation has “cut to the heart” it demands action. Essentially, Peter called them to repent and surrender their lives to Christ evidenced through Baptism.
The word “Awesome” gets thrown around casually and gets applied to shoes, meals, haircuts, etc. It’s lost its power. This moment was AWESOME in a way that boggles the mind in the truest and biggest sense of the word.
This moment changed the world and ushered in the Church-Age of which those who have trusted in Christ for salvation are a part. Celebrate that fact today! Then when that awesomeness sinks in, share it!
Written By: Tyler Short
The Bible has several grand moments—these giant pinnacle events from which the world will never be the same. When God spoke Creation into existence, when God told Abram “Go” and he went, when Moses shouted, “Let my people go!,” when David as a shepherd boy stood before a giant, when a baby was born in Bethlehem as the son of a virgin—each of these moments changed the world.
One such moment was the day when a reluctant prophet, a faithful man in a sea of wickedness, declared on behalf of the Lord, “Behold, days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah…I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:31–34).
As the Holy Spirit rushed upon the apostles, they busted out into the crowded streets during the Jewish celebration of Pentecost. They were speaking the various languages of the people from all over the world declaring the risen Christ.
As the longtime vocal leader, Peter addressed the crowd—answering immediately the first objection, “It’s only 9 am (aka the third hour) and they ain’t started day drinking yet.” Traditionally, this was the hour of prayer and breakfast came in the fourth hour. Although the Day of Pentecost was a day of celebration that included wine, Peter made a bit of a joke out of the crowd’s mocking.
Turning serious, Peter started quoting the prophet Joel to explain the mysterious outpouring in Jerusalem. He ended in verse 21 with a quote that is familiar to those of us who memorized Prepare to Share to use for evangelism in Romans 10:13, “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Verse 22 and following gets specific: “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—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”
Notice the underlined “you’s” in this passage. Peter is finger-pointing at the crowd. Pay attention to what does not happen. Nobody objects to his statement at all. Nobody denies the claims.
Finally Peter landed with verse 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.” In other words, Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. He died, He rose, and now the promised Holy Spirit has arrived.
Notice the response—or more importantly, the necessity of a response. When a sinner understands the Gospel, when salvation has “cut to the heart” it demands action. Essentially, Peter called them to repent and surrender their lives to Christ evidenced through Baptism.
The word “Awesome” gets thrown around casually and gets applied to shoes, meals, haircuts, etc. It’s lost its power. This moment was AWESOME in a way that boggles the mind in the truest and biggest sense of the word.
This moment changed the world and ushered in the Church-Age of which those who have trusted in Christ for salvation are a part. Celebrate that fact today! Then when that awesomeness sinks in, share it!
Written By: Tyler Short
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