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SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE CLASS · THE BOOK OF ACTS

Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost

Acts 2:14–37

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Context/Introduction

  • The Kingdom of Christ was coming

  • The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the power from the Father promised to them in many places

  • They begin speaking in tongues, and there are people of all nations (who were Jews and Proselytes)

    • They state that the miracle they are seeing is merely them being drunk on a new type of wine

I. There are always going to be mockers

  1. They ask the question in Acts 2:12

  2. Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine”

    1. Even when the baptism of the Holy Spirit falls on the apostles (Acts 2:1-4), and they are speaking in a bona fide miracle

    2. From the very establishment of Christianity, there were mockers; the very first day, there were those who were doubting the redemptive work of God and mocking them

    3. Similar to Matthew 12:31-32 – they attributed miraculous works of Christ to that of the devil

    4. Similar to when Christ is being crucified and they are mocking him

II. The Proclamation of the Gospel (Acts 2:22-23)

  1. All of the apostles are going to stand up and preach, but Peter’s sermon is going to be the one that is recorded

  2. Attested by God

    1. This means that they were proven by God or demonstrated to be what He claimed

    2. Christ was attested to them by miracles, wonders, and signs (John 20:30-31)

    3. Miracle

      1. We get the word miracle today from the Latin word “miaculum” which means a “wonder” of some kind

      2. The biblical definition of miracles is more definitive

        1. John 3:2: Nicodemus knows that God is with Christ because of the signs that He is doing

        2. The principle is that genuine miracles cannot be explained adequately by ordinary natural causes

        3. Serving a purpose of communicating and verifying divine revelation (Hebrews 2:3-4)

        4. That we might believe in John 20:30-31

        5. These miracles were the very same way that Christ was attested by God

    4. Providence vs. Miracles (God is still working today)

      1. Providential

        1. God is working through ordinary natural processes

        2. May involve remarkable circumstances

        3. Does not violate or transcend natural laws

      2. Miracles

        1. God acts beyond ordinary natural processes

        2. Involves extraordinary manifestation of divine power

        3. Transcends what natural causes can accomplish

  3. Though Jesus had been accused of working miracles through the power of Satan (Matt. 12:24 and parallels), Peter affirms that God did them through Jesus. Jesus himself had made the point that "the very works" that he did testified that the Father had sent him (John 5:36; cf. John 10:37-38)

III. Delivered and Crucified (Acts 22:23)

  1. Each gospel account addresses the death of Christ

  2. Jesus predicted it Himself in (Mark 9:31),

    1. Judas was going to deliver Him to the chief priests (Mark 10:33)

    2. Then from Caiaphas to Pilate (Mark 15:1)

    3. Pilate back to the Jews (John 18:36)

    4. And finally to the Gentiles to be killed

  3. All of this was done by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God

    1. Peter is not stating anything Calvinistic that God is a God of determinism

      1. God desires all men to be saved, but they are not

      2. We have free will: Hebrews 2:3, Josh 24:15, 1 Kings 18:21, Deut 30:19, Is 1:19-20, Rev 22:17, Acts 7:51, 2 Peter 3:9

      3. God making us in His own image means that we have free will

      4. If God determines everything that we do in life, then we have no free will and would make God the author of sin

    2. Rather, Peter is simply stating that Christ was “foreknown” before the foundation of the world (1 Pete 1:18-20)

      1. This sacrifice was before the foundation of the world

      2. It was determined not only that Christ should die but that He should also be resurrected (Romans 1:4)

      3. This foreknowledge was God’s definitive plan of redemption

      4. These men were still going to be guilty and held accountable for their own sin

  4. By lawless hands

    1. It was through the hands of these men that Peter pins the ultimate blame for having slain Him

    2. It was their will that led Him to cross (Matthew 27:25, John 19:11)

    3. Peter states plainly in another sermon in Acts 3:14-15 it was because of them

IV. Resurrected from the Dead (Acts 2:24)

  1. Jesus was delivered from death because it was not possible that He would be held by it

    1. Jesus said this of His life, “He had the power to take it again” (John 10:18)

    2. The Jews understood the death of Christ, as it was by their wicked/lawless hands that He was crucified and put to death; they needed to know that He had been resurrected from the dead

  2. Proof from prophecy (Acts 2:29f_

    1. Peter goes back to the Old Testament scriptures, which they would have believed and been familiar with

    2. Peter quotes Psalm 16:8-11, stating that this Psalm was concerning Christ

    3. Interpretation of this passage:

      1. David could not have been writing about himself in predicting such a resurrection

        1. Peter gives the reason in Acts 2:29: the continuing existence of David’s tomb implied that David’s body did see corruption; therefore, David must have been referring to another

        2. In other words, David's body underwent physical decay. Therefore, the statement about God's Holy One not seeing corruption could not have been fulfilled in David personally.

      2. God had sworn an oath to Him (Psalm 132:11)

  3. Apostolic witness

    1. Peter states that they were all witnesses (Acts 2:32)

    2. The apostles could truly bear witness (John 15:27, Acts 1:22)

V. The Enthronement of Christ (Acts 2:33)

  1. Christ is now King (He is now ruling over His kingdom)

    1. He is now sitting at the right hand of God

    2. Now that He ascended, He gave gifts to men through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit

  2. Prophetic proof (Acts 2:34-35)

    1. More proof than the miraculous that is before them is another Davidic prophecy

    2. The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand

      1. David could not have been referring to himself because he has not ascended into the heavens, as evidenced by His tomb

      2. Christ applied this Psalm to Himself in Luke 20:41-44

      3. Psalm 110:1 was quoted in Hebrews 1:13 in a context where Jesus is addressed as God

VI. Concluding Appeal

Peter established the evidence: Through miracles, fulfilled prophecy, logical reasoning, and eyewitness testimony, Peter proved that Jesus is the Messiah.

2. Jesus is both Lord and Christ:

  • Lord: Jesus possesses divine authority and rules over all things (Ephesians 1:20–23).

  • Christ: Jesus is the promised Messiah foretold by the Old Testament prophets.

3. Jesus' resurrection confirmed His identity: His resurrection demonstrated that He is the Son of God (Romans 1:4).

4. The Jews were guilty: Peter reminded them that they had crucified the very One whom God had exalted.

5. The audience was convicted: Realizing their guilt, they were cut to the heart and asked, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37).

Main Point

Peter's entire sermon builds toward one conclusion: Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah, the divine Lord, and the One whom they crucified.

The evidence established who Jesus was, and their guilt moved them to ask what they must do to be saved.

Application: Gospel preaching should establish the truth about Christ through Scripture and evidence, convict people of sin, and lead them to respond in obedience to the gospel (Acts 2:38).

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