Acts 2:37-41
Acts 2:37-41
February 16, 2020
Acts 2
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. 1
“What do we do now?”
This is a question that is not uncommon for us. Perhaps you have asked it recently.
Sometimes in life there are things that we have just believed to be true, to be needed, to be common until contrary information has been presented. Then, this information causes us to pause and wonder what to do next. At times it is obvious, but since change (especially change in long-held beliefs) is difficult, the next step can become a huge challenge.
I heard a news story a week ago and followed up by reading of it in the National Law Review last Tuesday. You are aware of the huge, legitimate scare related to the Coronavirus occurring in China, and
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 2:37–41). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
elsewhere. Prior to that we have had other warnings related to viruses, MRSA, the flu, and even Ebola.
When a severe strain of the flu hits, people take extra precautions by getting flu shots, wearing masks, avoiding touching other people, etc. There are a number of folks, who due to their weakened immune system have to stop attending church services for fear that the “welcome everyone with a hearty handshake” time will occur. I get it. We even had bottles of hand sanitizer in the front foyer that while seemingly helpful have become punchlines for comedians who speak of coming to the church that says “We’re glad you’re here, but we don’t want to touch you.”
The hand sanitizer market is huge and it is likely that just about every woman who carries a purse has a small bottle in there. Men may have one in their pocket, or in their car. These little bottles of cleansing solution are everywhere. Teachers put them on their “want list” and companies like GOJO Industries, who makes Purell, are raking in the money.
But...on January 17 the FDA sent GOJO a letter warning that the company needs to cease making claims that are not only unsubstantiated, but false. It seems that GOJO claimed that Purell (just as other companies who make hand sanitizer) was giving consumers the impression that hand sanitizer was a pharmaceutical product and had the ability to combat Ebola, norovirus, influenza, (student) absenteeism, and common colds. The industrialized world seeks cleanliness and chemicals that will keep them safe, so the label on these bottles that states “Kills more than 99.99% of most common germs that may cause illness in a healthcare setting, including MRSA & VRE” are misleading and unfair and ultimately...not true.
The FDA seems to have had enough and their warning to the company states that no topical antiseptic products have ever been able to do what the company declares.
In other words, it seems that your hand sanitizer basically is designed to make your hands smell clean and while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using such alcohol-based hand sanitizers during flu season, if you’re banking on 99.99% of the germs to be killed, you’re believing a lie.
“What do we do now?”
Well, you can keep pumping the hand sanitizer to make your hands smell better, but for germs, go use soap and water. Simple.
When facts are presented that contradict what is previously believed about something, a change is needed – an appropriate response is desired.
More vital than ensuring one’s hands are clean is what we see here presented in Acts 2. In a similar way, the Jews in Jerusalem were seeking to live righteously for the most part. Those who had arrived from around the known world for the celebration of Pentecost were obviously religious-minded, knowledgeable of the law and the prophets, seeking to live righteously. Yet, they were being presented at this point in scripture with a fulfillment of the law in Christ that would shake their belief system. That which they thought they knew had been revealed to be a pre-cursor to the age of grace and the new covenant. God’s love for his people is on display in this scene as the church age begins.
Peter and the apostles have been baptized by the Holy Spirit of God. They are speaking of the message of the gospel to a crowd that has arrived and Peter brings a sermon that reveals the truth of Jesus Christ to the masses clearly – he lived, he died, and he rose again.
Upon hearing the truth boldly proclaimed, the question is asked of the crowd “What do we do now?”
The scriptures tell us that thousands had come to hear the message preached. Let this sink in. There were no commercials on the television, radio, or social media advertising the coming “revival” or conference. No direct-mail pieces. There were no vendors selling t-shirts or CDs of the music from the event. There were no celebrity pastors and their entourages arriving for the moment. No photo-ops with the governor of the region. No bands filling the city for the largest Christian event in the history of the world.
Yet, what we have here IS the largest Christian church event in the history of the world. And the draw was the Holy Spirit speaking through God’s man who preached a challenging, convicting, heart-wrenching sermon that required a response.
And the people were cut.
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?”
What “cut” the people to their hearts? What was so powerful that a response was required, a change was commissioned, a transformation was occurring?
It was the Word of God.
Not the eloquence of the speaker. Not the amazing props on the stage. Not the fanfare produced by an event coordinator, but simply the Word. That was true then. Even in our conference/concert/celebrity-focused world today, it is still true. It is the word of God that cuts.
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two- edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints
and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 2
We should therefore not be surprised that the people were cut to the heart. Peter was preaching God’s Word – Joel 2, Psalm 16, Psalm 110, Christ! It was not simply Peter’s interpretation, but according to verse 4 it was the Holy Spirit himself filling Peter as he preached. So, it was not the sword of Peter being used in this message, but the sword of the Spirit! And thousands were pierced to the heart with this sword of God’s message.
“What should we do?” – the question of the masses. The question of humanity when truth is revealed the requires a response.
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THE NEED - They are basically saying “I need what you speak of. What must I do to receive this?”
The need for a Savior is presented by Peter. The pierced hearts of the people has left them open and exposed to the truth. They acknowledged the reality of their own sin and how their lawlessness and that of all humanity required a perfect sacrifice.
Jesus’ crucifixion is still recent news. His trial was quick. His execution public. Things changed dramatically on that day. The temple was affected with the tearing of the curtain that hid the holy of holies from the public, there was a weather shift as the midday looked like midnight. There were stories of dead relatives reappearing in the city. It was horrendous and at this moment, the Holy Spirit revealed to all in that crowd, that it was their inherent sin which had been paid for on this cross. They were convicted, realizing that their regularly performed religious rituals would never be enough.
2 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Heb 4:12). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
For these in the crowd, denying the Christ was futile. They knew it. Avoiding the truth was impossible. They were broken. Their good living would never be good enough – and they now knew it.
What a wonderful thing it is when a person can no longer resist the Word of God and the Spirit of God and simply must say “What must I do?”
2. ACCEPT THE GIFT – Peter responded to the question with a clear and amazing answer.
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.
The word transliterated as “gift” here is DOREA. It means unmerited, free, no hidden fees, not earned. It is a free gift and it is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
To be clear, this is not a gift separate from that of salvation. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of salvation. It is the gift of the indwelling Spirit of God within those who repent and are forgiven.
The verse causes some confusion in that Peter stated “repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sin.” The word EIS (ice) is transliterated as “for” in this passage and leads some to believe the false doctrine of baptismal regeneration. Baptismal regeneration states that one cannot be saved until one has been physically baptized. Those who hold to this view have a four-point argument for what is required to be saved – believe, repent, confess, and be baptized. Yet, there are dozens of New Testament verses that contradict this concept by revealing that it is faith alone, no additional steps, no additional works required.
To accept God’s forgiveness is to believe in faith that Christ is the Son of God, God the Son, the redeemer and the payment for sin. The gift of life is given to all who believe. That belief leads to obedience through repentance and obedience in baptism. This is more than belief as an acknowledgment of existence, but belief that leads to action.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.3
Accepting God’s forgiveness is humbling. It is a free gift to receive, not earn. It is not a work you or I do, but a belief leading to repentance (turning away from sin) and baptism (proclamation of new life to all) so that God is glorified in you, and eternity is secured in Him.
3. ACT ON THE TRUTH – This amazing moment led to 3,000 being baptized in obedience to this truth. These were no secret conversions. The mikveh pools throughout Jerusalem and the hundreds on the southern steps of the Temple Mount were used by millions, but on this day the ritual cleansing that was common and expected among the Jews took an entirely new meaning as these men entered into the water declaring that they were new creations in Christ, followers of the Messiah. For themselves and the propagation of the faith back in their hometowns and families.
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.”
WHAT MUST WE DO?
3 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Eph 2:8–9). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
The question is the same. The answer is as well.
AcknowledgetheneedforaSavior.
Accepttheforgivenessofsinavailableonlythroughthe
resurrected Christ.
ActonthetruthrevealedinChristthroughtheHolySpiritwithin
you. Be baptized. Be obedient. Be a doer of the Word, not a hearer only and be a disciple-maker.
Footnotes
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 2:22–36). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
2 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 17:1–3). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
3 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 17:32). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
4 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 27:22). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
