Acts 2:22-36
Acts 2:22-36
February 9, 2020
22 “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— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
26 27 28
“ ‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope.
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
35
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.” 1
The sermon that set off the age of the church – that’s what we see here in Acts 2. When the Old Testament prophets spoke of the end of the age, they saw that as the coming of Messiah. What they didn’t see was that the end of the age including two arrivals of the Messiah. Therefore, when that became clear to Christ’s followers the revealed truth was that this Messianic age, or age of the church would be present during the two arrivals of the Messiah (in Bethlehem and then at what we call the second coming.)
We, from the Jewish perspective of the first century are now living in last days. We have been for two-thousand years.
Christ has come fulfilling the prophecies of old. He is the Son of God, God the Son, the perfect man, but more than man. He has died, been buried, resurrected and has ascended to heaven awaiting the Father’s go ahead for his coming once more.
After his ascension, the Holy Spirit has come upon men, disciples gathered in an upper room. The Spirit of God has been poured out in this age upon God’s children, baptizing them into new life. Peter has told the crowd that what they viewed was not a moment of crazy, drunken people who had been holed up in an upper room for too long, but the evidence of God’s Spirit coming upon them, gifting them with the ability to share the gospel in the heart languages of the people, to proclaim the name of Jesus clearly so that all may here. He states that what they are seeing is the beginning of the end. This moment in until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’
Jerusalem ushered in the Messianic Age, the Church Age, and the beginning of the last days as they had been taught throughout their lives.
It is a frighteningly exciting moment and it changed everything.
As the crowd gathered to see what the commotion was all about, hearing the message of God in their own languages, the fisherman turned disciple, turned apostolic leader, turned preacher begins to preach.
And his sermon resonates with the message they needed in Jerusalem two-thousand years ago and that we need and must hear in our city today.
Peter has a three-point sermon for the congregation. It’s a simple sermon. It is a clear sermon. It is a convicting sermon. It is a hope-filled sermon.
1. JESUS LIVED – The first point is pretty clear. It’s almost too obvious, especially for the crowd that day. Perhaps more vital for us to hear this once more though in our era. The point is that Jesus Christ really, truly lived. He was born in Bethlehem, escaped as a baby with his family into Egypt, was persevered by God, as prophesied, then grew up in Nazareth the son of a craftsman, maturing and learning and growing in favor with God and man.
He lived. He was baptized. He taught. He did amazing things.
22 “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—
It is not that the men of Israel did not know of Jesus. It had actually been about two months prior that the crucifixion took place, but
before that they knew of him. Many had heard him teach. They saw him do amazing miracles.
Peter says that he did mighty works – that means miracles. That’s what that phrase means in this passage. Miracles are mighty. Sometimes amazing things are seen by people and the word “miracle” is used a bit too easily. Not here. These acts were unworldly and supernatural. This carpenter’s son from Nazareth drew crowds and performed miracles.
There were “wonders and signs.” Why both terms? Wonders focus on the effect – the wonderment in the eyes of the viewers. When Christ multiplied the fish and bread, people were in awe. Maybe some in this audience of Peter’s were ones that actually ate the bread and fish. They remembered. It was real. Authentic. Amazing.
Signs references intention. Think of a sign you see on the interstate – it is designed to point you toward something, an exit, a road, a city, a restaurant. There’s an end point that the sign is directing you toward.
Jesus did miracles that were signs pointing toward a greater reality. Signs always pointed toward the truth. Peter is reminding the crowd, telling them and us today that Jesus really lived and his life pointed toward an amazing reality that was to come.
2. JESUS DIED – Again, for the crowd in the city hearing this message, they knew this. There were still crosses outside the city. There had been for years. Crosses lined the streets entering into the city. Dead men hanging there as reminders of what the Romans would do to you if you broke a law.
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
Yet, this Jesus – the one that lived and did miracles and gave signs and wonders, died not as a victim. He was no criminal. He was a sacrifice. His death was foreordained by the Father. This was not Plan B. This was THE plan.
Humanity is depraved, defined by the sin that is inherent in all. Sin cannot be in the presence of a holy God, so a way must be made. In eternity past, prior to the Garden of Eden this was the plan. The sovereign God knew.
Peter speaks of the death. The crowd knows. Lawlessness crucified the fulfillment of the law.
It’s not fatalism. People chose. Sin was devised. Yet, this was God’s way.
The Way is Christ. He stated it clearly. He is the way, the truth, the life. His death on that dark day was planned, by God and every single person hearing Peter speak knew exactly what he was describing.
In fact, they had but to step outside the city walls if they wanted to be reminded. Crosses were visible. Bodies of criminals were hanging even now. Groans and cries from sinful men paying their debt to society while loved ones sitting at the foot of their crosses wailed as well.
This is reality.
Jesus lived. Jesus died.
3. JESUS ROSE AGAIN. This is what makes Peter’s talk a sermon. He spends one verse on the life of Christ. He spends one verse on
the death of Christ. Then, we have the next nine on the resurrection.
24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
The Father raises the Son, releasing him from the prison of death, as his life could not remain in the grave.
His life pointed to this moment. The wonders made the crowds chins drop in awe as the signs pointed to this truth.
It is not the birth of Christ, the teachings of Christ, the miracles of Christ, the preaching of Christ, the teachings of Christ, but the resurrection of Christ that is CENTRAL to the message.
A sermon that ignores the risen Jesus is no sermon.
Without the resurrection, crucifixion is meaningless for Christians.
Look here at these examples.
When Paul and Silas went to Thessalonica, they did as was their custom. They went to the synagogue and as was expected, they taught.
Acts 17
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.
2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”2
Later in the chapter he is brought to Mars Hill and proclaims to know the “unknown God” of whom he had seen a shrine in the place. He speaks of Christ, but look here.
Acts 17:32
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”3
In Acts 26 when Paul was caught in the temple and the Jews sought to kill him he began preaching the resurrection.
Peter preaches the resurrection here. He speaks of the resurrection numerous times in the narrative and in his letters in the New Testament.
Church – the point is clear. Without a resurrected Christ, we are nothing more than people seeking to do humanitarian good as community members, for the sake of nothing else than perhaps kind words from a club, a team, or points in an obituary.
Without a risen Christ, there is no hope.
Peter speaks of the king whom is honored above all in Judaism – David. This imperfect precursor to the Messiah was a man after God’s own heart. Yet, just a shadow of the true Messiah to come.
Peter appeals to the hero worship that is natural among his listeners and while not degrading David’s memory makes it very clear when he says to the men that David has a tomb. They knew where it was. They had seen it and likely visited it. Yet, even David taught that one would come that would not need a tomb. In God’s foreknowledge and planning, he set up David to prepare for the Christ. He did and now, these people get to experience it first-hand. They get what their forefathers only dreamed of.
David was great, but he never ascended to heaven as Jesus did. And, we have not tomb of Christ to visit. Jesus’s tomb was only used for a few days. Hardly any mileage at all and now is empty.
He emptied the tomb so the Spirit could fill his church.
WHAT DO WE DO?
Pilate asked this question prior to sending Jesus to the cross...
Matthew 27:22a
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”4
That’s the question before every crowd member here today. What shall you do with this Jesus?
I say receive his life, death, and resurrection. Surrender to him as Lord. Confess and repent of your wrongs, your sins, your selfishness that is inherent in all. The believers in the room today have done so. They understand. We understand this step of faith and we say to you in love “Do it. Come on.”
For the brothers and sisters in the room, for that is who the sermons are primarily for, for our edification, our understanding, our life – the message is clear, as you regularly partake at the Lord’s Table, as you worship and study God’s Word, remember. Remember that the resurrection is the key. Without life from death, you could not be born again. There would be no life for you and for me. This Christ that we preach lived. He died. And he rose again, living today so that we may know him as the way, the truth, and the life and that we may be bold
enough to say to the world still separated from him “There is a way! There is Truth! There is Life! And it’s available for you.”
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.
