THE FIRST CENTURY GREAT AWAKENING - II

Acts 2:22-36
Bob Bonner
April 25, 2010

In the average Christian church this morning across this country sit three groups of people. The first are those who attend faithfully and who have a deep commitment to Jesus Christ as the one to Whom they have submitted their lives as their Master and Savior. If you were to ask them the question, “If you died today, would you spend eternity in heaven?” they would respond confidently, “Yes!” because they know they have fulfilled the requirement of having, by faith, submitted their lives to Christ. 

Then there would be the second group of attendees. They demonstrate their interest in Christ and in spiritual things because they regularly show up for worship services. If you were to ask them the question, “If you died today, would you spend eternity in heaven?” some of them would respond not so confidently. They might answer, “Maybe, but can anyone really know if they are saved.” This group of people is definitely interested in Jesus Christ, but they are not sure if they are really ready to buy into Jesus being the Master of their lives. Sure, they want to go to heaven, they want Jesus to be their savior, but for Him to be their Master--they just are not certain. And this leads them to not really feel confident about their eternal destiny.

Finally, there is the third group. If you were to ask them the question, “If you died today, would you spend eternity in heaven?” they probably would say something like, “I really don’t know. In fact, I’m not even sure if there is an afterlife. And if there is a heaven, I’m not qualified to say whether or not I have the right to be there. I would like to be there, but I just don’t know.” This third group of people is in church either because they are honest investigators seeking some answers about life, or they were invited or coerced to be there.

These three groups of people have typically showed up at religious events throughout history, whether they be Jew or non-Jew attending some type of religious meeting. Such was the audience to whom the Apostle Peter was preaching on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the Jewish Great Awakening.

The scene of our text takes place on the Temple Mount, on the day of Pentecost, sixty days following Christ’s crucifixion. It is 9:00 AM. The Temple Mount is filled with Jews who have traveled from all over the world to worship at this annual feast. The Temple Mount is said to hold 200,000 people, and on a festival day such as this, one could correctly assume that by this time of day when Peter begins his sermon at least 50 to 100 thousand people were present. The Jews there were made up of two geographical groups: those who lived in Palestine and who had seen and heard of Christ’s ministry for the past three years and those who had traveled, in some cases, 1,000 miles to get there. Of this group, few knew more than a little about Jesus Christ. Upon their arrival during the previous week to celebrate Pentecost, they no doubt heard about the crucifixion of Christ but were probably still trying to figure whose religious/political spin on the events was most accurate.

In the end, some of these Jews were Jesus haters; others were interested in Jesus from afar but not committed to Him; and certainly, others were genuine Old Testament believers who were looking for their Messiah. Peter’s audience was just as much a mixed bag of people as one would have found in any congregation during the Great Awakening that preceded the political birth of our country or even in our church today.

Last week I mentioned that for the first century Jew, this day of Pentecost on which the Apostle Peter preached his first of many sermons brought about the first Jewish Great Awakening. Peter’s speech came in response to the false accusation that he and the remaining 119 disciples who had just been filled with the Holy Spirit were drunk. Hence, Peter begins his sermon in verses 14-21 with an explanation of the phenomenon which had taken place. He explains that they were not drunk, but that what they have witnessed was a sample of what Joel the prophet predicted would come in the future--this was a manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the purpose of this “wonder” was to grab their attention so they would be ready to hear a word from God. There was a great change that was about to happen in the lives of every Jew as a result of God’s grace toward the Jews and God’s judgment against the Jews. Furthermore, this change had to do with the life, death, and resurrection of one person, Jesus Christ.

From there Peter, in verses 22-36, explains to his Jewish audience Who Jesus is and let’s them know what a horrible thing they did by having him crucified nine weeks earlier. When truth of Peter’s message sinks in and these Jews realize what they have done, they ask Peter, “What should we do?”  In response, Peter tells them what they should do in verses 37-41.

This morning we want to pick up our study of Acts 2 where we left off, and that would be at verse 22 where Peter starts his first clear explanation of the Gospel. These verses follow a chronological order: verse 22 deals with Christ’s life here on earth. Verse 23 covers Christ’s death. Verses 24-32 defend the reality of Christ’s resurrection. And finally, verses 33-36 concern Christ’s glorification, His present life in heaven. We will read and examine the verses that correspond to each step of Christ’s chronological life, one period at a time. As we do, notice how Peter simply lays out the facts, which anybody in the audience could have denied if they knew them to be false. But they did not and could not, because they were true, and Peter used the Old Testament to prove them to be so.

Peter begins this section of his sermon with these words: ²²“Men of Israel, listen to these words: [In other words, “Let me tell you why these signs are so significant.] Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—”

Peter uses three different words for three different purposes to explain the works of Jesus Christ. Together, they denote the array or series of remarkable works of Christ: raising the dead, healing the sick, turning water into wine, calming the stormy sea with a simple word, walking on water, and so on. All these demonstrated that Jesus was sent from God. God would not have conferred such power on an impostor. In other words, Jesus was the real McCoy. He was the promised Messiah.

The term “miracles” comes from the same word from which we get our word for dynamite. It describes a really powerful work of some kind, something that only God could do. The purpose of Christ’s miracle workings was to prove Christ’s authority. 

“Wonders” refer to those works that grab the attention. It’s doing something the effects of which arouse the astonishment of others.

 “Signs” are those works of God that verify either the messenger or the message or both. In some cases, one work of Christ might qualify as all three, a miracle, a wonder, and a sign, such as Jesus’ healing of the blind man that takes up all of John 9.

Peter is clearly declaring that Jesus did these things in plain sight, “in their midst,” not off in some hick town or out in the wilderness where these signs, wonders, and miracles could not be verified; hence, he adds, “just as you yourselves know.” The evidence from Jesus’ life and works that He was the Messiah of God was conclusive and undeniable. For example, Nicodemus, a Pharisee, because of the signs knew that Christ was the Messiah. Furthermore, Peter is stating that no one who had been in Palestine the past three years could claim ignorance concerning the validity of these works.

Nobody ever really denied any of Christ’s works. Everyone knew Jesus had performed these miracles, but some questioned the source of His power. Could He have been working for Satan? Absolutely not, which is why Peter declares, “Which God performed through Him.”  Jesus himself clearly told his audiences that these works were the works of God through Him. In John 5:36, Jesus said, "The works which the Father has given me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent me." Later, the author of Hebrews affirms in Hebrews 1:1-2, ^“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” Here, the writer of Hebrews is not just saying God was empowering Christ’s works with a few miracles, but that one of the greatest evidences of Christ’s authority and power was His involvement with the rest of the Godhead in the very act of the creation of our world.

The undeniable truth of these verses is that God had worked miracles through Jesus. They had all seen these mighty works of God performed through Christ, but still rejected Him. Why? For the same reason that some of you here today have still not committed your life to Christ. From the lips of Jesus we read in John 15:24-25, “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”  The bottom line is that people hold off Christ or reject Christ based on their love for their own unrighteous sinful ways and for their hatred of God and Christ.

Now, you might be thinking, “Whoa, Pastor Bob! With all due respect, I don’t love sin. And, I don’t hate Jesus or God. It maybe true that I want to run my own life my own way, but I don’t hate God.” Well, first of all, wanting to run your life your own way, rather than obeying God and turning away from those things that God has clearly convicted your conscience is wrong. That is loving sin. That is the definition of sin. You see, sin is nothing more that active rebellion against what you know God wants you to do, or passive indifference toward those things you may not be sure are wrong but do anyway. That is loving sin. 

Furthermore, as it comes to “hating God,” you need to understand the Hebrew concept of hatred. To the Jew, the concept of “hatred” doesn’t always carry with it the emotional connotation carried by our western concept. To the Hebrew mindset, hatred could be as simple as making something or someone more of a priority in your life. In other words, it is to reject God for something else. 

Look at these words of Jesus and you will see what I mean. The context of this passage is that Jesus has developed quite a following around Galilee and now He is on his final journey south to Jerusalem. He has worked many miracles, healed people, fed thousands miraculously, and they have responded to Him. Who wouldn’t? They enjoyed free food and entertainment. Why not follow after Him? As a result, Jesus lets them know that He did not come to provide free food and entertainment. He came to recruit disciples. Wanting to make sure that His audience understood why He came and what these miracles, wonders, and signs were all about, Jesus said in Luke 14:26-27, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Obviously, God elsewhere calls husbands to love their wives and children to obey their parents. He is not using the term hate here in the manner of what we come to think of as an emotional thing. Rather, to hate in the Jewish mindset is placing or making something other that Jesus Christ or His will the number one priority in your life. That is what God considers as hating or rejecting Him. And by that definition, some of you here probably are guilty of hating God.

Maybe the Spirit of God is convicting some of you at this moment of the very truth that the Jews in Peter’s audience were struggling with: “I may like Jesus and all, but to make Him number one, the authority over my life, I’m not so sure.”  Keep in mind that at the end of the day on the Temple Mount, among 100,000 or more people, only 3,000 Jews had put their trust in Christ. Relative to the numbers that were there that day, 3,000 is not really that many. Why so few? Maybe like some of you here today, they really didn’t want Jesus to rule their lives. It is a perfect illustration of what Jesus said in John 15:25, “They hated Me without a cause.”

Next, Peter speaks to Jesus Christ’s death by crucifixion. We read in verse 23, “This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.” The word “delivered” is used commonly of those who have surrendered to or been captured by enemies or adversaries. But in this case Christ’s enemies should have been his protectors. Instead, the Jews had turned Jesus over to “godless men,” literally “lawless” men, a reference to the non-Jews or Romans who put Christ to death. Although the Jewish leadership had employed the Romans to put Christ to death for them, still these Jewish leaders were the prime movers in the deed. They had plotted, arrested, and demanded his death, and they were therefore no less guilty of having put Christ to death. Hence, Peter’s confronting, sharp words, “You nailed to a cross.”

In addition, notice that this was all done under the watchful eye of God. Peter tells us that it was part of God’s predetermined plan. God could have stopped the actions of these Jewish leaders but allowed them to do what they did. Due to God’s foreknowledge, their sin worked into the goals and objectives of God’s eternal plan. These things were no accident, just as bad things and injustices we are called to endure are no accident. However, God’s predetermined plan in no way absolves those who put Christ to death of their guilt.

Why would Peter include these words? Because he wanted to convince the Jews that Jesus was not delivered up by weakness, or that Jesus was not unable to rescue Himself. Jesus, God could have stopped the events at any time, but for our sakes, He chose not to.  

In this next section that deals with Christ’s resurrection, Peter quotes two of King David’s psalms, Psalm 16 and 110. Why quote David? Because all Jews revered King David and knew that it was promised to him that through his family line the future Messiah, the ultimate and final King of Israel, would come. And when this Messiah did come to rule on earth, the Jews believed it would be a happy day for them, for finally, they would be out from under the oppression of foreign rulers. Note the importance of this portion of Peter’s words about Christ. After spending one verse on Christ’s life and one on His death, Peter spends nine verses on Christ’s resurrection. Why so much? Because the resurrection of Christ is the foundational truth that He is God, and that Christ has to power to forgive sin and to resurrect your life as well.

In verse 24, Peter quickly responds to the Jews attempt to get rid of Christ. He says, “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ not only proves beyond a doubt Christ’s deity, but it also affirms the guarantee for those who commit their lives to Christ of His power to resurrect our lives as we live and after we die. He can resurrect a life poorly lived and transform it into something that profits God’s work here on earth. As well, He can guarantee us eternal life with God and those we love who have submitted their lives to Christ. That’s what John Stott and Ray Stedman call “resurrection power.” It is the ability to bring life out of death, to correct a situation that is hopeless, and to change a person’s hardened heart.

A remarkable proof of this life-changing resurrection power was Peter himself. Nine weeks previous to this sermon, Peter was not preaching Jesus. Peter, extremely afraid for his life, was denying Christ and running for cover. But here he boldly, confidently stands, by no means a perfect man or a finished product of God’s workings but certainly a changed man, preaching in the midst of those whom he rightly feared would kill him as a follower of Christ. 

And as we will learn later, possibly in the same crowd was an extremely zealous young Pharisee named Saul, who would be known in the days ahead to be a blood-thirsty killer of Christians. Yet Peter has definitely been born again and on the road to becoming one of the great heroes of the faith. He would encounter some personal challenges and failures, but that’s all a part of the process of growth. Through God’s grace and sovereign work in Peter’s life in the years ahead, his victories would well outnumber his failures. 

This should remind and encourage us that there is no such thing as a microwave transformation of a Christian’s life. Yes, when you trust Christ you are born again and made a new creation. But the as the Apostle Paul knew all too well and as the Greek grammar of 2 Corinthians 5:17 stresses, the resulting growth that follows becoming a new creation is a long process. Even after he got saved, what most would consider the real launching of the Apostle Paul’s ministry, his first missionary journey with Barnabas, did not take place for thirteen years after his salvation. Why so long? Not because Paul needed more seminary training! He had one of the most brilliant theological minds in the world before he met Christ. Then, he was personally tutored by Christ for three years in Arabia. So the next ten year stretch for Paul was not for the purpose of gaining more knowledge. What he needed was the further working of God in his life. During those ten years, and before God launched this special apostle into a world-changing ministry, God was doing a work in his life.

I have found it interesting that most Christians don’t realize that during Paul’s ten year stay in Tarsus, before he headed off with Barnabas, he spent time there serving Christ. According to his own words in 2 Corinthians 11:30-12:12, it was during this ten year stay in Tarsus that Paul struggled with a “weakness” or “thorn in the flesh.” After doing a great deal of research on this passage, its historical context, and Paul’s reference to crying out to God for the removal of this “thorn,” it was likely not an ongoing physical ailment. The only specific reference to a physical ailment of Paul’s is in Galatians 4:15, and there is every indication that this was a passing ailment that took place around AD 49. Otherwise, how could he have stated that he had written four more letters by his own hand between AD 51 and AD 62? 

At this early stage in Paul’s ministry in Tarsus, there is absolutely no scriptural evidence of Paul’s suffering from physical illnesses. When one studies closely Paul’s own description of his struggle in 2 Corinthians 11-12, it becomes more apparent that his battle was probably with his own “flesh” from which no Christian has ever received a free pass. Yet, like Peter and Paul and you and me, God can and does use us, not so much because of our great spirituality, but in spite of our weaknesses. That’s “resurrection power.” Hence while still in “training,” God did not allow Paul’s ten years in Tarsus to be wasted as it concerned ministry. He still used Paul’s life, even though he was a work in progress.

From here, Peter moves to his primary witness to Christ’s rightful Messiahship, King David. In verses 25-28, Peter quotes directly from David’s Psalm 16:8-11. 

²⁵For David says of Him [meaning Jesus], “I saw the Lord always in

My presence; [Not literally, but this is a poetic expression for

regarding that the Lord was nearby, implying confidence and the

expectation of the Lord’s assistance on his behalf.] for He is at my

right hand [a place of intimacy and honor as well as protection and

preservation] so that I will not be shaken. [This stresses once again

that he was confident in God’s sovereign control of his life.]

²⁶Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; moreover

my flesh also will live in hope; ²⁷because You will not abandon my

soul to Hades, nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. ²⁸You

have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of

gladness with Your presence.”

Because of the context, his words “my flesh will live in hope” doesn’t just refer to David’s physical flesh living in hope while he is alive on earth, but that his flesh has assurance that should he die, he will be raised again in the future, just like the Holy One, who is Jesus, mentioned in verse 27. To not “undergo decay” is a reference that Christ’s body would not be in the tomb long enough after death to show signs of decay, because He would be resurrected to life.  Again, knowing this, David was assured of his own resurrection, and that his own soul would not be abandoned or permanently reside in Hades, the place where the Old Testament saints believed all the dead people were.

Having quoted David, Peter explains: ²⁹“Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.” It was literally just a few hundred yards away from where they were standing. They all knew this fact. Hence, these words concerning the Holy One could not be referring to David. 

³⁰“And so, because he [David] was a prophet and knew that God

had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his

throne, ³¹he [David] looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of

the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His

flesh suffer decay. ³²This Jesus God raised up again, to which we

[the 120 disciples who were with Peter on the Temple Mount after their

filling with the Holy Spirit] are all witnesses.”  

From here, Peter wraps up this portion of his sermon, pointing to the glorified in heaven, Jesus Christ. ³³“Therefore [Jesus] having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.”

Peter has just brought his audience full circle back to the phenomena of Pentecost. His ultimate conclusion was that Jesus has been resurrected and we have received His Holy Spirit to permanently indwell us, which has just been proven to you through the sign of the prophetic speaking of 120 disciples of Christ, “which you have both seen and heard.” But, just in case his audience still did not get the message that King David was not the one spoken of in Psalm 16, Peter goes to another psalm, Psalm 110:1, to make it very clear that David was speaking of Jesus, not of himself. We read in verses 34-35, “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he [David] himself says: ‘The Lord [meaning Yahweh, the personal covenant name for God] said to my Lord [adonai, a word that points to someone greater than the speaker, in this case, Jesus], “Sit at My right hand, ³⁵until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’” That one verse is repeated or referred to indirectly thirty-five times in the New Testament in reference to Jesus Christ.

And then with a crescendo-like affect, Peter finishes. ³⁶“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”  

Hence, Peter has just said to this crowd, “God has now made Jesus the ruler and judge over all humanity. And guess what? The verdict is in: you have been charged with His murder!”

Similarly, because Christ died for my sin and because of my rejection of Him early on in life, I was guilty of having murdered Jesus Christ, just like the Jews, and quite honestly, just like every one of us in this room. So the question to the Jews at that time and to us is “What do we, each of us personally, do with Jesus?” Do we walk away and ignore Him, like many did on that day, to live on in our sin and hatred of God? Or, do we submit to Jesus as our Master and Savior? The choice is up to you. Your decision has great present and eternal consequences. Don’t make it lightly.

To what degree to you feel confident that you will spend eternity in heaven with Christ? What assurance do you have?

Point to one area either in your life or your spouse’s life where you have witnessed the resurrection power of Christ’s transforming work.

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