The First Apostolic Sermon
Acts 2:5-41
5 And there were
dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were
confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not
all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our
own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and
Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in
Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia,
and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers
of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear
them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
12 And
they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth
this? 13 Others mocking said,
These men are full of new wine.
14 But Peter,
standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of
Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken
to my words: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it
is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was
spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last
days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your
old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my
handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall
prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in
the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun
shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and
notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 22 Ye
men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among
you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of
you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having
loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden
of it. 25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord
always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26
Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh
shall rest in hope: 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28 Thou
hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy
countenance. 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of
the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with
us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God
had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the
flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing
this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in
hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 This
Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 For
David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said
unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes
thy footstool. 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know
assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both
Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they
heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the
rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children,
and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves
from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his
word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls.
Introduction:
Reminder: Title(s)
of Acts?
The Acts of the Ascended Christ through the
Holy Spirit by His Apostles
Review the last sermon on 2:1-4
I. The Special Setting (2:1)
II. The Sudden Sound (2:2)
III. The Supernatural Sight (2:3)
IV. The Spiritual Speech (2:4)
Overview/Introduction of Chapter 2:
Significance,
Uniqueness, and Character:
Harnack, "the pivot-book of
the New Testament"
Luke/Acts = apx. 1/4 of the NT
1. Acts as History - continuation of the Gospel
- communicated and spread to the world [note 1]
2. Acts as Transitional - unique Apostolic
foundational period of the Church
3. Acts as Apologetic - Christianity in the
Roman Empire [note 2]
4. Acts as Polemic - Christianity versus Judaism
Key verse: 1:8
Turning points: Chs. 2, 7, 9, 13, 15, 21 (central turning
point = ch. 13?)
Significant
Speeches/Sermons: Acts 2:14-40 -
Peter to the Jews at Jerusalem
Significant events:
The Birth of the Church (Acts
2:37-47)
The Pentecosts: Apostolic Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4; but cp.
2:37-41)
Trail of Christ: (Mk. 16:20) 2:33, 47.
Trail of the
Spirit: Chs. 2:4, 17, 18, 33, 38.
Trail of the
Kingdom: 1:3 (cp. 1:6!!!); 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31.
Trail of Geography: The center shifts from Jerusalem to
Syrian Antioch to Rome.
Significant
personages and peoples: Peter, then
Paul
Major Problems or Issues:
Peter's
intent in citing Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2:16-21.
The expression of God's absolute
sovereignty and Israel's absolute responsibility in the murder of the Son of
God in 2:23.
The
initiation of the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant in 2:25-36 in the
citations and exposition of Ps.
16:8-11 and Ps. 110:1.
The nature of the
"salvation" referred to in 2:37-41 in Peter's counsel given in
response to their reaction to the message of his sermon.
Patterns:
1. miracles → witness
2. preaching to the Jews → Gospel rejected by the Jews → preaching to the Gentiles
3. Jewish opposition to the Gospel and
persecution of the Christians →
the spread of the Christians and the Gospel
Significant
Speeches/Sermons: 10 total - 3
by Peter, 1 by Stephen, 6 by Paul - 3 during missionary journeys, and 3 during
arrest and trial;
= almost ¼
of the content of Acts - 218 verses = 22% of the 1,007 verses in the 28
chapters in Acts
Outline:
I. The Occasion
for the First Apostolic Sermon: The Understandable Response to the Supernatural
Tongues (2:5-13)
II. The Essence
of the First Apostolic Sermon: The
Scriptural Witness to the Ascended Christ (2:14-36)
III. The Response
to the First Apostolic Sermon: The Repentant Reception of the Preached Word
(2:37-41)
I. The Occasion
for the First Apostolic Sermon: The Understandable Response to the Supernatural
Tongues (2:5-13)
5 And there were
dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were
confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not
all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our
own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and
Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in
Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia,
and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers
of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear
them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
12 And
they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth
this? 13 Others mocking said,
These men are full of new wine.
Tongues is the surface issue, and gets the immediate
focus.
1. The Identity
of the Audience (2:5, 9-11a)
5 And there were
dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven…. 9
Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in
Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the
parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11
Cretes and Arabians.…
2. The Impact
on the Entire Audience (2:6-12)
1) confounded
(2:6)
2) amazed
and marvelled (2:7)
3) amazed…in
doubt (2:12)
3. The Mockery
of Some in the Audience (2:13)
Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
This accusation is the best that unbelief can do! The natural man flatly contradicts what his
ears hear (2:11), and is satisfied with such a dismissal. To do otherwise would be to face up to the
reality of the inexplicable, indeed, the supernatural. Grasping at such unrealistic straws that are
so easily refuted as Peter will now do, does not disturb the unregenerate mind
or heart.
Transition: The Holy Spirit as the source of the
tongues does not, however, get the focus in the response by Peter. The Holy Spirit enables the Apostles starting
with Peter to be witnesses, not to the Holy Spirit, but to the Resurrection and
Ascension of the Crucified One, the enthroned Lord Jesus Christ.
II. The Essence
of the First Apostolic Sermon: The
Scriptural Witness to the Ascended Christ (2:14-36)
14 But Peter,
standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of
Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken
to my words: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it
is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was
spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last
days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your
old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my
handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall
prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in
the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun
shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and
notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 22 Ye
men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among
you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of
you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having
loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden
of it. 25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord
always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26
Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh
shall rest in hope: 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28 Thou
hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy
countenance. 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of
the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with
us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God
had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the
flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing
this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in
hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 This
Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 For
David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said
unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes
thy footstool. 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know
assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both
Lord and Christ.
The Pattern for the “Standard Expository Sermon”: 3
points and a poem!
No poem? What is
Psalm 16? What is Psalm 110?
Are you really sure Peter didn’t include a poem in his
“many other words” (2:40)?
Okay, we can agree to disagree about the “poem”, but the
three points Peter develops should be beyond dispute. Notice the three citations from the
Scriptures as they are introduced by similar phrases:
1) Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at
Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words (2:14)…Joel
2:28-32.
2) Ye men of Israel, hear these words
(2:22)…Psalm 16:8-11.
3) Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto
you
(2:29)…Psalm 110:1.
What does this sermon do?
We often say, and rightly so, get them to the foot of the
Cross!
However, having done so, have we gone far enough.
No! We must take
them then to the empty Tomb. Even then we are not finished. The final stage of our pilgrim pathway must
terminate at the Throne!
That is precisely what Peter does by the Holy Spirit in
this sermon. Where is his audience as he begins? Where are they when he
concludes? What are they saying prior to Peter beginning to speak? What are
they saying in response to the sermon?
How did he get them from point A to point B?
1. Responding
to the Presenting Problem with a Prophet (2:14-21)
14 But
Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye
men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and
hearken to my words: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose,
seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that
which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass
in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see
visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants
and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they
shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and
signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the
Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call
on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
2. Confronting
Sin with the Power of God in a Psalm (2:22-28)
22 Ye
men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among
you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of
you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having
loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden
of it. 25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord
always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26
Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh
shall rest in hope: 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28 Thou
hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy
countenance.
3. Moving to
the Conclusion with the Patriarch’s Prophetic Psalm (2:29-36)
29 Men
and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is
both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30
Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him,
that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up
Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spake of the
resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh
did see corruption.
32
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the
Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see
and hear. 34 For David is not
ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord,
Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that
same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
III. The Response
to the First Apostolic Sermon: The
Repentant Reception of the Preached Word (2:37-41)
37 Now when they
heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the
rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children,
and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves
from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his
word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls.
1. The
Conviction of Sin by the Spirit of God (2:37)
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart,
and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what
shall we do?
2. The Response
of Faith to the Call of God (2:38-39)
38 Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to
all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
3. The Unique
Counsel from the Word of God (2:40)
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying,
Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
4. The Obedient
Reception with the People of God (2:41)
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and
the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Conclusion:
The Pattern of our Witness:
1. Where should it begin?
2. Where should it end?
3. What should it focus on?
4. How should we expect others to respond?
[2] See esp. James Ironside Still, St. Paul on Trial (London: Student Christian Movement, 1923), F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977), pp. 357-358; and A. J. Mattill, Jr., "The Purpose of Acts: Schneckenburger reconsidered", in Apostolic History and the Gospel: Biblical and Historical Essays presented to F. F. Bruce on his 60th Birthday, ed. W. Ward Gasque and Ralph P. Martin (Exeter: The Paternoster Press, 1970), pp. 108-122; on Biblical Studies at http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_purposeofacts_mattill.html [accessed 7 FEB 2013].
[Sermon preached
14 JUL 2013 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel,
Greentown, PA.]
Resources:
G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old
Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), pp. 513-606.
Darrell L. Bock, Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, eds. Robert W.
Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007)
Darrell L. Bock,
"The Reign of the Lord Christ", in Dispensationalism, Israel and
the Church: The Search for Definition, Craig A. Blaising, and Darrell L.
Bock, eds. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), pp. 37-67.
F. F. Bruce, The
Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 2nd
ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1951, 1952).
F. F. Bruce, The Defense of the Gospel in the New
Testament, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
1959, 1977), pp. 14-69, s.v. chs.
3-5.
F.F. Bruce, The Speeches in the Acts of the Apostles
(London: The Tyndale Press, 1942).
Note: This was delivered as The Tyndale New Testament Lecture 19 DEC 1942 at a Conference of
graduate and theological student members of the Inter-Varsity Fellowship in
Wadham College, Oxford. Available as a
free PDF on Biblical Studies at http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/speeches_bruce.pdf
[accessed 8 FEB 2013].
F.
F. Bruce, “The Speeches In Acts―Thirty Years After,” Robert Banks, ed., Reconciliation and
Hope. New Testament Essays on Atonement and Eschatology Presented to
L.L. Morris on his 60th
Birthday (Carlisle: The Paternoster Press, 1974), pp. 53-68; PDF on Biblical Studies at http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/rh/acts_bruce.pdf
[accessed 8 FEB 2013].
William L. Lane, "The
Speeches of the Book of Acts", in Jerusalem and Athens: Critical
Discussions on the Philosophy and Apologetics of Cornelius Van Til, ed. E.
R. Geehan (Phillipsburg, NJ:
Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1971), pp. 260-272, Ch. XIII,
notes on pp. 473-477.
I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction And
Commentary, Vol. 5 in Tyndale New
Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. Leon Morris (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1980; 2008 reprint).
David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentaries,
gen. ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009).
John B. Polhill, Acts, Vol. 26 in The New American Commentary, gen. ed.
David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, Publishers, 1992).
H. N. Ridderbos, The Speeches of Peter in the Acts of the
Apostles: The Tyndale New Testament Lecture, 1961 (London:
Tyndale Press, 1961); on Biblical Studies at http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/speeches_ridderbos.pdf
[accessed 8 FEB 2013].
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