This morning we will look at Peter’s final proofs, his sermon application, and his listener’s response.Let’s read our main text together, pray, and then examine it.

Read 2:25-41

Pray

Examine

Verse

25 For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

Commentary

Peter takes His listeners to a Messianic prophesy in Psalm 16:8-11. Here works to fortify the resurrection of Jesus as the defining proof that He was God’s Messiah. David is not referring to himself in this text but rather to the Lord as He expressed His hope and trust in the Father as He approached Calvary. This prophecy came about 1000 years before Jesus was born.

These were to be the words of Jesus:

25 “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope.

27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.

28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

Peter then defends the prophetic claims of Psalm 16:8-11 in verses 29-31 by teaching his hearers that the prophecy was about Jesus not David.

Verse

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.

Commentary

Paraphrased:

“Brothers, in case you’re wondering, David wasn’t speaking about himself in the Psalm because he experienced the corruption of decay and decomposer because his body is in a nearby tomb, therefore he wasn’t referring to himself.”

In verse 30, Peter told them that David was a prophet who knew about the promise of an everlasting throne and who had foreseen how Jesus Christ would escape bodily corruption and abandonment to Hades through the resurrection.

In case you’re wondering, Hades means one of three things in the NT.

Most commonly it is used to describe death and its power.

It is also used as a reference for the place of the dead. In Greek Mythology it is called “The Underworld”.

And… It is used to describe a place where the wicked dead are tormented before the final judgment.

In our text and in Psalm 16:8-11 it means the “Place of the Dead”. Peter’s big point is that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was not be subjected to any form of Hades or bodily decomposer because He was resurrected and that is what David meant by that particular Psalm.

He continues in verses 32-33.

Verse

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.

Commentary

Peter said, “It was God who raised Jesus up…” This phrase includes both the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus. God raised Jesus up out of the grave and He raised Him up via the ascension to His own right hand. And then, at the end of 33, he said that through the resurrection and exaltation, Jesus received the promise of the Holy Spirit which was now bearing fruit in their midst through the miraculous things they were seeing and hearing at Pentecost.

In the Scriptures there exists what is known as the Messianic Age. The Messianic Age is the period of time when the Messiah would begin and maintain His rule and reign in the heavens and on earth.

According to Joel 2:28-29 that age would start with a special outpouring of God’s Spirit. During that outpouring the remnant of Israel, the 120 upper room Christians, would miraculously proclaim the wondrous gospel of God to people from all over the world in their native languages. Peter tells his listeners that that is what is happening before their very eyes. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is the inauguration or beginning of the Messianic Age.

Peter then quotes another Davidic psalm in verses 34-35.

Verse

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 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

Commentary

Here Peter quotes Psalm 110. This particular Psalm describes the ascension and exaltation of the Messiah, Jesus Christ which prophetically fortifies his statement in verse 33 about Jesus being exalted to God’s right hand. Peter was such a good preacher because he backed his claims with the Scriptures, even prophetic Scriptures. A good preacher will never speak on his own behalf. He will always utilize and expound upon the Scriptures because he knows that there is power in god’s word. This reminds me of a sermon I listened to the other day.

I listened to 25 minutes of a 30 minute broadcast by a well-known preacher and I noticed that he hadn’t read, paraphrased, or quoted any Scripture. His talk wasn’t bad and you could tell that he had some general wisdom and knowledge of biblical principles but it was still weird. I remember telling myself, “Phil, don’t ever do this, make sure you always open and teach the word directly…”

Anyhow, Peter’s big point was that David had spoken about Jesus here just as he had in Psalm 16:8-11. Paraphrased, “David did not ascend into the heavens and sit down at the right hand of the Father to have a conversation about his enemies…”

In verse 36 he tells them who did!

Verse

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.”

Commentary

Peter said, “It was Jesus, the One whom you crucified and killed that ascended to the right hand of God and who will have His enemies made into a footstool and who God has made both Lord and Christ!”

Peter knew that the most effective way to reach His audience was by taking them through their own Scriptures. These Psalms were part of the Torah and his listeners would’ve been very familiar with it. These were devout men from all over the world. Peter just hammers them with prophecy after prophecy and fulfillment after fulfillment. And he points all of it to Jesus! Before we move to verse 37, let’s quickly go back through all the proofs that Peter gave in his sermon to prove that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah.

Proof #1

The Miracles of Jesus (verse 22).

Proof #2

The Crucifixion of Jesus as God’s Predetermined Plan (verse 23).

Proof #3

The Resurrection of Jesus (verse 24).

Proof #4

The Ascension and Exaltation of Jesus (verse 33).

Proof #5

The Divinely appointed Lordship and Messiahship of Jesus (verse 36).

How did the crowd respond after Peter unfolded these 5 proofs and laid the responsibility of Jesus’ crucifixion and death on them? Look at 37!

Verse

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?”

Commentary

Cut to the heart means to be stabbed with conviction. The guilt of murdering their own Messiah was so heavy and condemning that they were cut to the core. Look at how they cried out to be rescued from their sin and blood guilt at the end of 37. “Brothers, what shall we do?” Verse 37 is a great testimony to the power of God’s Word (Hebrews 4:12)! The question that they asked wasn’t rhetorical; they desperately wanted an answer. Look at Peter’s response in 38.

Verse

38 And Peter said to them,

Be saved by becoming a LEGALIST!

“Do your best to obey all the laws so that you can earn your righteousness and be rescued…”

Be saved by becoming a MORALIST!

“Spend the rest of your life doing good deeds and avoiding bad things so that when judgment comes the good will out-way the bad and God will let you into heaven…”

Be saved by becoming a RITUALIST!

“Engage in a bunch of religious activities for the rest of your life and God will be pleased and merciful…”

Be saved by bowing your heads and praying this PRAYER!

“Repeat after me: Jesus, I invite you to come into my heart to save me, help me to live for you from this moment forward, Amen…”

Peter didn’t say any of these things, did he? Look at the rest of 38 to see what he actually said:

“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.

Commentary

Repent is metanoeō in Greek and it is a rich NT term. It speaks of a change of purpose, of turning from sin to God (1 Thess 1:9). It is an essential component of a genuine conversion. Both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ called for repentance in their preaching.

There is no doubt that Peter’s hearers feared God’s judgment for their actions but repentance requires more than a fear of consequences. It goes beyond this. The commentator, Albert Barnes, wrote this:

Albert Barnes

“False repentance dreads the consequences of sin; true repentance dreads sin itself.”

True repentance hates sin for what it is, an affront to God. Knowing that sin is evil and that God hates it motivates the truly repentant person to forsake it. Genuine repentance thus forsakes sin and turns in total commitment to Jesus Christ.

It’s really tough for us to grasp the full magnitude of what was happening with Peter’s Jewish hearers at this point. These people had a rich cultural and religious history. They were extremely nationalistic even to the point of executing Jesus because they saw Him as a threat. And now Peter was calling them to turn their backs on all of it to embrace Jesus as their Messiah.

Peter’s demand is the very demand of the biblical gospel. Christ Himself said so.

Luke 14:33

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

By calling for them to be baptized, Peter did not allow for any “secret disciples”. Baptism would mark a public break with Judaism and identification with Jesus Christ. Baptism would weed out false converts. Peter didn’t make the gospel easy for his listeners. He wasn’t “Seeker Sensitive”. He knew that the gospel wasn’t easy. He understood that it was a road marked with suffering, sacrifice, rejection, struggle, persecution, spiritual war, and death to self.

And yet so much of the church today really misses this. It’s as if it is working feverishly to make the gospel an easy road or at least a comfortable road or more palatable. The only way it’s going to be easy is if Jesus gets reduced down to a mere addition to a person’s life rather than their life. The biblical gospel calls for an all-out forsaking of sin and everything else that gets in the way of embracing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Peter knew this and that’s why he ‘upped the ante’ by challenging his hearers to publically display their change of heart, their repentance, through baptism.

The forgiveness of sin here has nothing to do baptism and everything to do with repentance and faith. The context will not allow for any other interpretation. Remember, Peter’s point was for his hearers to, “Repent and show that they were truly repentant by being baptized which symbolized that they had renounced their old religion and ways to embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.” It’s really important that we understand and remember that the “forgiveness of sin” is the result of regeneration, repentance, and faith, not baptism or anything else. If we fail to understand this massive biblical truth we may slip into a mode of earning our righteousness through obedience and works rather than simply receiving it from Jesus.

Peter also mentioned that they would receive “The gift of the Holy Spirit”. Salvation brings with it many things. One of which, and maybe the most important, is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit is that permanent marking and indwelling of God’s Spirit in the life of the repentant person of faith. Peter promised that his hearers would receive the same Spirit that had blown their minds with the miraculous things that had taken place just before he began to preach. Joel’s prophetic promise of an outpouring of the Spirit in Joel 2:28-29 began with the 120 upper room Christians and was now about pour out on many-many more. Peter tells them that if they truly repent, they will receive the Spirit just as he and the other 119 Christians had.

He goes on to remind them of the vastness of God’s promise to pour out His Spirit in verse 39.

Verse

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.”

Commentary

For you and for your children is a reference to the nation of Israel. Those “who are far off” refers to gentiles or non-Jews.

This means that God’s promise of salvation and the Spirit is for both Jews and non-Jews (Ephesians 2:11-13). “Everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself” is a wonderful statement about God’s sovereignty in salvation. The Jewish mindset was that God only wanted to save and bless them. Peter threw a grenade into that tent of thinking by saying that it’s up to God who gets called and saved and sealed with the Spirit. That little statement alone would’ve have turned some away. For some it was inconceivable that God would save and pour His Spirit into gentile dogs. Look at verse 40.

Verse

40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

Commentary

Apparently Peter’s sermon was longer than Luke recorded and that’s why he wrote that Peter “continued to exhort them.” Or this might mean that Peter had exhortative conversations with people after his sermon. At the end of verse 40 he warned them to “save themselves from that crooked generation.” During His ministry, Jesus referred to that generation as evil, adulterous, wicked, unbelieving, perverted and sinful. Peter used similar terminology here.

Boiled down, Peter’s exhortation was fairly simple. He told them to follow Christ instead of everyone else, instead of the world.

Verse 41 is really amazing because it shows how God was at work during the sermon. Look at 41.

Verse

41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Commentary

God was really at work wasn’t He?! It says about 3000 people were added that day. The church exploded! This was a much larger company won in a single day than Jesus had secured to His allegiance in two or three years of public ministry. No wonder that He told His disciples that, as a result of His returning to His Father, they would perform greater works than they had ever seen Him do (John 14:12). The 3000 converts were then formed into a distinct community, the apostolic fellowship, constituted on the basis of apostolic teaching.

Next week we will take a closer look at that fellowship.

Application

How might this text and sermon apply to each of us? I suppose the Holy Spirit has already applied several things but I would like to leave you with a few thoughts before we take communion and leave.

There could be some here that still belong to the world and the devil. You’re not in Christ. You love your sin. Did you know that one day you will have to give an account for your sin before God? And in that court room the hammer of judgment will drop against you and you will be sentenced to the everlasting torments of hell and damnation. The only person to blame for your situation will be you. The good news is there is a rescuer. He’s the one that Peter has been preaching about in our text. He is Jesus.

Friend, if you would be willing to turn from your sin and place your faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ you will be saved and given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Everything will change. Don’t walk out of here without kneeling before the mercy seat of God and telling him your sins and calling upon Jesus to save you. The Lord’s ears are ever open to those who cry out for mercy and grace!

There could be some here that have a divided heart. You love Jesus and have yet to develop a hatred of sin and so you don’t mind engaging in it. You’re a fence rider. Jesus is on one side, the world is on other, and you’re right in the middle engaging in both and it doesn’t seem to bother you. Let me ask you this, whatever gave you the idea that that is OK and pleasing to God? Or what Scripture supports your attitude and behavior? Friend, you are playing a dangerous game. Repentance means to hate sin, all sin. If this is you, you need to kneel before the mercy seat of God and confess your sins and cry out to Jesus for grace and power to overcome the fleshly chains that bind you! Cry out to Jesus! Ask Him to make you a hater of sin and lover of Him!

Lastly,

There could be some here that have truly repented and hate sin and really are in Jesus Christ but at the same time are struggling and gutting it out one day at a time. This is the majority of us. Be encouraged by what it says at the end of verse 39. “God is the One who called you.”

Combine that with the promise of Philippians 1:6, “God will bring to completion the good work that He began in you”. And then combine that with Jesus’ promise in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Friends,

God called us, He’s the finisher, and He will be with us forever. Therefore, continue to fight the good fight and continue to run the race that has been marked out for you and continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.