Shortly after Jesus’ apostles were anointed with the Holy spirit, as prophesied by the Lord upon His ascending to Heaven, the multitude gathered around the twelve were baffled at what they were hearing. Men from Galilee speaking in foreign languages, blessed with the gift on tongues.
Many among the crowd mocked the apostles, suggesting they had to be drunk on wine. But Peter reassured the skeptics by delivering his first sermon as leader of the Christian church.
“14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.” (Acts 2:14)
Peter, the “rock” of the church was appointed leader by Christ Himself while Jesus walked among the living. Here, Peter delivers the first sermon of Christianity.
The other eleven apostles were Luke, John, James the brother of John, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, Jude, James the brother of Jude and Simon the Zealot.
“15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.” (Acts 2:15-21)
Peter stated that it was only the third hour in the day, or 9:00am, and because of this the apostles could not be drunk having just waken from sleep. He continues his sermon by quoting Joel, the Jewish prophet, through whom God had spoken about the dispensation of the Christ, the resurrection of His only begotten son, Yeshua as well as the baptism in the Holy Spirit which had just taken place at Pentecost in Jerusalem, fulfilling prophecy.
The apostle also reassures his audience by sharing the gospel and truth about salvation, that anyone, Jews and Gentiles alike who believe in Christ, repent of their sin and are baptized in water will be saved from the wage of sin which is eternal suffering in Hell.
“22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” (Acts 2:22-24)
Now, Peter preaches to the multitude, reminding them of the miracles performed by Jesus which they witnessed yet chose to ignore as a true assignment from God Himself. He also elaborates how it was the will of Yahweh for the Christ to fall to lawless hands, those of the Jews and Romans who persecuted the Messiah then crucified Him so He could rise from the dead, fulfilling the promise made to men by the almighty creator.
“25 For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’ (Acts 2:25-28)
Peter now quotes scripture written by David, in which the King gives praise to God, knowing his hope rests with his faith in the almighty, who would deliver him from Hell. David knew his faith would secure his place in Heaven along side our eternal Father.
“29 Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.” (Acts 2:29-31)
The sepulchre of king David was indeed in Jerusalem for all to see, and since David has not come back to life, his prophesy had to apply to another heir, whom we know is Yeshua, the risen Christ.
The death and resurrection of Jesus was witnessed by the twelve apostles, as well as many others chosen by God to preach and testify to this miracle, so that by faith, both Jews and Gentiles alike could be saved.
“32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” (Acts 2:32-33)
Peter calls David’s prophesy fulfilled as each one of the twelve had been gifted with the Holy Spirit and the confirmation that christ had indeed been risen from the dead, and was not sitting at the right hand of God, the place reserved for the savior of mankind.
“34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” (Acts 2:34-35)
Since David had not himself risen from the dead, he could not be the one to sit at the right hand of God. The Lord then, would have to be another in the king’s lineage. The duty and sacrifice would be entrusted to the carpenter’s son from Nazareth, Yeshua, the only begotten son of Yahweh, the almighty creator.
“36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:36-39)
Because they were enlightened to the truth about David not being the fulfillment of his own prophesy, the scripture written by the king brought many Jews in the multitude to their knees. In repentance and humility as each one realized Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah who was put to death at their hands, to rise from the dead on the third day and later ascend to Heaven to sit at the right hand of God.
On that day, over three thousand were saved and born again in Christ. Let’s pray!
Father God;
We thank you for your blessings in our lives and for your servant Luke,
We praise you Lord for his wisdom and for his works through this scripture,
We ask you Lord to inspire us to use these verses in our lives
As we grow in you through the teachings of your faithful apostle.
Lord we ask you to strengthen us each day as we endure through battles,
Allow us to praise and love each other through faith in you Jesus,
Shield us from evil through truth, the gospel, salvation and prayer,
Guide us to abide by your word as we spread your gospel to one and all
Becoming examples of faith through our character as we walk the narrow path.
God we pray that you will continue to bless us, to bless our lives and fill us with hope
We ask you Lord to guide our footsteps and lead us to the way everlasting,
Through faith in you Lord we seek salvation and a place with you in heaven
According to your word, your everlasting wisdom and strength.
May your will be done
In our lives, for your life.
We thank you for your love and all you bless us with each day.
Praise God,
Amen!
This message was written by Daniel St.Pierre
Email: danielstpierre@thrivethroughchrist.com
