Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost

By Rob Shaver

It had been 50 days since the Passover during which Jesus was crucified.  Now, Jews from near and far were gathered again in Jerusalem for the Festival of Weeks, exactly seven weeks and one day since the presentation of the wave offering on the Sabbath of the Passover week.

The disciples, too, were gathered together in Jerusalem on this day when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in many foreign languages, drawing a lot of attention, causing quite a commotion, and giving Peter an opportunity to preach the sermon that Luke records for us in Acts 2:14-41.

Peter would explain that just as the miracles Jesus had performed were evidence that Jesus was the Son of God and the long-awaited Messiah, so now God was displaying his power as a sign that the people must repent and put their faith in Jesus, whom they had put to death.

That day, God added about 3,000 believers to their numbers.

To begin his sermon, Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32:

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

This passage from Joel is well-chosen.  The words “In the last days…” signal the beginning of a new era, the institution of a new covenant made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

God says, “I will pour out my Spirit (v. 17) …”.  The public display of the Spirit through the apostles’ tongues is the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy; it was foretold long ago.  Rather than being the result of drunkenness, it is a perfectly reasonable and understandable miracle.  The contradiction of “reasonable and understandable” with “miracle” cracks me up, but it isn’t out of line with what Peter is saying:  If you believe in God, and you believe in the prophets, then believe that what God said long ago through Joel is happening right now.  In Acts 3:12, Peter heals a lame man.  Then he asks the astonished crowd, “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you?  Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?”  Not only is God capable of healing a lame man, he “foretold these days (3:24)” long ago through the prophets.

Joel goes on to foretell “wonders” and “signs” that will accompany the last days.  Peter connects this to Jesus, who “was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs… (v.22).”  Jesus had, of course, performed miracles, which were the evidence of who he was.  They were his credentials.

• The Apostle John tells us that when Jesus changed water into wine, “He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him (John 2:11).”
• When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the Christ, Jesus told them to “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.  Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me (Matt. 11:4-6).”
• When the unbelieving Jews picked up stones to kill Jesus for the blasphemy of claiming to be God’s son, Jesus replied, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me? … Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does.  But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father (John 10:31-32; 37-38.)”

But Jesus also spoke of the inability of miracles to convince people that he was who he said he was.

• After Jesus fed the 5000, they went looking for him across the lake. He told them, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill (John 6:26).”
• Matthew records Jesus’ warning to those who stubbornly refused to believe: “Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Korazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes (Matt. 11:20-21).”
• When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, “…many of the Jews… put their faith in him (John 11:45).” But others reported to the Pharisees what Jesus had done.  “So from that day on they plotted to take his life (John 11:53).”

Now, God was performing another miracle through his disciples in front of all Jerusalem.  How would the people respond this time?

Joel’s prophecy ends with a warning and a word of hope.  In the last days, in addition to the outpouring of God’s Spirit, ominous signs will appear: “…blood and fire and billows of smoke.  The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood… (Acts 2:20).”  These signs will precede “…the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord (v. 20).”  For the unfaithful, the unrighteous, the unbelieving, these signs herald certain doom.  But there is hope: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (v. 21).”

Peter says that God knew exactly what he was doing when he handed Jesus over to the people.  It was part of his plan or “set purpose.”  God was in control.  But the people, “with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.”  God accomplished his purpose by handing Jesus over to the people; the people were guilty of killing the Son of God.

Peter’s concluding sentence in verse 36 restates it this way: “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”  Through the death and resurrection of Christ (which Peter also explains from the scriptures), God has made him whom the people crucified the savior and ruler of the world.  Stated another way, God accomplished his plans to exalt Jesus and save us from our sins by allowing sinful people who needed forgiveness to kill Jesus so that the people could then be saved from their sins, including the sin of putting Jesus to death.

Putting aside this logical conundrum, we must not miss Peter’s message:  for the people who had put to death God’s only son, the coming of the day of the Lord will be terrifying.  In keeping with the scripture, this Jesus, whom they had killed, has been raised to life.  God has made him both Lord and Christ, and he will return to judge the world.  But there is good news – this is all part of God’s plan to save the world, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already… (John 3:16-18).”

Clearly, Peter’s message resonated with the people.  “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart… (v. 37).”  The Spirit was working in their hearts by using Peter’s words to convict them.  Here we see the dual nature of evangelism.  We plant the seeds, but God makes them grow (see Mark 4:26-29).  God sends people out to share the gospel, but he is the one who brings the lost to himself.  As Paul said in Romans 10:14-15, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”

Or, as Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

How, then, are we to take Peter’s message today?  It depends on who is listening.  For the lost in need of salvation, the call to repent is just as urgent now as it was then.  As the writer of Hebrews said, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God (3:12).”  God is alive, and he raised Jesus from the dead so that we can be forgiven and saved.  This Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.  So, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts… (Heb. 3:15, quoting Psalm 95:7,8).”

Finally, the people clearly understood the mistake they had made in putting Jesus to death.  Desperately hoping that it wasn’t too late to turn to God and do the right thing, they asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”  Peter replied, “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 (Acts 2:38).”  We, too, must respond to this call to salvation, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).”  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:23).”  Call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved.

For those who have already received God’s grace and forgiveness, the importance of sharing the gospel and calling the lost to repentance is just as urgent now as it was then.  The great and glorious day of the Lord will come; it will be exciting and awesome for the faithful, and it will be certain doom for the lost.  The fields are ripe, so ask God to send out workers to bring in the harvest.  Let us work while there is still time, because there is hope, for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.” 

A Meditation on John 15:9

David S.

I’ve read this verse for almost forty years, but I’m not sure I have let myself hear what Jesus is actually saying.

Why? Because I don’t want to blaspheme, or even come close to it.

No way do I want to dishonor God by crossing that line.

So when I’ve come to John 15:9 over the years in my reading, I think I’ve unconsciously put spiritual asbestos between me and the text.  Why?  To insulate myself from the radiance and heat of five simple words that are almost too good to be true:

“…so have I loved you.”

Surely He can’t mean…

Think of it—how does the Father love the Son?  With absolute, unreserved, everlasting, unwavering, joyful, affectionate, radiant, glorious love beyond all imagining.  Words fail.  God is love.  The Father, Son, and Spirit, by definition, enjoy an eternal state of infinite love within the holy Trinity.

“As the Father has loved Me…”

This is the love for One who is infinitely worthy from One who is infinitely holy.  Jesus absolutely deserves it. God joyfully gives it to Him.

But to me? To You?

I realized I have unconsciously softened the words of Jesus, taking them to be a metaphor. You know, the love the Father has for the Son is similar in some ways to the love the Lord has for me.  Similar, but obviously, different.  It can’t be the same in kind, or if it is, it can’t be the same amount, or intensity, because I’m not Jesus.  Only He is worthy of that kind of love.

Wouldn’t it be unthinkable for God to focus the Divine love for the Divine—the love enjoyed within the Trinity between Father, Son, and Spirit—to focus THAT love outside the Divine, toward creatures? Toward you and me? Yes, unthinkable, except for those five words from Jesus:

“…so have I loved you.” 

Just contemplating the possibility prompts me to draw back. I want to say along with Peter, “Go away from me, Lord, I am a sinful man.”

I want to say along with Isaiah, “Woe to me, for I am undone.  For I am a man of unclean lips.”

Maybe we should give ourselves some slack for being so careful to not be presumptuous about John 15:9.  Because we know that our culture is awash in self-centered Christianity. The default human setting is always self, but born-again hearts love giving glory to Christ alone.

So how do we square that with John 15:9?

We let Scripture interpret Scripture.  We let God tell us what He meant.  God gets to decide what’s blasphemy and what isn’t.  So we become like the Bereans and we examine the Scriptures carefully to see what interpretation is correct.

So with my Bible open, I’m asking:  How does the Father love Jesus?  And how does that line up with how He loves us?

Below are just some of the passages I could have listed. Statements about the Father’s relationship to the Son are in bold. parallel statements about God’s love for us are in italics.  (I’ve underlined key words so as not to miss the parallels):

“The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.” (John 3:35)

“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?”  (Romans 8:32)

“The Father glorifies the Son.”  (John 8:54)

“…those whom He justified He also glorified.”  (Romans 8:30)

“The Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”  (John 10:38)

“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”

(John 17:20)

“The Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing.”

(John 5:20)

“I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15) 

“Father, …I know that you always hear Me.”  (John 11:42)

“Whatever you ask of the Father in My Name, He will give it to you…Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”  (John 16:23-24)

“The Father who sent Me has Himself given Me a commandment—

what to say and what to speak.” (12:49)

“As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.”  (John 20:21)

“The Father who dwells in Me does His works.”  (14:10)“If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”  (Romans 8:11)

“Whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do.”  (John 14:12)

“The Father loves the Son…” (John 3:35)

“You (Father) loved them even as You loved Me.”  (John 17:23)

“He is the image of the invisible God,” (Colossians 1:15)

^“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”  (2 Corinthians 3:18)

“This is My  beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  (Matthew 3:17)

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”  (Luke 2:14)

What if God is right this moment restraining Himself from tearing the sky open over your head and shouting with joy, “This is My beloved child, with whom I am fully pleased?” What if that’s exactly His attitude toward you? What if He delights in you like that?

Jesus is telling us “as the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.”

Where are the disclaimers warning us not to misunderstand and take all of this too far?  Where are the gentle reminders that these statements are not to be taken literally?  Why were Jesus and Paul and John and Peter not careful to guard against overzealous interpretation?

Could it be because God has held nothing back?

“…will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

I used to wonder why rulers in the Old Testament would often take an oath, saying to some underling, “I will give you up to half my kingdom…”  What king would give half his kingdom?  That’s crazy.  That makes the other person your equal, doesn’t it?  50/50 partners.  Maybe those tales are included in the Bible in part to give us a point of reference.

Because God takes it so much further. Jesus does not say, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s pleasure to give you up to half His kingdom.”

God gives the whole kingdom.

Yes, you may say, but to be given the kingdom means to be given entrance into the kingdom as a subject.

No. it’s far more than that.  As co-heirs with Christ, we get what He gets.  All of it. We will reign with Him. (2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 20:6).

“The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”  (Revelation 3:21)

Just to stand before the throne of God is honor and glory beyond all imagining.  But to sit with Jesus on His Father’s throne?

This is the throne angels can’t even look at. Even the seraphim have to cover their faces before the throne of God.

But we, with uncovered faces, will sit with Him.  Facing the same direction.  Ruling and reigning with Him.

This is the gospel.  This is the good news.  This is our destiny in Christ.  This is what the cross was for.

Check my math on this– As far as I can tell, the ONLY thing the Lord has withheld from us is divinity itself.

Everything it is possible to give us He has given. Every gift within His omnipotent power to bestow, He has bestowed.

We get it all.  As the Father loves Jesus, He loves us.  Is it any wonder Christians through the centuries can’t stop singing?

And can it be that I should gain

An interest in the Savior’s blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain?

For me who Him to death pursued?

Amazing Love!

How Can it be?

That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

No condemnation now I dread

Jesus and ALL in Him IS MINE

Alive in Him my living head

And clothed in righteousness divine

Bold I approach the eternal throne

And claim the crown through Christ my own

Amazing love!

How can it be?

That Thou my God shouldst die for me?

Hear it again, my soul, and rest in this word from Jesus today:

“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.”  (John 15:9)

Amen.

Glory to God.

Thank You, Lord Jesus.

Amen.

He Who Keeps You Will Not Slumber

A Meditation On Psalm 121:1-4

David S.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?

Circumstances drive us to question whether help is coming. Is God trustworthy?  Does He care?  Has He forgotten me?

If you feel the need for help, and wonder if it’s coming, you’re in good company. 

My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

Faith argues with sight. When the horizon of hope is a blank, faith wells up and trusts the Lord anyway. 

Not for just any help, but “my help,” tailor-made by the One who created me.

He knows His sheep by name and knows what you need before you ask Him. 

I’m thankful this psalm says the help comes, because it means there was a time when help had not yet arrived.  There was a time of looking for it and seeing nothing.

Waiting comes first. So much of life is waiting for God to help. I’m thankful for this reminder that experiencing need without relief is normal.  It’s part of “Jesus School.” 

Normal Christian life is an ebb and flow of need and provision, hunger and fulfillment, fatigue and rest. 

The waiting will sometimes become intense.  At some point we will probably find ourselves questioning God’s faithfulness, His kind intentions, His promises.  Maybe even His existence.

From where does my help come? 

Maybe you are questioning right now.  Maybe you can’t see any sign of His help on the horizon. Hold on, child of God, your help comes from the Lord.

He will not let your foot be moved;

Jesus said, “I shall lose none of all that the Father gives Me.” 

He will not let your foot be moved. His plans to bring you safely to His eternal glory cannot fail.

Your seasons of doubt and questioning will not lead to unbelief.  Your foot will not ultimately be moved from the path of life.  He will not let it happen.

He guards the path of His faithful ones.  “From everlasting to everlasting, the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him.”  He loved you from eternity past, loves you now, and will love you for eternity future. 

“Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus”.  

How do you know your faith will not fail?  How can you be sure you will make it safely to the Lord’s presence in glory? How can you be confident you will endure to the end?

This is how: The Lord is your keeper.

he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

For our Father, every night is a sleepless night spent watching over His own.

This is not a burden to Him.  “It is your Father’s pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

He surrounds you, encamped like a powerful army, protecting you.  “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty warrior who will save.” 

But like Elisha, we can’t see the army protecting us.  Often we can’t feel the everlasting arms underneath, holding us up and holding us together.  Faith and sight are at odds.

Fear comes in the middle of our sleepless nights. In the dark, doubt and unbelief whisper dreadful things.  You may think, “Surely God is weary of putting up with me”.

No, He is not weary of us.  He needs no slumber or sleep because He never tires.  “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

His compassion and affection toward you are infinite, omnipotent, everlasting.  Wait for the Lord.  Help will come as surely as the sun comes up in the morning.

The Lord your God is in your midst, a warrior who saves.

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will renew you in His love.

He will exult over you with loud singing.”  (Zephaniah 3:17)

“He cancelled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.”  Colossians 2:14

………………………………………………………..

There is no list anymore.  Yes, your guilty conscience and mine keep a list of our sins and shortcomings.

God does not.

Praise the Lord. The list of my offenses has vanished.  Vaporized. (Could it really be gone?)  God “set it aside, nailed it to the cross.”

When Jesus was nailed to the cross, he did more than bear our sins (1 Peter 2:24),

He became sin. “He who knew no sin became sin for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:21)

(What does that even mean? How is that possible?)

He didn’t just bear the curse. “He became a curse for us.” (Galatians 3:13) The Holy and Righteous One, chose to let go of infinite joy with His Father, to become vile in His Father’s eyes.  To become anathema.  

(How can God oppose God? How could perfect Divine Unity experience even the slightest hint of discord within Himself, let alone this?)

From absolute love, Father to Son, to immeasurable wrath, Father to Son.  Unthinkable.  Incalculable.

Why would He do it?

For us.

Because He became sin for us, our accuser has no case.  There is no evidence against us.  “He disarmed the rulers and authorities.”  The prosecution shows up in court looking stupid. More than that, it says our enemy is put “to open shame.” What might this mean?

Remember the story of Haman’s humiliation as herald to Mordecai after Esther’s triumph?  The enemy of the Jews was forced to march through the streets ahead of Mordecai proclaiming, “This is what is done for one in whom the king delights.”  Surely Haman’s humiliation is nothing compared to Satan’s.  Could the Haman story be a foreshadowing?

Imagine the enemy of your soul standing before the Judge, forced to proclaim your innocence.  (It’s the ultimate bait and switch).  Fumbling around, trying to find the list of offenses, he comes up empty-handed.  The list does not exist.

But it’s better than that.  You are not only made innocent by the work of Christ, you are made holy.  As holy as Jesus Himself. “He made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”  (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Picture the serpent compelled to lead a procession in your honor, heralding, “Behold, a beloved one in whom the Father is fully pleased!  This is the Righteousness of God!  The Righteousness of God!” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Instead of you being charged with treason and executed, (as justice would demand), Jesus was charged in your place with treason and executed.  He got justice, you receive mercy. “Mercy triumphs over judgment!”  (James 2:13).

The cross turned the cosmic tables and the books were cooked in a wondrous re-ordering.  When Jesus breathed his last, Justice and Mercy kissed, (Psalm 85:10).  It was more than the earth could handle.

Rocks split, graves broke open, and dead people staggered out of darkness into light, (squinting and a bit  confused, no doubt), as the ground rumbled beneath their feet.  (Matthew 27:51-52) Yet this physical manifestation was nothing compared with the countless spiritual resurrections to come.

Christ Jesus is “our righteousness and holiness.”  (2 Corinthians 1:30).

It would be good enough news that God holds no grudge, that the list of your wrongs is done away with.  But incredibly, God has declared you to be perfect in His sight, and then treats you that way.  “For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”  (Hebrews 10:14).

The Lord is fully pleased with you right now.  There is no barrier of guilt to hinder your relationship with Him.  Don’t  shrink back because you don’t feel worthy.  Don’t even shrink back because you feel bad for shrinking back.  Draw near.

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience…”  (Hebrews 10:22).

God isn’t keeping score.  There is no list.  We can stop keeping score, too.