Encounter Jesus – Post-Resurrection Luke Week 5

Jesus Sends the Holy Spirit & His Church is Born

Acts 2: 1-21

AUDIO

Lecture Handout

Luke – Post Easter – Weeks 4 and 5

Lesson Notes

We’re in the midst of Peter’s first sermon, on Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples. The Spirit was physically manifest – noise like wind, divided tongues like fire resting on them, speaking foreign languages of the various people visiting Jerusalem. This had drawn a huge crowd, most were amazed, but some scoffed they were drunk. Peter said, no, this is the pouring out of the Spirit promised by God in Joel 2: 28-32. Now for Peter’s message…

The Sermon (Acts 2: 22-36)

  • Verse 22 – Jesus – attested by God -> it isn’t their word, it’s God’s.
    • Many of these people had seen Jesus and His miracles.
    • God testified clearly through Jesus’ mighty works, signs, and wonders
    • Peter defies them to deny it – “as you yourselves know”
  • Verse 23 – Jesus was crucified by two simultaneous forces, both fully responsible
    • The definite advance knowledge and sovereign plan of God – to redeem sinful mankind, i.e. Good Friday and Easter were no accidents
    • AND the people were fully responsible – “You crucified”
    • This message of dual responsibility is repeated elsewhere in Acts
  • Verses 24-31 – God raised Him up – death could not hold Him
    • Peter teaches from Psalm 16: 8-11 – David says God won’t let His Holy One rot
    • That couldn’t refer to David, whose tomb was well-known in the 1st century
    • Rather, David was prophesying about Christ’s resurrection
    • Proving his argument that Jesus was Messiah / Christ, because He is the only one to conquer death
  • Verse 32 – Emphatic claim of Jesus’ resurrection – that all the disciples present witnessed it
    • Hence the stress placed at the end of Luke and beginning of Acts on Christ’s physical resurrection and the multi-sensory experience of it
  • Verse 33 – Now exalted at the right hand of God
    • From there, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit as promised in John 16
    • The very event they were all witnessing that day
    • This is a great Trinity reference by the way, showing the roles and distinct persons of the godhead
    • Quotes Psalm 110:1 when David, the king after God’s own heart speaks of the Lord (God) placing David’s Lord (Jesus Christ) at His right hand
    • Note Psalm 110 also plays a major role in Hebrews
  • Verse 36 – the clincher – let all Israel know for certain – God made Jesus both Lord and Christ, whom  you crucified.

The Response (Acts 2: 37-41)

  • Verse 37 – the crowd was deeply convicted, but didn’t know what to do about it
  • Verse 38 – Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ is the answer
    • Belief is implicit – you wouldn’t be baptized if you didn’t believe in what Peter said about Jesus as the resurrected Lord and Christ
    • This gives forgiveness and the Holy Spirit
    • This is the good news – for our sin, our shame, our “uh oh’s” that can’t be fixed, all that’s necessary for forgiveness is faith in Jesus Christ – repent and be baptized as a sign of that faith
    • This is the grace of God – forgiveness – no matter how bad the sin, even murdering God incarnate – is just a cry of faith and repentance away
    • Romans 10: 8-9
  • Verse 39 – Listen to this glorious truth from Peter – the promise is for them, their descendants, and “all who are far off” – everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself
  • Verse 40 – the sermon continued
  • Verse 41 – 3,000 souls baptized
    • 25x expansion of the church in 1 day, without a fog machine, amplifiers, or skinny jeans
    • Simply with what Paul calls “Christ and Him crucified”

The Church is Born (Acts 2: 42)

  • This simple, beautiful picture of a community in fellowship, worship, full of preaching and teaching, prayer and care is what we want to experience here
  • As you read these verses, you see a community of faith that is welcoming in the murderers of Jesus, building one another up through the apostles’ teaching and prayers, and reaching out to those around them
  • Let us carry this image with us into the summer as we begin to live out our 2020 vision!

 

See you all in September!