Peter’s Sermon, Part II
TRANSLATION
(25) “For David said about 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 is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body will also rest in hope, (27) since you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead nor allow your holy one to experience decay. (28) You have made known to me the paths of life. You will fill me with joy in your presence.’
(29) “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch, David, both died and was buried and that his tomb is with us to this day. (30) But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. (31) Foreseeing this, he spoke of the resurrection of Messiah that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead nor did his body experience decay. (32) God has raised this Jesus to life to which we all bear witness. (33) Exalted to God’s right hand and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you are seeing and hearing. (34) For David did not ascend into heaven but rather said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, (35) until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” (36) Therefore, let all Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Messiah!”
(37) When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (38) And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus, the Messiah, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (39) For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, even for as many as the Lord our God calls to himself.” (40) And with these and many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse generation.”
OBSERVATIONS
In this concluding account of Peter’s Sermon on the Day of Pentecost several repetitions stand out. The name, “David,” occurred three times (vss. 25, 29, & 34) as did several names for Jesus (vss. 32, 36, & 38) including “Lord” (vss. 25, 34, & 36), “Holy One” (vs. 27), and “Messiah” (vss. 31, 36, 38). Names for deity included “God” (vss. 33, 36, & 39), “the Father” (vs. 33), “the Holy Spirit” (vss. 33 & 38), and “the Lord” (vss. 34 & 39). The phrases, “abandon(ed) to the realm of the dead” and “experience decay,” both occurred twice (vss. 27 & 31). “Witnesses/bore witness” are found twice (vss. 32 & 40) and the name, “Peter,” was mentioned twice (vss. 37 & 38).
Peter’s sermon climaxed with the powerful assertion, “Let all Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Messiah” (vs. 36). This sermon constituted a convincing proof of an eternal truth which those listening did not, at first, believe but then could not escape. Peter quoted the testimonies of two Old Testament prophets, Joel and Israel’s King David, to establish that “this Jesus whom you crucified” was, in fact, God’s long-awaited Messiah.
OUTLINE
I. Peter’s sermon reached its climax in the declaration that the crucified Jesus was both Lord and Messiah. (25-36)
II. Peter then called on his hearers to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus. (37-40)
IDEA STATEMENT
Based on the testimony of two prophets, Joel and David, Peter demonstrated to the crowd in Jerusalem that they had just crucified God’s Messiah and called for them to repent.
APPLICATION
Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost has served as a powerful example of effective preaching ever since he preached it. Three important factors contributed to its effectiveness. First, Peter addressed a burning question that was on everyone’s mind, “What in the world was happening?” Then he answered that question by his skillful exposition of two passages from the Old Testament, the prophecy quoted from Joel 2 and David’s great Messianic Psalm (Ps. 16:8-11). In each case, Peter set forth the significance of what had taken place. First, he showed that the crucifixion of Jesus of which they were guilty had occurred according to the foreordained plan of God (vss. 22-24). Then he proclaimed that the one whom they had rejected and crucified had been both resurrected and exalted (vss. 32-35).
Peter finally brought his sermon to its climax with an inescapable conclusion, a powerful summary of all that he had been saying and the central idea of his message: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified” (vs. 36). It is no wonder that his audience cried out, “Brothers, what shall we do?” This response gave Peter and the other apostles the opportunity to call every listener to “repent and be baptized…in the name of Jesus Christ.”