Sunday Morning, April 22, 2007
Acts 1-2
Let me say first of all that what we are doing in these next couple of weeks is not an exhaustive study of Acts. Lord willing, we will be looking at about the first fifteen chapters of Acts on Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening. Each time, we will pick up where we left off. We want to encourage you to come to all these meetings, in order that we might be able to prayerfully think together.
Again, this will not be an exhaustive study. There will be many things we will not cover. Our purpose is to get a better view of what the early church was like and through that to better understand what the Lord wants us to be.
The style of our study may be a little different that what you are used to. The plan is to read all of these chapters and comment on them as we go. I believe it will be very helpful, if you will be reading these chapters. Read them before we come to them and read them again after we have gone through them. And may we read with the attitude of Ps. 119:18, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."
So let’s plunge right into the book of Acts.
Acts 1
1. The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2. Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
So what was "the former treatise"? Yes, it was what we refer to as "The Gospel of Luke." And what was the content of that "former treatise"? It consisted of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. Of course, we know that is somewhat qualified by what John said in John 21:25, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." So with that qualification, we find in Luke the things that Jesus began both to do and teach. That time ended when Jesus was taken up. But before He was taken up, He had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen. Perhaps we should not limit those commands to what Jesus said just before He left the earth. He had been giving them commands all along. Nevertheless, the last commands are very notable.
In this second document, Luke continues his story by telling those things Jesus did after He was taken up. Luke’s gospel is the first installment of what Jesus did and taught; Acts is the second installment. This is a continuation. Let’s treat it that way. The same Jesus who worked powerfully while He walked on the earth will now continue to work from heaven through the Holy Spirit.
3. To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
After Jesus suffered and died, then He demonstrated He was alive through many convincing proofs. Over a period of 40 days, he appeared to His followers and spoke to them about the things of the kingdom. We know that on one occasion He appeared to over 500 people (I Cor. 15:6).
4. And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
Jesus didn’t give them instructions for the distant future. Rather, He told them what to do immediately. They were to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father to be fulfilled. And what was that promise?
5. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
The promise was that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from them. John the Baptist had first spoken these words. Matt. 3:11, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:" Now Jesus confirms this promise.
6. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
This is interesting. After all Jesus had taught them, their main concern was when the Master would restore the kingdom to Israel. This is what they had always had trouble understanding. Do you remember what happened the first time Jesus told His apostles that He was going to die? Peter rebuked Him. They didn’t want a Messiah that would suffer and die; they wanted a Messiah that would restore the kingdom from Israel. Now, even though were excited about the resurrection, they were still focused on an earthly kingdom.
These men didn’t have a clue as to the wide scope of the gospel. Their vision didn’t extend beyond Israel. How the Lord opened their eyes is much of what Acts is all about.
7. And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Jesus didn’t scold them. He acknowledged that there would be a time for that, but that time hadn’t come. It wasn’t their privilege to know the times and seasons which were under the authority of the Father. Then Jesus brought their minds back to His focus. He told them that they would receive power after the Holy Spirit had come upon them, and then they would be witnesses unto Him in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the very ends of the world. Now let’s go back to just a little bit earlier when Jesus had appeared to the eleven on a mountain in Galilee. Let’s read it from Matt. 28:16-20…
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Notice in verse 18 that Jesus said, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." That word translated "power" is not the same word that we have here in Acts 1:8. It is the Greek word exousia. I do not know why the King James sometimes translates it "authority" and sometimes "power." I wish I knew. The word here in Matthew 28:18 literally means "authority." Jesus claimed that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to Him. All rights are His. He is Lord. On the basis of that authority, He said, "Now you go and make disciples of all nations."
Isn’t that wonderful. They, and we through them, have the authority to go and make disciples of all nations. But it’s one thing to have the authority to do something, while it is another to have the power. Let me illustrate it for you. Ill… Let’s suppose a man bought a piece of property here in the basin. He loves his new home, but there is one thing that bothers him. Between him and the Sacramento mountains is a large hill that totally obscures his view of the mountains. This hill is on the piece of property next to him. Because it is only a couple hundred yards away, it totally blocks what would otherwise be a wonderful view of the mountains. So what can the man do? He can’t just go over and start moving the hill. Why not? Because he doesn’t have the authority to do it. Someone else owns that property. So, after some careful research, he finds out who owns the property. After saving his money for a while, he is able to buy that piece of land. Because he now has the title to the land, he has the authority to do whatever he wants to do with that hill, because it is on his property. But that doesn’t totally solve his problem. He now has the authority, but where is he going to get the power? He doesn’t think he wants to devote the rest of his life to dismantling that hill with a pick and shovel. Some of it is made of solid rock. In the end, he finds that well-placed sticks of dynamite, followed by the use of a front-end loader and a dump truck can solve his problem.
Interestingly enough, this word "power" in Acts 1:8 is the translation of the word from which we get "dynamite." This is dynamite power we are talking about.
Jesus told them that after the Holy Spirit had come upon them, then they would receive the power to make disciples through their witness to Jesus. The power was coming, but they were to wait for it. They were to remain in Jerusalem until the Spirit had come upon them.
9. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11. Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Jesus will come again, but the angels didn’t encourage them to keep gazing into heaven. Yet we know from other passages of scripture that we are to be "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Tit. 2:13). But how are we to be looking? We will find the answer in the chapters that follow. What we are going to find is that looking for our blessed hope goes hand in hand with sharing that hope with those around us.
12. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. 13. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. 14. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. 15. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
So about 120 of Jesus’ followers gathered together to wait for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. Notice especially the words of verse 14, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication…" The word translated "continued" has as its root the meaning "strong." You might compare this verse with 2:42, "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Here it is translated by "continued stedfastly." And we find the same word again in 6:4, "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." If we were to translate it in 1:14 as it is in 6:4, it would read: "With one accord these all gave themselves continually to prayer and supplication…"
The word translated "with one accord" is used 11 times in the New Testament, and 10 of them in Acts. In Romans 15:6 it is translated "with one mind." The other 10 are all translated "with one accord" (KJV). The Greek word is a compound made up of omo, meaning same, and thumos. This second word is most commonly translated "wrath" by the King James. Thayer sees the root idea as "passion" (heat). We might look at it as "with the same passion." This is a very strong word for togetherness in mind and heart. As I mentioned, it occurs 10 times in Acts (six times in the first eight chapters).
16. Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. 17. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 18. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. 19. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. 20. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishopric let another take. 21. Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22. Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. 23. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen, 25. That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. 26. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
So here we see that the eleven apostles chose a twelfth to replace Judas. There are those who claim that they were in error, that they should have waited. They see Paul as God’s replacement. But surely that isn’t correct. I don’t believe the Lord would have put this in His Word and offered no correction of the eleven, especially in light of the fact that they based their decision to choose a replacement upon God’s Word itself. Also, even though Paul was an apostle chosen by God, he was not one of the twelve. Although he had indeed seen the risen Christ, he had not kept company with Him, as had these men.
In choosing Matthias over Barsabas, the apostles employed lots. This was a form of decision making that might be likened to drawing straws. While this method of choosing was praised in the Old Testament (Prov 16:33; 18:18), this is the last mention of it in the New Testament. It is interesting that this use of lots comes immediately before the Spirit came upon them. With the coming of the Spirit, the use of lots disappears from the record of the New Testament. I suggest that is no accident. Now we are to rely upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the One called alongside.
Acts 2
1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
The day of Pentecost is the Jewish Feast of Weeks (also called the Feast of Harvest and the Day of Firstfruits).. It took place on the 50th day after Passover, thus the name "Pentecost." After He rose from the grave, Jesus appeared to His followers from time to time over a period of 40 days. Subtract those 40 plus the time He was in the grave, and that would mean that these 120 were gathered in that upper room for about a week, obediently waiting on the Lord.
Notice that when they went to the upper room, they continued with one accord in prayer and supplication. Now, days later, they are still in one accord in one place [Not all texts read omoqumadon = "in one accord," as the Textus Receptus (reflected by the KJV) does]. They were faithful to the command Jesus gave them. They are still waiting for His promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8. And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9. Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10. Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11. Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Now what Jesus had promised became a reality. The Holy Spirit came and filled them. As a result, they spoke with other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them. In this context, it is clear that "other tongues" refers to the various languages which were understood by the variety of people who were in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. And regardless of which language they used, what was it that they said? The answer is in verse 11. To all these various people and in their various languages, they proclaimed "the wonderful works of God." Surely there was plenty for them to say about the Jesus who lived a sinless life, who died according to the foreordained plan of God, and had now been raised from the grave.
12. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13. Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
Here we have the reaction of the crowd. They were absolutely amazed, as we have already read back up in verse 7. How could these Galilaeans speak in these other languages? These simple people were not language experts. What was going on? But some of them were very cynical, and they thought they had the explanation. They suggested that these strange people had been given too much to drink.
14. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19. And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Peter begins by refuting the idea that these men were drunk. It’s possible that this may have been more of a joke than an accusation. Either way, Peter quickly dismisses it and moves on to the true explanation. Peter explains that what is happening is the fulfillment of what Joel wrote centuries before. How appropriate this is, in that his audience would have known well the passage from Joel. Let’s read it in Joel 2:28-32…
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 32. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Although Peter doesn’t quote all of it word for word, he gives the sense of it. The key feature of the Joel passage is that the time is coming ("afterward" in Joel; "in the last days" according to Peter) when God’s Spirit will be poured out "upon all flesh." Peter then tells them that the time has come. In his words, "This is that." "This" that you see is "that" which was prophesied. It is true that what was happening to the 120 couldn’t be seen as "all flesh," but it was the beginning of the fulfillment. There would be more to come.
That part seems very straightforward, but what about the events in verses 19-20, which Peter quotes from Joel? Let’s look especially at the sun being turned into darkness and the moon into blood in verse 20. These sound like events that will occur in the distant future (from the standpoint of that day almost 2,000 years ago). However, when Jesus died on the cross, was not the sun turned into darkness? Luke 23:44-45, "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst." F. F. Bruce adds, "And on the same afternoon the paschal full moon may well have appeared blood-red in the sky in consequence of that prenatural gloom" (Acts, by Bruce, p. 69).
What about the phrase "that great and notable day of the Lord." If that is speaking about the death of Christ and the events surrounding it, then all of this would be in perfect sequence, for it is followed by the promise in verse 21, "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." This last prophecy will soon come to pass a direct result of Peter’s present preaching.
Having given a brief explanation of the speaking of the 120, who told of the wonderful works of God in various languages, Peter then begins to do the same. And his focus is clearly on the most wonderful work of God, what He has done in Jesus the Messiah.
22. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
So who was it that killed Jesus? Peter says clearly, "You have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." He was talking to the Jewish people who had gathered for the Jewish feast. What could be clearer? And yet that is not the end of the story. Notice all of verse 23, "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." While these people (particularly their leaders) had carried out the actual crucifixion, Jesus was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. These people had not overpowered Jesus. Rather, they simply carried out the plan of God, the plan that had been in force from the foundation of the world. God was in control all the time, just as He was when Pharaoh defied Him again and again. So the Lamb who had been slain from the foundation of the world was crucified at the hands of these to whom Peter spoke.
But how could Peter say such a thing? At first, we wonder how he could be so bold to say something that could get him killed. If they crucified Jesus, why would they not crucify this man who was bringing such a bold accusation against them (and his words would only become stronger). But there is another consideration here. What about the people themselves? Why would Peter say something that would very likely make them angry and cause them to refuse to listen any more? Didn’t Peter know that he would turn them off?
Let’s continue and see what happened.
24. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 29. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31. He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Now Peter preaches to them the bodily resurrection of Jesus. As we talked about on resurrection morning, Peter does this in a way which is very sensitive to the people. He quotes from their scriptures, the Word of God, what we call the Old Testament. Without hesitation, he tells them that one of their heroes David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah. And then Peter affirms that Jesus, the one they killed, is this Messiah. Indeed God raised this Jesus from the dead, says Peter, and he and the other apostles are witnesses of that fact.
33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35. Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Now Peter says it again. He emphasizes David’s prophesy of the Messiah’s resurrection again, now using Psalm 110 instead of Psalm 16. Peter tells them that it is that very Jesus who sent the Holy Spirit, who is responsible for what they have seen and heard from the 120.
In verse 36, Peter repeats what he has already said, but he pauses and chooses his words carefully in order to emphasize his point. "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly…" Peter is not making a timid suggestion. Rather, he is making sure that every ear is listening. He doesn’t want anyone to miss his point. Now hear it again: "Therefore let all the house of Isarel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." God has made the crucified and risen Jesus Lord over all. And He is your Messiah. Yes, you crucified your Messiah, the one whom you were waiting for and whom God sent unto you.
Now let’s take a look at the response of the people.
37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Or as the NASV has it, "They were pierced to the heart." They cried out in desperation, "Men and brothers, what shall we do." When I say they cried out in desperation, that is exactly what I mean. The same Holy Spirit who had empowered the 120 to speak the wonderful works of God in many languages, the same Holy Spirit who had given Peter the boldness to stand before this crowd and speak such uncompromising truth… that same Spirit was now convicting the hearts of these people. Can we see that only the Holy Spirit could have done this. When we read the words of Peter, our human expectation is that those people will surely kill him. Had it not been for the powerful work of the Spirit, I believe that is exactly what they would have done.
"Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Do you hear the desperation in their cry? "We have crucified our Messiah. We have raised our hand against the Lord’s anointed. We have put the Lord of glory to death. Is there anything we can do? Surely we are under the great judgment of Almighty God. Is there any hope for us? Please tell us, what can we do?
38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Peter had an answer for the people. His answer in verse 38 has been scrutinized down through the centuries. Certainly there has been much disagreement about its meaning. The difficulty has been with the concept of baptism. It is our not our purpose this morning to spend all of our time dealing with the role of baptism, however, please allow me to point out something about Peter’s words. This may not be helpful for you, but it is for me.
First of all, I do not want to minimize the importance of baptism. In the early church, conversion and baptism were so closely connected that they could hardly be separated. In Acts the pattern is very simple: they believed and they were baptized. We do not read that they believed and then considered the option of being baptized. No, they believed and were baptized. That was according to the commandment of Jesus, who said: "Go ye therefore and teach [make disciples] of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19-20).
Having said that, we then have to ask the question about the meaning of baptism. Specifically, is baptism itself part of what saves a person, what justifies him before God? We just read the words of Peter, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins." This is what I want you to see. "Be baptized" is not on a parallel with "Repent." Let me give you the Texan Paraphrase: "All ya’ll repent for the forgiveness of sins, and let everyone of you be baptized." "For the forgiveness of sins" cannot go with both "repent" and "let everyone be baptized." While "Repent" is plural, "let every one of you be baptized" is singular. There is also a divergence of Greek texts at this point, with some having "for the forgiveness of your (plural) sins." When that reading is followed, there is no question that "your sins" must be taken with the plural "Ya’ll repent." It seems best to read it something like this: "All of you repent (and let everyone be baptized) for the forgiveness of sins."
Notice also Acts 3:19, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;" Note again that repentance is linked with the blotting out of sins, but this time there is nothing about baptism.
Having said that, let us acknowledge that the issue of the meaning of baptism is much bigger than Acts 2:38. That is an entire study within itself. But remember, don’t minimize the importance of baptism.
** Now please hear me. This is not just a message for those people who were gathered 2,000 years ago. This message is for today. Just as surely as Peter could speak to them, so I can speak to you and say, "You have taken Jesus and crucified Him with wicked hands." You say, "No, we didn’t do that. We weren’t there." But can’t we understand? Jesus was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world. He was not overpowered by the Romans or outsmarted by the Jewish leaders. Remember what Jesus Himself said, "I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself" (Jn. 10:17b-18a). Jesus laid down His life for you. As Isaiah the prophet put it… (Is. 53:3-6)
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Hear it and hear it well. "Let everyone of us know that God has made that same Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Your verdict was, "Crucify Him; Crucify Him," but God raised Him from the dead.
Now when those people in Jerusalem heard Peter speak these words, their hearts were deeply convicted. What about you? Do you understand that you crucified the Lord of glory? You killed the One God sent to deliver you.
Have you repented? Have you put your trust in this One who died for you? As evidence of your repentance and faith, have you submitted yourself to baptism?
I am speaking to all of us. The question is not, "Have I been baptized?" Later in this very book of Acts we will see a man who was baptized, but who was not saved. The question is not, "Am I a member of a church?" Or, "Do I know the Bible?" Or, "Do I pray?" Or, "Does everyone think I am a Christian." The question is this: "Do I have God’s life within me? Have I truly repented and believed? Am I eager to identify myself with Jesus Christ through baptism?"
41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Notice first of all that those who gladly received his word were baptized. There was no arm twisting. As a matter of fact, there was none of what we would call an "invitation." The Spirit brought such conviction upon those people that they cried out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" When Peter told them what they must do, they gladly received what he said. This is the pattern of true biblical conversion – conviction of sin by the Spirit of God followed by glad reception of the good news that Jesus died and rose to bring forgiveness and cleansing from that sin. And then the first thing that happened after that was baptism.
Lord willing, this is where we will begin tonight, with this last section of chapter 2. We will take a closer look at the togetherness of these early disciples.
In closing, let me encourage you to be looking for certain themes as we go through Acts. As we say often, this church exists solely for the glory of God. We pursue His glory by longing to know Him and making Him known. Though you will not find specific language in these early chapters of Acts about glorifying God, the concept is very apparent. That was the earnest longing of their hearts. And they did indeed long to know Him and they were actively making Him known. The emphasis here is making Him known, but as they did that, they were coming to know Him.
Since in Acts we find a great emphasis on making Christ known, we will let that be our primary theme. With that in mind, let’s ask this question: What was it that made their witness effective? I believe we can give a four-part answer…
1. The power of the Spirit (1:8, etc.)
2. The truth of the message of the gospel (as preached by Peter in chapter 2)
3. The fear of the Lord (we will be coming to this)
4. The unity of the body (1:14, and especially 2:43-47, which we will be studying tonight)
Let’s be watching for these things, as we go through Acts.
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