Messages

Peter’s Pentecost Sermon

Date:6/26/22

Passage: Acts 2:14-41

Speaker: Jeff Thompson

As a gathering crowd reacts with astonishment to the supernatural phenomena occurring on the Day of Pentecost, Peter preaches the incredible first sermon of the Church Age.


Transcription (automatically-generated):

Because after spending four weeks studying Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the gift of tongues being filled with the Spirit and the other gifts of the Spirit, we are pushing the play button once more, more, and resuming our study of Acts. Chapter two. And as we do, here's the scene. The church has just been born. The Holy Spirit has come into the 120 believers who were gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem, praying and praising God and waiting to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus had instructed them to before he ascended back to heaven.

Those in the upper room at this time seem to have covet to a larger outdoor area in the city, likely the temple's outer court, where the Holy Spirit continues to overflow in their praises. The thousands who witness this event are shocked because each hears the 120 praising God in their own native language. And there are people from all over the known world in Jerusalem at this time for the feasts of Pentecost, most can tell that something supernatural and profound is taking place. Others who are skeptical dismiss this miracle as drunken revelry. The change in the behavior of the followers of Jesus is striking.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, they are no longer meeting in secret, huddled away at night for fear of persecution. They are out in the open, boldly, proclaiming, praising and testifying to the greatness of Jesus. As we pick things up in verses 14, the focus shifts to Peter, the one so scared of being associated with Jesus on the night of his arrest that he thrice denied even knowing the man. But no man or woman is ever the same after being born again, and the Peter we're about to meet is not the man he was merely weeks ago. Verses 14 again, Peter stood up with the eleven that's the other eleven apostles, eleven disciples, raised his voice and proclaimed to them, them being the crowd who had gathered.

Fellow Jews and all your residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you and pay attention to my words, for these people are not drunk as you suppose, since it's only nine in the morning. On the contrary. Now underline this. This is what was spoken through the prophet Joel. This is a massive claim.

Peter says, what you are witnessing is the fulfillment of the prophet Joel's words written centuries ago. That is a heck of a claim to open up a sermon with. Remember, Peter's audiences is all Jews who have made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, so they're acquainted with the Old Testament scriptures, including the prophecies of Joel. Peter then goes on to share which specific prophecy is being fulfilled. It's Joel, chapter two, verses 28 to 32, where we read, and it will be in the last days.

Would you underline that in your Bibles? In the last days, says God, that I will pour out my spirit on all people. Then your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. And the implication is dreams given by God that have supernatural significance.

I will even pour out my spirit on my servants in those days, both men and Amen, and they will prophesy. Peter declares that the last days, the new age prophesied by Joel have arrived. God's Spirit is no longer poured out on a select few, but on everybody who desires Him, men and women, young and old, rich and poor. And as we work through this, we're going to note and fill in on our outlines the content of Peter's message. So make a note of this.

It's your first fill in. Number one, peter says the phenomena being witnessed is the fulfillment of scriptural prophecy. He says this miracle of sound that you are each hearing us praising God in your native language, it's the fulfillment of scriptural prophecy. And then secondly, Peter points out that a new age that he calls the last days, quoting Joel, has dawned. That's right.

From a biblical perspective, the last days began on Pentecost around 32 Ad. Peter continues to quote from Joel, chapter two in verses 19 to 21. And Joel makes it clear that the last days, this period of time, this age will continue all the way into the events of the Tribulation, because that is what's described in these next verses. Verse 19, quoting Joel, Peter says, speaking on behalf of God, I will display wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

And as we know, God prophesied, the events that would mark the beginning of the last days in places like Joel. And the events that would mark the end of the last days are also prophesied in the Scriptures, in places like Revelation. But why would Peter include prophecies that relate to the end of the last days in this address? Why include these verses from Joel? They don't have any application to the main thrust of his message, as we shall see here's.

The only possibility that I would he up with we know Peter was speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, just as Luke recorded the Book of Acts under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I suggest these verses from Joel are included here to benefit those reading the Book of Acts in the last of the last days, people like us. And I suggest it is the Holy Spirit making this simple point. If you believe that the signs and wonders of verses 17 and 18 were fulfilled literally in Acts chapter two, on the day of Pentecost, at the dawn of the last days, if you believe Joel was literally fulfilled, as Peter claimed it was, then you must also believe that the signs and wonders prophesied in verses 1921 will likewise be fulfilled literally when we reach the end of the Last Days. And if you haven't been through our revelation study yet, what are you doing with your life?

Get online and listen to that so you can be in on all these references that we're making and know what the Lord has planned for the last of the Last Days. Peter ends his reference to Joel with the most wonderful prophecy of all regarding this age known as the Last Days. Verse 21 then so when the Last Days arrive, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Peter has roped in his audience who are all wondering at this point, how can this be? What is the reason for the Last Days suddenly arriving today?

Even if we believe you, Peter, why? And Peter now presents the next piece of evidence as he builds his case. Verses 22 fellow Israelites, listen to these words this Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. So Peter points out that the purpose of Jesus miracles, wonders and signs was to attest. It was to prove that he was indeed sent by God.

He was who he claimed to be. Remember, miracles alone do not prove that someone is telling the truth. But when someone speaks in agreement with the Scriptures and works miracles, wonders and signs, it authenticates them as a messenger from God. And Jesus worked miracles, wonders and signs on a level never seen before and never seen since. The volume and nature of the miracles worked by Jesus were staggering.

The Apostle John concluded his Gospel, which was devoted to recording the wonderful works and teachings of Jesus by writing this, and I choke up every time I read this. John ends his Gospel by saying there are also many other things that Jesus did which if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. And Peter tells the crowd you know this. You've all heard the stories. Many of you have witnessed Jesus work miracles and teach about the kingdom of God.

And so this is the third part of Peter's message. Write this down. He says Jesus of Nazareth was sent to you by God, who authenticated his ministry by empowering him to work unprecedented miracles, wonders and signs. That's the next piece of evidence. He says Jesus of Nazareth was sent to you by God, who authenticated his ministry by empowering him to work unprecedented miracles, wonders and signs.

Jesus's miracles were, from the text, we can tell, widely known across the Jewish world. His miracles and ministry were public. They were out in the open. There were tens of thousands of eyewitnesses. And I point that out to contrast the ministry of Jesus with the ministry of all the false religious and cult leaders who have come on the scene throughout history, whose miracles were only witnessed by one or two uncredible witnesses, who had ulterior motives, or even more often were witnessed by nobody.

I'm talking about men like Joseph Smith talking about the prophet Muhammad. Nobody else was around when they got their supernatural revelations. Many other religious and cult leaders have claimed a private supernatural revelation from God. But Jesus worked miracles in the open in front of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of eyewitnesses. And even his resurrection was witnessed by hundreds and hundreds of people.

He is not like anybody else. He is not like anybody else. And after that setup, Peter shares a devastating reminder in verse 23, saying though and then underline this though, he was delivered up according to God's determined plan and foreknowledge. You used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. Here's the fourth part of Peter's message.

He says, but you killed Jesus of Nazareth, but you killed him. Just as their forefathers had murdered all the prophets sent to them by God, they had murdered Jesus of Nazareth, who had clearly also been sent to them by God. The first part of verse 23 is a critical piece of theology. Peter tells the crowd that it had always been the plan of God for Jesus to die on the cross. Always.

Revelation 13:8 calls Jesus the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. And Jesus declared, I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down and I have the right to take it up again. Before the universe was created, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus were determined.

Why would God choose to create the universe if he knew it would lead to Jesus dying on the cross? Because God desired to share himself and his goodness with a family whose relationships are based on love. Because, as John tells us, God is love. But love is only possible where there is free will. If there is no other option, it is not love.

It is programming and is therefore meaningless for reasons that are above our current pay grade. It seems to be a fact that there is no possible verse is which free well beings don't mess up and sever their relationship with God. That's just the way it is. And for me, that is the most astonishing part of creation that God chose to create us, knowing full well that the only path that would lead us into his family would have to go through the cross. And he created us anyway.

The cross was not a tragedy. It was a triumph. It was always the plan. Jesus was delivered up according to God's determined plan and foreknowledge. Did that absolve those who participated in Jesus'death from guilt?

Absolutely not. Because contrary to what our reformed brothers and sisters would claim, their free will remained intact. God did not violate their sovereignty. Speaking in philosophical terms, it does not follow that God's foreknowledge removes our free will. That is in no way a logical or reasonable assumption.

God's foreknowledge of all things, including the future and the thoughts and inclinations of every man and woman, enables him to honor man's free will and simultaneously decree future events to happen exactly as he desires. How is that possible? Because he's God. I don't get it. That makes sense because I have observed that you are not God.

He's God, and he can do it. At this point, the crowd is... they're intrigued, obviously. But Peter's case is not yet overwhelming because Jesus was executed for blasphemy. He may have worked miracles and been an amazing teacher, but he had blasphemed by claiming to be the Messiah, the Son of God, and God in the flesh who was equal with God the Father. Remember when Jesus was on trial before the Sanhedrin?

They asked him, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" And Jesus replied, "I am." Those claims constitute the capital offense the religious leaders charged Jesus with. But Peter now drops an absolute bomb on his audience by presenting a piece of evidence that changes everything. Verses 24: "God raised him, Jesus of Nazareth up, ending the pains of death because..." You better underline this: "...it was not possible for him to be held by death." Peter tells the crowd, "Plot twist! The Jesus of Nazareth that you killed has risen from the dead." That's the fifth point. Write that down.

Jesus of Nazareth has been raised from the dead by God. He's been raised from the dead. And my goodness, I get fired up when I read these words because it was not possible for him to be held by death. I'm not trying to be clever when I say this, and I hope my meaning is clear. But when you peel back the layers, scripture reveals that the resurrection was not a miracle.

It was not a miracle. It seems like a miracle to us because we see it as an event that defied the natural laws of our universe because that's what a miracle is. But according to Scripture, death has no claim to somebody who has no sin. Death cannot hold them. That is the law of our physical universe and the spiritual realms that lie beyond it.

God, the supreme Judge of all, has decreed a law over our natural universe and the supernatural realm that says death has no authority where there is no sin. Verse 24 confirms that the second Jesus died. His resurrection was inevitable because it was not possible for him to be held by death. The resurrection is glorious. It is our victory through Christ.

It is a triumph of God's love and greatness. But it is not a miracle. Verse 24 confirms that the second Jesus died, his resurrection was absolutely inevitable. And I want to go even further, cause some more trouble here. I want to suggest that God coveting us is not a miracle either.

It's astonishing to us. It's a mystery to us because I know me. But it's not a miracle because God is love and he is good in a way too wonderful for us to grasp. And in a very real way, his love for us was inevitable. That he has prepared a glorious, eternal home for us to be with Him forever in glory.

It's inevitable. We may wonder in awe and the glorious mystery may take our breath away, but at the same time, of course he would. Of course he would. Of course Jesus would create us, knowing it would cost Him His life. Of course, of course he would take on our sin, die in our place and rise from the dead.

Of course he will come again in glory and make all things right on the earth before creating a new glorious reality, and in both ages inviting us to reign with Him and share all that he has with us. Of course he would, because that's just who he is. It's just who he is. He's just acting in harmony with his nature. He's doing what is entirely predictable.

If we had any grasp how good he actually is. Of course he would. Of course he would. And so his actions will always inevitably reflect his character, his glory, his goodness and his power. He's just good.

He's just love, he's just kind, he's just merciful. He's just grace upon grace upon grace. And God's goodness toward you is just inevitable because that's just who he is. It's just who he is. After revealing that Jesus of Nazareth has risen from the dead, inevitably, Peter points his listeners back to the Scriptures in verses 25.

For David says of him, of Jesus of the Messiah, I saw the Lord ever before me. Because he's at my right hand, I will not be shaken, therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me in Hades or allow your Holy One to see decay. You have revealed the paths of life to me. You will fill me with gladness in your presence.

That text is from Psalm 16, verses eight through eleven, and it's a Messianic psalm, a psalm that speaks prophetically of the Messiah. Verses 29, Peter says brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David. In other words, we all know this he's dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne. And you can read about where David received that revelation in Psalm 130 211.

Continuing seeing what was to come. He that's David spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah, he, the soul of the Messiah, was not abandoned in Hades and his flesh did not experience decay. Peter reveals that through David, Scripture had prophesied for centuries that the Messiah would die of physical death and then be raised from the dead. And this concept was at odds with the Jewish expectation at that time. They were hoping for and expecting a Messiah to free Israel from Roman rule.

But Peter says look at the Scriptures. David was obviously not talking about himself because he's dead. And there's this tomb over there, he was talking about Messiah. And so Peter's 6th point is this make a note of this the Scriptures prophesied the death and resurrection of the Messiah. The Scriptures prophesied the death and resurrection of the Messiah.

Peter continues in verses 32 and says God has raised this Jesus. We're all witnesses of this. So he's testifying on behalf of the 120 who verse is the upper room and are now with Him, likely in the outer court of the temple. He says Guys, we didn't just hear a rumor that Jesus of Nazareth has risen from the dead, we've all seen Him with our own eyes and he continues to put these pieces of evidence out there. Peter's just systematically building his case.

Verse 33 therefore, since he Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you both see and hear. Peter says The Father has exalted Jesus and given Him the Holy Spirit to give to his people as a gift. Today Jesus has given us that gift, and that is why you see these phenomena occurring. 7th, Peter makes the point that the Father has given Jesus the gift of the Holy Spirit to give to those who belong to Him. Verse 34 for it was not David who ascended into the heavens, and yet David, he Himself says the Lord declared to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.

Peter is quoting now from Psalm 110, verse one. When he quoted Psalm 16, Peter explained that David was writing prophetically about Messiah and could not have been writing about himself. And so Peter just expects his listeners to understand what he's doing with these messianic Psalms and apply the same approach concerning this reference from Psalm 110. In this instance, we know that David did not ascend to heaven to sit at the right hand of God, but Peter tells us that the Messiah did. At his trial, Jesus explicitly told the Sanhedrin that he would soon be going to sit at the right hand of His Father, declaring from now on, the Son of man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.

Peter expected his audience to understand what he was doing with this reference from Psalm 110 and so he expected them to understand it to read like this the Lord God the Father declared to my Lord Jesus of Nazareth, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. When will he make the enemies of Jesus his footstool? At the second coming. Now Peter puts all the pieces together in one devastating conclusion. And Peter is just so under the power of the Holy Spirit, because understand, Holy Spirit fell on him in the upper room.

Peter's not like, Guys, I need 4 hours to prep the sermon. This is going to be epic, trust me. He just goes out and he's speaking off the cuff under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Here, verse 35, peter says therefore, in other words, in light of all this, let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. They had convicted Jesus of blasphemy, but his resurrection proved that everything Jesus had claimed about himself was true.

The resurrection certified and authenticated. Jesus claims to be the Messiah, the Son of God, and equal with the Father. The resurrection changed everything. And I would wager at this moment you could have heard a pin drop, even though there were thousands of people there. Write this down.

Number eight. Peter says the resurrection proves that Jesus is who he claimed to be, both Lord and Messiah. He's who he claimed to be, both Lord and Messiah. Jesus is using the term Lord here to mean Master, but he's also using it in the way that it is used in the Old Testament when it shows up in all caps in your Bible. It's the name we pronounce Yahweh, the ineffable name of God used by the Jewish people for God.

Peter is telling the crowd not only is Jesus Messiah, not only is he Master, but Jesus of Nazareth is God. In fact, Jesus is Lord, meaning Jesus is God was the first Apostolic Creed of the early Church. What's the one thing you need to know about Jesus? Ahead of everything else? The Church said Jesus is God, Jesus is Lord.

Peter quoted Joel 232 in verses 21 when he said everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. The rest of Peter sermon made it clear that Joel 232 should be understood to read everyone who calls on the name of Jesus as Lord will be saved. The implications of Peter's message are seismic, to say the least. He declares that the age of the last days has arrived, and along with it, the age of the Messiah, the age of salvation, when everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. The Messiah the Jewish people have been waiting and praying for since the fall of man in Eden has arrived.

They need not search any longer. They need not hope any longer. He has been revealed and he's Jesus of Nazareth. But the news is bittersweet because it is accompanied by the realization that Israel crucified her own Messiah. They put to death the very ones sent to save them.

Verse 37 when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brothers, what should we do? Peter preaches the truth. The consciences of those in the crowd are convicted by the Holy Spirit, and they respond honestly, recognizing that conviction, asking Peter, what would he do then? Can anything be done? Is there any hope for us?

Verse 38 peter replied Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. I cannot imagine how sinned the crowd must have been when Peter replies, yes, there is hope for you. Repent. Change your mind about who Jesus is. Recognize him as Lord and Messiah.

Pledge your life to him, and he will forgive you. Not only that, but this gift of the Holy Spirit will be given to you as well. The crowd expected news of wrath and judgment. Instead, they received an invitation of grace and mercy. Make a note of this.

His 9th point is if you repent and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Messiah, he will forgive you and give you the gift of the Holy Spirit. He will forgive you and give you the gift of the Holy Spirit. And then Peter's next point is this jesus first instruction is that you be baptized with water as a public declaration of your belief that he is Lord and Messiah. And I don't want us to miss how astonishing verse 36 is. Peter told the crowd, god made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.

There were almost certainly men in the crowd Peter was preaching to who were there. When Pilate brought out Jesus and Barabbas and asked the Jews in Jerusalem who he should pardon for Passover, there were almost certainly men in the crowd Peter was preaching to, who joined in the cries of free Barabbas and then crucify him, and then responded to Pilate washing his hands by crying out his blood beyond us and our children. Jesus died for them so that they would be forgiven, and Jesus sent the Holy Spirit so that they could receive Him. In light of that, the following words of Peter blow me away in verse 39: "For the promise..." The promise of Joel... "...is for you and for your children, and for all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." Those who cried out for his crucifixion and said his blood beyond us and our children to them. Peter says, his blood is on you and your children to wash away your sins and theirs, to pay the price for your sins and theirs.

That's the heart of the God that we serve. And whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you've done, whatever you're going through, I want to make sure that you hear this loud and clear. The love of God is for you. The grace of God is for you. The gift of the Holy Spirit is for you.

Forgiveness of sins and a clean conscience is for you. The blood of Jesus, it is for all who call on the name of the Lord - everyone. Verse 40: "With many other words he that's Peter testified and strongly urged them, saying be saved from this corrupt generation." There are unique attributes to Peter's speech because of his audience, devout Jews who were already acquainted with the Scriptures. But there are also elements of Peter's address that apply to us today.

The first message preached in the church age is a Gospel message rooted in the scriptures. The church exploded through the proclamation of the word of God and as the word was declared, the Holy Spirit ministered to the hearts of men and women. I'm struck by how different Peter's Gospel message is from the gospel espoused in the average church in our day. When the crowd asked how they should respond, peter's first instruction to them was, "Repent." Repent?

He counseled them to change their minds, change their thinking and recognize the truth that they were sinners in rebellion against God, they were guilty and in desperate need of a savior.

We live in a culture that bombards us with messaging that we are the center of the universe. Nothing is more important than our happiness. Our feelings always tell the truth. We are perfect just the way we are or however we choose to be in the future. And to such a culture, the message that we are broken in a way we cannot fix and doomed because of our failures sounds very strange.

So most churches just don't preach it. And yet the first rung on the ladder of truth, the first step towards salvation is repenting for our sins. The second significant difference I notice is the words that I had you underline. I'm sorry. I don't know if I told you to actually underline it, but underline it now.

Be saved from this corrupt generation. In his Gospel message, Peter explicitly tells the crowd that repenting and following Jesus will mean coming out of the culture. It'll mean coming out of the world. Jesus said the same thing in some verses we like to pretend or not. In the Bible, Jesus said don't assume that I came to bring peace on the earth.

I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Meaning that his message, ministry and kingdom would cause divisions. What kind of divisions? Jesus continues and says for I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter in law against her mother in law, and a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.

The one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever doesn't take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it. And anyone who loses his life because of me will find it. It's the picture presented in the Exodus where Egypt represents the world.

What does Moses is a picture of Jesus do for the Israelites? He leads them out of Egypt, out of the world. And at Mount Sinai, God marks them as his people. Jesus calls us out of the world, out of the culture, to be marked as his people. And he created the church to be a counterculture to the world and a family for all who love him.

We see the same picture in Revelation 18 where Jesus shows us the destiny of Babylon, the world system. The cry from heaven to those who have turned to Jesus on the earth is Come out of her. Come out of the world system, my people, so that you will not share in her sins. Keep in mind in all of this, the culture that Peter's calling them to come out of is the culture in Jerusalem in 32 A.D. It's a highly conservative Jewish culture.

We're living in Sodom and Gomorrah by comparison. How much more do we need to understand that the invitation to follow Jesus includes the call to come out of the culture, reject the world system and embrace the counterculture of the Church of Jesus? I don't hear that message a whole lot because generally, we want to have our cake and eat it too. We want to be safe from hell, given the Holy Spirit, and enjoy all the social benefits of being in the family of God. But we don't want to give up the fleshly benefits of belonging to the culture Peter preached.

Be saved from this corrupt generation. Would you write this down? Peter's 11th point come out of the world and embrace the culture of the kingdom and the family of God. That's part of the Gospel message Peter preached. Come out of the world.

You're not part of that culture anymore. This is your culture, the kingdom of God kingdom culture. Verse 41 so those who accepted his message were baptized in that day. About 30 people were added to them. When you underline that, 3000 people were added to them.

3000 people responded to Peter's preaching on Pentecost and were added to the church. The Church started on the Day of Pentecost with zero people. The Holy Spirit fell in the upper room. It grew to 120. Peter preached.

It grew to 3120. As far as responses to one's first ever sermon go, that's pretty good. There are incredible parallels between Pentecost in Acts chapter two and the original event that the Feast of Pentecost celebrated. Some of you may recall that Pentecost marked the day when God gave the law to the Israelite people. At Mount Sinai, making them his own people by giving them his word and instructions on how to live and function as the people of God.

Each of the Old Testament feasts has been or will be fulfilled because they are all prophetic. They all pointed to something in the future. The most obvious example, of course, is Jesus being crucified on Passover as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus death fulfilled the feast of Pastor. The events of Acts Two were the fulfillment of the feast of Pentecost.

At Mount Sinai, God made a people for Himself israel. In Acts chapter two, God again created a new people for Himself, the Church, consisting of both Jews and Gentiles. At Mount Sinai, God gave his people the gift of the Law, His Word. In Acts chapter two, God gave his people the gift of the Holy Spirit. In both events, the presence of God took the form of visible fire on Mount Sinai and his tongues of flame above the heads of the believers in the upper room.

If the people approached the fire of God's presence at Sinai, they would be killed. In Acts chapter two, the fire of God's presence rested on every believer. In the Old Testament, Moses is a picture of Jesus, but he's also a picture of the Law. And in numbers eleven, we get a quick mention of a time when two Israelite men, Eldad and Me Dad, are overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit and go throughout the camp of Israel prophesying. And many are alarmed by this.

And Joshua appeals to Moses, saying, make them stop. But Moses, the picture of the Law, says this in numbers 1129 if only all the Lord's people were prophets, and the Lord would place His Spirit on them. In that one little verse, we see even the Law longing for a day that came in Acts chapter two. On the day of Pentecost. Both the giving of the Law and the upper room in Acts chapter two took place on the same day of the same month.

The Israelites left Egypt on Passover and 40 days later arrived at Sinai. Then Moses went up Mount Sinai to fellowship with God. Ten days later, Moses came down with the Law and found the Israelites having an orgy around a golden calf, resulting in a judgment that killed 30 people. Jesus died on Passover and 40 days later went up the Mount of Olives and ascended back to heaven to fellowship with His Father. Ten days later, the Holy Spirit came down and 30 people were saved.

It's a picture of what our brother Paul tells us the Law brings death, but the Spirit brings life. 50 days after sacrificing the Passover lambs, israel received a coveting from God based on their ability to remain faithful. 50 days after Jesus offered Himself as the Lamb of God on Passover, the Church received a new covenant from God based upon his faithfulness and the work Jesus has done on our behalf. At Mount Sinai, God wrote his word onto tablets of stone. In Acts chapter two, God wrote his word under the hearts of his people by giving them his spirit.

At Mount Sinai, God's people received Torah, which means teaching. In Acts chapter two, God's people received the Holy Spirit as an everpresent teacher. Jesus told his disciples, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. I am so glad that we live under the new covenant secured by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. In verses 36, Peter told the crowd god has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.

Jesus is the Messiah. He's the Lamb of God who saves sinned by paying their debt with his own blood. But he's also Lord, a title that means Master. And in Jesus case, it means he's the master of well, everything. Peter writes about his Lordship this way in Philippians two five christ Jesus, who existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.

Instead, he emptied Himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even to death on a cross. For this reason, God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The Gospel is that Jesus is both our Savior and our Lord.

We cannot receive Him as our Savior while rejecting him as our Lord. That offer is not on the table. Jesus once said to the crowd that was listening to Him, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and don't do the things I say? Jesus was making this point. If you don't do the things I say, if you have no interest in coveting me, then I'm not your Master.

I'm not your Lord. If you have not placed your faith in Jesus as your Savior and your Lord, my plea to you is to repent. Change your mind about who Jesus is and change the direction of your life accordingly. Devote yourself to following and obeying Jesus as Lord and Savior. Like the people of Jerusalem who heard Peter preach, we are all guilty.

Scripture says we all went astray like sheep. We all have turned to our own way. But the good news for us is the same as it was for them. And the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all.

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