The Promised Holy Spirit

We have to love that everyone is included in God’s worldwide, unstoppable mission—young and old, rich and poor get to participate. No one is stuck being an observer. If you are a believer in Christ, you are a participant in the King’s mission. He has empowered you by his Spirit to tell of his glory for the world’s benefit.

In verses 19-21 we see both humanity’s universal need to know Christ and the inclusive offer he makes so that everyone can know him. Peter mentions some future cataclysmic events destined to unfold before the day of the Lord comes. While it seems to me that he is referring to Christ’s return, some view his words in this passage as a reference to the cross and resurrection; others see in them a link to the events that would take place around AD 70 when the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem. Whatever the prophet envisioned, his words show us the holiness of the Lord and remind us of the need for everyone to call on the Lord and be saved (v. 21). This Lord is Jesus (v. 36), whom Peter now exalts in his Christ-centered sermon.

Moving away from Joel, Peter now describes the life and ministry of Jesus, and in verse 33 he ties Pentecost to Jesus’s ascension. Notice the chronology. Jesus ascends, and then the Father gives Jesus the promised Holy Spirit to pour out on his people. This reminds us of John 14:16: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” The risen King poured out gifts on his people as a sign that he has truly ascended to the throne, is reigning over all, and is ruling in the midst of his enemies.

Before Peter gets to this point, he articulates some glorious truths about Jesus. As in the other recorded sermons in Acts, Peter centers on the focal message of the Bible: the death and resurrection of the King.

The Man (2:22). Peter begins with the humanity of Christ. He says, “You guys saw him. You know what I’m talking about.” Signs and wonders validated the claims of Jesus. These miracles weren’t violations of the laws of nature as much as they were restorations of the laws of nature. At his first coming Jesus showed everyone what his second coming and his kingdom would be like: there will be no leprosy, no illness at all, no demon possession, no fear of storms, no death. King Jesus will reverse the curse—all things will be restored.

The person of Christ depicted in the Gospels is gloriously attractive. Don’t underestimate the power of encouraging a nonbelieving friend to read through the Gospels. A clear understanding of Christ’s love and power can draw a person to him.

The Plan (2:23). Next Peter describes the death of Christ from both a human and a divine perspective. (This wasn’t the most politically correct sermon!) Peter emphasizes both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. The death of Christ was part of God’s foreordained plan. This reality is emphasized even more strongly in 4:24-28. So, why did Peter open with this theological truth? The Jewish people couldn’t fathom a crucified Messiah. Messiahs win! Jesus, however, was crucified in shame and agony. How could he possibly be the Messiah? Peter shows his audience that Jesus didn’t die as a pathetic victim. He laid down his life in fulfillment of the sovereign plan of God, who purposed to sum all things up in Christ (Eph 1:10).

At the same time, the Bible doesn’t teach fatalism. Every man and woman is accountable for his or her actions. Peter reminds his audience that they were responsible for Christ’s crucifixion. And so are we. Fallen people scheme to dethrone God. They plot to kill their Maker. When Peter reminds this group of their guilt, many are “pierced to the heart” (v. 37).

The Resurrection (2:24-32). Peter tells the audience about the amazing thingGod did: he raised Jesus up (v. 24). Jesus was raised because death couldn’t hold him!

Then Peter tells them what Scripture predicted: the Holy One would not see decay (vv. 25-31). Christ was the promised one of Psalm 16. You can visit David’s tomb and find his remains, but Christ’s tomb is empty. Who, then, was David speaking about in Psalm 16? We must remember that David is a prototype. The things that happened to David became models anticipating another King to come. As you read through Psalms, you’ll find that some things are applicable to David; often other things are inadequately expounded or unfulfilled in David. This transcendent language in the Psalms continues to build until you have an entire messianic expectation. The mystery leads people to wonder, Just who is this King? Peter says, “Compare the tombs of David and Christ. Then you tell me!”

His resurrection exposition is then followed withwhat the disciples saw: the risen Christ (v. 32). Much of the Christian gospel turns on eyewitness accounts. Richard Bauckham has written Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, which explains that the Gospel writers used eyewitnesses as their sources of choice for maintaining historical integrity. Multiple witnesses appear in the Gospels for the resurrection accounts. Seeing Jesus transformed the disciples.

The Messiah (2:33-36). Peter ties the events of Pentecost to Jesus’s ascension in verse 33, and then he quotes Psalm 110. The early church loved to quote Psalm 110. Like the other Davidic typology, this messianic psalm also awaited fulfillment. David foresaw the ascended Lord in some way. He looked forward to one greater than himself. Jesus also quoted this psalm in Luke 20:41-44, silencing his opponents as he pointed to himself as the One who would sit on the throne forever.

Peter concludes his sermon with the confession of the early church (v. 36). Peter didn’t try to domesticate Jesus. He didn’t soft-pedal the gospel. He says that Jesus is King; therefore, people should submit to him. He preached in the spirit of Psalm 2: “Pay homage to the Son or he will be angry and you will perish in your rebellion, for his anger may ignite at any moment. All those who take refuge in him are happy” (Ps 2:12).

We need to recover awe of the ascended Lord of glory, as Revelation 6:15-17 describes Jesus. His love has been spurned; his purity has been trampled; his truth has been buried. But one day this merciful Jesus will rule with a rod of iron, and the most powerful of men will hide in fear of him.

Perhaps no one has illustrated the meekness and majesty of Jesus better in recent history than C. S. Lewis. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lucy is posing questions to Mr. and Mrs. Beaver about Aslan, a character representative of Christ:

“Is—is he a man?” asked Lucy.

“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you” (Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, 75–76).

Yes. Christ is good. But he isn’t safe. Jesus really is the true King. So stand in awe of him. Don’t be silly. Confess him as Lord. That’s Peter’s message. He says, “Know with certainty!” Be assured of this. Jesus is the ascended King.

Acts 2:37-41

Finally, we read of the amazing results of Peter’s preaching (v. 37). The audience felt convicted because they were guilty. They were pierced because they realized they were objects of God’s wrath. They longed to be free from condemnation. Notice that they don’t wait for Peter to offer an invitation. They ask him how they should respond to his message.

Once again, Jesus’s words about the work of the Spirit are on display. In John 16:8-11 Jesus said,

When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: About sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

Peter’s sermon shows us how the Spirit of God takes the gospel and works in people’s hearts. As you exalt Jesus through your witness, pray for the Spirit to bring conviction and repentance to your hearers.

In verses 38-41 we see God’s glorious work of conversion. Peter describes the human and divine sides of conversion. Humanly speaking, one must repent and believe in order to be saved. This faith is expressed through baptism, a public declaration of one’s faith in Christ. All who turn from sin and trust in Jesus will be indwelt with the Holy Spirit.

Some have suggested that this passage teaches “baptismal regeneration,” that is, that one is saved by baptism. While Peter is emphasizing baptism, we must not ignore the context. Baptism follows belief in the Word. And when one reads the rest of the conversion texts in Acts, it is clear that baptismal regeneration is not being taught. Salvation through repentance and faith is in view (see 2:21; 3:19; 10:43; 13:38-39; 15:9; 16:31; 20:20-21).

The divine side of conversion involves God’s sovereign activity. Peter says that the Lord is calling people to himself (2:39). This same idea is conveyed in various places in Acts, like in 13:48: “All who had been appointed to eternal life believed.” The Lord’s active work in the hearts of rebellious people gives us hope in evangelism. Keep lifting up Christ and pray for the Spirit to convict people and lead them to repentance.

Don’t miss that on one day, at one event, the Lord brought three thousand to himself! Peter urged the crowd to turn from their personal sins as well as from the sins of their generation, and many of them did. This great harvest on the day of Pentecost established a new community, which is described in Acts 2:42-47.

What a promise-keeping God we have! Peter says, “The promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off.” God doesn’t play Psych! He really does promise and deliver salvation to repentant rebels. So let us offer the promise of eternal life, the promise of forgiveness, and the promise of the indwelling Spirit to guilty people. May the Lord bless our faithfulness to proclaim his truth, giving us a harvest of souls as we lift up the person and work of the crucified, risen, and exalted Lord Jesus.

In our walk through Acts, we have already seen how the Spirit works to accomplish his primary purpose: exalting Jesus (John 16:14). We have also found much to encourage us. We have the necessary equipment to be faithful witnesses because we have the Word and the Spirit. Thus, we can speak with confidence, knowing that the Spirit convicts people of sin and leads them to repentance. We see how the Spirit is transforming individuals to create a living church.

The church is a new community of new creations in Christ, who live on mission as citizens of his kingdom. We can now turn our attention to this community of faith and see the importance of belonging to a biblical community.