You can turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2. The Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, preaching to the gathered Jews at Jerusalem. We're going to read from verse 22 to verse 36.
We'll pray, and then we'll have a look at a study of the Apostle Peter. We'll clarify what that means after we have prayed. Let's read Acts chapter 2, beginning at verse 22. Men of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you, By miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know, him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death, whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. For David says concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. Therefore, my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. Moreover, my flesh also will rest in hope, for you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption.
You have made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of joy in your presence. Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ. that his soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.
This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out this which you now see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Amen. Well, let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the Holy Scriptures. We thank you here that we can read of the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
More importantly, the proclamation of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection for sinners. We pray that You would help us. We would have that ministry of the Spirit working now by the Word, that saints might be edified and encouraged and equipped, Lord God, and that sinners might be saved by Your amazing grace. And we pray in Christ's name, Amen.
Introduction
Well, what we're going to do this morning is study a preacher. We're going to study the Apostle Paul. Now, qualified with this, that any study of a preacher and any study of a biblical individual, a biblical character, one who is a believer in Christ, is always a study of the grace of the triune God and the victory of Jesus. So we're going to study Peter, but insofar as the study of Peter is a study of amazing and victorious grace.
And we will see that as we move along. Just an introduction or a quote from F.F. Bruce on what's going on in Acts chapter 2, 14 to 36. He writes this, Peter's address to the gathered assembly can be divided into two main sections.
First, an explanation of the phenomenon that had drawn the wondering multitude together, the speaking in tongues of those of the apostles. And secondly, an outline of the kerygma, or the apostolic proclamation. So verses 14 to 21 of chapter 2, we have just what he said, an explanation of, or a vindication of, the phenomenon that had drawn the wondering multitude together. And then secondly, the portion that we read, verses 22 to 36, we have an outline of the kerygma that is the apostolic proclamation.
What is the pattern of gospel preaching that we find in our Bible, specifically in the book of Acts? How is it that preachers of the Lord Jesus Christ come to their gathered assembly and communicate the gospel? What we're going to do again is we're going to examine Peter. We're going to do so under four points.
But first off, it's always a good exercise to examine either a writer of one of the books of the Holy Scriptures or someone who is being narrated, someone who is the the object of narration, for example, like we have here in the Book of Acts. Why? Because it helps us to appreciate in greater detail this character and the grace of God in their lives. For example, Psalm 32 would be helpful to us and is glorious to read even if we don't know anything about David.
It's a wonderful thing to read. Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven. Blessed is he to whom God does not impute iniquity. But it's even more, or it helps us more, or it's a better study to know that that's David.
That's David writing, the one who cast his eyes upon Bathsheba. That one who put to death Uriah, setting him to the forefront of the hottest battle. That one whom Nathan indicted by God, and that one whom God restored. When we know all that about David, It adds to the weight and to the thrust of that declaration.
Blessed is he whose sin is forgiven and to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity. The same thing if we study if we study the Apostle Paul. You see, it's a wonderful thing to read of the Apostle Paul in Romans 1 5. Through him, we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith.
Why is it so glorious to read Paul writing about the grace in his salvation and the grace in his apostleship? Because he was a murderous wretch, dragging men and women from their houses off to prisons and to have large stones crush their head. The God of amazing grace is studied when we study characters in the Bible, because when we see the before picture and we see the after picture, our only praise or the only trajectory of our praise It's not upon the man, it's upon the triune God who saves from first to last by grace without a helper. And so that's what we're going to do.
We're going to study the preacher, the Apostle Paul, or sorry, the Apostle Peter from Acts chapter two under four headings. First off, his current strength. Secondly, his refined zeal. Thirdly, his Protestant recovery.
And fourthly, his Christocentric message. finishing with the most important, his Christocentric message, to be sure. But
Peter's Current Strength
first off, his current strength. Peter, once the fearful coward, is now the fearless proclaimer of Christ. You see, when we come to this text of chapter 2, we should marvel and we should worship God when we see and read about Peter in verse 22, standing up and saying, men of Israel, hear these words." And then continuing, Jesus of Nazareth. Why is that so amazing?
And why ought that stir our hearts to praise? Because we know that Peter was once that fearful coward. Fifty-three days approximately prior to Peter, with boldness and strength, standing up and proclaiming Christ to a gathered assembly, he thrice denied this same Jesus. And you see, Peter didn't just repeat the denial.
He didn't just state the denial and repeat it three times. He called down curses from God upon him if what he said was inaccurate. In fact, why don't we turn there? Why don't we turn to to Luke chapter 22?
Actually, excuse me, Matthew 26, the parallel account, Matthew 26, just to see this. I think sometimes we misinterpret what is said in the text. Matthew chapter. 26, beginning at verse 69. Now, Peter sat outside in the courtyard and a servant girl came to him saying, You also were with Jesus of Galilee.
But he denied it before them all, saying, I do not know what you are saying. And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth. But again, he denied with an oath. I do not know the man.
And a little later, those who stood by came up and said to Peter, Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you. Then he began to curse and swear, saying, I do not know the man. Immediately a rooster crowed, and Peter remembered the word of Jesus, who had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. So he went out and wept bitterly.
You see, when we come to verse 74 and we read, maybe not, but when we read, Then he began to curse and swear, saying, I do not know the man. I think some of us might think he's getting really frustrated because he's been asked the third time. You know, he really doesn't want to deny his savior. I mean, at the heart of things, he's a coward, but he doesn't want to deny him.
But he's denied him the third time. So he's frustrated and he's swearing at this person who's asking him. No, the text is conspicuous because before it says with an oath. But again, he denied with an oath.
It is with curses and swearing. In other words, might the curse of God be upon me if I am falsely stating that I do not know Jesus? He's not just denying him. He's saying, might God smite me?
It's a self imprecatory calling down the cursings of God on his head if he is not true and saying, I do not know this Jesus of Nazareth. What a heavy denial. What a heavy denial when he calls the oath, he calls before him the witness of God to validate his lies and his denial. It is quite the betrayal, quite the denial.
And so when we come to Acts chapter two, we see Peter standing up before the same people before whom he denied Christ. It ought to stir our hearts and cause us to sing amazing grace. How sweet the sound when we see men of Israel hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth.
You see, he would use those words, but he would use them in denying that he knew him. Now he owns his Savior, he owns his Lord, and he proclaims him to those before whom he was fearfully afraid. Peter now has this current strength. Once the fearful coward, he is now the fearless proclaimer of Jesus Christ.
And we know what this was. What was this? But first off, an answer to prayer. First off, this was
Answer to Prayer
an answer to prayer. Remember the scene prior to what we just read. There's a scene where Jesus prays or Jesus speaks to Peter and acknowledges, divulges that he, the second of the blessed triune God incarnate, has prayed to the first of the triune God for Peter. You see, Peter was always full of this zeal.
Whenever Christ would say something that was going to happen, Peter said, no, no, no, no. Might it never be? When God incarnate said to Peter that I will be delivered by wicked hands to Jerusalem, will be crucified and raised the third day. Peter said, Lord, might it never be?
And time and again, Peter would would contradict his savior. Well, he did that on that occasion. And Peter, Jesus says to Peter, Peter, Satan has sought to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you. that your faith would not fail.
And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren." You see, Jesus knew Peter's forthcoming betrayal in a matter of hours that day. In a matter of hours. It was only a few seconds later that Jesus said, before the rooster crows three times, you will deny me three times. So we come here and we see an answer to prayer.
Jesus prayed for Peter. Jesus prayed to the father that Peter's faith might not fail, though he would stumble. Ultimately, his faith would not fail. And on this great day of Pentecost, Peter proclaims the riches and the excellencies of Jesus Christ, that one who prayed for him.
We see an answer to prayer and we see promises fulfilled.
Fulfillment of Christ's Promise
Turn to John 15 with me. John 15 in Peter. proclaiming with current strength, having tossed away by God's grace that former cowardice. We see him proclaiming Christ with boldness. And this is, yes, first, an answer to prayer, but secondly, a fulfillment of promise.
John 15, verse 26, But when the Helper comes, Jesus speaking to His disciples, I shall send to you from the Father Excuse me, but when the helper comes whom I shall send to you from the father, the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father, he will testify of me and you also will bear witness because you have been with me from. The beginning, if you stand down a little bit to John 16 and verse five, but now I go away to him who sent me and none of you asks me, where are you going? But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.
It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you. And when he has come, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, of sin because they do not believe in me, of righteousness because I go to my father and you see me no more, of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.
Now notice, I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth for he, excuse me, for he will not speak of his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak and he will tell you things to come. So you see, prior to his crucifixion, knowing, of course, that it was coming prior to that day of redemption that Christ would bear out, he promises his disciples that there will be one who is sent. There is a day coming when you will be empowered to bear witness to all that you have heard and seen.
And so again, when we come to Acts chapter two, we read this, we see Peter standing up with strength and boldness. We see that it is an answer to the promise of Jesus Christ who said he would send his spirit to empower his people for bold proclamation. In the book of Acts, just if we turn to the left of our chapter 2, we read in chapter 1, verse 4, And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, You have heard from me, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. And it was on that day where they were baptized, that we see or it was soon after that that day when on the day of Pentecost came that by the power of the Holy Spirit, this preacher proclaimed the gospel of Christ with great boldness.
So his current strength, Peter, once the fearful coward, is now the fearless proclaimer of Christ.
Peter's Refined Zeal
Secondly, his refined zeal, his refined zeal. Not only is Peter zealous, but that zealousness is no longer marked by an untamed bravado. We mean by that an untamed bravado. Well it's zeal but it's not under control.
That's what Peter was marked by prior to this day of Pentecost. Remember before the crucifixion a number of occasions but one that might jump out at us the most is that day on the night of Christ's betrayal where he hacked off Malchus's ear. Peter was zealous there, but you see, it was a zeal, as the Bible says, without knowledge. It was a zeal uncontrolled.
It was an untamed bravado. Peter was about the cause of his Savior, but unsheathing his sword, he expressed it in an incorrect manner. We remember that time in Matthew 16. You can turn there if you'd like.
It's always good to do so. To keep us awake and to get finger memory, we find our way to various texts for various purposes. In Matthew 16 at verse 21, we read something of Peter's zeal prior. to the zeal that we read in Acts chapter 2, verse 21 of Matthew 16. From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised the third day.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, Far be it from you, Lord, this shall not happen to you. But he turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan, for you are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of man. So it was a heavy day for Peter, wasn't it? You see, Peter, in his untamed zeal, is thinking that he's working for the cause of Christ, your far be it Lord, from you, that this might happen, that you would be crucified by wicked men and rise again the third day.
I'm sure Peter wasn't anticipating, get behind me, Satan. Probably not what Peter had in mind. You know, maybe in the very least, if he was wrong. No, Peter, you don't understand.
No, Jesus is very serious because he was with resolute fervor marching towards the reason for which he came into this world to die for sinners and to rise again. So for anybody to come before that, it is as if they are the mouthpiece of Satan in trying to prevent prevent that redemptive perfection, the crosswork of Christ. So Peter had zeal here. but it was marked by an untamed bravado. Now when we get to Acts chapter 2, the prayer of Christ is effectual.
The promise of Christ has come to bear, has come to fruition. And what do we have now? We have a zealous Peter, but we have a zealous Peter whose zeal is according to knowledge, and it is under Holy Spirit-owned control.
Zeal Toward Opponents
With respect to those who oppose him, first off, He no longer is that one who lops off the ears of Malki, but rather is the one who with great patience preaches to them. You see, Peter is standing before those who are complicit, who are guilty for the crucifixion of his master, of his savior, of his friend. And prior to this, Peter would have unsheathed his sword and started lopping off ears. But for the purpose of the propagation and the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is owned by God with godly patience to say, men of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus of Nazareth. He'll go on to say, men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David. Imagine, he's standing before those godless Jews who, with great venom and great vitriol, crucified the Lord Jesus Christ. He's standing before multitudes of the general populace of Judea, who would have cried out, crucify him, crucify him, give us Barabbas, the murderous thief, instead of the second of the blessed triune, who only spoke perfection.
He's standing before those people. And instead of lashing out and instead of pointing fingers and unsheathing his sword and tossing it at people's heads, he, for the sake of Christ, for the cause of God and truth, owned by the Holy Spirit, with great patience and long-suffering, though with boldness, says, Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, and he preaches the gospel. Glorious example. of a preacher with refined zeal
Zeal According to Knowledge
and with respect to the truth. So with respect to opposition, we see a tamed bravado and zeal by Peter. And with respect to the truth, we see this also. See, before, Peter rejected this whole idea of a crucified and resurrected Messiah.
But as a result of Jesus on that great resurrection day saying, did you not know that all of the law, all of the prophets, all of the Psalms spoke concerning me? Do you not remember what I told you, at least on three occasions recorded, but probably many more, that I must be delivered up into wicked hands, crucified, put to death, but the third day rise again? Do you not remember that? receiving that God-owned and spirit-wrought instruction by Jesus Christ, now is level and configured to the truth. And on this day, with great zeal, according to knowledge, proclaims the riches and the excellencies of Jesus.
He is now, with respect to the truth, refined in his zeal, and proclaims it with great fervor.
Peter's Protestant Recovery
Thirdly, his Protestant recovery. Peter's Protestant recovery, and I'll qualify this, but it's an observation based upon his former self, based upon his current self, based upon others, and based upon what is often the Christian response to being found in sin and being found in grievous transgression. His Protestant recovery, thirdly, he was good for Christ's cause because he understood forgiveness and availed of the blood. You see, Peter had that biblical and Christian response to transgression and to sin.
Others, we see even within the circle of Christ's disciples, did not have that. Now, he wasn't a Christian, Judas. But you see, Judas, like Peter, was marked with a remorse. But what does it end up in?
But his entrails scattered upon rocks in the field of blood. You see, there is a proper response and a God-wrought response to sin. It's not the Judas response. And it certainly isn't the response of many so-called Christians throughout the ages.
Referring to those within the Catholic tradition. the Roman Catholic tradition. You see, Protestant recovery from sin, or we should say biblical and Christian recovery from sin, sees us acknowledging our sin, but immediately availing of the finished work of Jesus Christ and being found in him. We immediately fly to the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not self-flagellate ourselves.
Believe it or not, up until the 1960s, and even continuing up until this day, there are some Roman Catholics who, seeking to self-atone because Christ isn't good enough, will whip themselves with nails on little balls and whips and whatever sort of thing to physically atone for their own sins. They'll engage in quests of self-penance. It's a story of a man who went on missionary work, and I can't remember what was in the mesh tied to his back, maybe tree stumps or chariot tires. But he'd walk up hills and he'd walk everywhere with a sack upon his back in order to self-atone for transgressing God's law, for sinning.
The Bible never tells us that we must have a period of grievous guilt, a period of self-introspection for three days, three weeks, three months, where we You know, we only eat cardboard tasting cereal and we, you know, don't drive anywhere. We run everywhere and we walk on our knees upstairs with rocks taped to our knees. We always immediately fly and the Bible always calls us to immediately fly to the Lord Jesus Christ because only his blood avails, only his righteousness avails for us.
1 John on Confession and Advocacy
Turn to 1 John with me because John sets it forth to us. with glorious clarity. In John's first epistle, we read wonderful language, what we are to do when we sin. Verse 7 of 1 John 1, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.
And he himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. So you see what's going on here. When we sin, we have what? We have prescribed ways of self-atoning, whether it's time spent in prayer, whether it's doing it.
No, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. What's the import to us as Protestant Christians, as Christians? The import is that when we transgress, it is not noble, it is not holy to dive into a state of self-loathing and guilt. There is nothing holy about that.
There is nothing righteous about that. Don't do it. When we sin, yes, we acknowledge the gravity and the severity of violating the precepts of a holy God. But within a matter of seconds, we immediately fly to that fountain opened up for sin and for uncleanness.
We immediately fly to the blood and to the righteousness of Jesus Christ, because in Christ and in Christ alone, we have all that is needed for salvation and right standing before God. Don't be like the Pharisees and the hypocrites of the Jews who walk around looking sad and whatever for however long, immediately fly after acknowledging your sin to that place, to Jesus Christ, to His blood, to His righteousness and His perfect remission of sins provided in His saving work. Peter's Protestant recovery.
Christ's Forgiveness of Peter
And this is as a result of and I think we see this demonstrated in Jesus Christ. You see, we have Peter availing of forgiveness. He was instructed concerning it. He knew doctrinally what was going on.
Christ is my all in all. I'll fly to him. And we also have Jesus dealing with Peter in a forgiving manner, don't we? Let's just let's just cut to the chase.
If any of us if any of us were three times denied by someone who is our closest companion. You got to admit, we wouldn't be, oh, you know what? That's all right. I imagine that with our remaining corruption and with our wickedness, there would probably be a lashing out.
There might not be all of you, but there would be this anger. There would be this grudge. There would be something that we would. We shouldn't have that.
Not saying that's right, but we wouldn't respond like our Savior, even if it's a smaller sin. Even if it's something that someone does that isn't sin, we just get mad at people and we're just horrible, mean wretches sometimes. Jesus Christ is thrice denied. Peter comes to him after the ship rolls into the beach.
And what does Jesus say to him? He says, Peter, get over here. I'm going to point my finger in your face, spit on you. Even when you say, please forgive me, I'm still going to hammer you and beat you up because you wronged me.
No, Jesus says, come and eat some breakfast. Jesus says that he says, come and eat breakfast. The first time Peter sees him in this occasion after his resurrection, it is come and eat some breakfast. Jesus, denied thrice by his closest companion, makes food for him.
And then he gets into his tirade against him. No, Jesus then says, Peter, do you love me? Three times. Three times, Peter says in this restoration, I love you, Jesus.
And Jesus says, feed my sheep. And that's what he does on this day of Pentecost. Jesus is glorious. We need to follow after Jesus when we're engaged.
That's just the principle of scripture. For whom he foreknew, these he also predestined to be what conform to the image of his Son. Let's be like Jesus when we deal with people. They cut us off in the road, or if they You know, say one little thing about us, or if they steal our hamster, or if they take our toy, whatever it might be, the smallest thing to the biggest thing, what do we do?
If they are repentant, we approach them like Jesus. We make them breakfast. We say, you're forgiven. In our case, you're forgiven, brother, sister.
Let's go about, let's love each other. We need to be Christ-like when we engage in our Christianity.
Peter's Christocentric Message
Fourthly and lastly then, as we look towards closing this morning, his Christocentric message. Peter's Christocentric message. Peter was all about Jesus. Kids, that's what Christocentric means.
Christ and center. There are two words there. Christ and center. Christ-centered preaching.
That's what Peter was marked by. Christocentric message. Notice back in the book of Acts. Peter comes on the day of Pentecost before those who crucified the King and Lord of glory.
He immediately flies into an indictment for their insolence and their disobedience. He will indict them, he will charge them, but it is Christocentric in its patient proclamation. Men of Israel, verse 22, have asked to hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know, him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death, whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it." First off, what we see here is that the signs, the wonders, the miraculous doings were all Christ-centric. They were all Christ-centered.
You see, our Bible is not full of a bunch of periods of time where everybody walked around levitating and performing amazing miracles. See, the opponents of Christianity very often ridicule and mock us for believing in miracles. All these amazing things happen from the time of Adam to Christ and the apostles. People were juggling without their hands or whatever it might be, just doing things sort of in an ambiguous manner or detached from a reality.
That reality is Jesus Christ is the center, the reason and the purpose for all miracles in the Bible. Ultimately, unto the end, that God is vindicated in his redemptive purposes. When Christ is doing miracles and signs and wonders, it was to vindicate the fact that he was the promised Christ, that he was the promised Messiah, and God really is with this one. The signs, the miracles, and the wonders that Peter alludes to here were Christocentric.
They had Christ as the reason and Christ as the purpose.
Christ as Terminus of History
Secondly, Christ is the terminus of redemptive history. Terminus simply means the point to which something is tending, an end or a goal. Jesus Christ is the terminus of redemptive history. Him, verse 23, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God.
Jesus Christ is not just the reason for the season. He's the reason for everything. All of redemptive history from Adam to Christ was Christ's word and Christocentric. Everything after that great day at Golgotha is Christ centered.
Everything is for the Lord Jesus Christ. If you don't believe me, then you'll believe Paul in the book of Romans. At least you should. If you don't, you can talk to me afterwards.
Romans 11. Everything is for Jesus and everything has Jesus as its center. Oh, the depths. Romans 11 33.
Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who has known the mind of the Lord or who has become his counselor or who has first given to him and it shall be repaid to him. For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Everything has Jesus Christ as its center. All of redemptive history before and after the Lord Jesus Christ has our blessed Redeemer at the center. For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
The Gospel Defined
Thirdly, and lastly, Christ's cross and resurrection. This is under his crystal centric message. Christ's cross and resurrection are the two historical monuments of the gospel. You see, when we speak of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we need to be sure that we know what we're talking about, because if we smuggle things in under our umbrella of gospel definition, we can entertain heresy or we can confuse people.
The cross and resurrection of Christ are the two historical monuments of the gospel. Gospel deviations can plague us, even within the realm of Reformed Christianity. The gospel is not living the gospel. It's a kind of a catchy quote, and I know some of us, all of us, can latch on to cool little quotes and quick little sayings.
Preach the gospel. And when necessary, use words. Oh, that's kind of cute. And that's nice.
It is nonsense, though. Please don't use it. I get what it means. I get what you're saying.
We need to shine as lights in a crooked, perverse generation. But when you preach the gospel, it is always necessary that you use words. No one can be saved by being helped across the street. No one can be saved by helping unload groceries.
No one is saved by witnessing your good works. People are saved by the hearing of the message. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Preach the gospel and always use words because it is necessary for you to do so.
That which is a consequent of the gospel is not the gospel. That which is a consequent, that which follows as an effect of the gospel is not the gospel. A changed heart. That's not the gospel.
That is glorious. That is beautiful because it is the reality of the announced new covenant. New hearts. I will take out their hearts of stone, put a heart of flesh.
I will give them my spirit and cause them to walk in my statues. Beautiful. But that's not the gospel. The gospel is Christocentric, does not have man in the constituent elements of its glory.
The gospel is not ethical conduct. The gospel is not Christ will save you and make you be good. We don't need to look forward to the gospel is not the answer to the bad news. Isn't you won't do drugs anymore?
That's great. But the answer to the hardness of man's heart and the righteous, wholesome severity of God is not that you will be nice and good. The gospel is not our glorification as glorious as that is entering into Emmanuel's land. The heavenly bliss of paradise is glorious, but that is not the good news of Jesus Christ.
The good news is not the eschatological victories of Jesus, his second coming, his crushing of enemies, his bringing his saints into eternity. Glorious, wonderful, not the gospel. The evangelical command which follows the proclamation of the gospel is not the gospel. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved is not the gospel.
That is what follows on the heels of giving the gospel. The command to believe what you have given as the gospel. What then is the gospel? The gospel is that Christ died and rose again for the sins of all who believe in him.
It has judicial answers for judicial questions. What that means is there is a judicial or legal bad news. God is holy. You're not.
You've transgressed his holy law. You stand under his condemnation. The good news, the gospel answers that judicial bad news with Jesus Christ, his righteousness imputed to those who believe his perfect saving work upon Calvary's tree, bearing the legal punishment for all who believe given to the saints. The gospel is that Christ died and rose again for the sins of all who believe according to the scriptures.
Again, if you don't believe and I'm not trying to be nitpicking and I'm not trying to, you know, be be fussy and picky because there are many deviations with regards to this point. What is the gospel? Again, we've already touched on some of them and it does us well for the cause of God and truth, not to confuse categories. Paul in first Corinthians 15 gives us this proper historical and Christian definition of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you, verse one of one Corinthians 15, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved. If you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. Now notice. Verse three, for I delivered to you, first of all, that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
The gospel of Jesus Christ, the two monuments, historical monuments of the gospel are Christ's cross and resurrection. Bruce writes this in his exposition of the Book of Acts, and I think it helps us with regards to categories. The early apostolic kerygma, that is, the pattern of apostolic preaching, regularly falls into four parts, which may be summarized thus. First, the announcement that the age of fulfillment has arrived.
Secondly, And this is the gospel, a rehearsal of the ministry, death and triumph of Jesus. Third, citation of Old Testament scriptures whose fulfillment in these events proved Jesus to be the Messiah. And fourthly, a call to repentance. These four elements are present in Peter's proclamation here.
He has already announced that the age of the fulfillment has come. Now he rehearses the story of Jesus. You see here, the gospel is that, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as he writes here, the ministry, death and triumph of Jesus. Then there's citation of scripture passages arguing for that perfection and reality.
And then lastly, that call to repentance, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. We have as the glorious content of the gospel message, clearly and exclusively Christocentric message. It's about Jesus. It's all about Jesus.
And it's about Him dying, Him rising again in glory. So, brethren, to close, just a few things before we pray. I do hope that you will avail of what Peter availed of daily in your Christian walk. Richard Barcelos writes this with regards to our third point Protestant recovery.
Faith is Christospective. It looks outside the soul to Christ, promised to sinners in the Gospel. Our hope is not to be found in evidences within, but in Christ without. Look to Him.
You see, when we stumble, and we will, when we sin, and we have already and we will again, when we hurt others, when we hurt ourselves, when we sin, when bad things happen, We fly and we fly to and we latch onto the finished work of Jesus because we will fail. We will stumble and we will be miserable wretches if we look with eyes inwardly and find the evidences of Christianity stirring in our souls. We need to look to Jesus. Isn't that what Pastor Butler has been preaching with regards to the book of Colossians?
Set your minds on things above, on the Lord Jesus Christ, and then what happens? The evidences of our Christianity follow. It's not look inwardly at the inner workings of the Spirit and therein find hope. Hope resides solely and alone in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ.
There look and there find your strength There, find your zeal and there find the stuff of daily recovery in our Christian walk. And remember that Christianity is Christocentric. Isn't that an amazing revelation? Christianity is the religion of Jesus.
It's the doctrine, the theology of Jesus Christ. And so Christianity is Christocentric. are the things that come out of our mouths and the things that we say to others and the things that I am talking about, unbelievers, those who do not believe in Jesus, that our message to them ought always to be Christocentric. It's a message not about how good we are, not about how bad they are, though that needs to be in there in the sense of you're a sinner, you need the Lord Jesus Christ. But very often we can preach a moralism, stop doing that, start doing that, things will be good, even though we claim to be Reformed Christians all about Christocentrism. have a Christocentric message.
If somebody was to ask you, what's Christianity all about? It shouldn't be a litany of, you know, don't do that, don't do that, don't do that, can't eat that, can't drink that, can't watch that, that sort of thing. I mean, there are legitimate applications of the Ten Commandments that, you know, need to sanctify us and help us. But if somebody asks you, what is Christianity?
It's all about Christ. It's all about a Savior coming to do what we couldn't for us. Coming to die a death that we deserve. who rose again the third day in great victory, who has been exalted to the right hand of the majesty on high, where he ever lives to make intercession for us. This goes back to where we look.
What is, how is it that we will be able to stand before God that day? It's because of the stuff that we sing about in that hymn 223. Arise my soul, arise. Shake off thy guilty fears.
The bleeding sacrifice. in my behalf appears. He ever lives to make intercession for us, so might our walk, might our proclamation, might our everything that we do in this lower world have Christ as the center and Christ as the glorious end. Let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, Thank you so much for your word, for what it says concerning Jesus. Thank you for the strength and the zeal of Peter that he had, but only because you empowered him, Lord God, by your spirit and by the instruction of Jesus, that he was able to proclaim those things to people who needed to hear. We just thank you so much that we can avail of the gospel of Jesus Christ as recipients of that same message and as recipients of your amazing grace. We do pray that you would help us in this lower world to be Christo-centric Christians, that we might live in light of the fact that we're saved solely and alone by his perfect work and by your grace, and as a result of that, seek to live unto your glory.
We pray for any Lord God this morning who are here who stand outside of Christ. We do pray that you would come to them. swiftly, that upon the wings of your grace would come spirit and word, that they might be saved unto the praise of your grace. We long to see those who are opposed to you, who are opposed to your truth, who perhaps just come out of obligation or come with parents, that they might see our precious Christ, that they might see his glories, his riches, and his excellencies, and that by your grace, Lord God, they would own him as their Savior and sing his praises. We just pray now that you would go with us, help us to live to your glory, to be always about Jesus, to help others in their walk in this lower world.
And Lord God, as we approach this upcoming week, might we wake our heads each morning thinking of the Savior and of your benefits, and might we rest our pillows safely, resting only on those things which are Christ-centered. We thank you so much for your blessings, and we ask that you go with us now in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's in His name that we pray.