I am sincerely glad to be among you and to bring God's Word. It's true, it's been a number of years that we've been in contact with the leaders of this church, and I'm very, very grateful for that fellowship that we have had. over the years. I really would have been here last year, what I'm calling a stop over, that was last September, October, but I wasn't able to secure a visa last year, and so the Lord was good that I should be able to secure a visa this year to come and be with you for this number of days. And thank you that you'd allow me to occupy your pulpit bringing God's Word.
I want to bring God's word indeed my dear brother pastor is not wrong when he mentioned that He was turning us to chapter 4 because yesterday when we were talking I hinted to him that I could preach from chapter 4 But then later I said well, is it too late or we can actually make it? I preached from chapter 2 and he said no problem. So Still in his mind. It's chapter 4.
However I would like to bring God's Word from chapter 2 of the book of Acts. Now, if my accent throws you a little, you know, sunder, please, after I preach, note down some of the things that I say which you don't somehow understand. I'll be able to explain later, but I hope that I will be able to speak in a way that you'd be able to follow.
Introduction
Do turn, therefore, in that passage, Acts chapter 2. Now, why Acts? uh for a number of years I preached through in in in elderate I preached through the through the the the gospel of Matthew and when I was finished or as I was finishing I thought to myself what should I feed my church on, and after consulting with my fellow elder at that time, then we did agree that I should think of moving to the Book of Acts, just to show how the Lord Jesus continued to carry out his work, building his kingdom, building his church. And so we did agree that I would preach through the Gospel of Mark. I, at the moment, back at home, I preached.
Last Sunday, I preached near the end of chapter four. And I thought I could preach there, but I said, no, let me back off and preach from chapter two. Why? It is giving us a record of the first recorded apostles preaching, apostles summon.
And when we know something about these apostles, just 50 days or so, they were very fearful. In fact, Peter himself ran away from his master, and equally the others were fearful. But Here, when we come to chapter 2 and we read of what happened during the Pentecost, there is an amazing change in these men and the whole group. And so he stands and preaches his first sermon.
So can we learn something from this sermon which really will help us, ourselves as preachers, but really God's people? What is unique about this sermon? And I want us to then look at this. Peter Salmon has an interesting, at least according to me, interesting how he set it out.
Remember, it was not something that he had thought through, at least we are not shown here, he had not thought through it and arranged how he would make his first salmon appear, but really, they were challenged. They were mocked. Wrong ideas were thrown out about them. And now he responds to what has been said.
And in his response, we see this beautiful salmon set before us here. And really, the first verses, verses 1 to 13, really is just declaring that we have here a Lord of Promise, what he says he will do, and so he has bring to pass the promise that he said, he is the ruler, he rules the whole earth and beautiful hymns we have sung to show that indeed he's ruler and now that the rest of the world should come in and know him and serve him because he is the ruler. Well, let's look at his sermon. And the way I want us to look at it, this will help us first, he deals with the wrong perception.
So, he says, what is Pentecost? He helps these people to answer that question. They got it wrong. And so, what is Pentecost?
And then, number two, we are going to see something about who is Christ, because he spends quite a bit of this passage mentioning who the Messiah is. And then in the third place, we will ask the question, why all this? You know, why all this? Peter, why are you bothering to say all this?
And then finally, this will lead us to see something about amazing grace. Well, so let's just look at this then in a short, you know, period that we have.
What Is Pentecost?
The first thing is, he deals with what is Pentecost, and that is verses 14 to 21. He's correcting their wrong view by telling them there in verse 15, these people are not drunk. Okay, I need to just adjust myself. Recently, I had a surgery on my eyes, and I'm very grateful, sincerely, to you as a church, because you played a very significant role in making sure that the surgery was done and done promptly.
Now, I have to adjust a lot. The pulpit I'm using at home is way up, so I'm able to see my notes very easily. But at the moment, I'm learning then to adjust. I hope that you'll be seeing my forehead a little, not because I don't want to see you, but because I want to make sure I read the scriptures clearly and look at my notes also.
But look at verse 15! For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day." And so that's the first thing he tells them. He explains what is happening by correcting their wrong view. His explanation then immediately takes him to the Old Testament scriptures, and that's beautiful.
In his sermon, he anchors what he wants to teach us. in the Scriptures. And there, right from verse 16 all the way to 21, he takes us to the book of Joel. Now, this passage in Joel chapter 2, unfortunately, so often is referred to just when people want to force uh some teaching on prophecy you know in our church we prophesy well how do you get that in the scriptures then they take us to daniel you know to to joel but actually these uh prophecy in daniel is in in joel is a wonderful piece of god's word and we are seeing its proper fulfillment here before us in acts so Peter brings Joel to bear upon what he's saying about Pentecost. And he's saying what Joel said has come to be fulfilled.
The Pentecost then is the fulfillment of what Joel had said. And what did he say? It had been read out beautifully. Let me just read quickly that passage.
But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel. I'm reading from ESV, verse 17. In the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see vision, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even on my male servants and female servants in those days, I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy.
And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below. Blood and fire and vapor and smoke the Sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes the great and the Magnificent day and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and so Peter tells us that Joel chapter 2 verses 20 to 32 has its fulfillment on the Pentecost experience. God's promise of the last day is being poured out before our very eyes, you know, in this very passage. His Holy Spirit comes to all and There is one thing.
Many things are said there, but if we are to reduce into one statement or into one word when the Holy Spirit of God comes upon His people as He had promised, and it is this prophecy. people will prophesy. Basically, that means declaring the words and deeds of God. And that's what they did, actually, because the people who are in Jerusalem, when they saw what happened, the experience that came upon the apostles, and they began to hear the apostles declaring the mighty works of God. Prophecy is bringing God's Word to the people.
Well, and of course that this was going to happen, Joel says, and Peter picks it in verse 19, will show wonders in heaven and signs on earth. Honestly, these were visible things. Look at verse 22. Just drop to verse 22.
We will look at it again. But what are these signs and wonders? Verse 22 tells us, men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth am I attested to you by God with mighty words and wonders and signs. And so, these mighty works of God. have taken place of course in the life of the Lord Jesus, we'll see that in a moment, but indeed signs and wonders have come to pass.
The Messiah is being declared to us. Then there in verse 20, now we can't get into each and every detail otherwise we will be here for so long, but verse 20, the sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. The day of the Lord, the magnificent day, the day when the Lord will do what all along he's been preparing to do. What is it?
You know, this is when the Lord Jesus bore the punishment of his people. bore all that God had demanded and we could not pay. The Lord Jesus paid it. Could you just turn with me to the book of Luke please and see how I believe this ties together. Luke chapter 23.
Luke chapter 23 and let's look at two verses Luke 23, the passage that talks about the death of Christ. And if you look at verse 44 and verse 45, let's see how this works out. Verse 44. It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. while the sun's light filled." And then the next statement, "...and the curtain of the temple was torn in two." So there are at least a couple of things happening.
There's these wonders in the heavens, the darkness upon the land, but then there is also the work symbolized here by the splitting of the curtain from top to bottom. And what does that teach us? It teaches us that the Lord Jesus is opening a way that now men, sinful men, can reach God, can have dealings with God through the open curtain from top to bottom. Ordinarily we would have to tear such a thing from bottom going up.
But no, it is God's work splitting it from top to bottom. But in the context where then on the one hand there is this darkness covering the land, yet the Lord Jesus is mightily at work bearing this last judgment upon himself so people can meet with God. Now from heaven comes this mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire and marking the great, in my version here, back to Acts chapter 2, the great and magnificent day of the Lord. To what end?
Why is all this happening? Is it just so that we can build a theology of prophecy in our church? No, actually, if that's what we are rushing to see in Joel chapter 2, we miss it. There we are told the end of verse 21.
I'll read verse 21. So salvation is what really in the mind of God here, and Peter wants us that we don't miss that. that those who call upon the name of the Lord will be made right with God. That's God's desire. As we have sung a number of hymns that the nations will come and acknowledge and know and serve this God.
And Joel tells us his aim of that prophecy was to the end. that people would get to know the Lord. And so, Peter is explaining the whole matter of Pentecost this way. And so, it's nothing to do with getting too much wine or alcohol in one system as they accused the believers. No, it is God at work.
The scriptures being fulfilled. But then it doesn't stop there.
Who Is the Messiah?
In the second place, Peter then moves to explain who is the Messiah, who is Christ, who is this anointed one. And this is how he shows it. As Peter builds this, Peter really wants to exalt Christ, wants to lift Christ by showing various details or various aspects of Christ. And he uses a word that Jesus was attested.
Look at verse 22. Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man, attested to you by God. Okay.
In other words, God brought various proofs which are beyond doubt that indeed He is the Christ. He's the anointed one. He's the one that men have to deal with if they are to be saved and be brought into this relationship with God. And so, as Peter then begins to bring the various evidences, Peter is like a lawyer, a well-trained lawyer.
He wants to win his case, and so he brings one point and bears it there, and then another point, places it there, and another, and he piles them. Then at the end, he says, listen, I have demonstrated. have dealings with this and that's what we are going to see now let's let's begin
The Life of Christ
he begins by saying something about his life the life of the lord jesus there in verse 22 so we read it again men of israel hear these words jesus of nazareth a man who can be located where he is. I've come from Eldoret and thank you that you my brethren now know oh there's a place we've been praying for this man and here he is today and on the map we saw ah that is Eldoret. Here we are talking of one who could be located where he indeed resided where he grew up. Nazareth was his place.
A man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst as you yourselves know. So that first point is amazing. His life is well known to you. You cannot deny it.
Can we just turn back briefly to the book of Luke. Luke chapter 24. And see how this comes out. Luke 24 verse 19.
This is the record of those who were on their road to miles and they were disheartened that the one they had hoped in has died and reports are coming, well, then he engages them in conversation. But verse 19 is what we want. This is what we read. And he said to them, what things and they said it to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty indeed, and word before God, and listen to this, and all the people.
So it's not just someone heard about no it was truly he was mighty before God evidence or attested by the things that happened but equally before all the people so he's a person people knew People cannot say anything else, but yeah, we know Jesus. Whether they had dealings, they have dealings with him or not by this time, but they know him. They know him. Later, by the way, they will be able to say when the two apostles, John and Peter and John, healed a man, and the authorities hearing that these people are talking about resurrection, they warned Peter and John, don't you talk about this man anymore.
And then the story goes, the boldness of Peter and John, that is in Acts chapter 4, these people say, well, their boldness made them conclude they have been with Jesus. Even the authorities knew Jesus, as much as they didn't want anything to do with him. Well, friends, His life is before all, and everyone knew Him. His life.
But then, who is this Jesus? In the second place we see something about His death.
The Death of Christ
He not only lived there in Nazareth and did mighty works, but His death. Verse 23. We are back to Acts chapter 2, verse 23. This Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
Well, so there in verse 23 we read a record of his death. And it reminds, it should remind us of that beautiful verse in the book of Psalms that Our times are in His hand. The Lord Jesus, His times are in the sovereign hand of God. Really, sovereign hand of God.
However, the wicked people, Voluntarily. They were not forced. They voluntarily, according to the wickedness of their hearts, they killed him. They killed him.
But just remember, because we will see this again, his times are in God's hand. That teaching, dear friends, is a great encouragement. That our times are in God's hand. whatever we pass through. As a church, you know that and I'm just raising it to encourage you.
Your times are in God's hand. You went through a very, very difficult time during the COVID and so many tickets were given to you, you know, as a church. But you stood faithful. And we didn't know what the end will be, but we know someone who knew.
He's sovereign and our times are in his hand. The Lord Jesus, his times are in the hand of the sovereign God. So that's about his death there in verse 23. Let's just look at it again, just one more time.
This Jesus delivered up according to The definite plan and foreknowledge of God. Some people don't like this whole business of predestination. But honestly, it is there. Any sensible reading of God's Word as you go on, again and again, it appears God is in control.
God is in control. Wicked men, yes, will do what they think they're doing with all their cleverness. But it's like, well, they're only carrying out what the hand of God had all along planned. We see that as we read through the book of Acts coming up again and again.
The Resurrection of Christ
We see his life. We see his death. But then in the third place, we see his resurrection. Peter is building a case.
Peter is showing the Messiah through whom the Pentecost has meaning, that now God can relate with sinners through Jesus. Verse 24 talks about his resurrection. Look at it. Verse 24, And God raised him up, losing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
Well, they killed him, but God raised him, because death had no power over him. And then Peter, right from verse 23 to 20, verse 25 to 28, Peter then brings beautifully from scripture, Old Testament scriptures, to show how the raising up of the Lord Jesus was not an afterthought. It's not that God sees his son killed and for him to fulfill the things that he had said, let him work out what he's going to do to raise his son. Peter is telling us that even that is anchored in the scriptures.
Verse 25 to 28, let me just quickly read that. So he appeals to David. For David, verse 25, saying concerning him, I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced.
My flesh also will dwell in hope, for you will not abandon my soul to hates. or let your Holy One see corruption. Verse 28, you have made known to me the paths of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence. Here, Peter brings in these great proofs that Jesus indeed is the Messiah that God talked about in the Old Testament.
It's David who uttered these words, but then in the very passage, Peter says, honestly, the fulfillment of these things are far greater than the things that David himself experienced. Because in what he's quoting, he's talking there of gladness and rejoicing and hope. Why? because of course the father would not let the death have power or reign over his son. This fulfillment can only be sin in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And there we are told David spoke, now from verse 29 on, David spoke as a prophet. He saw the Lord enable him to see the future and that his own descendant will be on the throne. And so verse 30, being therefore prophet and knowing that God has sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne. He foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of Christ.
Amen. And so, friends, we are seeing, therefore, Christ, even his own resurrection, is all within the control of God. Death is not the final thing about. um jesus so his life his death his resurrection and
The Ascension of Christ
he doesn't stop there peter then goes on to talk about his ascension there in verse 33 verse 33 being therefore exalted at the right hand of god having received From the Father, the promise of the Holy Spirit has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing." It's a beautiful way of arguing, bringing one's, you know, points here and there, here and there, and now he ties this with what we have, which is there in verses 1 to 13. This is what God had promised, and what the Lord Jesus, as he was going back to heaven, said will happen. then a little bit is added. As we're thinking about his ascension there in verse 33, something is added, a quotation from Psalm 110, but here it appears for us in verse 35, Verse 34, yes, 34 and 35. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.
I don't know what you make of that, but this is actually a very messianic psalm. It's quoted several times, even by Christ himself. The father calls the son and says to the son, my son, if I may paraphrase it, my son, the work you have done. Sit now.
Sit at my feet. Sit here and I will deal with all your enemies and defeat them. I will defeat your enemies. Just sit, wait and see.
You know, and that makes me say it this way. It's a loss to fight against the living God. No one will win. Now you, again, I appeal to these brethren, you stood firm.
You stood firm and represented the living God against the powers of the day. And may you continue to stand firm. And Psalm 110 verse 1, let that be a constant source of encouragement. The Lord say to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your food store.
What's the conclusion? What is the conclusion? Remember, I'm imagining or I'm trying to help us imagine Peter as a good lawyer and he brings cases. And now his final submission, there in verse 36.
Verse 36. Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain assuredly that God has made him him who the one we have seen about here God has made him both Lord and Christ this Jesus whom you crucified so it's like I rest my case that's what Peter would be saying here you killed the Messiah but God raised him he ascended God enthroned him and made him Lord. One would ask, and of course that brings us to our third point,
Why All This?
Peter, why all this? So what, one may ask, and in fact we see how that dealt with or the impact of what he said by what we read now in verse 37. Has Peter's case brought anything to bear upon these people? Verse 37.
Now when they heard this, They were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brothers, what shall we do? So indeed, all this labor of Peter has borne the fruit. Peter has brought these people to a point that they cannot ignore. the Word of God. They cannot ignore the Scriptures.
They cannot ignore the Messiah who has been explained before them here. What shall we do? They ask. And when you consider why they reached there, honestly, it's because they have their own mind they have worked out the various things but one of them is they have come to realize the long-awaited Messiah is the very one we put to death.
Peter has shown us here and they feel guilty about that. And verse 35 seemed to crown it all when the Lord basically said, My son, you wait. Let me demonstrate my wrath upon the enemies. Just sit and wait.
See what I'm going to do. And those things are entering into the very consciousness of these people. And you know, I've said to crown it all, but yet another thing to crown it all. This man is alive.
This man they put to death. They didn't want him. They put him to death. And God is saying, yes, you have risen.
And I want you to see what I'm going to do to your enemies. So the judge is alive. He's alive. and uh very little i mean not little actually there's nothing they can do that's why they ask is there any hope is there any hope they were cut to the heart what shall we do well friends As we have seen, Peter explains what Pentecost is from scripture and then takes a long portion of his sermon to explain Christ and then shows his hearers that these things are not just to fill their ears, these things are supposed to enter into their very being and to have dealings with them. And you know, friends, I'm not just talking and making reference to those of us who preach, but honestly to all, this is the state that all of us must come if we are to be saved.
We must come to have dealings with the Christ, scripturally speaking. and see that we have terribly fallen in sin and a state that we cannot change by ourselves. And so it's a conviction that only the Holy Spirit can bring us into. Of course there are those who feel terribly convicted when they realize they've done wrong, but their conviction does not lead them to to surrender or confess and trust the Savior. There are some like that.
And the book of Acts itself tells us, if you just turn ahead to chapter five, chapter five, verse 30, and particularly we want 33, but we pick it in its context, where in chapter five, we read from verse 33, This is what the apostles went through when they were arrested and freed. Verse 30. The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on the tree. God exalted him at the right hand as a leader and savior to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sin.
And we are witnesses of these things. And so, it's the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him. They should have been obeyed. But did they obey verse 33?
When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. And we find the same kind of negative reaction to a people who are face-to-face with biblical truths of Saints are exposed, and they are challenged, and instead of humbling themselves, I'm making reference to Stephen's speech, chapter 7, if you read nearer the end, verse 54, their reaction was not the right thing. They did not respond in the right way. So, friends, when we read God's word and definitely because this was someone when we preach God's word for us as preachers we we want to labor and bring each and every of our hearers to to see beyond doubt that we are dealing with scriptures and we are dealing with the promises of God and that Christ is the only hope and we have sinned And it's to the end that people would find help, though, as I've said, some people get enraged and walk away, want to have nothing to do with that ever again.
But what about our passage here? How did Peter, handling the Scriptures and and setting forth Christ and therefore accusing these people of their terrible misdeed. How did this work out in their lives? Let's look then at verses 38 to 41.
And
Amazing Grace
here is really what I'm calling amazing grace. While others would be filled with rage, here we see something about amazing grace. Verse 38. So they have asked Peter, what shall we do? 38.
And Peter said to them, repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So, Peter then shows them what they need to do. And of course, verse 39 then tells us, for the promise is for you and your children and for all who are afar off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. This is the Lord's word.
It's the Lord's work. What we can do is only to expose, bring God's word to bear, and people must have dealings with it, but you know what? That's never enough. We have seen some people turn away in rage, but those who God brings, it's all the work of God.
Those who God calls to himself, and something will happen to them. verse 40, and with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them saying, save yourself from this crooked generation. So those who received his word were baptized and they were added that day about 3,000 souls. Wow, this is a beautiful ending and An ending, honestly, that I'm just calling an amazing grace. When they ask, is there any hope?
Peter says, yes, you repent and believe in the name of the Lord Jesus. Of course, repentance, repentance is the change of mind and heart. We are going this way. That's what we want.
That's where the world is moving. And so the influence of the world and the remaining corrupt, you know, our sinful heart, we are going with the world. But then we hear God's word, the scriptures brought to us. And it arrests us and we think about it.
And then we come to realize, no, I'm on the wrong way. I'm on the wrong way. stubbornly just been going my own way. And then you turn. So you turn by changing your mind, by changing your heart.
Your liking now is a different route altogether. You turn towards God from evil. And that's powerful, by the way, left to ourselves. We don't want to be loners.
So everyone, en masse, people are just going their sinful way. But God then come and interrupts and interjects and puts roadblocks through the preaching of his word. And when We listen to that. When we see that, then we are made to turn by faith unto the Lord Jesus Christ.
And of course, there is a promise held there beautifully. Why did Peter add this? Actually, it's to show us The way of salvation is not narrow. He says, verse 39, for the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are afar off.
So it's not only Jerusalem and Judea, but the ends of the earth. And friends, none of us should ever Think or say, well, he's talking about the natives of, the Jewish natives, the people of Israel. No, he says, even to those who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. Now, you don't sit back and say, well, I don't know whether the Lord has called me to himself.
No, you obey, repent, believe. And when you do so, lo and behold, like Spajon, I believe, is, you know, the illustration he gives, welcome, all welcome, come in. And when you walk in to this great banquet of salvation, and so as you rejoice and drink all the blessings And then as you look behind the door, it's like, well, you entered because it's God who drew you in. But I thought I entered because I chose to enter.
Well, no one forced you, but actually God made you enter. It is God who makes us to enter. All who the Lord our God calls to himself will enter. Well, friends, This is a beautiful summon indeed.
Scriptural and Christ is lifted ever so clearly and sin is not quoted, sin is not just talked about lightly. No, he brings out the sins of these people And yet he says, there is hope for any and for all who will repent. Well, was there any result to be seen? Was this someone successful, as we may say?
Well, there was true success because we are told right at the end, so those who received his word as much as we would say, so those whom God called, and that would be right. But here, the responsibility that is upon everyone who hears the Word is that they receive the Word, that they believe the Word, that they obey the Word. So those who receive the Word were baptized and were added that day about 3,000 souls. Talk of baptizing many people, in the last two months I've baptized just over 10 people, about seven people in one church, five people in the other, and you know I ended up with a sprained elbow and I'm still treating, honestly up to now I have some medicine to take and cream to ointment to massage and because we've got a makeshift baptistry and these people obviously it's always strange experience so as I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit there are those who when they go in they can't come up so I have to just bring them up and doing that at the end But here were 3,000 souls baptized in Jerusalem.
Wow, the Lord's work.
Application
Friends, what can we carry home? A few things that we can remember from this passage by way of application. One, Jesus Christ is risen and exalted. He's gone above.
He's the Lord. He's the Savior. He reigns above all. Have you admitted or submitted to Him?
Have you? The hymns are beautiful. We sang a number of hymns there. The nations need to know Him and come to Him, but have you known Him?
Have you submitted yourself to Him? Because, honestly, He is the Lord. He is reigning. Peter has proved that right from his birth all through to his ascension.
Don't delay. Don't delay. have dealings with the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and do so urgently. But you see, that takes place in the second place. You must come to a true conviction of the horror of your sins.
If you do not see the Their horror, their terribleness, the wickedness of your own sin. You won't genuinely repent. It's only when you see the context of who this one, exalted by the Father, And you realize you missed him all along. You mistreated him badly.
If you were there in Jerusalem, you would have been one of those who would have said, crucify him, crucify him. And so friends, there must be a true conviction that sin is horrible. God would not go through all these arrangements through Joel and at the right time through his son coming to be born and allowing his son to go through all these miserable things they did if sin is just something he can wash away. No!
Sin is bad! Sin is wicked and God hates it! And so, each one must come to a true conviction of the horror of sin. And then, friends, that would lead to genuine abandonment of sin and saying, no, sin, I do not want you.
And I turn the other way. Friends, that's what I pray. Even yesterday, as I joined a number of you, my brothers, as we were out there in town and as we were seeking to show, listen, life is precious. You cannot just decide and say, I don't want, this kid will cause me unnecessary disturbance.
I have the right to destroy life no you don't have the right and so our prayer even as I return home will be Lord bring their awareness to these people who are butchering murdering babies that they would come to realize their horror of their sins that they may repent genuinely well friends Let's end on a beautiful note. Baptism follows repentance and faith. In my own experience, sadly, I grew up in a church where really I wasn't shown sin for what it is and need to repent than to be baptized. I was taken some through Catechism classes and because I was able to answer even though I was a hypocrite I answered well, and I was told you're fit for the water and so I was Put under the water.
Let's just call it baptized. I was baptized, but I wasn't a believer It's only later when I saw what the scriptures clearly teach everywhere that it is believers who should be baptized and than the Lord in his goodness. Gave me peace of heart, peace of mind. My conscience came to be at peace when then, as a believer, then I was baptized.
And I call upon those who have truly repented and put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, please come forward. the two young men who have declared their interest to be baptized may the Lord so give you assurance when you obey him in the waters of baptism and others who may be are through the whole process wondering should I should I not well they they had put some bit of water on my forehead when was a baby should that not be enough Please, read the scriptures. It's those who believed, then they were baptized. May that happen to you.
Otherwise, those who claim to be saved but not baptized, that's a contradiction. And finally, surely, there is no secret believer. No secret believer. you need to identify yourself with God's people. If the Lord has saved you, identify yourself.
Take that step. Count the cost and say, I want to be a member of this biblical church because the Lord has saved me. I want to be baptized. I want to be a member so that I may serve the Lord.
I say that because the last verse shows us, verse 41, so those who received his word, were baptized, and listen to this, and there were added that day about 3,000 souls. They were added. It was known where now they belonged. and beautifully how their life worked out in verses 42 to 47, and my last sermon last week at home, verses 32 to 37, another demonstration that they were really united. Brethren, may the Lord bless your labors here.
As the scriptures are taught in this place, may you pray that sin will be revealed for what it is, will be exposed for what it is, and the Holy Spirit of God will work so that, through that, God will call to himself those whom he is saving. Well, may the Lord be glorified. Are you such that needs to turn to the Lord? Don't wait.
Turn to the Lord. If now, if now, you will find such a blessing. He actually forgives and pleads the people who were forgiven here, who themselves then ended up being baptized, were in this lot. Many of them had previously said, crucify him.
We don't want this one man to reign over us. So whatever anyone's sins may be, Religious because it was a time of Pentecost. Even those who were in Jerusalem because of just the Pentecost. Religious and wicked.
Anyone who turns to the Lord will be saved. Turn to the Lord and you will be saved when you repent of your sins. Let's pray.
Closing Prayer
Lord, our God, thank you. Thank you for your word. Thank you for this first recorded summon of the apostles. Lord, previously, there were people who the things the Lord Jesus Christ taught were just passing over their heads.
And they were just getting the things upside down. Here, Christ had risen, and his Holy Spirit then came upon them. And surely now we see their perspectives were set right, and the resurrection of Christ became very central to them. And now they were able to say, yes, God has made him both Lord and Savior.
And therefore, sinners must repent, must believe in him. And great was their outcome. Great was the result of their preaching. Sinners were saved.
Lord, do so even in our day. Do so in this church. Bring many more to the sound of the word that they would be forgiven their sins and be saved and join the membership and be taught. Lord, Hear our prayer for these things we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.