← Back to sermon library

Two. Acts chapter 2, I'll begin reading 
in 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 loose 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. Let us pray. Father in 
heaven, we thank you for the written word, we thank you for 
the Lord Jesus Christ, and for what Peter tells us concerning 
him in this sermon on the day of Pentecost. We thank you for 
his true humanity, that he came into this world and he took on 
our nature, he assumed our humanity in order to save us from our 
sins. We thank you for his predetermined death by the Father on the cross. so that he could atone for the 
sins of all the elect. We thank you for his resurrection 
on the third day, and we thank you, Most High, for his exaltation 
to the right hand of God Almighty. How we praise you for that current 
session, how we praise you that he always lives to make intercession 
for us, that he is our advocate with the Father, that he will 
indeed come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. 
Certainly, our God, we pray that you'd cause us to set our minds, 
our hearts upon the right hand, where Jesus Christ is. We know 
that he is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000, and we 
know, Lord God, that you are most high and most wondrous and 
most glorious and worthy to be praised. And we would ask that 
you would guide us now by your Holy Spirit as we look to this 
section of the scripture. Do forgive us for our sins and 
our transgressions. Edify and encourage and strengthen 
your people. And God save to the uttermost 
all who draw nigh unto you through the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's 
in his most blessed name that we pray. Amen. Well, as we have 
moved our way through the second chapter here of the Book of Acts, 
we see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in verses 1 to 4. In other words, this is what 
Jesus had told his disciples to do, to tarry or to wait in 
Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high for the 
specific task of serving as witnesses unto him. So the Spirit comes 
and the manifestation, the public evidence of that is that they 
spoke in other tongues. It wasn't gibberish, it wasn't 
babbling, they were languages so that the persons there assembled 
from various other places could hear communicated to them in 
their own tongues the wonderful works of God. And persons were 
amazed by this. However, some mocked and said 
that they were filled with new wine. And so Peter takes this 
occasion, he stands up in the midst of them, and here specifically 
in Acts 2, he explains that it was not the case that they were 
filled with new wine, but rather this is what the prophet Joel 
had written concerning. Verses 17 to 21 indicate or highlight 
the fulfillment of Joel chapter 2. Joel foretold the day when 
the Spirit of God would come in mighty and great power upon 
the people of God, and Peter says that day has arrived. And 
if you notice at the end of verse 21, he says, it shall come to 
pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And then in verses 22 to 36, 
he's explaining who that Lord is, who that object of faith 
is. He shows that it is Jesus, that 
Jesus is indeed Lord of all. And he does that by highlighting 
the true humanity of Christ in verse 22, the predetermined death 
of Christ in verse 23, the glorious resurrection of Christ in verses 
24 to 32. And now this morning, we'll take 
up the exaltation of Christ in verses 33 to 36. In other words, 
after Christ was raised from the dead, what did he do? Did 
he occupy a particular dwelling place in Jerusalem? Did he have 
pets? Did he have a job? No, he was 
exalted by God to the right hand of God, where he has entered 
into what's called the current session. where Christ is the 
prophet, priest, and king for His church according to the hypostatic 
union, both humanity and deity in one glorious person. And we look forward to His return 
again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Well, let's look 
at verses 33 to 36 under three considerations. First, the exaltation 
of Christ in verse 33. Secondly, the application or 
rather the fulfillment of Psalm 110.1. We see that in verses 
34 and 35. And then finally, the implication 
for the hearers in verse 36. But note in the first place, 
the supreme dignity of Christ. That's what we see in the exaltation. In verse 33, 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." The same body that he had during 
his earthly ministry, the same body that was crucified on the 
cross, that selfsame body that was raised by the Father, on 
the third day, and that same body exalted on high. Alexander says he now describes 
the present state and employments of the glorious, though despised, 
Redeemer. In other words, what is Christ 
doing now? That's what Peter describes. 
Now, when it says that he was exalted to the right hand of 
God, you might have a marginal reading in your Bible in the 
note there. It says being exalted either 
to the right hand of God or by the right hand of God. The idea 
of being exalted by the right hand of God, the father exalted 
the son. I think in the context, the preposition 
to is better, because he's going to appeal to Psalm 110 and show 
that Messiah is at the right hand of the Father. And so Christ 
now assumes this position of absolute dominion, authority, 
rule, and glory. and majesty, and it highlights 
his dignity. In fact, this language of the 
right hand of God should be understood figuratively. In the children's 
catechism, we might ask the question, or hopefully we ask the question, 
does God have a body like man? The answer, of course, is no. 
God does not have a body like men. Jesus teaches that God does 
not have a body like men in John 4, 24. God is Spirit. We ought to understand that when 
the Bible speaks of His right hand, or it speaks of the eyes 
of Yahweh running to and fro throughout the earth, or Yahweh 
demonstrating His mighty right arm. The Bible is speaking to 
us in the manner of men. The Bible is using what is called 
improper predication to say something true concerning God. In other 
words, God the Father speaks to us at our particular level. And so the language here of right 
hand of God should be understood figuratively to denote the supreme 
dignity and sway of our Lord Jesus. So you see in Peter's 
argument, this Christ whom you crucified, this Christ whom God 
raised from the dead, now occupies a position of supreme dignity 
and sway. This would hopefully promote 
fear in the hearts of those who had engaged in crucifying Him. This would hopefully be calculated 
to promote in them what does occur in verse 37. You'll notice 
that Peter is not here first and foremost just to inform them 
of Bible truth. He is doing that, but Peter wants 
them to repent. Peter wants them to forsake their 
sins. Peter wants these Jerusalem sinners 
to come to the Lord Jesus Christ and receive mercy and forgiveness. He highlights the fact that they 
crucified Jesus in verse 23, and he'll do it again in verse 
36. I don't think it's any accident that according to verse 37, they 
are cut to the heart. In other words, Peter, informing 
the mind in terms of what the truth of God says, doesn't leave 
out the necessity for sinners to be saved. Does everybody get 
that? Peter is dealing with guilty 
sinners that he wants them to know what's true concerning Jesus 
in his life, death, and resurrection. But he wants these guilty sinners 
to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. So this morning, 
the purpose of the text is to not only inform you concerning 
Christ's true humanity, his predetermined death on the cross, his glorious 
resurrection from the dead, and his current session or his exaltation 
to the right hand of the Father, but you need to repent. You need 
to believe on this one. You need to take seriously what 
Joel 2 says and what Peter says in Acts 2 21. Whoever calls on 
the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now you may delude yourself 
and you may try to fake yourself and deceive yourself and say, 
well, I'm not like those Jerusalem sinners. I didn't have a hand 
in those lawless hands that nailed the Savior to the tree. But you're 
guilty of a whole host of other sins. You're guilty of violating 
every one of the Ten Commandments. You've engaged in idolatry. You've 
engaged in blasphemy. You've engaged in Sabbath-breaking. You've engaged in insubordination 
to authority, whether parental or civil government. You've engaged 
in murder. And here, be careful, don't say, 
well, I've never stopped somebody's heart from beating. Jesus says, 
if you say in your heart, raka, if you say in your heart, fool, 
if you engage in character assassination, which the last time I checked 
is pretty rife in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. If 
you engage in that, you are guilty of violating the sixth word. 
Jesus goes on to speak of the seventh commandment. You say, 
well, I've never engaged in unlawfulness in terms of the marriage bet. 
You have never looked upon the opposite sex with lust in your 
heart. You're guilty. You say, I've never stolen. I've 
never embezzled from my employer. I've never gone down to Walmart 
and boosted, you know, candy bars. You've stolen. You say, 
I've never lied. Do you really, really want to 
say that? The ninth word forbids lying. 
And if just by some amazing stroke of not luck, providence, you 
manage to successfully complete 1 through 9, 10 will find you 
out. This is what Jesus used on the 
rich young ruler. Remember that? That young man comes to him and 
says, good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? 
Jesus says, you know the commandments. And Jesus rattles off many of 
the second table of law. And the man says, all these things 
I have kept from my youth, what one thing do I lack? Jesus takes 
the 10th word and he screws it into the man's conscience. He 
says, go sell everything you have, give the proceeds to the 
poor, and follow me. He's not teaching salvation by 
garage sale. He's teaching this man that he's 
a lawbreaker. He's teaching this man that he 
has a need. He is teaching this man that 
he is a covetous wretch that stands in need of mediation. 
specifically by Jesus. So as we come to the text this 
morning, yes, I want you to know what is true of Jesus, that he 
really lived as a man, that he really died and suffered as a 
man, that he was raised the third day, that he's now exalted to 
the right hand of God the Father. The purpose of all of this is 
that you call on the name of the Lord. See, that's why we exist. That's what we're here for. Yes, 
the dissemination of biblical truth. Yes, the passing on of 
knowledge from one head to another. Yes, the exposition of Scripture. But it's so that sinners be saved. If you have come here this morning 
as a lawless one, as a guilty sinner in the sight of God Most 
High, listen to what the Father has provided in the Son. This 
one, that whoever calls on His name will be saved. this one 
who lived a perfect life, who never engaged in lawless behavior, 
this one who died on the cross as a sacrifice, this one raised, 
this one exalted. Sinners who look to Him in faith 
will have everlasting life. So listen that way. Listen, yes, 
for the information and hopefully the accurate exposition of the 
text, but listen in order to be saved. So, Peter tells us 
that Jesus is exalted to the right hand of God. This is the 
place of honor beside the king. The book of Ephesians and the 
book of Philippians both highlight this exaltation of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Ephesians chapter 1, verses 19 
to 23, and of course, Philippians chapter 2, verses 9 to 11. And essentially, they say what 
Peter says in this text. And the point is, is that God 
was so pleased with what the Son did that He highly exalted 
Him, and He stationed Him at His right hand, and He gave Him 
a name that is above every name. He gave Him universal sway, universal 
authority, all power in heaven and on earth, and a place of 
supreme dignity, majesty, and glory. That's what's in view 
at the right hand of God. Turretin says, the supreme majesty 
and glory by which He was most highly exalted by God and received 
a name above every name. And then as well, the supreme 
dominion, which he powerfully exerts over all creatures, and 
which he shows especially in the government and defense of 
the church." I love that. And that's Ephesians 1. Christ 
has absolute authority, but especially for the church. That's the eye, 
or the apple of his eye. That's the apex of God's redemptive 
plan. It's the church. Christ absolutely 
has authority over Prime Minister Trudeau. Christ absolutely has 
authority over President Trump. Christ absolutely has authority 
over everything that happened yesterday, talking about tariffs 
or whatever's going to happen, talking to North Korea. Christ 
has absolute authority. Do you know the primary emphasis 
or sphere or arena where Christ exercises that authority or where 
he shows his protection, his love and his defense? It's us! 
It's always amazing to me that the people of God have such low 
views of the church. Why is that? If I introduce you 
to my wife and you say, ooh, she's not that great, I'd probably 
be offended because I think she's great. This is what Christians 
do all the time when it comes to the church. They say to Jesus, 
eh, it's not that great. Well, I confess, brethren, as 
one that is not that great in the midst of a people that are 
not that great, the institution as a whole is great because it's 
the bride of Jesus Christ. And we ought to expect the reality 
that He is shaping us, that He is sanctifying us, that He is 
cleansing us, that He is working in our midst. It's a long haul 
project, isn't it? It's not something that occurs 
overnight. We don't all just get lumped 
into one local church and everybody's singing off the same page and 
everybody's always happy together. No, that's not reality. But the 
church as church is something for which Jesus Christ died. He gave himself for her. And this is the point that the 
apostle is highlighting in Ephesians chapter one. Now, notice what 
Peter goes on to say. Christ occupies this place where 
he shows his majesty and glory and where he shows his powerful 
rule and authority. And then notice in the middle 
of verse 33, and having received from the father the promise of 
the Holy Spirit, he poured out this which you now see in here. 
Again, the Old Testament had prophesied the outpouring of 
the Holy Spirit. Joel chapter two. Jesus told 
the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were endued with power 
from on high. Christ had said this, Acts 1, 
verses 4 and 5. He repeats it in Acts 1, verse 
8. And we see it come to pass in 
Acts 2, verses 1 to 4. The people heard. They heard 
this sound of a mighty rushing wind. The people saw these cloven 
fiery flames descend upon the disciples. The people witnessed 
the various disciples speaking in other languages. They hadn't 
been taught those things. They didn't go to night school. 
They were endued with power by the Spirit, and they spoke in 
other tongues. But see, here's the rub. The 
mockers of verse 13 said, oh, no, this is just new wine. This 
is sweet wine. This is the effects of a couple 
of people or a handful of people imbibing a bit too early in the 
day. Peter says, no, the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. But now Peter 
ups the ante. He says the very phenomena that 
you now see in here, the very things that you are witnessing 
is the absolute responsibility of the one you crucify. Think 
about that for a moment, would you? They had taken him by lawless 
hands, had him nailed to a tree. Instead of saying, you know, 
we worship you, we praise you, we love you, they said, away 
with him, away with him, crucify him. They asked for Barabbas, 
a notorious criminal, not a robber probably, but an insurrectionist, 
a revolutionary, a terrorist. and yet they want the Son of 
Man to be crucified. And now Peter says that it's 
Jesus at the right hand of the Father that has poured out the 
Holy Spirit? You see, this goes along with 
what I tried to point out when we first looked at this section 
in Acts chapter 2. The phenomena in Acts chapter 
2 was not intended to dazzle people with tongues, but to demonstrate 
the lordship and authority of Jesus. This is why whenever persons 
come to Acts 2 and they're searching for tongues, they're missing 
the Messiah. And the whole point of the Spirit 
coming in power is to affirm that Christ is at the right hand 
of the majesty on high. You see, we get caught up in 
the tongues, and we miss the Savior. We get caught up in the 
phenomena, and we miss what the phenomena is pointing us onto. We get caught up in debates concerning 
Charismaticism or Pentecostalism, and we marshal Acts 2 into our 
particular arsenal, and we forget that the testimony involved is 
that Christ is exalted at the right hand of the Father. We 
really are like the baby following the shiny thing. I mean, so many 
things that happen in the church are the baby following the shining 
thing. I mean, we miss large swaths of biblical truth because 
we're caught up in whether or not believers are supposed to 
speak in tongues. That's not the purpose of Acts 
2, to tell you whether or not you're supposed to speak in tongues. 
The purpose of Acts 2 is coming to pass in verse 36. Therefore, let all the house 
of Israel know assuredly that God made this Jesus, both Lord 
and Christ, whom you crucified. You see, don't get lost in the 
discussion concerning tongues and miss what Peter is highlighting. F.F. Bruce makes this observation 
concerning the outpoured spirit by our Lord Jesus. He says, he 
who had earlier received the spirit for the public discharge 
of his own earthly ministry and had now received that same spirit 
to impart to his representatives. in order that they might continue 
and indeed share in the ministry which He had begun. His present 
impartation of the Spirit to them, attended as it was by sensible 
signs, was a further open vindication of the claim that He was the 
exalted Messiah." Now just imagine you're a Jerusalem sinner and 
you had had a hand in the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. You 
were there in the crowd on the day when Pilate says, do you 
want Jesus or Barabbas? And you said, give us Barabbas. 
And then when he said, what about Jesus? You said, away with him, 
away with him, crucify him. Now you're a few days or a month 
or two later, and here you are, standing in Jerusalem, and the 
apostles are telling you that this Jesus, whom you crucified, 
has been raised by the Father, has been seated at the right 
hand of the Father, and it's Him that's pouring out the Spirit? That's amazing. Now, you're all 
looking at me like, what's the point? The point is, that's amazing. This Jesus who was crucified 
is now responsible for pouring out the Holy Spirit. Truly, truly 
incredible. Now, let's look what Peter does 
in terms of verses 34 and 35, the fulfillment of Psalm 110. He employs the same strategy 
as he does with the resurrection. He employs the same strategy 
that he does with the resurrection. In other words, what he says 
concerning the exaltation is that this is no new thing, but 
it's coming to pass according to ancient prophecy. Just like 
with the resurrection, it's no new thing, but it's coming to 
pass according to ancient prophecy. And with the resurrection, he 
says, Psalm 16 is not about David. David wrote Psalm 16, but it's 
not about David. And the same is the case with 
Psalm 110. David wrote Psalm 110, But it's 
not about David. And this is his appeal here to 
Psalm 110. Notice in verse 34, For David 
did not ascend into the heavens. Same argument, just like he does 
in verse 29. 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. Just as David 
was dead, buried, and did not rise, neither did David ascend 
into heaven. And just as David wrote about 
Messiah in Psalm 16, whom is Jesus, so did he write about 
Messiah in Psalm 110. So he employs the same strategy 
to do the same thing and to demonstrate very specifically that every 
event that is transpiring in terms of the life and the death 
and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ was prophesied by 
the Father. Remember, as we entered into 
the book of Acts, I told you and I'll continue to tell you, 
what we will see is that the Christian interpretation of the 
Old Testament is true. Now, you say, of course it's 
true because we're Christians. That's not really a good argument, 
but okay. But it's important for us to 
understand that. When we move through the book of Acts, guess 
who's right and guess who's the leadership of the Zion of God? It ain't the Jerusalem leaders, 
it's the apostles. And the apostles understood what 
the Old Testament taught. It was the Jewish unbelievers 
that did not. They rejected the truth concerning 
Messiah, and therefore they reject the entirety of the Old Testament. This idea today that we as believers 
have a lot in common with the Jews, I mean, we have blood, 
we have circulatory systems, we have brains, we have eyes, 
we have ears, we have noses. Yeah, we have a lot of common 
that way, but religiously they have rejected the very Messiah 
whom we worship. And the issue is they need to 
believe on that Messiah. They need to look unto the Lord 
Jesus Christ. They need to call upon the name 
of the Lord in order to be saved. So you see what Peter is doing 
is telling them, this is how the Psalter is to be understood. 
Now note the quotation there in verses 34 and 35. The Lord 
said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies 
your footstool. Who are the two Lords in Psalm 110? It's a good 
question. If you've ever thought through 
this, what is the psalmist, and what is Peter saying? The Lord 
said to my Lord. Now you'll notice if you have 
probably any number of English translations, the spelling is 
the same, but the capitalization is a bit different. The first 
instance, you have capital L, capital O, capital R, capital 
D. And in the second use of Lord, 
you have L, capital, and then lowercase, O-R-D. Everybody's 
with me. Just take a breath in a moment. 
Do some heavy lifting here with reference to spelling. You have 
to appreciate what's happening here. Who are the two lords of 
Psalm 110? Peter is quoting the Greek translation 
of the Hebrew Old Testament. And the Greek translation of 
the Hebrew Old Testament used the same Greek word for both 
lords, kurios. But the Hebrew of Psalm 110 verse 
1 uses two different Hebrew words. It's literally, Yahweh said to 
Adonai. Yahweh said to Adonai. Notice that David calls Adonai 
in Psalm 110, my Lord. It's gonna be important, because 
when we get to verse 36, and Peter says, he has made him both 
Lord and Christ. Some teach that Jesus didn't 
become Lord and Christ till after his resurrection and at the exaltation, 
and God adopted him at that particular point. No, he's always been Lord 
and Christ. What's happening in verse 36, 
we'll deal with when we get there. But for right now, consider this, 
Yahweh said to Adonai, We might say it this way, the Father said 
to the Son. God the Father said to God the 
Son. So you see what Peter is doing. 
Not only does Psalm 16 find its fulfillment in our Lord Jesus, 
specifically with reference to his resurrection, but Psalm 110 
finds its fulfillment in our Lord Jesus with reference to 
his exaltation to the right hand of God on high." So that's the 
two lords. Note the use of right hand in 
Psalm 110. The Lord said, or Yahweh said, 
to my Adonai, or the Father said to the Son, sit at my right hand. Notice the reference to Christ 
sitting at the right hand. It's reminiscent of what Peter's 
already said in verse 30 concerning the Davidic covenant. Look at 
verse 30. It says, Therefore, being a prophet, 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. Remember there I indicated we're 
not waiting for Jesus to occupy his throne in some future millennial 
kingdom. Jesus has occupied his throne. Jesus is King of Kings and Lord 
of Lords. Jesus has absolute authority. So Adonai has taken his rightful 
position at the right hand of Yahweh. And this speaks again 
to his supreme dignity and it speaks to his sovereign rule. 
In fact, turn back for just a moment to Matthew 22. Matthew 22, just 
so you can see where Christ affirms Peter's interpretation. I know that sounds a bit bizarre 
to say it quite like that, but I think you'll get the rub as 
we move through. Matthew 22, verse 41, while the 
Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them saying, what 
do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? They said to 
him, the son of David. But that's right, isn't it? He 
is the son of David. He's from the line of David. 
He's a Davidic descendant. He is the one, ultimately, that 
2 Samuel 7 was about. The son of God, the son of David, 
that would sit upon a throne, that would build a house for 
God and rule and reign forever. But notice in verse 43, he said 
to them, how then does David in the spirit call him Lord, 
saying, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make 
your enemies your footstool. If David then calls him Lord, 
how is he his son? Of course, they don't know how 
to answer, right? You kind of see their faces when 
Jesus does this to them once in a while. You know, they ask 
him, by what authority are you doing these things? And he says, 
why'd you, what do you think of John the Baptist? Well, if 
we say we like John the Baptist, the people get mad at us because, 
you know, or if we don't like John the Baptist, people get 
mad at us because he's popular with them. But if we say we don't 
like John the Baptist, so there's just an answer. Same sort of 
thing. They just can't answer. We don't 
know. It's like the kid in fourth grade. What's 8 plus 8? That's what 
these Pharisees are reduced to when they come up against the 
one in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid. 
Christ is absolutely intellectually superior to the Pharisees every 
step of the way. You see, Christ understands Psalm 
110 to speak of Christ. Notice in Matthew 26 at verse 
64, employing the same imagery that Psalm 110 holds forth and 
that Peter now applies specifically to our Lord Jesus. Matthew 26, 
64, the high priest puts him under oath and says, tell us 
if you are the Christ, the Son of God. 26, 64, Jesus said to 
him, it is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter 
you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power 
and coming on the clouds of heaven. You see, Christ understood Psalm 
110 of himself. Peter understands Psalm 110 of 
the Lord Jesus. And he says that he sits at his 
right hand. But then notice he goes on to say, till I make your 
enemies your footstool. Now this footstool imagery points 
to conquest. Footstool imagery points to conquest. And Christian brothers and sisters, 
we need to remember this. I don't think that we need to 
be triumphalistic, irritating people in society. I don't know 
that we need to march down Wellington with signs that say, Jesus is 
going to get you. I don't think that's necessary. I don't think that's what we're 
called to. But I think we need to remember it, at least at some 
level in our hearts. Not that Jesus is going to get 
you, but Jesus is defending his church. Jesus will vindicate 
not only God the Father, but his people. Jesus Christ is triumphant. Jesus Christ is lowering his 
foot upon his enemies. And this is the language of the 
Psalter. This is what Psalm 110 says, "'Til I make your enemies 
your footstool." John Gill explains it's an allusion to the custom 
of conquerors treading upon the necks of the conquered. It's 
applied to Jesus. Joshua 10 24 and the execution 
of the Amorite kings and they drew near and put their feet 
on their necks It's kind of like if you had a gopher that was, 
you know menacing your carrots and you managed to capture him 
and execute him and then you hung him so that other Gophers 
would see and fear and they wouldn't likewise go after your stuff 
This sends a message to others that The armies of Israel are 
lowering their feet on the necks of these executed Amorite kings. 
What's it communicating to the Ammonites? What's it communicating 
to the Girgashites? What is it telling every other 
ite around that? Don't mess with Israel. As well, 
you see this in 1 Kings 5.3, you know how my father David 
could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because 
of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until 
the Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet. Psalm 47, 
3, He will subdue the peoples under us and the nations under 
our feet. Now, brethren, walk with me one 
step further here and think through this implication. I believe all 
of these passages All of these sort of images, all of these 
figures, all of this triumphant language in terms of Messiah 
crushing his enemies fulfills what was promised in Genesis 
3.15. What's the language there? It's 
the skull-crushing seed of the woman that is going to bring 
victory. Let me say that again, skull 
crushing seed. Have you ever wondered why so 
many enemies of Israel lost their heads? Literally. That wasn't meant metaphorically 
or figuratively. It was meant literally. Where 
does David deal the death blow to Goliath? It's a head wound. Read the book of Judges and see 
how many bad guys lose literally their heads. Genesis 3.15, I 
will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed 
and her seed. He shall bruise your head and 
you shall bruise his heel. You see that imagery scattered 
throughout, not only the former prophets, but the latter prophets. It's a frequent allusion pointing 
to the victory and the triumph and the reign and the glory and 
the exaltation and what we'll call the current session of our 
Lord Jesus. This is our Christ. This is where 
it gets practical. You're not on the losing side. Your side is the winning side. Again, don't walk down the street 
as some triumphalistic sort of irritating person, but know in 
your heart of hearts that our Jesus is victorious, that our 
Jesus does reign. that in Revelation chapter 1, 
as John opens to address the seven churches of Asia Minor, 
and he does so with a reference to the triune God, he calls Jesus 
the ruler over the kings of the earth. That's very significant 
in a book wherein there is a beast. And that beast isn't the sort 
of, you know, monstrous figure rising out of the Mediterranean 
Sea. He's a political figure. In other words, the people of 
God are being menaced politically in the first century. What's 
a great reminder at the very outset as we consider the particular 
task at hand? Jesus is the ruler over the kings 
of the earth. I think the Christian church, 
to some degree, has forgotten that. I think to some degree 
we have forgotten the reality that Christ is enthroned at the 
right hand of God and that he must reign till all of his enemies 
are made his footstool. You know who didn't forget this? 
It was the early church. Do you know what the most quoted 
verse in the New Testament is? It's either directly quoted or 
it's what's called alluded to. It's Psalm 110.1. Now, you think 
you have it bad in the 21st century in Canada? You might. You do. We have certain threats 
on our religious liberty. We have encroaching threat on 
our very existence as the people of God. But the Roman Empire? You think we're the only age 
that ever had to deal with publicly affirmed sodomy? That we're the 
only age that ever had to deal with abortion on demand? I'm 
not justifying it, and I'm not suggesting that somehow, you 
know, we aren't suffering, or these aren't horrific atrocities 
that are happening. But the early church faced the 
same thing. The way they committed abortion 
in the early church. If they didn't get a boy baby, 
they'd take the girl baby, in most instances, and put it on 
the trash heap. And either the dogs would come 
and eat the baby, or persons would come and steal the baby, 
and then bring it up into a life of prostitution. It was all still 
rampant. It was all still going on. We 
have just moved it from the trash heap, at least on the corner 
curb, to the trash heap, which are medical offices, and we have 
sanitized it, and we have anesthetized it, but the end game is the same. 
My point is the brethren in the early church faced those sorts 
of things. Let's talk about religious liberty. Let's just talk about 
that for a moment. Who is persecuting the early 
church in the book of Acts initially? It's unbelieving Jews. Then comes 
the oppression or the aggression of the Roman Empire. You ever 
heard of a guy called Nero? I mean, he was terrible. John 
Fox called him a beast of a man. I would argue, if we had more 
time, he is the beast of Revelation chapter 13. You see, the people 
of God faced political oppression. The people of God faced religious 
extermination. The people of God faced everything 
we faced, and yet the constant refrain from them was, Yahweh 
said to Adonai, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies 
your footstool. You see, brethren, I think the 
take-home application from that is the reality that Christ now 
rules and reigns at the right hand of the Father is a reality 
that ought to encourage you to get out of bed. It's a reality 
that ought to sustain you all throughout the week. It's a reality 
that, dare I say it, may even put a spring in your step and 
cause you to show the joy of the Lord. Yahweh said to Adonai, 
sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. Calvin said he therefore sits 
on high, transfusing us with his power, that he may quicken 
us to spiritual life, sanctify us by his spirit, adorn his church 
with divers gifts of his grace, keep it safe from all harm by 
his protection, restrain the raging enemies of the cross and 
of our salvation by the strength of his hands, and finally hold 
all power in heaven and on earth. All this he does until he shall 
lay low all his enemies, who are our enemies too, and complete 
the building of his church. So you see Peter's strategy. 
Christ rose from the dead, according to ancient prophecy, Psalm 16. 
Christ was exalted to the right hand of the Father, according 
to ancient prophecy, Psalm 110. David didn't do this. David died, 
David was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. He certainly 
wasn't raised the third day, and he certainly didn't ascend 
into heaven. The same theme of David, the same object, or subject, 
rather, of his psalm in Psalm 16 is the same one in Psalm 110. David's son is David's Lord. Now, let's just bring this to 
a close with reference to the implication for the hearers in 
verse 36. Therefore, points to implication, 
therefore, This is why I said earlier, Peter's not concerned 
just to inform his audience. Peter's not informed just to 
give them a better hermeneutic in terms of Psalm 16 and Psalm 
110. Peter wants them to repent. Peter wants them to be saved. 
Peter wants them to move by the grace of God from the place of 
darkness into marvelous light. Peter wants them to go to heaven. 
Peter wants them to end that day confessing Jesus Christ as 
Lord and Savior, identifying publicly with Him in the waters 
of baptism, and then devoting themselves to doctrine, and to 
the breaking of bread, and to fellowship, and to prayers. Peter 
wants that for his hearers. That's what gospel preachers 
want. They don't simply want to disseminate information. No 
more than a parent just wants to disseminate information to 
their child. They want their children to embrace 
that information. They want that child to embrace 
the Savior. They want that child to, by the 
grace of God, move from death unto life. Peter says, therefore, 
let all the house of Israel know assuredly Alexander said, by 
the use of this phrase, let it know, suggest that all dispute 
is at an end, that nothing now remains but to accept the only 
possible conclusion. I quite like that. Look at what 
he says. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly. Sometimes we present the gospel 
and we talk about Jesus like it's contingent or it's a possibility 
or it maybe took place or we're so feeble and we're so weak or 
meek and mild. Now I'm not suggesting you have 
to scream at everybody you have an encounter with. But brethren, 
persons should know that you believe that this happened assuredly. In other words, I'm not offering 
you a suggestion on how you may possibly better your life. I 
am not suggesting that among men like Socrates and Plato and 
Aristotle, there was a man named Jesus who could sort of dialogue 
with them and hold his own. No, you need to know assuredly 
that what I am saying to you is the absolute truth. There 
is no other conclusion for you but to accept it. There is no 
other option available for you than to receive it. In this particular 
context, and dare I say in ours, the only possible outcome or 
the only logical outcome for anybody hearing Peter or for 
hearing this sermon is to call on the name of the Lord. This 
is what Peter says. Notice, therefore, let all the 
house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus 
both Lord and Christ, whom you crucified. There is a big contrast 
there between God and the murderers of Jesus. He's already done this 
back in verses 23 and 24. You treated him this way, but 
God raised him up. What's that doing? It's showing 
them their need. It's demonstrating to them their 
sin. Now, as I mentioned earlier, 
God's making Jesus both Lord and Christ does not infer or 
imply some sort of an adoptionistic Christology. He was always Lord 
and Christ. I think the idea here is consistent 
with what we find in Romans 1, 3 and 4. has demonstrated to 
be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the 
dead. This Son of David went into the 
tomb. He was raised again the third 
day. And that demonstrated that he was, in fact, the Son of God 
with power. As well, it highlights that he's 
doing this according to his humanity, according to his role as mediator. The hypostatic union doesn't 
vanish. It doesn't dissolve. Christ will 
be seen by us in his humanity. The flesh wasn't left. Remember 
when Jesus rose from the dead and Thomas sees him, he says, 
my Lord and my God. Prior to that, Jesus says, reach 
and touch. Five bleeding wounds he bears, 
received on Calvary's tree. That is the case. That is true. We will see him in that, I don't 
want to say form, because it almost suggests some amalgamation 
that's not right. We'll see him as he is. And he 
is the two natures and the one person forever. That's what Peter means. He's 
not saying that God the Father adopted him as his son and made 
him Lord and Christ. In this context, the verb make 
means that God has shown or established, or brought about something by 
His action. Again, Romans 1, 3 and 4, concerning 
His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David 
according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, 
according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the 
dead. He didn't make him this, this demonstrated, this affirmed, 
this showed it forth. But as well, as we saw in Matthew 
28, when Jesus says, all authority in heaven and on earth has been 
given to me. He's not speaking there as the second person of 
the Trinity. I mean, he is, but he's not. 
What he's speaking about there with reference to his role as 
mediator, the God-man, the one equipped by the Father to serve 
as a prophet, priest, and king. It's in that capacity, it's in 
that state, it's that dignity conferred upon him that he has 
all this authority. Of course, as the second person 
of the Trinity, he always had all authority in heaven and on 
earth. But as the mediatorial king, as the one enthroned at 
the right hand of the Father, God has indeed made this one 
both Lord and Christ. That's the gist. And then notice 
the text specifically. You might have noticed that I 
read it a little bit differently. It's literally, therefore, let 
all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this 
Jesus both Lord and Christ. How does Peter end? Whom you 
crucified. It might be a small switch. It 
might be a small thing. But I think that Peter, as a 
preacher, wants his hearers to suffer, not suffer. Yeah, suffer. 
Conviction for sin. He wants them to be left with 
that. It's interesting. He ends on 
their sin. The sermon is a great illustration 
of how sermons ought to be. It begins and ends with Jesus, 
right? This Jesus, this Jesus. It involves the life of Jesus, 
the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus. Peter doesn't stand 
on the day of Pentecost and say, let me share with you from my 
heart. Let me tell you some amusing anecdotes about the Holy Spirit. 
Let me sit down in front of you and just chill. No, no, no. Peter stands up and he declares 
the truth concerning Jesus. He lived, he died, he was raised 
the third day. Now, you might say, that seems 
right. Well, today we're told that we 
can share the gospel through our actions. No, you can't. As virtuous as your life may 
be, it does not communicate blood atonement on Golgotha. It just 
doesn't. You know, that old piece of whatever 
that came from the past, bad theology. It said, you know, 
share the gospel at all times and when necessary, use your 
words. That's terrible. You can only 
share the gospel with your words. Have you ever tried to illustrate 
through your life or virtue, blood atonement at Golgotha? 
You can't do it. It is absolutely crucial that 
Christians think properly concerning the gospel. Now, there's broader 
ways that that word is used. Gospels refer to Matthew, Mark, 
Luke, and John, but the gospel specifically is the message concerning 
Jesus with reference to his life, death, and resurrection. The 
gospel isn't your feelings, the gospel isn't your response, the 
gospel certainly isn't your experience, and the gospel isn't your virtuous 
life. The gospel is the message of 
Christ and Him crucified, Christ and Him raised, Christ and Him 
alone for salvation. That's the gospel, and that's 
what Peter does. But intriguingly, Peter ends 
on their sin. The Geneva Bible preserves the 
order well. It's the last thing they hear. 
And again, I don't think it's any accident that in verse 37, 
they actually say, what must we do? And what does Peter say? He says, 
call on the name of the Lord. See, Peter knows what he's doing 
as a gospel preacher. It's always good for you as an 
evangelistic methodology to have persons read the sermons in the 
book of Acts. I mean, that's the best specimen 
of gospel preaching you'll ever get. Yes, give them Spurgeon's 
sermons to be sure, but better give them Peter's sermons. It's 
the inspired written Word of God, not suggesting that Spurgeon 
is heretical or bad, but there is in the Word the ability by 
the Spirit to save sinners from their sins. Maybe give them Axe 
and Spurgeon. Just want to readjust myself 
there. See, Peter's point wants to let them know that they have 
crucified. The last thing they hear is what 
has already been stated in verse 23 in order to highlight their 
guilt and thus show them the need to do what verse 21 says. Whoever calls on the name of 
the Lord shall be saved. Well, brethren, I want to bring 
home just three quick thoughts and then we'll close. First, 
the revelation of the glory of the Lord of verse 21. the revelation 
of the glory of the Lord of verse 21. Whoever calls on the name 
of the Lord shall be saved. As I said, Peter's sermon begins 
and ends with Jesus. As well, we need to understand 
that the Father's purpose is all about Jesus. Salvation includes 
His true humanity. Salvation includes His life of 
obedience. Salvation includes His death 
and resurrection and exaltation. It includes, or God's plan includes, 
all of those things. Why? For the glory of God, to 
be sure. For the fulfillment of the execution 
or application of what's called the covenant of redemption. But 
for us men and for our salvation. Why did Jesus come down from 
heaven? For us men and for our salvation. Isn't that beautiful that Christ 
went through this in accordance with the Father's purpose and 
plan to save people like us? I don't know if you ever do that. Do you ever just wonder, why 
is it that I'm going to heaven? I mean, I know in a doctrinal 
position, I'm convinced of reformed theology, but why me? You know, 
271, I think, reveals that ethic or that sort of idea very well, 
271 in our Trinity hymnal. And I think that the people of 
God probably entertain this thought once in a while. It says, let 
me see. While all our hearts and all 
our songs join to admire the feast, each of us cry with thankful 
tongues, Lord, why was I a guest? Why was I made to hear thy voice 
and enter while there's room, when thousands make a wretched 
choice and rather starve than come? Do you ever entertain that 
thought? Do you ever just say, man, I'm 
going to heaven. And I know it ain't because of 
me. What was it in God or what was it in me that God saw? It 
wasn't in you. He didn't look down the tunnel 
of time and say, hey, he's going to do great things, and so I'm 
going to choose him. No, it's according to the purpose 
and plan and pleasure of God. according to the purpose and 
plan and pleasure of God that Jesus Christ did what Jesus Christ 
did for us men and for our salvation. And then in terms of the practical 
application of the benefits, or the practical fruits rather, 
of this, what we'll call the current session, that just refers 
to Christ ascended He is exalted to the right hand of the Father, 
and he is currently in session. He is currently reigning and 
ruling at the right hand of the Father. Ursinus says that since 
he who is our king, our head, our flesh, and brother sits at 
the right hand of the Father, therefore he will grant unto 
us, his members, every good. Every good comes from Christ 
sitting at the right hand of the Father. I would suggest first 
His continual intercession for us. Remember that Psalm 110 not 
only includes that statement in terms of the triumph of Jesus 
in Psalm 110. One, but it also tells us that 
King, that Adonai, that Son, that Messiah that sits enthroned 
at the right hand of the Father also functions as what? He functions 
as a priest. He's a priest according to the 
order of Melchizedek, according to Psalm 110, verse 4. This is 
drawn out in great detail in the book of Hebrews. The book 
of Hebrews, in many respects, is like one great big sermon 
on Psalm 110. It shows us how it relates to 
Jesus as king, Jesus as priest. So when we consider the current 
session, guess what Jesus is doing right now for you and I? 
He's making intercession for us. Hebrews 7.25 says, He always 
lives to make intercession for us. Romans 8 says, He always 
makes intercession for us. 1 John 2, what does John tell 
us? My little children, I write these 
things to you so that you may not sin. In other words, John's 
words in 1 John are so that the people of God won't sin. That's 
a noble cause, isn't it? It's a good thing. John wants 
the people of God to be holy. But John immediately continues, 
and if anyone does sin, I like to say John the idealist 
and John the realist. Not in terms of philosophy, but 
in terms of practicality. He's an idealist. I'm writing 
to you so that you may not say it. But that realism hits him 
right away. But if anyone does say it, what 
does he say? Go grovel up the mountain? Put 
ashes in your soup? Whip yourselves the way the Roman 
Catholic monks used to? Walk around and pout all day? 
Because that'll deal with your sin. Just show everybody. If anyone has or if anyone does 
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ 
the righteous. Isn't that great news? Isn't 
that wonderful and glorious? Not so that I'll go out and sin, 
but if I do sin, I have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ 
the righteous. There's no sort of time frame 
in there. I think the people of God get 
this in their heads. Well, I sinned, and I'm gonna confess my sin, 
but I really need to feel bad for like three hours until I 
appreciate and appropriate the grace of God. I don't think that 
honors God any more than when you actually forgive your kids 
or your wife. They walk around all sulky and 
mopey, and you say, why aren't you happy? I forgave you. You 
should be doing a jig. Be kicking up holy heels in praise 
and adoration. You should rejoice. You see, 
for the true believer, the grace of God and the promise of continual 
forgiveness does not promote sin and license. It promotes 
gratitude, thankfulness, and a frequency at the throne of 
grace, pleading the advocacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. As 
well, with reference to the current session, he gathers together 
and he preserves his church. That's good news too, because 
consider right now, or better yet, consider an hour and a half 
or two hours ago, when we were reading several things concerning 
the persecuted church, concerning persons in Africa, say, concerning 
persons in China, say, concerning persons all over this globe that 
aren't sitting in a well-equipped facility, maybe a little warm, 
maybe a little cool, maybe a little bit, I should have brought a 
little bit of heavy, There's bigger problems out there than 
that. Christ is gathering and building his church. Where there 
are eyes, where there are persons, where there are people, where 
there is preaching, where there are Bibles, guess what Jesus 
is doing? He's gathering. He's building. 
The promise of Matthew 16, which is hand in hand with the Davidic 
covenant. The Davidic covenant is the promise of a son of God 
that would build a house for God. That's what Matthew 16 is. Peter confesses that Jesus Christ 
is the son of God. And then Jesus says, I will build 
my church. that house of God. So wherever 
persons are today, Christ is building. It's a beautiful thing. 
Never get discouraged or grow weary in this consideration. 
Thirdly, we ought to appreciate the defense of the church against 
all her enemies. Now, persons do violent things 
to the people of God. Muslims do horrific things to 
the people of God. Unbelieving Jews that we see 
here in the book of Acts did terrible things to the people 
of God. Roman Catholics have done terrible things to the Protestant 
people of God. There's a lot of hatred to the 
church of the Lord Jesus Christ. But guess who defends us? It's 
one of his functions and roles as kings. You know, the prophet, 
he speaks to us the truth of God as a priest. He's offered 
up himself and he pleads his merits at the right hand of the 
father. And he's a king. What does he do? He rules over 
us and he defends us. And then as well, we ought to 
consider the destruction of all the enemies of the church. Now, 
I think this kind of bothers Christians today. You can't say 
that. You just don't talk like that. That's not politically correct. 
You can't ever suggest that Jesus actually is gonna shatter heads. 
Christians need more Psalms. They need more Psalm 24. They 
need more Psalm 110. They need more Psalm 2. What's Jesus doing in Psalm 2? He's ruling over the nations 
with a rod of iron. He's not giving love taps to 
the enemies with that rod of iron. He's dashing them like 
a potter's vessels. Listen to C.H. Spurgeon on Psalm 
110. He says, the monarch, in terms 
of Christ must reign till all of his enemies are made his footstool. 
He says, the monarch of the greatest nations shall not be able to 
escape the sword of the Lord. Nor shall that dread spiritual 
prince who rules over the children of disobedience be able to escape 
without a deadly wound. He says, Pope and priest must 
fall with Muhammad and other deceivers who are now heads of 
the people. Jesus must reign and they must perish. Now it's 
probably at this place we're fearful that I'm going to get 
dragged off and thrown into prison because you can't say that. You 
most certainly can. Even if you have to go to prison 
for it, brethren, we affirm the truth of God's holy word under 
threat of whatever may happen. Matthew Henry said, Christ's 
sitting at the right hand of God speaks as much terror to 
his enemies as happiness to his people. I love that. And, you know, Spurgeon points 
out the monarchs of, you know, enemy nations, the Pope, the 
priests, Mohammed, the Spirit of Works, and the Sons of Disobedience. 
So we think about these enemies of the church as being false 
religion, political threat. What's the last enemy, according 
to 1 Corinthians 15, that Jesus defangs? It's death. Death defeats that enemy. He destroys that enemy, that 
foe, that terrible foe. That's what all the others, you 
know, that's what they try to inflict upon the people of God. Christ not only deals with the 
agents who try and inflict this on the people of God, He actually 
destroys death itself. That's what Christ is doing at 
the right hand of the Father. And then as well, I want you 
to look real quickly with me at verse 33. And I'm calling 
this point of application. We've seen the revelation of 
the glory of the Lord in verse 21. I want you to appreciate 
the manifestation of the majesty of the triune God. Notice in 
verse 33, therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and 
having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, 
He, this is the Son, Jesus, poured out this which you now see in 
here. You see, it's common among people 
to say, well, you know, Trinity is not in the Bible. The Trinity 
is right here in the Bible. He's right there in Matthew 28. 
Go therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing 
them in the name singular of the triune God, the Father, the 
Son, and the Holy Spirit. But look at this particular passage. 
Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, having received 
from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out 
this which you now see and hear. The Trinity is all over the Bible. You've just got to see it. And 
something that this text shows us is that the works of God among 
men shine the light for us on who God is in himself. Not exactly and not exhaustively. In other words, what the economy 
of redemption teaches us shows us something true of who God 
is in and of himself. In other words, note the order 
that this text indicates. It says, the Father sent the 
Son. It says that the Son, or rather, 
the Father and the Son send the Spirit. In this particular instance, 
Jesus is the right hand of the Father. He's the agent that pours 
out the Holy Spirit. In John's Gospel, Jesus says 
that He will send the Spirit. So you've got the Father sending 
the Son, the Father and Son sending the Spirit. This is how early 
Trinitarianism developed that idea that the Father is unbegotten, 
the Son is begotten, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father 
and the Son. In other words, what is true 
of God in terms of the way that He works is true of God or indicates 
or reflects for us something of who God is in Himself. The 4th century people and 5th 
century guys didn't just say, you know, I think these terms 
might, you know, serve the church well. No, it's rooted in the 
biblical text. It's rooted in what God does 
among men. The Father sends the Son. The 
Father sends the Spirit. The Father and the Son send the 
Spirit. The Father is unbegotten. The 
Son is begotten. That doesn't mean He's made. 
And the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. It's 
texts like these that indicate that. The Son is exalted to the 
right hand of the Father. The Son pours out that which 
you now see and hear. You see, the Trinity is not an 
isolated teaching in the Council of Nicaea. The Trinity is who 
God is. And if you don't affirm the Trinity, 
if you don't affirm who God is, you will perish in your sins. This is absolutely crucial. You can be different with me 
on eschatology, but you cannot differ on who God is. He is one 
true and living God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and 
Holy Spirit. And that Father sent this Son 
into this world and attends now the preaching of the gospel by 
the Spirit to save sinners from their sins. Isn't that amazing 
that God, who is this glorious and wondrous and most high and 
excellent, has come in the person of the Son to rescue the likes 
of us? And I think at times we rescue 
things, or we get things, or we find things. And we think 
about a rescue pet, or a rescue dog, or a rescue cat. It's a good thing to spare the 
lives of those little ones. It's great to spare the lives 
of little humans, too, and rescue them via adoption. It's a noble 
thing, isn't it? Look at the rescue mission of 
the Son of God on behalf of sinners. Look at who we are. We're worse 
than those mutts and those cats, because we're sinners and rebellious 
against our God. And yet Christ came in order 
to save us from our sins. So, I would encourage you with 
what Peter says in verse 38. We'll investigate this more next 
week. Repent and let every one of you 
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, 
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Be baptized 
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Now, as 
we'll notice next week, this is Peter telling you to call 
on the name of the Lord. Believe the gospel. Hopefully 
you've been informed today concerning his humanity, his life, his death, 
his resurrection, his exaltation to the right hand of the Father. 
But don't go away and perish in your sins. Do not continue 
in your sins, do not continue in rebellion, do not continue 
in rejection of Him, but rather call on Him, believe on Him, 
look to Him, and you will be saved. It's a beautiful thing 
that Peter says in this passage, repent and be baptized in the 
name of Jesus Christ, for what? For the remission of sins. He 
doesn't say work harder, try better, get more moral, but rather 
come to the Savior. Look to the Savior, call upon 
the Savior, and you will be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for Your Son, the 
Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. We ask that You would open hearts, 
that You would cause the Spirit to be at work here and elsewhere, 
wherever this glorious gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed. 
And we would pray that Your Word would run swiftly and be glorified, 
and that multitudes from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation 
would believe the gospel, And I pray that for our own meeting 
here this morning, may it be the case that sinners would call 
on the name of the Lord and be saved. And we ask this through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, we'll close with 
a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed.