Well, let us turn again to that
portion of Scripture we were reading in the Acts of the Apostles,
chapter 2, and I'll read again from verse 36 through to verse
40. The last words of the sermon, or
the record of the sermon, as we have it here in verse 36,
and then the consequences. Peter says, Therefore let all
the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same
Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they
were pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter and to the
rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and
you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise
is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off,
even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many
other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves
from this untoward generation. And it's really that 36th verse
that I want to take for our text, the concluding parts of the sermon. We have quite a detailed account. of the preaching of Peter on
this great occasion, the day of Pentecost, the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit after the life, the death, the resurrection,
the ascension of the Lord Jesus. In a way the sermon divides into
some three parts as he begins there in verse 14, He addresses those men of Judah. Pentecost was a Jewish feast
and there were many Jews who had gathered there to the temple
in Jerusalem and also proselytes, converts to the Jewish religion. And Peter addresses this multitude. In verse 14, ye men of Judah,
and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem be this known unto you and hearken
to my words and as he proceeds through the sermon you will see
how he addresses them again and again that first section as it
were that runs through to verse 21 and then at the beginning
of verse 22 again he addresses them ye men of Israel Hear these
words, Jesus of Nazareth, the man approved of God among you
by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst
of you, as you yourselves also know. In being delivered by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain. And so, that second section,
as it were, runs through to verse 28, And then again, at verse
29, he addresses him. Men and brethren, let me freely
speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and
buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. And then
he goes on to speak of David as a prophet. And so those words
that he's just quoted previously from Psalm 16 are really prophetic. It's not David's experience that
he's being described. in that section that we have
in the previous part of the sermon. But it's Christ. He's prophesying
of Christ. And so we have these different
sections, as it were, of his sermon. And then we have these
final words as they are recorded. Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. And as we come to
consider these words this morning, I want to say something with
regards to this gospel, this apostolic gospel. We have this
sermon of the Apostle, and it's not just Peter, the other Apostles
are there with them as they respond to the preaching, We have it
in verse 37, they're pricking their hearts and they address
Peter and the rest of the apostles. It's very much the apostolic
gospel then that we have recorded. It's Peter's preaching but all
of them are associated with him in this ministry. Now, we previously have looked on
Thursday at those words in Isaiah 61 concerning the acceptable
year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God and that
message that was to be proclaimed and we thought previously of
course of the great day of Jubilee in Leviticus 25 the blowing of
the trumpets or rather the the ram's horn to announce that great
day of liberty throughout all Israel in the year of Jubilee
and we said on Thursday how it's all really fulfilled in the Lord
Jesus Christ and that message that He comes to proclaim we
saw how in those words at the beginning of Isaiah 61, the prophet
is really speaking of the gospel day, the coming of Christ, the
prince of all preachers. And now, here we have the preaching
of those who were his followers, the preaching of the apostles. And so, as we take these words
for our text, particularly what we have in verse 36, I want to
say something with regards to the content, or the the matter
of their preaching, the subject matter that they are proclaiming
here, and then in the second place, the manner of it. And we have that of course in
the words that follow from verse 37 following, where Peter and
the apostles are responding to what these men have said. requests
men and brethren, what shall we do? And then Peter goes on
to, as it were, make an application of the truth that he's been preaching.
But first of all, to say something with regards to the content of
the message. There is a sense in which we
recognize here that Peter is very much preaching from Old
Testament texts. He preaches from Joel, he quotes
from Joel chapter 2, a lengthy passage from verse 16. This is
that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel, and then he quotes
from Joel 2 right through to verse 21. And then also, as we've
already intimated, he makes a long quotation from Psalm 16, the
words of David, there at verse 25 through to verse 28. David speaketh concerning him,
concerning the Lord Jesus. As I say, David was a prophet,
he wasn't just speaking of his own experience in the psalm,
he's speaking of Christ and the resurrection of Christ really.
And then also, Peter makes reference to another Old Testament text
in verses 34 and 35. because he quotes the words of
the 110th Psalm. When he says, David is not ascended
into the heavens, but he set himself. The Lord said unto my
Lord, Sit thou on my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool. He is preaching the Gospel. And
he's preaching the Gospel from text that we find in the Old
Testament. As we've said many a time, the
Gospel is there in the Old Testament. And those who were saved in that
dispensation were saved as they were looking to the Christ who
was to come. There has ever only been one
way of salvation, Old Testament and New Testament. But in the
course of his sermon, Peter isn't just preaching the Gospel, he
preaches the whole of the Word of God. There's a sense in which
we see him also preaching the law and as he preaches the law
of God he brings that conviction really into their souls. Are
we not told how they were pricked in their hearts? Now what was
it that he preached from the law? Well, in a sense he preached
the sixth commandment, thou shalt not kill. Literally, they shall
do no murder. And what does he accuse these
people of? Well, look at what he says to
them. In verse 23, the end of that verse, you have taken, speaking
of Christ, you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified
and slain. And then again, here at the end
of verse 36, that same Jesus whom ye have crucified. God hath
made him both Lord and Christ. He is preaching the Lord. They
are guilty of murder. They have murdered an innocent
man. They were baying for his blood
before the Roman governor. Crucify him! Crucify him! It's the same characters. It's the Lord of God that he's
preaching. Thou shalt not kill. And John tells us, no murderer
has eternal life abiding in him. And these were murderers. And what is the ministry of the
law? It's to bring that conviction
into the soul of the sinner. What thing soever the law saith,
it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may
be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God. Oh, they're guilty. and they're
guilty of a most heinous crime. They had crucified the Lord of
glory. But let us not imagine that we're
any better than they. I think of that long hymn, it's
in two parts, on the crucifixion of Christ, 153, the passion of
the Lord Jesus. And what do we have here in the
second section? verse 7 the Jews with thorns
his temples crowned and lashed him when his hands were bound
but thorns and knotted whips and bands by us were furnished
to their hands they nailed him to the accursed tree they did
my brethren so did we the soldier pierced his sight is true but
we have pierced him through and through or do we not pierce Him
by our sins. He has come to be the Saviour
of sinners. We cannot point the finger at
the Jews. Surely we have to recognize our
own parts in these things. We are those who have been the
rejecters of God and the rejecters of His cross. There is this preaching
then of the Lord of God And ultimately, the horrors of
that sin of rejecting Christ and crucifying Christ is that
that brings the greatest conviction into the soul of the sinner.
We read here of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. And we think
of the words of Zechariah where there in chapter 12 we have that
promise, I will pour upon the house of David. and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, that spirit of grace and of supplication. And
they shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn
for him, as one mourneth for an only son, and be in bitterness
for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." If God pours
out His Spirit upon us in any measure, we will know something
then of that conviction of sin. We'll be made to cry out, even
as these people cry out under the preaching of Peter. men and
brethren, what shall we do?" Now, he's here, the preaching
of the law, that that will bring true conviction into the soul
of the sinner. But also, and principally, surely,
we have to recognize this, Peter is preaching the gospel. He preaches
something of the law, yes, He makes them see what they're guilty
of before that holy law, that law that is holy and righteous
and just and good. But he preaches the gospel. And what does he do? He preaches
the great day of the gospel. That's what he declares to them.
In verse 17, it shall come to pass, In the last days saith
God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, as he's quoting
those words from the second chapter of Joel. Oh, he's speaking, that's
the day that has come now. The blessed day of the Gospel
with the outpouring of the Spirit of God. And again at verse 21,
it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved. It's the Gospel day. It's the
Gospel Jubilee. It's a great proclamation of
the truth as it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as he's speaking of that day,
the last day, And that's the period in which we're living,
the end of the world as it were, the gospel dispensation. So,
this gospel centers in the person of the Lord Jesus, and he very
much preaches Christ, the God-man. That's the subject matter really
of his whole sermon throughout. All the time he's directing them
to Jesus of Nazareth, that one who is none other than the promised
Messiah, the God-man, who being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation,
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men." Doesn't he preach the humiliation of Christ? Here at verse 22 he
speaks of Jesus of Nazareth a man or the man the man Christ Jesus
being found in fashion as a man what does he do he humbles himself
and becomes obedient unto death even the death of the cross and
Peter is very much as I say emphasizing that truth about Jesus Christ
and his humiliation and all that he endures, he endures at the
hands of these wicked men, they crucify him. But he is suffering
not only at the hands of men, he is suffering as the sin-bearer
at the hand of God. He is making the great propitiatory
sacrifice, bearing in his own person that wrath of God that
was due to the sinners. He preaches his humiliation then,
in his obedience to all the death of the cross, but also he goes
on to speak of his exaltation, how he is risen from the dead. What does he say? There in verse
32, this Jesus, as God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses."
And isn't this one of the great marks of the apostles? They are men who bear witness
to the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Earlier, in
the opening chapter, where we have mentioned, of course, of
the falling away of the son of perdition, how Judas Iscariot
was amongst the twelve, and yet He was the one who betrayed the
Lord, but one was to fill his place. And there, in that opening
chapter, we read about the lot falls upon this man, Matthias. Verse 21 of chapter 1, Wherefore
of these men which have accompanied with us all the time that the
Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism
of John, unto the same day that he was taken up from us, must
one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. One must fill Judas' place. And what is the purpose of this
ministry of these apostles? They are witnesses of his resurrection. And when When Paul writes to
the Corinthians and he recognizes that there are those who are
questioning his authority, his apostleship, he tells them there
in the opening words of 1 Corinthians chapter 9, Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen
Jesus Christ our Lord? There's the proof of his apostleship.
He had seen the resurrected Christ. He saw Him there at the very
gate of Damascus when He was bent on the destruction of all
that Christ had done, seeking to kill believers. But He met
the Lord Jesus. He was a witness of the truth
of His resurrection from the dead. And how we have it again
here, of course, in verse 36. Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." God has vindicated
him. He's declared to be the Son of
God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection. That's how Paul is defining the
Gospel in the opening words of the Roman Epistle. It centers
in the vindication of Christ. He's marked out as that one who
truly is the Christ of God, marked out by the resurrection from
the dead. And so, this is another important
aspect of the preaching of these apostles. Yes, they very much
preach the person of Christ, and they preach him as God-man,
they speak of his humiliation, how he was manifested in the
flesh, how he was a real man, and how as a man he was obedient
unto the death of the cross, but then also his vindication,
his resurrection. And not only his resurrection,
but also here he speaks very much of his ascension. What does he say at verse 33
concerning Jesus? Being by the right hand of God
exalted, that's his ascension. Having received of the Father
the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which
ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into
the heavens, but is at himself. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit
thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool.
Psalm 110. It has its fulfillment in Christ. And again, another Psalm is not
mentioned. But we have those words of Psalm
68. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive,
thou hast received gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious
also, that the Lord God may dwell amongst them. Well, what is the
content then of this sermon? It's very much centering in the
person and work of the Lord Jesus. It's the Gospel. And what is
the Gospel? Well, he speaks of it as promise. Here in verse 39, the promise
is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off,
even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Oh, the gospel
is that promise of God. It's interesting because the
words, as we have them in the original, the word for Gospel,
Evangelion, Evangelical. Evangelical literally means Gospel.
But the word for promise is so similar in sound, Evangelion.
And that's what the Gospel is, it's the promise of God. All
the promises of God in Christ Jesus are Yah and Amen. to the glory of God by us," says
the apostle there in 2 Corinthians 1.20. What is Peter preaching
then to these Jews who he's preached the law to? He's made them to
see what they're guilty of. They've crucified the Lord of
glory. They're pricking their hearts.
All their men now fit to receive that gracious promise of God,
that there is salvation, and salvation for the worst of sinners. The matter then, the content
of the preaching, as we saw, to summarize what's contained
in this account of the sermon of Peter. But I want to turn
in the second place and say something with regards to the manner of
it. What sort of preaching is it?
Well, a number of things we can see here. It's certainly powerful,
it's pointed, it's authoritative. All these things are so evident
in the way in which he begins to address them. As we see at verse 37 there,
when they had heard this they were pricked in their heart,
And said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do? Oh, he so handled the word of
God, this man, that it had its effect. That word of God which
is quick and powerful and sharper than the two-edged sword, piercing
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joint
and marrow, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,
that's the word of God. a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart. It enters into the very hearts
of men. It exposes them. And these men
are under conviction of sin. And the question that they put
here at the end of verse 37 indicates that. Men and brethren, what
shall we do? They feel themselves to be guilty.
What Peter has said concerning them and their culpability is
a truth that they are now feeling in the very depths of their souls. What shall we do? We are guilty.
And what do they do? Well, in a sense, they fly to the Lord of God,
don't they? They fly to the Lord of God. What shall we do they say and
later in chapter 16 where we have Paul and Silas preaching
to the Philippian jailer and he comes to them with a very
similar question really says what must I do to be saved They
say, what shall we do? He says, what must I do? What do they want? They want
to know what's to be done. How can I deliver myself? How can I save myself? Men by
their very natures are wedded to that idea of a covenant of
works. We have it there, of course,
in the Garden of Eden, when God tests Adam by means of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil. He's not to eat of that
fruit. He's told plainly in the day
that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. There's something
to be done in a sense. He's not to partake of that. He can partake of all the trees
throughout the garden, but this one truth. He's not to eat of
it. And He does the very thing that
God's commanded him not to do. And we're all the natural sons
and daughters of Adam. And so by nature when there comes
that conviction we think there's something to be done. What are
we to do? How can we rectify matters? How can we gain salvation? But they're confessing their
guilt here. They don't know what to do. They recognize how helpless
they are. They didn't know. They're asking
others to tell them. They're so ignorant. And this
is what happens, is it not, when God begins to deal with the sinner. Paul says we have the sentence
of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves,
but in God. that raise up the dead. This
is where these men are brought, they have the sentence of death
in themselves. They are helpless. But the wonder
of this is that we see also in these men a submissiveness of
spirit. Are they not bowing now to the
authority of these men, these apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ? Men and brethren, What shall
we do? These are the men who have the
answer. Oh, now listen now to what their message is. We see
then how effective the ministry has been, because it has brought
that conviction into the soul, that being pierced through to
the quick. They stand there then as guilty and helpless, but submissive
to the authority of the preaching. And what is the preaching? Well,
we see something of the authority in what Peter says in verse 38,
Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost. Well, what a message is this?
What a message is this? They, first of all, must believe. They have to believe what these
men have been saying, and they do believe what these men are
saying. That's evident. They believe the message. There
is, in that sense, something of faith, real faith. And again, we see it in particular
when we compare the experience of these men with the experience
of the jailer in chapter 16. And what Paul and Silas say to
that man? He asks the question, sirs what
must I do to be saved? And they say, believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved at thy house. And then
we read, they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to
all that were in his house. So he's to believe. And they
obviously go on to these men, Paul and Silas, to say a great
deal. They spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all
that were in his house. The gospel, interestingly there,
is referred to as the word of the Lord. And here again, in verse 40, we read, "...with many
other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves
from this untoward generation." More is said, in a sense, than
what's recorded in the sermon. But like Peter, like Paul rather,
in chapter 16, he is speaking unto them these words. the word of the Lord. And interestingly,
what is being said by these men is given a variety of names here
in the Acts. In chapter 5 and verse 20, where
the angel speaks, when the apostles are being persecuted because
of their preaching, what are they to speak? Well, there in
chapter 5 verse 20, it's all the words of this life. That's
the gospel. It's the word of the Lord. It's
all the words of this life. And then, when we turn to another
portion here in Acts, the account of Paul and his preaching, in
chapter 13, he's there in Antioch, in Pisidia, and what is he preaching? Well, Acts 13, 26, it's the word
of the salvation. It's interesting the different
expressions that are used then to describe what this gospel
is. It's the word of the Lord, it's
the word of this life, it's the word of salvation. And they're
all preaching the same message. And it is that word that calls
for faith, and the submission of faith, the embracing of faith,
the resting of faith. And yet, strangely here, we don't
read in the account that Peter calls for faith, but he calls
very explicitly for repentance in verse 38. He says unto them,
repent. Repent. But of course, faith
and repentance are joined together. and what God has joined together,
man is not to put asunder. When the Lord Jesus begins His
preaching, after John was put in prison, as we're told there
in Mark chapter 1, Jesus comes into Galilee preaching the Gospel
of the Kingdom of God saying, Repent ye and believe the Gospel. That was His message, repent
and believe. And again, that's the same message
as the Apostles preached. When here in Acts 20, We have
Paul speaking to the Ephesian elders and reminding them of
his ministry. What does he say of that ministry?
Testifying both to the Jew and to the Greek or the Gentile,
repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith. And what is the repentance? What
is the repentance that Peter is being spoken of here? Well,
we might say it's evangelical repentance because it's a repentance
that's rooted and grounded in the gospel and in the gospel of course we
have the record of the of the grace of God it's not just a
legal repentance that is being spoken of In the Shorter Catechism,
question 87 asks, what is repentance? And in the answer, it speaks
of the need to apprehend the mercy of God in Christ. Where
there is repentance, there is some apprehension of the mercy
of God in Christ. And do we not see that in the
language of Joel, in that second chapter of Joel, from which Peter
has been preaching in the former part of his sermon. There in Joel chapter 2, verse 12, Therefore also now
saith the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your heart. That's repentance. turning. Turn
ye therefore to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and
with weeping, and with mourning, and rend your heart, and not
your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God. For he is
gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness,
and repenteth him of the evil." Well, here you have it, you see,
apprehending that God He's merciful in Christ Jesus, He is gracious
and merciful, slow to anger, of great kindness. Where there
is that true evangelical repentance, and I think the hymn writer Joseph
Hart put it so beautifully in the words of the hymn, Lord and
terrors do but harden all the while they work alone, but a
sense of blood-bought pardon soon dissolves the heart of stone."
Oh, it's the goodness of God that leads to repentance. And this is a repentance that
the Apostle is speaking of here. And what a thorough thing that
repentance is. As I said, it certainly has the
idea of a turning, a very fundamental change of mind. That's the basic meaning of the
word that's used really. One of those Greek words that's
a combination of two words, the word mind and the word change. But it's so fundamental, it's
a turning about, it's a turning inside out, it's a turning upside
down, it's a great change. And that's what Peter is preaching
to these people. They're to change. They were
the crucifiers of Christ, but now they're to be those who would
embrace Christ as that One who is the only Saviour of sinners. And then he goes on to speak
of baptism. Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name
of the Lord Jesus. Of course, when John, the precursor
of Christ, came, He preached a baptism of repentance, and
in baptism there is some reminder of that repentance, that change
of life. As he's baptized, he's buried
in the waters of baptism, and comes out of the waters, as it
were, a new creature in the Lord Jesus Christ. And here we see
that this baptism, it's not John's baptism, It's baptism in the
name of Jesus Christ. It's Christian baptism. As many
as have been baptized into Jesus Christ, Paul says, they put on
Christ. It's identifying with Christ
in His death, in His burial, in His resurrection. And that's
why he refers to it as the as baptism in the name of Jesus
Christ, as the Savior. But of course, when it comes
to baptism, we know what the formula is, because the Lord
Himself has told us there at the end of Matthew 28, go into
all the world and teach all nations, baptizing them, He says, in the
name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It's a Trinitarian baptism. It's
in the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. But here we see
the significance of it. There's that, as you were putting
on, of Christ. That confession of salvation
being of the Lord, even as the repentant, believing sinner is
baptized. You cannot avoid it. This is
what the Scriptures teach. Repent, be baptized, every one
of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of
sins. He speaks of the remission of sins. What is the remission
of sins? Well, the basic meaning, again,
of the word that we have here is literally to send away. That's
the remission of sins. They're remitted in the sense
that they're gone. The psalmist says, as far as
the East is from the West. So far as he removed our transgressions
from us. As far as the East is from the
West. Not as far as the North is from the South, because North
and South, of course, are fixed points on the compass. There's
no fixed point when we speak of East and West. In a sense,
as far as the East is from the West, we might say that's infinitive.
It's immeasurable. And that's how far the sins of
those who are believing in the Lord Jesus Christ have gone.
They're removed. Or that great verse that we have
in Jeremiah's prophecy, Jeremiah chapter 15, and there at verse 20. In those days, and in that time,
that's the Gospel time, in those days, in that time, saith the
Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there
shall be none. And the sins of Judah, and they
shall not be found, for I will pardon whom I will reserve. Always for remission of sins.
And then also, as he continues with the application, he says,
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. You shall receive the gifts of
the Holy Ghost. And it's been said that this
really is the sum of all gospel blessings. All we can know nothing
of the gospel apart from the Holy Ghost. He is the one of course who brings
new life into the soul of the sinner. The truth of degeneration,
the new birth. They're born from above. They're
born of the Spirit. We're all familiar with the language
of the Lord Jesus to Nicodemus there in John chapter 3 concerning
the new birth. A man has to be born again. Ye
must be born again, says Christ. And he speaks of the ministry of the Spirit in the
new birth as a sovereign work. And he likens it to the wind
which blows where it listeth, and you hear the sound of it,
but you cannot tell whence it comes from, where it's going,
so is everyone. So is everyone that is born of
the Spirit. How vital, how necessary it is,
the gift of the Holy Spirit. And of course, this is the context
of the whole sermon. When the day of Pentecost was
fully come, They were all with one accord in one place, and
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty
wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting. And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and
it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit
gave them utterance. All we're told, aren't we, in
John 7 that the Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not
yet glorified. Strange statement in many ways
because surely the Spirit was there before Christ had finished
His work and was glorified. The Spirit was there at His conception. The Virgin Mary was the child
of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit. the Holy Spirit is there in the in the Old Testament when David
had committed great sins he cries out in all the agony of his repentant
soul take not thy Holy Spirit from them he knew the Spirit
of God the Spirit was there in creation moving upon the face
of the waters by the word of the Lord were the heavens made
all the host of them by the the breath or the spirit of his mouth
the spirit is there throughout the scriptures but as Christ
comes in the fullness of the time so when Christ has accomplished
his work there is that remarkable outpouring of the spirit when
Christ was glorified he comes and he comes very much now as
the Spirit of Christ. And remember how the Lord speaks
of His coming in those chapters in John, from chapter 14 through
to chapter 16. And what does He say? Chapter
16 and verse 13, O be it when He, the Spirit of truth, is come.
He will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself,
but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will
show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall
receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. The day of Pentecost is the day
of the Spirit's coming, and yet the Spirit never draws attention
to himself. That's the amazing thing. He
doesn't draw any attention to... He shall not speak of himself. Whatsoever he shall hear, that
shall he speak. He shall glorify me. He comes
very much as the Spirit of Christ. And so, as I said, the whole
of the sermon really centers in Christ, His person, and His
work. And with what urgency Peter is
preaching these things. In verse 40, with many other
words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves, from
this on to war generation. How we, or how we need to see the necessity of urgency. The day is short. The Lord says,
I have heard thee in a time accepted in the day of salvation if I
succor thee. Behold now, now is the day of salvation. Now
is the acceptable time. Now, that's how urgent it is
today. If ye shall hear his voice, harden
not your hearts, as in that day of provocation in the wilderness.
We were only considering those words a week ago, there at the
beginning of Hebrews 4. All the urgency there with which
the apostles, and Peter in particular, is preaching this great message. It is powerful preaching, pointed
preaching, authoritative preaching, urgent preaching, and it centers
all together in Christ. May the Lord then be pleased
to teach us the importance of these things that we might submit
to this authority, even the authority of the apostles as we see was
the case with those who were present. Three thousand converted
that day. Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard
this they were pricked in their hearts and said unto Peter and
to the rest of the apostles, Men and Brethren, What shall
we do? Let us conclude as we sing our final
praise this morning, 746. The tune is Dear Her, 633. Jesus is our God and Savior,
Guide and Counselor and Friend, Bearing all our misbehavior,
Kind and loving to the end. Trust Him, He will not deceive
us, Though we hardly of Him deem. He will never, never leave us,
Nor will let us quite leave Him. 746 June 633