Peter's Sermon

Peter’s Sermon – After Pentecost

Peter’s Sermon – The Day of Pentecost Happened, Now What?

Peter's SermonBible Study Lessons: Acts 2:14-41

At Pentecost Peter was a changed man. He became more humble but brave enough to become a powerful speaker for Christ.

He tells how Jesus was foretold by David to be the absolute ruler of Israel.

People were touched by Peter’s sermon and 3,000 people were saved.

After all, this is what Christianity is all about, isn’t it?

Addressing the Crowd

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. – Acts 2:22-24 NASB

The Ingathering

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. – Acts 2:37-41 NASB

Why Were People Willing to Believe?

In the first part of his sermon, Peter reminds the people of what happened 50 days earlier at Calvary.

Many of them most likely knew about (or heard about) the crucifixion and resurrection of the Rabbi.

Since this happened during Passover, there was probably a large number of the crowd who were actually there – in Jerusalem during those days.

Why Is the Resurrection so Important?

Simply stated, without the resurrection there is no reason to accept Christ as Savior. This is what completes the circle of faith as told in the three steps.

David Foretold the Coming

Psalm 16:8-11, written by David is a foretelling about how the Messiah would be resurrected – unlike David himself who died and was buried.

This is the part many Jews never seemed to understand. They were looking for a physical king to sit on the throne and overthrow the Roman government.

In reality, Jesus had the power to bring the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, empowering Peter to become a bold spokesperson for Christ.

Peter was known for being “on the fence” with his faith before the cross (remember the three-times denial?) but he never wavered from his mission to share the good news after that moment.

How are We Saved?

As Peter clearly explains in verse 38 and 39, the first step in following Christ is to repent and be baptized.

What Does Baptism Mean?

Baptism of Jesus Christ - John Baptizes JesusBaptism is an outward expression of an inward change. It’s not a magic ritual as many believe.
We can be sorry for our sins with no real change. We must hand them over to God for forgiveness.

And the good news? If we ask, He will forgive us through Jesus Christ!

Let’s try to be bolder in our faith as Peter was. After all, he once was lost too!

Love in Christ

– Bob

If you would like to discover more about the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to read this.

One thought on “Peter’s Sermon – After Pentecost

  1. Thank you for the story about Peter’s sermon and how it helps us in our life application. It’s amazing being a Christian, I don’t think you realize how empty your life is before Christ, but you sense there’s something more! I think I would have a lot less friends if it weren’t for my walk…relationships take work AND forgiveness too. I’m still working on that process!

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