Following the Church calendar, today is the first Sunday following Easter, or Resurrection Sunday. For the next several weeks the first reading from the Lectionary for each Sunday takes us to the Book of Acts. Today we look at the first sermon that the Apostle Peter gave, following the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Let’s take a look at this first sermon by Peter, and actually, the first sermon in the Christian Church.
If Peter had been asked just a few days earlier to give a sermon to several thousand people, he possibly might have said absolutely not, that he certainly wasn’t qualified. Prior to this day, Peter had been unstable and filled with bravado, and then he had shamefully denied the Savior. But Jesus forgave, and now Peter was a new man with the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter might also have felt unqualified since he didn’t have any advanced education in the Scriptures. Like all Hebrew men, he had a basic education, knowing how to read and write, and probably basic arithmetic, etc. But none of the twelve apostles had studied with the great Jewish rabbis and scholars.
However, everything changed when the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers and followers of Jesus. The Holy Spirit opened the Scriptures to them, and gave them power to bring His message to those in Jerusalem and throughout the world. This morning in Jerusalem, Peter, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was enabled to boldly proclaim God’s truth to the crowds of people who had gathered around.
This first sermon of Peter’s was to state that Jesus was both God and the Messiah, which was proven through His works and the resurrection (vs. 22). Many of the people gathered around that morning had known about the crucifixion of Jesus just a few weeks prior, and they might also have heard the rumors that He had risen from the dead. The overwhelming majority of the Pharisees and religious leaders, along with many of the population, didn’t approve of Jesus. That is the same today, as most people don’t approve of Him. However, Jesus was approved by God, as the Father worked many miracles, wonders and signs through Him (vs. 22).
Peter reminded the people of the crucifixion of Jesus just a month prior. He stated that the crucifixion wasn’t just an accident or unfortunate ending to a teacher hated by the religious leaders, but instead was part of God’s plan (vs. 23). It was the plan of God that Jesus would die on the cross. It should not, though, have been the religious leaders and Jewish priests of Israel to do this. That was their own making and choice. That the crucifixion was predetermined by God does not absolve the guilt of those who caused it. However, God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness is so great that He would forgive and save even those directly involved in crucifying Jesus if they would only have come to Him.
The apostle continued on to show that the rumors about Jesus having risen were not just a rumor, but was the truth. Death could not hold Jesus because He atoned for all sin. Jesus took away its legal right to hold Him because His death atoned for sin, defeating death and Satan. Jesus’ resurrection was the ultimate sign that what He said about Himself was true. Without the resurrection we would have no reason to believe in or follow Jesus (I Corinthians 15:14).
Peter continued with this first message of his by quoting from Psalm 16:8-11, which was written by their national hero, the great King David (vs. 25-28). In this psalm that was written about a thousand years earlier, David prophesied of the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, speaking of how the Holy One, the Messiah’s body would not see corruption. Those who hated Jesus, and willfully closed their eyes to any prophecies that He fulfilled, were claiming that these verses referred to David himself. Peter easily refuted that, by reminding the people that David was dead and buried right there in Jerusalem (vs. 29). David’s body had never been raised. It remained in the tomb, so he could not be the fulfillment of this prophecy. Jesus’ physical body, being sinless, saw no corruption. Instead, it was raised from the dead and glorified.
David knew that God would keep His oath and every promise that He had made. He believed the Messiah would come, and that every prophecy, every word given about Him would be fulfilled, including that His body would not see corruption, and that He would rise from the dead. Peter boldly proclaimed that this prophecy about the Messiah was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. God approved of Jesus’ work on the cross, and the fact that He raised Jesus from the dead shows that (vs. 32).
Next week’s first Scripture reading from the Lectionary will show us the people’s response to this first message in the Christian Church era. We’ll see then if they accepted or rejected God’s Word that Peter gave to them.
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