Acts 2:14a, 22-32
2:14a But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them,
"Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to
what I say.
2:22 "You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a
man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through
him among you, as you yourselves know-
22:23 this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of
God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law.
22:24 But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for
him to be held in its power.
22:25 For David says concerning him, 'I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my
right hand so that I will not be shaken;
22:26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live
in hope.
22:27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience
corruption.
22:28 You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness
with your presence.'
22:29 "Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that
he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
22:30 Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he
would put one of his descendants on his throne.
22:31 Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, 'He was
not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.'
22:32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.
Am I the only one preaching this text this week? It seems as through Peter (who swore
he would even be willing to die with Jesus, and then denied him 3x in one night), has
found some sort of strength. He has become an orator, not only knowing scripture, but also
interpreting it to a household of believers! What gives? revd
During the Easter Season, until Pentecost, I have been led to preach on the Act's
passages. I used Easter an saying that because Peter was where God wanted him to be,
Cornelius was where he was to be. "God showed no partiality. Because we are here on
Easter, God can use us to to send relief to those at the Macedonian boarder.
This week, I am lead to talk about the action of God in time. How God spoke to
prophets, then sent acted in Jesus Christ. The Title is "Do you still doubt it?"
I'll be attempting to update the information on Yugoslavia, and respond to God is still
acting in History. If God is still acting in the world, then God is active in our
congregation. There should be no doubt.
Shalom
Pasthersyl
Thanks Pasthersyl. That'll preach! revd
I'm preaching on Acts. I see Peter's sermon directly tied not to current world events,
but solely as giving proof of God's power displayed in the recent events of Easter Sunday:
1. Jesus' sufferings and death were not tragic events that happened to a "nice
guy," but planned out by God along time ago as part of his gracious plan to save
sinful you and me. God used the evil and wicked acts of sinners as part of his plan. Peter
said, "You killed him." The Jewish leaders unjustly sentenced him to death. But
utlimately I killed him. My sins nailed Jesus to the cross. He died for me. But look at
how God used the bad for my good! He washed my sins away by the bad of the cross ... and
it turned out good for me! Therefore, God can use the bad in my life and work it out for
good ... even when at the present moment, I can't see how tragic events will work out for
my benefit! See Romans 8:28
2. Jesus' resurrection is a powerful testimony to the power of God. Bringing what is
cold and lifeless back to warmth and living? That is not incredible -- it's a miracle! I
can only beleive it by faith in him alone. My rational mind rejects such a faith. But the
Holy Spirit works faith in me to beleive the unbeleivable and put faith in Him instead of
my logic and reason.
3. Jesus fulfilled O.T. Scritpure in Psalm 16:8-11 by rising from the dead. David
wrote it but really was like a prophet foretelling Christ and the events of the
resurrection. Application: When we let Scripture interpret itself, it never contradicts
itself. It always proves that God keeps his promises because His Word was written by human
hands but inspired by Him alone. His Word really is the truth and I need not wonder
whether or not I'm being fed lies or if my faith is based upon some dusty old history book
made up of fables. Think about it: If we question the authenticity of the Bible, we are
questioning the validity of Christ's death and resurrection. And if Christ's death and
resurrection is part of myth and a big hoax, Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15:16-18,
"you are still in your sins." Then the nagging question that creates human doubt
is, "How do I know I am saved if Christ's death and resurrection can't be trusted as
truly authentic?"
Forgot to identify myself above. I'm Dubby in Topeka who will preach the comfort and
confidence of a Peter who knows his Jesus is alive. And because He lives, we too shall
live! This is what my people will hear this Sunday.
Dubby in Topeka
I see that a pivotal piece of this passage is in v.26, "moreover my flesh will live in hope". On what do we hang our hope? Do we, even though we believe in the resurrected Jesus, really have hope? And if we do hope for anything in our lives, is it really because of this belief, or is it because the IRS is sending us a check, or someone has promised they'd help us with something, or ... Do we really relate our hope with our faith? Or do we just say we have this faith in "this Jesus" and then either live in little or no hope, or place our hope in something destined to be short-lived?
Mark Mills
