We conclude our look at Peter's first sermon today. When we closed yesterday he had just finished stating the facts of the gospel: the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today he quotes Scripture to prove that the resurrection of Christ was always part of God's plan. After hearing the gospel, three thousand people are obedient to the Holy Spirit and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Peter quotes the words of King David who, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, spoke for the Messiah in Psalm 16, "David said about Him: 'I saw the Lord always before Me. Because He is at My right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore My heart is glad and My tongue rejoices; My body also will rest in hope, because You will not abandon Me to the realm of the dead, You will not let Your holy one see decay. You have made known to Me the paths of life; You will fill Me with joy in Your presence.'" (Acts 2:25-28) David ruled the nation of Israel about a thousand years before the birth of Christ, but he foresaw the One to whom the throne of Israel (and the world) will belong forever. He foresaw the suffering, death, and resurrection of the One who will inherit all things. Though he may not have fully understood how these things would come about, David accepted on faith that somehow his Lord would die. David also accepted on faith that his Lord would rise from the dead.
Peter wants to make it clear to his listeners that David could not have been talking about himself. David believed in "the resurrection at the last day" (John 11:24) as did his fellow countrymen, but David speaks of One whose body will not decay in the grave. This cannot be true of David's own body, as Peter goes on to point out, "Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that He would place one of his descendants on the throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that He was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did His body see decay." (Acts 2:29-31)
In our day we no longer know the location of David's tomb, but wherever it is, we can be certain that David's decayed body is in it. We can be certain that every body in every grave on earth is undergoing some form of decay. But the body of Christ, while it lay in the tomb from Friday evening til Sunday morning, did not begin to break down. His body was not like that of Lazarus who had been in the tomb only slightly longer and about whom Martha said, "By now there is a bad odor." (John 11:39b) The body of Christ was incapable of decay because God the Father made a promise to God the Son and He kept it.
Peter now connects the Lord Jesus with the One whom David foresaw rising from the dead, "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear." (Acts 2:32-33) Peter says, "We saw this proof of the resurrection ourselves when we spent forty days with the risen Lord. We aren't telling you a tall tale. We saw Him with our own eyes. We touched Him with our own hands. Jesus Christ is alive!"
"For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, 'The Lord said to my Lord: 'Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.' Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." (Acts 2:34-36) David clearly is not talking about himself, but about his Lord. David foresaw the ascension of Christ, the ascension Peter saw with his own eyes. God's word regarding the promised Messiah has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Peter's listeners react in the way everyone should react when presented with the truth of the gospel. "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'" (Acts 2:37) This is the work of the Holy Spirit, the work Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would do when He said, "When He comes, He will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment." (John 16:8) In other words, one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of sin, not so we can be condemned, but so we can be saved. Peter's listeners feel convicted of sin. They ask, "What shall we do?" When I was convicted of sin and knew I was lost, my heart cried out, "What shall I do?" But thanks be to God, we don't have to stumble about in the dark trying to find our own way to salvation. Peter now tells the crowd, and us, what we must do.
"Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off---for all whom the Lord our God will call.'" (Acts 2:38-39) Peter may not yet have understood the way in which the saving power of God was going to spread throughout the Gentile word, but speaking by the Holy Spirit he predicts the salvation of both the Jews ("you and your children") and the Gentiles ("all who are far off").
"With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." (Acts 2:40-41) When we believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the truth we will feel convicted in our hearts about our sins. This is what happened to three thousand people in the crowd on the day of Pentecost. This is what still happens in the world today. Jesus Christ is still saving souls! Jesus Christ is just as powerful today as He was in Peter's day. His blood is still just as cleansing. His love is still just as strong.
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