Peter’s Sermon Part 1

Peter the Apostle did not start out as an Apostle. And while he was not “THE ROCK”, as the Catholic Church asserts, he was definitely Smart Like a Rock. Peter occasionally began with what looked like understanding, only to prove he had very little, if any, real understanding of what Jesus taught until Holy Spirit crashed in at Pentecost to lead him and others into all truth.

There was a rushing wind, and onlookers heard what sounded like mindless babbling and assumed everyone was drunk.

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

Acts 2:14-16

Peter begins with an appeal to reason. One hundred twenty men and women, the devotion of which was clearly evidenced by their ten days of prayerful obedience, were not drunk, especially at 9 AM in the morning. He could have begun with the age-old irrefutable proposition,

“The Lord told me…”

I mention this because some people believe that the litmus test for God’s presence and voice is the defiance of all reason and logic. Of course, God can and does transcend our perceptions of reality and truth. However, eccentricity is not proof of Holiness. Rather, it proves that God works despite our weirdness and weakness. 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 is not a call to be foolish. It is a declaration of God’s character and purpose. He is the author of truth that includes the laws of logic and reason. The scientific method is the fruit of devout men and women who recognized complexity and design and sought to know more about the designer through his design.

It is the glory of God to conceal things,
    but the glory of kings is to search things out.

Proverbs 25:2

This is important as we contrast the beginning of the church with the body of Christ today, because there has been a growing anti-intellectual movement within the charismatic stream since the 1990s.

In any case, Peter began his argument logically according to scripture, and in the context of God’s ultimate eschatological plan.

And it shall come to pass afterward,
    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Joel 2:28-32

Some people read Joel Chapter 2  in the context of the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of Israel by the Roman emperor Hadrian in 70AD. This is called Preterism. Preterists assert that what Jesus called

…great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be...

Mathew 24:21

took place in full in 70 AD. Preterists tend be be postmillennial or amillenial regarding the 1000-year reign of Christ in Revelation 20.

Jesus’s declaration, “It is finished!” – teléō (paid in full) on the cross is interpreted as His statement of completion. They believe that since Jesus has been given all authority and is seated on the throne then God’s rule on earth is already established. Postmillennialists claim we are in the 1000-year reign the end of which culminates with the return of Christ. In contrast, Amillennialists claim that the millennial reign in Revelation 20 is metaphorical. In both cases, it is the job of the church on earth to “Christianize” society in preparation for Christ’s return.

In contrast, premillennialists see Christ returning after the great tribulation to judge the world and establish the thousand-year reign on earth. The end times began on Pentecost and continue today until “It is done!” in Revelation 21:6. The beginning of the end is marked by the fulfillment of the first part of the prophet Joel’s declaration.

And it shall come to pass afterward,
    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

The complete fulfillment is on God’s timeline, not ours, as described in the very eschatological chapter three of 2 Peter.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

2 Peter 3:8

Let the reader note, the mere fact that one verse follows another does not in itself imply an immediate and linear chain of events.

In my opinion, the beginning of Joel 2 describes the scene when Jerusalem was sacked in 70AD, which is itself a prophetic foreshadowing of the future great tribulation. The concluding verses mark the beginning of the last days, marked by Holy Spirit being poured out on all flesh and the church being born. The remaining events appear to reflect those described in places like Mathew 24.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earmth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mathew 24:29-31

Another important point for contemporary Bereans is that Peter immediately goes to scripture in his interpretation of the present event. His prompt was from Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth. John 14:26, John 16:13, 1 John 2:27

Prophetic declarations abound today. Much of it is person-centered and is better defined as words of knowledge. Some represent false signs and wonders. Other prophecies are just foolish babble. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Revelation 19:10 One of the best ways to test prophecy as we are commanded in 2 Thess 5:19-22 is by determining who or what is glorified. Genuine prophecy is characterized by new and or deeper revelation of God, His glory, and His plan as it is outlined in scripture. At the very least, it does not add to or contradict scripture. Galatians 1:8-9 Hence, Peter at Pentecost is the perfect example of genuine prophetic preaching.

Peter concludes his quotation of Joel with,

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

Acts 2:21

I find it notable that Peter only quotes the first part of Joel 2:32. The full context of Joel 2 is eschatological yet Peter homes in on soteriology (the study of salvation) as he begins his apologia.

I often see contemporary believers mired in debates related to the end times. Even unbelievers are drawn by discussions about the anti-Christ, the mark of the beast, etc. U.S. presidents and other world leaders are popular candidates. Most of this reflects too much time spent on social media and TV rather than searching the scripture.

Peter remains Christocentric in his approach.

…For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Joel 2:32

among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls?

The overarching theme that we often water down or neglect entirely is that if salvation exists, then there is something from which people need to be saved. Any conversation regarding the end of the age (the eschaton) must include the reality that any one of us could meet our end before tomorrow. If those who call on the Lord are saved, then those who don’t are not. And what exactly does it mean to call on the Lord?

So often, I see false conversions because Jesus is framed as a proverbial magic happy pill to make whatever discomfort we may be experiencing go away. The teens and adults to whom we minister, frequently tell me,

“I got baptized because I thought it would make everything better.”

“It didn’t.”

How can there be understanding of our life in Christ if there is no understanding of our condition and destiny apart from Him? Life in Christ is not a call to live our best life now. It is a call to sell everything we have up to and including our very lives in the flesh for an eternal inheritance, the down-payment of which is the indwelling of Holy Spirit while we live on earth. Ephesians 1:11-14 Life in Christ on earth is not a free ticket out of fire and tribulation. It is a promise of fire and tribulation into and through which He will accompany us.

It often seems that we don’t want to tell people the whole truth because we think we need to market Jesus. We might mention condemnation and hell in passing. Then sell Jesus like a used car instead of preaching His entire Gospel. Fearing God is no longer phobeo – terror as in the terror of being accursed for twisting or redacting God’s Word. Fear is most often translated as “awe”. Contemporary awe is sweet like the awe of biting into a delicious piece of cake. One man equated the presence of God to mainlining Jesus like heroin as he motioned sticking a needle into his vein.

“So good!…”

Whatever happened to,

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12:28-29

Clearly, Peter, who had sworn he would die with Jesus, then denied him three times less than two months before, was now fully convinced and ready to walk his talk. He boldly proclaimed,

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 

Many of us are ready in season and out of season to share the gospel with broken people. But how many of us have proclaimed the same truth to those with the desire and power to marginalize or destroy us?  Even as I write, powerful ministers are being exposed as wolves for their abuse of those they claimed they were called to serve. I’m talking about decades of abuse and cover-up with no sign of repentance. The overarching theme in all of these cases was multitudes of people who knew but didn’t say anything because they were afraid of repercussions.

Peter sets the standard in the opening of his sermon. It is a standard of boldness in proclaiming truth regardless of the consequences. It would seem that he had a revelation of his true identity. It resulted in his being persecuted for righteousness’ sake and ultimately crucified like Christ. Some historians claim he was crucified upside down per his request because he didn’t think he was worthy of being crucified like Jesus. 

Chew on that.

Maranatha