Act 2:14-36 NASB - "14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: "Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. 15 "For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:
17 'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; 18 EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy. 19 'AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW, BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE. 20 'THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME. 21 'AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.'
22 "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-- 23 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. 24 "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.
25 "For David says of Him, 'I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE; FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN. 26 'THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED; MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE; 27 BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY. 28 'YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE; YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.'
29 "Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 "And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. 32 "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
33 "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34 "For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, 35 UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET."'
36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Messiah--this Jesus whom you crucified.""
It is important to rightly understand what God is doing by application of the Word of God to the particular experience we are having. It is good to have the LORD act in our lives but it is also vital that we rightly interpret what HE is doing through the lenses of a biblical worldview or even encounters with God can be wrongly understood and used.
As we look at this first evangelistic preaching of the gospel to an unbelieving crowd we can see that the primary focus is on the person of Jesus and answering the question; “Who is Jesus?” Here is an overview by Whitney Kuniholm
"First, he interpreted the events the crowd had just witnessed: they are the fulfillment of a message from the Old Testament prophet Joel (Acts 2: 17-21; see Joel 2: 28-31).
Next, Peter summarized the ministry of Jesus and explained its connection to the Holy Spirit (2: 22-33). (Here as the summary of the gospel given, the death burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). )
And finally, he concluded that “God has made this Jesus . . . Lord and Christ” (2: 36). In other words, Jesus was the Anointed One, the Messiah, the culmination of God’s plan to save the world from sin. Peter understood that the Holy Spirit was proof that it was all true."
(Kuniholm, Whitney T. (2014-07-10). The Essential Question: How You Can Make a Difference for God (Kindle Locations 298-302). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition. )
The focus of the message is on the person of Jesus. The gospel is not what God is asking us to do but what HE has done for us in the person of the Messiah Jesus. It is the life, suffering, sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of our LORD Jesus that saves us. It is “Jesus only Jesus” that matters when it comes to our salvation and hope to be reconciled with God. The New Testament church was centered on the gospel which is the story of Messiah Jesus.
Now the conclusion is vital here:; Jesus is both LORD and Messiah. Peter, explains that Jesus is God in the flesh and talks about the LORD calling the Messiah LORD, thus demonstrating that the early church understood the idea of incarnation and the deity of Jesus (Hebrew 1:13). In addition to this however Jesus was the Messiah, the ultimate anointed prophet, priest and king of God.
What does it mean to be a Christian. It is to personally respond and receive Jesus as God in the flesh, depend on HIM personally to be the revealer of God’s will to me, depend on the LORD Jesus alone to have paid for my sins on the cross and be my one mediator with God so that I will forgiven and accepted by God’s grace alone, and bow my will to the will of Jesus desiring to direct my life by what HE says to me through HIS Word and Spirit. To be a Christian is to personally accept Jesus as my prophet, priest, and king.
Application
Based on this definition, are you a Christian? If not then I would urge you to accept the Lord Jesus today. If you have accepted Jesus as your LORD and Messiah, how consistently are you following HIM today. Are you living al life worthy of this great gospel? How could you improve and be more consistently living as one who follows the Messiah Jesus?
Prayer: Lord Jesus I accept you as my prophet, priest, and king. Be my Messiah! I surrender to your love, grace, compassion, mercy, tenderness, and desire for my life. Help me reflect your love and mercy before a watching world. Come now and help us live in a way that is worthy of your great work of redemption and grace. Holy Spirit fill us an grant us boldness to speak to others about the great love of the Messiah to others today in our words and deeds. Amen
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