4 The First Christian Sermon—part 1 The Introduction: Explaining Pentecost (2:14-21)

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. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy. And I will grant wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. And it shall be, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” (2:14–21)

In an effort to appeal to people’s interest, the church today emphasizes a great many different programs, methods, and approaches. Small group activities, sharing, and “culturally relevant” worship services, emphasizing music and drama, have become increasingly popular. Secular psychology, management techniques, and advertising strategies have all made significant inroads into the life of the church. Seminars on everything from how to have a good marriage to how to handle money abound.

Not all of those things may be harmful. Some, in their proper place, may even be helpful. But what has too often been sacrificed in the flurry of activities and programs is the priority of preaching. While some moderns may bid it good riddance, such has not been the attitude of the church through history, starting with the early church. The first event of church history, following the coming of the Spirit, was Peter’s sermon. It led to 3,000 conversions and launched the church. The book of Acts is largely the record of apostolic preaching. Preaching has always remained central to the church’s mission.

Acts 4:2 records the displeasure of the Jewish officials that the apostles “were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” Undaunted, “every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42). After the first great persecution of the church broke out, “those who had been scattered went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Acts 8 also records the preaching of Philip (vv. 5, 12), and Peter and John (v. 25) to the Samaritans, and Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch (v. 35). It also describes the further preaching ministry of Philip (v. 40).

After his conversion, Paul immediately “began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God’” (Acts 9:20). Acts 11:20 describes the ministry of the “men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.” All the way to the very last verse, Acts records how the early church “continued to preach the gospel” (Acts 14:7; cf. 10:42; 13:5, 32; 14:15, 21; 15:35; 16:10; 17:3, 13; 20:25; 28:31).

The early church’s emphasis on preaching reflected that of our Lord. At the very outset of His ministry, “Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matt. 4:17). Mark records that “after John [the Baptist] had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God” (Mark 1:14). In Luke 4:43 Jesus said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” Throughout His ministry, Jesus continued to preach and teach (cf. Matt. 11:1; Mark 1:38–39; Luke 8:1; 20:1). Luke 4:16–21 gives us insight into the Lord’s view of His ministry:

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” And He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Preaching or proclaiming is mentioned three times in the passage from Isaiah that Jesus read. That clearly shows the importance of preaching in His ministry. Jesus instructed His disciples, “As you go, preach” (Matt. 10:7), and at the end said, “Go into all the world and preach” (Mark 16:15). This call to preach is best summed up in the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:17–25:

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void. For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Preaching has rightly held that central place in the life of the true church throughout the ages. The Reformation, which recovered the faith, was initiated and spread largely through the revival of preaching by men like Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and Knox. At the very core of the great strength of seventeenth-century Puritanism was its emphasis on sound biblical preaching. The Great Awakening of the eighteenth century was led through preaching by men such as George Whitefield, John Wesley, and Jonathan Edwards. The nineteenth century saw great evangelists, such as D. L. Moody, and great preachers, such as Charles Spurgeon, Joseph Parker, and Alexander Maclaren.

A godly man, gifted by the Spirit to preach the Word, has no equal in the presentation of God’s truth. It is the God-ordained method for evangelism and edification. The weakness of the contemporary church is largely due to the decline in powerful biblical preaching. Paul set the standard in bold relief when he said,

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (1 Cor. 2:1–5)

The apostle was inspired by God to ask the question, “How shall they hear without a preacher?” Then he affirmed the nobility of the preacher when he quoted from Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:14–15).

The content of biblical preaching can be summed up in two Greek words: kērugma and didachē. Kērugma derives from the verb kērussō, which means “to proclaim,” or “to announce a proclamation.” The noun kērugma refers to the content of a proclamation. At least five elements made up the New Testament kērugma. First, it presented Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Second, it described Him as God in human flesh. Third, it focused on His life and work, especially His death and resurrection. Fourth, it spoke of His second coming. Finally, it declared that salvation was only through faith in Him, and that those who rejected Him as Lord and Savior would be eternally damned.

In addition to kērugma, or proclamation, true biblical preaching must also contain didachē, or teaching. Didachē, from which the English word “didactic” derives, refers to the doctrinal content within the preaching of the kērugma. The epistles are largely composed of this theology of salvation that provides the depth and breadth and height of preaching. True preaching is proclaiming the great truths and undergirding them with the richness of the supernatural and profound wisdom revealed throughout Scripture, particularly the New Testament. There is no such thing as genuine biblical preaching that is devoid of doctrinal content.

The book of Acts frequently records that men were persuaded to believe and be redeemed by apostolic preaching. After Paul and Silas preached in the synagogue in Thessalonica, “some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas” (Acts 17:4). In Corinth, Paul “was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:4). After arriving in Ephesus, Paul “entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8). Even while imprisoned at Rome, Paul kept up his ministry of preaching and persuading men:

And when they had set a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. And some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. (Acts 28:23–24)

The use of the term “persuaded” suggests the apostolic preaching had both a logical flow and doctrinal content. And Paul affirmed that saving faith comes by hearing a message about Christ (Rom. 10:17).

Before launching into the main body of his sermon, Peter discusses what is immediately on the people’s minds—the phenomena of Pentecost. He begins by giving a refutation of the scurrilous charge of drunkenness. Then he offers an explanation of Pentecost based on Old Testament prophecy.

THE REFUTATION

Peter had been the acknowledged leader and often the spokesman for the apostles during Christ’s earthly ministry. In all four lists of apostles, his name is first (Matt. 10:2–4; Mark 3:16–19; Luke 6:14–16; Acts 1:13). He now continues in that role, taking his stand, along with the eleven other apostles, facing the crowd. The eleven included Matthias, chosen earlier to replace the traitor Judas and complete the ranks of the twelve. As eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ themselves, they supported Peter.

Peter raised his voice so the huge crowd could hear him. The verb translated declared also appears in 2:4. Here, as there, it refers to a Spirit-inspired utterance. Peter probably spoke in Aramaic, the vernacular language of Palestine and thus familiar to his hearers, who included the men of Judea (the residents of Jerusalem), and all who live in Jerusalem (the multitudes who had flocked there to celebrate Pentecost). The Semitic expression let this be known to you, and give heed to my words expresses Peter’s confidence and boldness. There is no hesitation or equivocation in his heart. Commentator Albert Barnes observes,

Peter did not intimate that this was a doubtful matter, or one that could not be explained. His address was respectful, yet firm. He proceeded calmly to show them their error. When the enemies of religion deride us or the gospel, we should answer them kindly and respectfully, yet firmly. We should reason with them coolly, and convince them of their error, Proverbs 15:1. In this case Peter acted on the principle which he afterward enjoined on all, 1 Peter 3:15, “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” (Notes on the New Testament: Acts-Romans (Grand Rapids: Baker, reprint of the 1884–85 edition], 29–30. Italics in original.)

Obviously a Spirit-filled Peter was a very different man than the one who cringed before a lowly servant girl and denied his Lord on three occasions.

Every good sermon begins with an introduction that grabs the hearers’ attention. In this case, the Holy Spirit had already provided a dramatic introduction. The sound like a mighty wind and the miracle of languages had arrested the attention of the crowd. They were amazed and confused and wanted an explanation. Before giving that explanation, Peter refutes the false charge that the disciples were drunk (cf. v. 13). He dismisses the accusation as absurd, since it was only the third hour of the day. The third hour, reckoned from sunrise, was 9:00 A.M. Even those who were drunkards were not inebriated that early in the day. That was especially true on a festival day such as Pentecost. So universal was that reality that Peter’s appeal to it was enough to refute the charge of drunkenness.

THE EXPLANATION

but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, That I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even upon My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy. And I will grant wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. And it shall be, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’(2:16–21)

What transpired on the Day of Pentecost was not a drunken aberration. Rather, as Peter now demonstrates, it was connected to what was spoken of through the prophet Joel (cf. Joel 2:28–32).

The term the last days is a common Old Testament expression (cf. Isa. 2:2; Jer. 23:20; 49:39; Ezek. 38:16; Hos. 3:5; Micah 4:1). It denotes the time when Messiah would come to set up His kingdom. That there would be two comings of Messiah, separated by a long intervening period, was not clearly understood in the Old Testament. The two comings, however, can be inferred from the two purposes for Messiah’s coming set forth in the Old Testament. On the one hand, the Old Testament teaches that Messiah would come as the Suffering Servant, to die for the sins of the world (Isa. 53). On the other hand, it also teaches that Messiah would come in glory to set up His kingdom (Isa. 9:6).

The first coming of Christ ushered in the last days. First John 2:18 says, “Children, it is the last hour.” Peter writes that Christ “has appeared in these last times for the sake of you” (1 Peter 1:20). The writer of Hebrews informs us that God “in these last days has spoken to us in His Son” (Heb. 1:2), and “now once at the consummation of the ages [Christ] has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (9:26). The last days have thus lasted nearly two thousand years. During that time, God has graciously called Gentiles to salvation and chastened Israel for her unbelief.

The complete fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy awaits the coming of the millennial kingdom. On the Day of Pentecost, and indeed throughout the church age, God has given both a preview and a sample of the power the Spirit will release in the kingdom. Believers in the present age have a foretaste of kingdom life. In the millennial kingdom, God will pour forth of [His] Spirit upon all mankind, since all who enter the kingdom will be redeemed. (See Matt. 24:29–25:46 for the evidence that only redeemed people will enter the Millennium.) During the church age, God pours His Spirit into believers (cf. Titus 3:5–6). In the kingdom there will be perfect peace (Isa. 9:7); peace rules now in the hearts of believers. In the kingdom, Christ will reign (Luke 1:33); He reigns now in the hearts of His people. In the kingdom, Christ will judge all men (Acts 17:31; 2 Tim. 4:1); now He judges His people through the Spirit’s convicting ministry in their lives. What will ultimately come to full fruition in the kingdom began to be seen at Pentecost.

Obviously, however, not all the components of Joel’s prophecy are prefigured in the church age. It is not until the Spirit is poured out upon all mankind in the kingdom, Peter says, that your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. It is then, God says, that even upon My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy. It is only in those days (the millennial kingdom) that such extensive prophesying will take place. The nature of the prophesying, dreams, and visions that will take place remains a mystery. Prophecy was exercised in the early church (cf. Acts 21:8–11) and continues in a nonrevelatory sense throughout this age. (For a discussion of the cessation of the sign gifts, see my book Charismatic Chaos [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992].)

Nor did the wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath occur at Pentecost. There was no blood, fire, or vapor of smoke. The sun was not turned into darkness, nor the moon into blood. Those events are associated with the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

The day of the Lord may refer to any time God acts in judgment (cf. Isa. 13:6ff; Ezek. 30:2ff; Joel 1:15; 2:1–11; 3:14; Amos 5:18–20; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:14–18). In this passage, however, the ultimate day of the Lord associated with the second coming of Christ is in view (cf. 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2). That is clear from the details of Joel’s prophecy. The signs in the earth and heavens Joel mentions are connected elsewhere in Scripture with the events surrounding Christ’s second coming. The book of Revelation associates blood with that time:

And I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. (6:8)

And the first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. And the second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood. (8:7–8)

And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they might kill a third of mankind. (9:15)

And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles. (14:20)

And the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. (16:3)

Revelation also mentions fire in connection with the time surrounding Christ’s second coming:

And the angel took the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. (8:5)

And the second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood. (8:8)

And the third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. (8:10)

Finally, Revelation mentions smoke at that time:

And he opened the bottomless pit; and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, which proceeded out of their mouths. (9:2–3, 17–18)

And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning. (18:9; cf. 18:18)

In Matthew 24:29–30, the Lord Jesus Christ described the changes in the sun, moon, and stars that would accompany His second coming:

But 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 the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

Some of those cosmic disturbances had been prefigured by the events surrounding Christ’s death on the cross (cf. Luke 23:44–45).

After hearing Peter quote Joel’s terrifying description of the day of the Lord, the crowd would naturally want to know how to avoid being caught in that time of terror and devastation. Peter then delivers the climax of his quote from Joel: And it shall be, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. There is salvation for those who turn to the Savior. In the main body of his sermon, Peter describes to his hearers exactly who that Savior is and what He requires for salvation.