Acts 2:22-24

Acts 2:22-24

“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. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

Peter’s sermon continues and shifts from explaining what the crowd is testifying in the actions of the apostles to Jesus.  Peter knows that the only way for the salvation spoken of by Joel can take place is if they understand who Jesus is and what He had done for them.  The message is a short one but is filled with so much truth that I find it difficult to cover it in just one post.  This first paragraph focuses on three different aspects of Christ.  Each one of them are vital to Peter’s argument and each one is vital to our faith.  As we understand them, we can be confident in our faith and filled with eternal hope.

THE WORKS OF CHRIST: Peter’s priority is to establish the identity of Jesus.  He calls Him Jesus of Nazareth so there can be no mistake about His identity as a man.  He was from a city knows by all.  However, He was far more than a man.  He was confirmed before them as having been sent by God through the works, wonders, and signs that He did.  He was loving, kind, cared for the poor, walked in humility, and taught the truth with authority.  The wonders Her performed were numerous and included healing the sick, restoring sight, making the lame to walk, multiplying food, and raising the dead.  The signs Peter refers to could be the prophecies He made, the authority He exercised over demonic spirits, His ability to thwart repeated verbal and physical attacks, forgiving sins, and His control over the wind and the waves.  His audience had been testimonies to these things and had to admit that Jesus was no ordinary man, but that God was working through Him.  The identity of Jesus is vital for us to understand.  He is God and has been incarnated into man.  As we seek to witness to others about Jesus, our first step is to help them understand who Jesus is.

THE DEATH OF CHRIST: Who killed Jesus?  This question can be answered in a variety of ways.  This passage lists three different persons or groups of people that are responsible for the death of Christ.  The first is God.  Jesus was delivered up by God to be crucified in order to satisfy His wrath over the sin of man.  God sent Jesus, but He willingly laid down His life, and did so by the power of the Spirit, so in a real sense, we can say that the Trinity killed Jesus.  Second, the Jews killed Jesus.  Peter is speaking to a large Jewish audience and says that “you crucified and killed” Jesus.  The religious leaders falsely accused Him of blasphemy and riled up the crowds as way of manipulating the authorities to acquiesce to their demands.  Finally, the Romans killed Jesus.  The Jews did not have the authority to kill so they had to convince “lawless men” to do the job.  Pilate was convinced of the fact that Jesus was innocent but give in to the mob as opposed to applying the law.  He was cruelly tortured by Roman soldiers who inflicted unlawful pain and shame on an innocent man.  However, there are two other people that are guilty of crucifying Jesus: me and you.  The principle of substitution is one of the most glorious in all of Scripture.  Jesus died as our substitute or in representation of us.  If that is true, it is because the people who were present during Christ’s crucifixion were also our representatives.  Jesus died for our sins.  This truth should simultaneously fill our hearts with shame and joy.  Shame because of our guilt.  Joy because of His grace and the forgiveness we experience through the death of Christ.

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST: The resurrection is our source of hope.  As long as Jesus was dead, the wrath of God remains unsatisfied because the penalty of sin, death, was still being paid.  The resurrection is proof that the penalty of sin has been paid.  It is God stamping our debt: “paid in full.”  There are many who might be held responsible for His death, but His resurrection was accomplished by God.  Death is an enemy that has been defeated.  Death could not hold Jesus.  The power of death no longer has authority.  As Peter said: “the pangs of death have been loosed.”  It was not possible for death to hold Jesus because He was so much more that a miracle working man; He is God.  Jesus paid the price for our sin.  The Father accepted that payment and raised Him from the grave.  This is the hope of all who believe on Him.  We too will be released from death and be resurrected to eternal life in the presence of God.  This is the essence of the message that Peter proclaimed and must be the message that we proclaim to the ends of the earth.

APPLICATION: We must know and let others know who Jesus is.  Remember the works of Jesus and understand that He is in control of all that is going on in our lives and can solve any problem we face.  Know that Jesus died for us.  He gave His life as a substitute for our lives.  We are called to give our lives to Him and allow Him to use us as He sees fit.  Rejoice and hope in the resurrection.  No matter how difficult or dangerous life may become, our eternity is secure.  Be confident in the promises of God.