Acts  Sermon Series

Wheelersburg Baptist Church 2/11/01 Brad Brandt

Acts 2:37-41 "When the Word is Truly Preached"**

What happens when God’s Word is truly preached? I say truly preached because it’s possible to use the Bible and yet not preach the Bible.

We’ve all heard sermons where it was obvious the preacher had something he wanted to say and was merely "using" the Bible to substantiate it. But to read a biblical text and then springboard from it to share your own ideas is not biblical preaching.

On the other hand, know this. When God’s Word is truly preached there is inherent power. The preaching of the Scriptures can accomplish what no human technique could ever fulfill. Biblical preaching changes lives and destinies.

I’m here today as a testimony to that fact, and so are many of you. When I was eleven years old I was first exposed to biblical preaching. Oh, I’d been to church before. And I’d heard sermons before, but it had been in a "church" that didn’t cherish the Scriptures, with a "preacher" that didn’t expound the Bible, one who merely talked in vague terms about living a good life.

But at the age of eleven our family moved to a new town and a new church, and I began to hear biblical preaching. I listened week after week as the pastor presented the clear truths of God’s Word, line by line, paragraph by paragraph.

God began to create an unrest in my heart. The more I heard God’s Word, the clearer it became what was missing. I needed a Savior. And what I needed, God had provided for me. It was because the Bible was truly preached that I came to know Jesus Christ personally.

What happened in my life at age eleven happened on an even grander scale one day in Jerusalem nearly two thousand years ago. On the day of Pentecost, some three thousand people came to know Christ as a result of hearing a sermon that Peter preached.

We examined that sermon last week in our study of Acts 2:14-36. But we left off without seeing the effect the sermon had on the listeners. We’ll pick it up at that point now, and here’s what we’ll see. When the Word is truly preached, it produces three effects as demonstrated in Acts 2:37-41.

In fact, you can test a sermon to determine whether it’s biblical by this criteria. Truly biblical preaching will produce these three effects.

"When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’"

Something amazing happened to the crowd. Fifty days earlier from the same location a mob cried, "Crucify Him!" Less than an hour earlier, the people in this crowd were oblivious to their spiritual condition. But now they’re cut to the heart.

What made the difference? What was it that produced this effect? The writer of Acts, Luke, says in verse 37, "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart."

What was this? It was Peter’s sermon.

Remember the context. There were several thousand people standing before Peter and the other apostles, probably in the temple court. The reason they were there is because of a sound they heard that had grabbed their attention—the sound of a violent wind.

The Holy Spirit had just come upon the followers of Jesus, enabling them to speak in glossa, or foreign languages. Jews from all over the world who were in town for the Jewish holiday, Pentecost, heard the Christians speaking in their native dialects. They were amazed and asked, "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language (7-8)?"

Peter answered their question by preaching the sermon recorded in verses 14-36. It’s was the church’s first sermon had three ingredients. First, there was clarification (14-21). Peter told them, "This isn’t spirits—these men aren’t drunk. This is the Spirit, the Holy Spirit! He has come just as the Old Testament prophet Joel predicted."

Then came the confrontation (22-35). Peter forced his hearers to face the crime of their rejection of Jesus. "Jesus was the Messiah! You put to death God’s Anointed One, but know this. God endorsed Him, and for that matter, so did the Old Testament Scriptures." In fact, if you examine Peter’s entire sermon, you’ll discover that he devoted thirteen verses to Old Testament quotations and the other thirteen verses to exposition and application. This was a biblical sermon!

Thirdly came the challenge in verse 36. "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Your assessment of Jesus was wrong. God’s assessment is what matters. You crucified Him, but God declares Jesus to be both Lord and Christ!

Realize this. A person is in big trouble when his assessment of something conflicts with God’s. When they heard this, they were cut to the heart.

A lot of preaching in our day is very man-centered. If you want to determine whether preaching is truly biblical, look for these two evidences.

A. Biblical preaching produces conviction. "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart." They were "pricked in their heart," as the KJV translators put it. The Greek verb katanusso appears only here in the New Testament. It means "to pierce," or "to stab," and depicts something sudden and unexpected.

What is it that has the power to penetrate to the innermost depths of a person’s life? What can cut to the core of an individual and produce intense conviction? God’s Word can.

When God’s Word is presented clearly, it changes the way we view ourselves. It causes people to see themselves from God’s perspective. And for a sinner, that’s a frightening (although necessary) experience.

May I remind you that there was no organ music playing in the background? Peter didn’t tell any tear-jerking stories. He simply presented Jesus to the people by preaching the Scriptures. It’s the proclamation of God’s Word that produces conviction.

There’s a second evidence of preaching that is truly biblical…

B. Biblical preaching produces a desire to change. The people said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" What does their question indicate? Not only were they under conviction, but they were ready to change. The message they heard affected not only their hearts, but their lives.

Know this. The preaching of the Scriptures soothes, yes. But at times it upsets. Indeed, biblical preaching has the power to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable. In short, it exposes.

What a question they asked! "What shall we do?" Don’t miss that they addressed this question to the other apostles as well as Peter. All twelve were involved in the witnessing that day (14), and Peter was addressed as one amongst equals.

That’s a good question to ask after you’ve heard a sermon. When the crowds heard the preaching of John the Baptist they asked him, "What shall we do then (Luke 3:10)?" When the Philippian jailor discovered that Paul and Silas hadn’t escaped during the earthquake, he asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved (Acts 16:31)?"

William LaSor is right when he says, "Preaching should appeal to the head and to the heart. But unless is also appeals to the will, it falls short of its purpose. It is not enough to sway the hearer’s emotions or to satisfy his intellectual curiosity. That man must be led to want to do something. Otherwise, it is only entertainment."

To put it bluntly, if your goal on Sunday is to go to a church that will make you feel good about yourself, then don’t go to a Bible-teaching church. Why not? Because when the Word is preached, it exposes sinners. It reveals the truth to us about our condition. It’s not that we were sinners. We are sinners who have offended a holy God.

Suppose you were on a passenger train clicking along at 60 m.p.h. There’s a party going on in your boxcar. Everyone is laughing and having a great time. In fact, you just commented, "I can’t remember the last time I was having this much fun!" It was a real joy ride.

But suppose, unbeknownst to anyone on the train, that six miles ahead a bridge over a canyon is out—completely gone. In just six minutes the train will arrive at the spot and everyone will perish.

Answer this. Would it upset you if at that moment someone called you on your cell-phone and said, "Stop the party! The bridge is out! Get off the train or you’ll die!"? Hardly. You’d be forever grateful for that message, wouldn’t you?

I’m so thankful that someone loved me enough to tell me the truth, "The train you’re on is heading for destruction. Get off before it’s too late!" Sure, he interrupted my "party," but he saved my life—eternally.

Apart from the working of the Holy Spirit, we wouldn’t want to hear what we desperately need to hear. We’d rather keep partying all the way to the canyon. But when biblical preaching occurs, the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to produce the conviction of God.

And know this. Until people are convicted of their sin they’ll never see their need for a Savior.

So when the Word is truly preached, it exposes sinners. But biblical preaching doesn’t stop there. It does more than unveil our problem. It also shows us the remedy for our problem—in other words, how to get off the train that’s heading for devastation. When the Word is preached it produces a second effect, as it did in Acts 2.

James Denney stated plainly, "No man can give at once the impression that he himself is clever and that Jesus Christ is mighty to save." Preaching that is biblical will expose sinners and then exalt the Savior.

That’s what Peter did. Listen to the Christ-exalting invitation he extended to his audience in verses 38-39: "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. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off -- for all whom the Lord our God will call.’"

Peter exalted the Savior by clarifying three critical matters for his listeners. First, he told them…

A. Here’s how you must respond (38a). Remember, the people’s question was this, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter didn’t mince words. He told them that there was only one appropriate way to respond. In his answer, he used clear and concise biblical terms.

Which unfortunately doesn’t happen today far too often. Before we examine the response Peter invited his listeners to make, think about the "fuzzy" terminology we often use. Here are some typical, though unbiblical invitations:

"Will you give your heart to Christ?" The Bible never tells a sinner to give his heart to Christ. We are not saved by giving God anything, but by accepting His gift to us (Eph 2:8-9).

"If you want to be saved, ask Jesus to come into your heart." That, too, is unbiblical. First of all, it conjures up confusing notions about Jesus entering into the organ that’s pumping in my chest. But there’s a more fundamental problem. Biblically defined, what is true of my heart? It is corrupt. I don’t need for Jesus to come into my existing heart, but to give me a new heart.

"Come to the altar now, and get washed in the blood." The altar is an Old Testament concept. The altar was in the Temple. The early church didn’t have altars in the front of their church buildings. For that matter, they didn’t even have church buildings! And though getting "washed in the blood" is a New Testament truth—we are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet 1:19)—this invitation is confusing. We must tell people how to experience Christ’s cleansing.

"Will you come and pray through to Christ?" You won’t find phrases like "praying through" and "letting go" in the biblical invitations. They imply human effort is required for salvation. It’s not. Nowhere does the Bible tell us we have to plead with God and coerce Him to save us. In fact, terminology like "praying through" is often used by people who overemphasize the place of emotions in salvation, and insist that people need to keep praying until they "feel" like they are saved.

You won’t find those kind of invitations in Acts. In fact, if you scan the book of Acts you might be surprised how people responded when they wanted to become a Christian. There’s no evidence of walking an aisle in a church building. You won’t find anybody raising a hand for prayer. There’s no invitation to repeat a prayer after a preacher. In fact, there’s not even any record of someone bowing their head and praying to receive Christ as their Savior—although this probably occurred.

Most of these responses came from the American revivalism of Charles Finney and others, not from the Bible. If you want to see a biblical invitation, listen to what Peter told those under conviction in Jerusalem that day. He gave them two specific charges.

1. You must repent. The Greek word is metanoeo. It means to change your mind or purpose. The Hebrew word used as its equivalent in the Old Testament means "to turn" or "return." The biblical picture is that a person who has not repented is going away from God, going his own way, and acting contrary to God.

But when a person repents, he does a 180 degree turn around. He turns from his sin to God. To repent is to express a willingness to change one’s thinking and living. To be precise, repentance is a gift of God just as faith is (Acts 5:31). That is, no sinner will desire to repent apart from the Spirit’s working.

Sadly, "repent" is a neglected word in many evangelistic presentations today. Some suggest that we shouldn’t tell non-Christians to repent. They just need to believe. But Peter did. For that matter, so did John the Baptist (Matt 3:2). And so did Jesus Himself (Matt 4:17).

When the crowd of convicted sinners asked Peter what to do, the first charge he gave them was to repent. That indicates that repentance is an essential component of genuine conversion. Let me say it as clearly as I can. According to the New Testament, a person who does not repent is not a Christian. You must repent. A second charge—and by the way these are a "package deal"—you can’t separate the two.

2. You must give allegiance to Christ. Peter said, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins."

Before considering what Peter is saying, let’s first establish what he is not saying. The question that always arises at this point is this, "Is Peter saying that you have to be baptized to be saved?" The answer is no.

Acts 2:38 doesn’t teach salvation by baptism. Baptism doesn’t save a person. If baptism is essential for salvation, it’s odd that Peter said nothing about it in his other recorded sermons (Acts 3:12-26; 5:29-32; 10:34-43). In fact, in Acts 10 Cornelius and his household clearly received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized (44-48).

No, baptism doesn’t save a person. The water isn’t magical. It doesn’t literally wash away sins.

Why, then, did Peter exhort his Jewish audience to be baptized? To understand that, we need to put ourselves into his listeners’ sandals.

It’s hard for us to imagine the difficulty of the decision facing Peter’s hearers. They were Jews. They’d been Jews all their lives. And they were devout Jews—remember, they’d spent money to travel from all over the world to observe this Jewish holiday of Pentecost. As Jews they were a people with a rich cultural and religious history.

Most Jews were fiercely nationalistic. They banded together in their dream of getting rid of the Romans. They prayed for the day when God would establish His kingdom over the world—a Jewish kingdom. Just fifty days earlier they had crucified One they considered to be a barrier to their nationalistic goals.

So when they heard Peter say, "Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus," they knew what he meant. They were familiar with baptism. They knew that to enter the waters of baptism would signify a change.

Some, no doubt, had been baptized by John the Baptist. But this would be different. Peter called on them to be baptized "in the name of Jesus Christ." What name? The name of the Person they had crucified seven weeks earlier. That name.

If they were baptized in that name, they would be ostracized by their fellow Jews. They would become outcasts in their own society. They would be making a public break with Judaism. Yes, this would be a life-changing step.

Three pastors got together for coffee one day and found all their churches had bat-infestation problems. "I got so mad," said one, "I took a shotgun and fired at them. It made holes in the ceiling, but did nothing to the bats." "I tried trapping them alive," said the second. "Then I drove 50 miles before releasing them, but they beat me back to the church." "I haven't had any more problems," said the third. "What did you do?" asked the others, amazed. "I simply baptized and confirmed them," he replied. "I haven't seen them since."

Let’s set the record straight. Baptism is supposed to mean something. In New Testament Christianity, faith was not a "private matter" like many consider it to be today. Would you notice two critical elements of baptism underscored here by Peter?

· It must be personal. "Repent and be baptized, every one of you," he said. This is a call for a personal response. I can’t be baptized for you, nor can you for me. Parents can’t make this decision for their children. It must be personal.

· It must be public. Anyone can say they’ve repented and believed in Christ. But the proof of the sincerity of a person’s repentance and faith is public baptism.

There is no such thing as an unbaptized Christian in the New Testament. If you have believed in Christ, the world is supposed to know.

If a Jew in Peter’s audience decided to be baptized he would be saying, "I was wrong about Jesus before, but by God’s grace, no longer. I believe He is both Lord and Christ, and from this day forth He will be my Lord."

Let me say it again. The act of baptism doesn’t save anybody. A person is saved by faith, not works. Peter himself later clarified that for Cornelius, "Everyone who believes in him [Christ] receives forgiveness of sins through his name (Acts 10:43)."

Baptism isn’t necessary for salvation. It is necessary as the Scriptural means of expressing faith in Christ. To be baptized is to say outwardly what you’ve already said inwardly. "I believe in Jesus. He is my Savior and Lord. I want the world to know."

Don’t miss this. To be baptized is to count the cost. To be baptized is to declare public allegiance to Jesus Christ.

Peter exalted the Savior next by clarifying a second critical matter. First, here’s how you must respond…

B. Here’s what you will receive (38b). Two gifts. If you repent and give allegiance to Christ, two things will happen.

1. You will experience forgiveness. "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins." How marvelous! Our sins—no matter how many nor how heinous—our sins can be forgiven through Jesus.

Perhaps you’re listening to this message right now and thinking, "Is there really hope for me after all I’ve done. I’ve lived a sinful life, and I’ve rejected Jesus many times before? Is there hope for me?" Dear friend, know this. Some in this very crowd were responsible for Jesus’ crucifixion. His blood was on their hands—literally.

Yet what did Peter offer them? The forgiveness of sins! And the offer stands for you, too. Repent and place your faith in Christ and you will experience forgiveness. That’s not all.

2. You will receive the Holy Spirit. That’s what Peter said, "You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Not might, but will. The gift of the Spirit is the Spirit Himself.

Peter is saying, "Respond today, and what happened to us will happen to you, too. God’s Spirit will come and live in you as He does in us!" Thirdly…

C. Here’s what makes it possible (39). "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off -- for all whom the Lord our God will call." Notice two features of the salvation that God offers.

1. The invitation is universal. Who is the promise for? Peter says all. William Temple put it this way, "The church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members."

Who can receive forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit? All can. Who is invited to be saved? According to Peter, all are. The invitation is universal. But something else is true of God’s salvation.

2. The call is particular. Who did Peter say the promise is for at the end of verse 39? "For all whom the Lord our God will call."

There’s a beautiful balance in Scripture. Who is invited to be saved? All are. Who will be saved? Only those whom the Lord calls.

I’m intrigued by what Peter did here. In an evangelistic message, Peter told his unregenerate hearers about God’s sovereignty in salvation.

The Scriptures teach that in eternity past God chose an undeserving people for Himself (Rom 8:28-30; Eph 1:4-5). He promised He would save them.

We don’t know who the elect are—only God does. It’s our task to call all men to respond to Jesus. And God will save those whom He chooses to call.

In fact, were it not for the effectual call of God, no one would be saved. But because God is the author of salvation, we can preach with confidence. Even as Paul did when he said from his prison cell, "Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus."

Yes, when the Word is preached, it exposes sinners and exalts the Savior. From the beginning to end, God is exalted in the salvation of His people. But we see a third effect of biblical preaching in Acts 2, one that’s often overlooked. When the Word is truly preached…

"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."

Talk about church growth! The church went from 120 to 3,000 as a result of one sermon!

Ponder those statistics. In one day Jesus’ followers won more converts than their Master did in three years of preaching! But that’s what He told them would happen in John 14:12, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

When the Word is preached, it expands the church. Granted, that doesn’t mean that every time a sermon is preached there will be 3,000 conversions. Even Peter never saw those kind of numbers again. When it comes to fruit, the extent is up to God.

Yet we can be sure of this. When the Word is preached, God’s church will grow. God determines the pace, and God determines the place, but it will grow! Read the book of Acts and that’s what you’ll discover. Biblical preaching always results in the growth of the church.

Follow me. In Acts, whenever people responded to Christ, they were instantly plugged into the local church. What that means in practical terms is this. If we’re going to extend to people invitations that are biblical, we have two responsibilities.

A. We must urge people to leave the corrupt society (40). That’s what Peter did, "With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.""

The word "corrupt" translates skolios which means "bent" or "crooked." It’s true. We are living in a twisted world. The world says, "It’s okay to kill unborn children. It’s okay to sacrifice your family on the altar of a career. It’s okay to fill your mind with pornography. It’s okay to harbor bitterness towards others who’ve wronged you."

But God says, "It’s not okay." Quite the contrary, this society is corrupt, and we need to save ourselves from it. It’s going to hell.

Realize this. You can’t become a Christian and continue to live like the world.

To become a Christian is to become counter-cultural. You are choosing a life that goes against the grain.

And you’ll never make it on your own, nor did God intend for you to try. Which is why in extending an invitation we have a second responsibility.

B. We must invite people to join a new community (41). That’s what Peter did. "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."

I love how matter-of-factly Luke presents the results. Three things happened to the people God called that day.

1. They accepted the message. What message? Peter’s message about Christ. Having heard the message about Christ, there are only two options. You either accept it, or reject it. In fact, to not accept it is to reject it. To refuse to submit your life to Christ is to reject Him.

But in response to the Spirit’s call, 3,000 people accepted the message that day. They were saved. Then what did they do?

2. They were baptized. A. T. Robertson says that the numerous pools in Jerusalem provided plenty of space for the wholesale baptizing. They did what Peter had told them to do. Have you? If you have accepted the message of Christ, you need to be baptized. Thirdly…

3. They became part of the church. Luke says they were "added to their number that day." That is, they became part of this new, counter-cultural community known as the church. Their whole life would now revolve around this community. Their identity would be linked to it.

In fact, according to verse 42 (a text we’ll develop next time) they were devoted to the church. It’s sad, yet true. Far too often in our day people view the church like they do a grocery store. It’s just a place you go to get some goods. So if the church down the street offers better "goods," we go there. Or worse yet, if I don’t think I need any "goods" this week, I stay home.

Not so with our forefathers in Acts. When a person became a Christian, that person was added to the church. It wasn’t where they went on Sunday. It was their life, and they were devoted to it. Is that true of you?

Such is the powerful effect of the preaching of God’s Word. When God’s Word is truly preached, it exposes sinners, exalts the Savior, and expands the church.

1. Does Christ have my allegiance? Have you repented, believed in Christ, and made a public profession through baptism? Are you living in allegiance to Him?

To become a Christian you must identify with Christ. But to live as a Christian, you must identify with the people of Christ. You need to be "added" to the church. Church membership is vital. So a second question is in order…

2. Does His church have my devotion? Christ loves His church. Do you?

Acts  Sermon Series