We Believe
This is My Vow - Part 2
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Acts 2:14-41, Matthew 16:13-20
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:37-38
At Pentecost we tend to turn all of our attention toward the Spirit, but the Spirit seeks to turn all of our attention away by shining the spotlight on Jesus instead. The Spirit’s primary purpose is always to magnify the glory of the Christ and to draw all people to the Father through the death, burial and resurrection of the Son.
Peter certainly did not know the “Apostle’s Creed” which was written in final form over 700 years later, nor did he likely expect people across the globe to be reciting his words over 2,000 years after he spoke them. Nevertheless, it is easy to see how such a Creed might come from this Apostle’s bold, Spirit filled proclamation… particularly with regard to what we believe about our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He suffered under wicked men, was killed on a cross and buried. God raised him up from death’s dreadful grip! (vs. 23-24) He was exalted to God’s right side and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit (vs. 33). He poured out this spirit, and you are now seeing and hearing the results of his having done so.
The crowds who gathered had clearly made a mistake with regards to their response to Jesus. Some of them may have cried out directly for his crucifixion. Others may have simply ignored him throughout his three year ministry. Still others likely followed him around looking for miracles and free handouts of loaves and fish. Perhaps there were even those in the crowd who had experienced his power over sickness and been healed. But in the end, nearly everyone walked away… if not before Jesus was arrested, they certainly moved on with their lives after his burial. Any belief they might have had in him was crushed under the weight of the cross. Any shred of hope they might have dared, that he was God’s promised Savior, was stained with dirt and blood.
What now?
They had seen the nails and the crown of thorns. They had seen the spear pierce his side. They heard his final cry… “Tetalestai!”, “It is Finished!”, as his lifeless body sunk under its own weight. They knew with absolute certainty that this man Jesus had died, yet these Galileans declared boldly to everyone that this dead man was alive.
They claimed to be witnesses of his resurrection. Surely such a testimony would never hold up in court, and yet hear they proclaimed it for all the world to hear. The ones who killed Jesus surely wouldn’t stand for such treasonous support of the would-be Messiah they had eliminated. There was a reason, after all, that the disciples had been hiding behind locked doors these past 50 days. As followers of a blasphemer and potential threat to the Roman crown, Jerusalem was hardly a safe place for them. And yet with their very lives on the line, filled with the Holy Spirit, they proclaimed boldly that Christ had risen! Christ has risen indeed!
“Brothers, what should we do?” the troubled crowds replied.
“Change your hearts and lives,” Peter declared! Each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you, your children, and for all who are far away – as many as the Lord our God invites.” With many other words he testified and encouraged them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Those who accepted Peter’s message were baptized and God brought about three thousand people into the community on that day.
Listen to this week’s sermon here: