BACKGROUND:
Peter, the early spokesman for the Twelve, seized the opportunity and shouted to the crowd. Peter explained to the people why they should listen to the testimony of the believers: because the Old Testament prophecies had been entirely fulfilled in Jesus , because Jesus is the Messiah, and because the risen Christ could change their lives.
Peter answered the accusation that they were all drunk by saying it was too early in the day for that. He then proceeded to tie the event the crowd had just witnessed to the words of the prophet Joel, quoting from Joel 2:28-32. The last days include all the days between Christ’s first and second comings; it is another way of saying “from now on.” Peter was reminding these Jewish listeners that from prophecies like this one recorded by Joel, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people, they should recognize the event they had just witnessed as the work of the Spirit. It would be to all kinds of people—Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor—not just to kings and priests.
The coming of the Messiah, the miracles, and the events described by Joel were all well-established concepts to these people of Israel (the Jews). Now all that remained was for Peter to connect those events to Jesus of Nazareth—the teacher many of them had heard and seen, the teacher who had been crucified. Peter began this sermon by stating that God himself had publicly endorsed Jesus by doing wonderful miracles, wonders, and signs through him. Certainly many of the gathered crowd had seen or heard of the famous ministry of Jesus.
With little forewarning Peter suddenly accused his Jewish audience of an awful participation in the Messiah’s death. This is a perfect presentation of God’s sovereignty and people’s responsibility—both in the same sentence. God’s prearranged plan was his sovereign will to bring salvation to people through the death and resurrection of Christ. Though God’s will is sovereign, he works through people and events of history. Even putting Jesus to death fulfilled God’s plan.
Peter was saying that they were at least culpable because, as Jews, they had missed their Messiah and had allowed their leaders to kill him. Thus, they were guilty by their relationship to the actual murderers. Peter was pointing his finger at the crowd and shouting, “You nailed him to the cross and murdered him.”
But the murdered Messiah had not stayed dead. God raised him back to life again, and many people could testify to having seen the risen Christ. This was a powerful statement because many of the people listening to Peter’s words had been in Jerusalem fifty days earlier at Passover and may have seen or heard about the crucifixion of this “great teacher.” Jesus’ resurrection was the ultimate sign that what he said about himself was true. Without the Resurrection, no one would have any reason to believe in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:14). Peter phrased it appropriately: death could not keep him in its grip.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
We continue to see eight things that we must do today in our church, so that if we do these things we can expect God’s blessing on our church as much as they saw a blessing on the church in Jerusalem.
#5. WE MUST MAXIMIZE THE POWER OF PRAYER.
Forty-eight times in the book of Acts it says, “they prayed.” We will have power like the book of Acts when we pray like the book of Acts. In the New Testament, there was James the Apostle. His nickname was “camel knees”. It’s like surfers who are fanatics. They’ve got big knobby knees because they’re on their knees riding their surf boards so much. James was a man of prayer so much they said he got these big knobs on his knees. They called him Camel Knees because he spent so many hours in prayer. That was the kind of believer he was.
Spiritual warfare requires the use of spiritual weapons. Notice Acts 4:31 - “After they prayed the place they were meeting was shaken.” When was the last time you were in a prayer meeting like that? “They were all filled with God’s Spirit and they spoke the word of God boldly.” We must maximize the power of prayer if we’re going to be like the church of Jerusalem.
What does that mean for us here at COV? We will start praying more corporately. Starting next Wednesday night (8/3), we will have three Wednesday nights of prayer and worship. We'll be asking God to pour out His Spirit on our church and use COV to be a lighthouse in the San Ramon Valley. We'll be praying that God reaches people for salvation. We'll be praying for God to be honored and glorified in and through His people. My prayer this morning is that you'll carve out time in your very busy schedule to join us. Let's build a praying church here at COV.
I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course.
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