Title Acts 02:22-36 Peter's Witness
Content Peter, the witness of Jesus (Acts 2:22-36)
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down, and the disciples who received the Holy Spirit spoke in their own tongues about the great things of God. When those who saw it were skeptical and mocking, Peter got up and cried out. They clearly testified from the Bible that they were not drunk, but that they had received the Spirit of God as prophesied by the prophet Joel. Then, Peter proved Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension through the Bible, revealing that Jesus was the Christ the Jews had been waiting for.
It can be seen that preaching is not about self-testing, but only about Jesus.
1. The Sign of Jesus' Messiahship
“God did great powers and wonders and signs among you through Jesus of Nazareth, testifying to you before him.”
The Jews were waiting for the Messiah. However, when Jesus, the Messiah, came to this earth, he refused to acknowledge him as the Messiah. Even John the Baptist, who testified that Jesus was the Christ under the direction of the Holy Spirit, had doubts in his heart when the restoration of national sovereignty was not accomplished quickly, and sent his disciples to ask, “You are the one who is to come, so shall we wait for someone else?” (Matthew 11: 3)
At that time, Jesus avoided a direct answer and replied, "Go and tell John what you hear and see, saying, The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached."
Everything that Jesus did is a sure proof that he is the Messiah sent by God. So Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus at night and said, "We know that you are a teacher who came from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with you." John 3:2)
2. The Death of Jesus
“He was delivered according to the purpose of God and foreknowledge, and by the hand of lawless men you crucified and put to death…”
Jesus' death was God's will. "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures..." (1 Corinthians 15:3; see Luke 18:31-33)
The Jews rejected Jesus, and Judas Iscariot sold Jesus to the religious leaders. And the religious leaders delivered Jesus into the hands of Gentiles (Romans) who had no law, and had him crucified to death. All of these things were fulfilled according to the Bible, but we cannot escape the responsibility of selling Jesus and nailing Him to the cross.
“The Son of Man goes as it is written about him, but woe to him who betrays him, for it would have been better for him if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24).
3. The Risen Jesus
"God hath made life from the agony of death, for he could not be bound by death."
The resurrection of Jesus is a supernatural event. So many people do not believe in the resurrection. Even Jesus' disciples did not believe at first. Thomas believed when he put his finger in Jesus' nail-marked hand and touched the side that had been pierced by a spear.
But Peter proved that the resurrection of Jesus was also foretold in the Bible.
There is a verse in David's psalm (Psalm 16): "You will not leave my soul in hell; you will not let Your Holy One suffer corruption." But David, who wrote the poem, died and left a grave. So, who is this poem referring to? Peter proved that the object of this poem was Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead.
God promised to make one of David's descendants king forever, and he also had David foretold and prophesied his resurrection. So David becomes one of the prophets.
In this way, as prophesied in the Bible, Jesus was resurrected and Peter himself witnessed it, so he boldly testified. “God raised this Jesus, and we are all witnesses of these things.”
4. Ascension of Jesus
Jesus, who had died in complete obedience to the Father's will, was raised to life by God and raised up to the heavenly throne. David's poem says, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool." These words did not refer to David himself either. Because David sat on an earthly throne, not a heavenly one.
Because Peter clearly saw Jesus ascending into heaven before their eyes, he was convinced and testified that the poem was referring to Jesus Christ.
The Jews despised, rejected Jesus of Nazareth, and crucified him. Despite the disbelief and evil deeds of the Jews, God accomplished the work of redemption of mankind through Jesus.
* We believe in the Bible and also believe in the work of the Messiah, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus according to the evidence of the Bible. This faith comes from God. “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).
Like Peter, who received the Holy Spirit, let us do our best to preach that Jesus is our Lord and Christ.