The Gospel of the Resurrection

Turn to the book of Acts. I want
to take a hiatus, a brief hiatus to the book of Acts as we ponder
this precious message of the resurrection. In times past, we have considered
some of the historical attacks on the resurrection, There have
been a great number of them over the centuries. There was the
falsehood theory that suggested that the disciples of Christ
deliberately stole his body and practiced deception. And therefore,
the resurrection never really took place. There was the swoon
theory. This is my favorite, that Jesus didn’t really die.
He merely swooned or fainted. There was the vision theory suggesting
that For purely subjective reasons, the apostles had these visions,
which ultimately reduces the resurrection to the level of
a myth. There’s many, many others. And I’m not going to take the
time to revisit these particular attacks, except to say that to
varying degrees, unfortunately, and with devastating consequences,
these attacks have been successful even among those who profess
to be Christians. The doctrine of the resurrection
of Christ is, among some circles, deemed as expendable to the greater
economy of God. For some, believing in the resurrection
is not necessary to enjoy a warm relationship with God, for spiritual
wholeness, for eternal life. It is just not deemed to be that
crucial. But that’s not the picture that
the Scriptures paint regarding the resurrection of our Lord
Jesus. Paul said it like this in 1 Corinthians 15, 54, that
Jesus was buried, that he was raised on the third day according
to the Scriptures. Consider, first of all, that
if the resurrection were to be proven to be false, then the
majority really of the New Testament and good portions of the old
would need to be ripped out of our Bibles and tossed away as
garbage. Whole sections, chapters, even
books would need to be removed. And those portions that remain,
there would be so much doubt cast upon the authors for including
these ideas. There would be so little trust
remaining in it that those too should be thrown away as worthless.
The synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke include dozens
of references to the resurrection. And not only that, they all close
with detailed eyewitness accounts which would have to be dismissed
away as mere fabrications. The Gospel of John, which passage
we just read. The Gospel of John with its signature
opening, unlike any of the other Gospels, a dialogue where ultimately
Jesus proclaims, destroy this temple and I will raise it up
in three days. Clearly referring to the resurrection,
the book of Acts would have to be tossed with almost two dozen
Some quite lengthy sections in treatment of the resurrection.
Nearly every one of Paul’s epistles would have to be thrown out,
each with direct references to the resurrection as an established
fact. Paul treats it as fact. Romans
8.11, for example, if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from
the dead dwells in you, he who raised Jesus from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who
dwells in you. It’s a fact for Paul and in every one of his
epistles. 1 Corinthians 6.4, not to mention the overwhelming
treatment the resurrection receives in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians.
Hebrews, 1 Peter, In fact, the entire book of Revelation would
have to be thrown out since the key figure is the resurrected
Christ. One theologian said this, we
cannot deny the physical resurrection of Christ without impugning the
veracity of the writers of Scripture. This means that it affects our
belief in the trustworthiness of Scripture. Moreover, the resurrection
of Christ is represented as having evidential value. It was the
culminating proof that Christ was a teacher sent from God,
that he was the very son of God. It was the supreme attestation
of the fact of immortality. What is still more important,
the resurrection enters as a constitutive element into the very essence
of the work of redemption and therefore of the gospel. In addition to the trustworthiness
of Scripture, as he mentions, if the resurrection of Jesus
Christ were to be proven to be false, there is so much else
at stake. J.C. Ryle said it this way when
he urged a reasonable treatment of the doctrine of the resurrection.
He said, we need not wonder that so much importance is attached
to our Lord’s resurrection. It is the seal and headstone
of the great work of redemption which he came to do. It is the
crowning proof that he has paid the debt which he undertook to
pay on our behalf. He has won the battle which he
fought to deliver us from hell and is accepted as our guarantee
and our substitute by the Father in heaven. The resurrection is
God’s divine stamp of approval on the work of Christ. What else
is at stake if we throw out, if we acquiesce to these arguments
against the resurrection? If we give up and let go of the
great doctrine of the resurrection, what else is at stake? Plenty. The very fact of Jesus as Savior.
Romans 1.4, that Jesus was declared The Son of God with power by
the resurrection from the dead. There are many other Scriptures
that speak to the same issue. 1 Corinthians 15, 13. If there is no resurrection from
the dead, not even Christ has been raised. Not only Jesus as
Savior, but obviously and directly tied to that would be our own
salvation. If there is no Savior, we have no salvation. 1 Peter
1, 3. It mentions that God has caused
us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ our Lord. Ephesians 2, He made us alive
together with Christ and raised us up with Him. Romans 10.9,
Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. Not only that, but our future
resurrection. I mean, if we don’t have any
salvation, we can’t expect a future resurrection. But that is directly
tied to the resurrection of Christ as well. 1 Corinthians 6 14. Now, God has not only raised
the Lord, but will also raise us up through his power. Colossians 2.12, you were also
raised up with him through faith in the working of God who raised
him from the dead. 2 Corinthians 4.14, Philippians
3.10 and 11. Many other passages attest to
this. Thomas Watson said it this way.
Christ is risen. Therefore, the bodies of the
saints must rise. Christ’s rising is a pledge of
our resurrection. As the first fruits is a sure
evidence that the harvest is coming. So the resurrection of
Christ is a sure evidence of the rising of our bodies from
the grave. What hope and what hope is lost, utterly lost if
we cave in to these attacks on the resurrection of Christ. The
very motive of our sanctification is also at stake. Romans six
says it this way. that as Christ was raised from
the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk
in newness of life. Our very sanctification is tied
to the resurrection. Romans 7.4, so that you might
be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead,
in order that we might bear fruit for God. Colossians 3.1, if you
have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above.
Our sanctification is directly tied to the doctrine of the resurrection. Paul ties our justification itself. In Romans 4.25, he was delivered
over for our transgressions. He was raised because of our
justification. And not only that, the very power
of God. What kind of a feeble God is
there? If it can be said that the resurrection
did not take place and could not take place, then God in his
power is extremely limited. That’s not the way Paul presented
it when Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers, he prayed that we
might know the power of God, the surpassing greatness of his
power toward us who believe. which he brought about in Christ
when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand
in the heavenly places. He said this is maximum power. This is God’s almighty power
at work. But there is at least one more
thing affected. Destroyed, really. If the resurrection
of Jesus Christ were suddenly proven to be false, And this
one thing touches everything else that we’ve just mentioned.
If there is no resurrection, the gospel is destroyed. As I
said, the gospel touches the savior hood of Christ. It certainly
touches our salvation, our future resurrection, the veracity of
Scripture, our justification, victory over death, the power
of God. All of these things are encompassed
in the gospel message. And the gospel message is destroyed
if the resurrection is proven false. Listen to just a few of the Scriptures
that attest to the fact that the gospel itself is so interlaced
with the message of the resurrection that they are inseparable. In
Acts chapter four, It says that they were teaching the people
and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. There
was no greater message that the world needed to hear than that
Jesus Christ was alive, that God had raised Him. In Acts 4,
verse 10, it is recorded that by the name of Jesus Christ the
Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead,
By this name, this man stands before you in good health. Acts
17.3, 1 Corinthians 15, Paul said, I preached to you the gospel.
I delivered to you as of first importance. What were the constituent
elements of the gospel? Delivered to you as a first importance
what I received that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, that he was buried and that he was raised the third
day according to the Scriptures. In Acts chapter two, which first
we want to consider this morning, in Acts chapter two, Peter lays
out the gospel message in one of the most lengthy sermons of
his that is recorded in Scripture. And at the core of the message
that Peter provides is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection
of Jesus Christ was a key element in the gospel message that was
preached from the first moments of the new church. Let me give
you the historical context of Peter’s sermon. Turn, if you
would, to Acts chapter one. We’ll begin in Acts chapter one.
We’ll work our way into Acts chapter two, where we’ll spend
the majority of our time this morning. In Acts chapter one,
Luke records the final earthly hours of Jesus in what must have
been all at once a thrilling, bewildering and intimate moment. Jesus addressed his chosen apostles
one last time. Chapter one, four records gathering
them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to
wait for what the Father had promised, which He said, you
have heard from Me. For John baptized with water,
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days
from now.” They didn’t know what it looked like. Some had seen
the dove lighting on Christ’s head at His own baptism, but
they didn’t know what to expect. Jesus added, in verse 8, but
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you
and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all
Judea and even to the remotest parts of the earth. And so I
say it was thrilling, but it was bewildering in the sense
that they had no idea what lay ahead. There was likely great
anxiety in this moment, not the least of which was the fact that
they were greeting their Savior one last time. Tremendous excitement,
but even grief in the face of the Lord’s departure, which totally
perplexed his servants. Look at verse nine. After he
had said these things, he was lifted up while they were looking
on and a cloud received him. out of their sight. These things
don’t happen every day. Some had been on the Mount of
Transfiguration. Some had seen something similar
to this, but no one in history had ever witnessed a moment like
this. And as they were gazing intently
into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing
stood beside them. They said, men of Galilee, why
do you stand looking in the sky? This Jesus who has been taken
up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as
you have watched Him go into heaven.” Angels, no doubt, announcing
the return of Christ. Turn, if you would, to chapter
2. This is the context. of Peter’s sermon. I should tell you that when Trey
saw that he quickly counted up, I haven’t done so. Fourteen verses. He said, one Sunday, huh? And
I said, Peter did it. We’ll try. In Acts chapter two,
we find essentially a meeting of the saints. Church, if you
will. waiting just as the Lord had
directed them for the Holy Spirit. Pick up with me, if you would,
in verse 1 of chapter 2. When the day of Pentecost had
come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there
came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind and it
filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there
appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves
and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as
the Spirit was giving them utterance. Now, there were Jews living in
Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when
this occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered
because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own
language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, why are not
all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear them
each in our own language to which we were born? Parthians and Neds
and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia and Judea, Cappadocia,
Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the districts of Libya
around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes. Cretans, Arabs, we hear them
with our own tongues speaking the mighty deeds of God. And
they all continued with amazement and great perplexity, saying
to one another, what does this mean? But others were mocking
and saying they are full of sweet wine. And it’s that comment that
seems to serve to provoke Peter to seize this as an opportunity
to preach. And he does so beginning in verse
14. Look at verse 14. But Peter,
taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared
to them, men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let
this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men
are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour
of the day.” Nine o’clock in the morning. With the lengthy
quote from the minor prophet Joel, Peter explains. the reception
of the Holy Spirit in coursing with this newly given power of
the Holy Spirit, Peter opens his mouth and preaches what may
be considered the first evangelistic sermon of the infant church.
And the resurrection is absolutely a key and prominent feature of
it. What we have, what I hope to
lay out before you in the next little amount of time, is the
resurrection of Jesus Christ in what I call threefold relief. I’m using that word relief in
an untypical fashion. It’s a legitimate use of the
word. It just means the appearance
of projection given by shading or shadow. It’s seeing something
from different angles. And so we’re not going to look
at different perspectives or ideas on the meaning of the resurrection,
but rather A number of angles, a number of views of the resurrection,
the one true resurrection, as it should be seen. First of all,
the resurrection of Jesus Christ in threefold relief is first
of all seen in the historical documentation of the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. Look at Acts chapter 22. Pardon
me, Acts 2 verse 22. In Acts 2, verse 22, Peter really
begins here his sermon. Men of Israel, listen to these
words. Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested
to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed
through him in your midst, just as you yourselves know. Jesus
had been approved from the very start. We heard the first miracle
recorded in turning water to wine today, read from Scripture.
But Jesus had been approved by mighty works and wonders and
signs by God. God was the one that attested
to the legitimacy of Christ’s ministry. Those mighty works,
those wonders, the signs that God gave is what God accomplished
through Jesus. And all the while, attested to
the the truth and truthfulness of His ministry. God substantiated
Jesus’ deity and His ministry with works. Peter goes on. It says, Jesus the Nazarene,
this man, verse 23, delivered over by the predetermined plan
and foreknowledge of God. And immediately, Peter, by the
power of the Holy Spirit, seizes control of the whole issue of
the crucifixion. He seizes control and He gives
it back to its rightful owner, God. These men felt like they
had taken matters into their own hand and they had taken Jesus’
life. And Peter says, let me tell you
the truth. The truth is that the cross was no accident. This
was no murder. This was part of the predetermined
plan of God. God mapped this out. This was
God’s idea. You were servants, mere servants,
and nothing more. One author wrote, God Himself
said by Paul not to have spared his own son, but to have given
him up for us all. Romans 8.32 It was the divine
purpose which was revealed through the prophets that this Messiah
would be a suffering Messiah ultimately killed at the hands
of his own countrymen. And this carried with it not
the removal of the guilt from those that had crucified Christ. But an assurance that there was
a God behind it that was willing to forgive and that had already
provided the sacrifice for sin. Nevertheless, look at Peter’s
words. This man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and
foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross. And he pins it right
on them. Not only was it God’s plan, but
they were complicitous. They took a role in placing Christ
on the cross and they did it by godless men, the Romans, and
they put Him to death. Those are the facts. There was
no disputing the facts. There was no argumentation that
arose at this course of Peter’s sermon. Peter knew the facts
and they knew the facts. And that’s all Peter is doing
is laying out this pure, simple, historical documentation of what
had taken place. But then he adds in verse 24,
but God. But God raised him up again.
God substantiated Jesus’ deity and His ministry by His resurrection. In fact, the book of Acts, which
has been called the gospel of the resurrection, is like a beautiful
chorus over and over again where you get this refrain. Think with
me. In Acts chapter 233, it says,
This Jesus God raised up again. In 315, the prince of life, the
one whom God raised from the dead. In 326, God raised up His
servant. In 410, Jesus Christ the Nazarene,
whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. Chapter
5, verse 30, the God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had
put to death by hanging Him on a cross. Chapter 10, verse 40,
God raised Him up the third day. 1330, God raised Him up from
the dead. 1332, God has fulfilled this
promise to your children in that He raised up Jesus. Acts 17 31. He has fixed a day when he will
judge the world in righteousness through a man whom he is appointed,
having furnished proof to all men by raising him from the dead. No wonder they call it the gospel
of the resurrection. But note also, it was the work
of the father. It was the work of God. And Peter
wants to make it absolutely clear that you nailed him to the cross.
It was all part of the plan of God. But God is the one that
raised him from the dead. Having sent his son, having received
the atonement from him to demonstrate its perfection and his own acceptance
of it by calling Jesus from the grave, he accepted it by raising
Jesus from the dead. It was an act of God. A magnificent demonstration of
God’s might. And it isn’t a surprise, really,
it wasn’t a surprise to the Jews to know that he had that kind
of power. Fifty-two times in the Old Testament,
God was referred to as Almighty God. There was nothing that a
true Jew believed that God could do, according to a true Jew. 2 Chronicles 26, O Lord, the
God of our fathers, art thou not in the heavens? And art thou
not ruler of the kingdom of the nations? Power and might are
in thy hands so that no one can stand against thee. It was the power of God. The almighty
power of God. The strength where God has to
do whatever God wants. And Christ being raised from
the dead in the tomb is constantly attributed to an accomplishment
of the Father alone. Peter goes on to say, God raised
him up again, putting an end to the agony of death. As I said,
you lose so much if you lose the resurrection, you lose so
much, you lose an end to death. And what a glorious gift the
saints enjoy in knowing that even when we physically die,
we have life. We have eternal life. Romans
6.9 says it this way, knowing that Christ, having been raised
from the dead, is never to die again. Death is no longer master
over Him. What great news! What great news! And even if it were only true
for Christ, We would all be rallying and cheering that Christ had
conquered death. But Christ conquered death for
us. Paul would go on to say in the
book of Acts that he was literally on trial for the hope and resurrection
of the dead. The fact that Jesus had conquered
death, that’s what put Christ on trial. The death had been
conquered. That there was such a thing as
a resurrection. And that we need not fear death
anymore. That was spoken of Christ. It
was prophesied of Christ hundreds of years earlier by Isaiah. He
will swallow up death for all time. And the Lord God will wipe
away tears from all faces. He will remove the reproach of
his people from all the earth. The resurrection of Jesus Christ
is absolute proof that death, physical death, is
not the end of life. Death is, as one said, defeated
for all who by faith are united to Him on the basis of the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. The believer can have perfect
confidence. The only sure evidence of a resurrection
is the resurrection of Jesus Christ Himself who said it this
way. Because I live, you will live
also.” What great hope. But God raised Him up again,
Peter said, putting an end to the agony of death. Since it
was impossible for Him to be held in its power, how so? In
what sense was it impossible for Christ to be held in its
power? That’s the question that must
immediately come up in our minds. How is it impossible for Jesus
to be held in death? And we move to point two, as
Peter explains, by taking us back to holy prophecy. Look at
verse 25. We’re here as we see the resurrection
of Christ in this threefold relief, we see the second view. Not only
the historical documentation, but the prophetic orientation
of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Look at verse 25. For
David says of him, I saw the Lord always in my presence, for
he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken. Therefore,
my heart was glad and my tongue exulted. Moreover, my flesh also
will live in hope because you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
nor allow your holy one to undergo decay. You have made known to
me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness
with your presence.” You know, it’s absolutely crucial as you
look at that to note that Peter states under the newly given
power of the Holy Spirit, that when David wrote these words,
taken from Psalm 16, he wasn’t speaking of himself at all. Peter
interprets Psalm 16 on the spot with perfect accuracy. This is
the Holy Spirit revealing this to Peter, probably even as Peter
is speaking. that when David penned these
words from Psalm 16, he wasn’t talking about himself at all.
Rather, he was speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ. From Psalm
16, he shows that the Messiah’s death was included in the will
of God. It was predicted in Scripture.
Peter is testifying here that the resurrection of Christ had
occurred in perfect fulfillment of David’s prophecy. It wasn’t
about David at all. It wasn’t about the king, not
about some earthly king. Paul echoes this same point in
one of his early sermons, verse 34, as for the fact he raised
him up from the dead no longer to return to decay. He has spoken
of it in this way. I will give you the holy and
sure blessings of David. Therefore, he also says in another
song, this song, you will not allow your holy one to undergo
decay. Paul says the same thing that
Peter says. And Peter goes on to explain
that this is patently obvious that this couldn’t possibly be
about David. Listen to his explanation beginning
in verse twenty nine. These words can’t possibly refer
to David, but rather of Christ alone. Brethren, I may say confidently
to you, and I believe that he had a lighthearted, factual,
friendly demeanor as he laid this out to the people that were
listening, Jews primarily, those who had so venomously attacked
Christ. I believe that as Peter opened
the Scriptures to him, he said, let’s look at the facts. Come
on for a moment. I may confidently say to you
regarding the patriarch, David, our patriarch. And Peter is all
the while disarming these so-called enemies. I may say to you regarding
the patriarch, David, that he both died and was buried. His tomb is with us to this day.
He may have even gestured in the direction of the tomb. He
may have even suggested, you want to walk over and check it
out? I know where it is on the south end of town. It was a matter
of public knowledge. All around Jerusalem, all around
for the Jews, they knew where David was buried. There in Jerusalem,
south of the city. Peter concludes, by saying, and
so, because he was a prophet and he knew that God had sworn
to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on the throne,
he says it wasn’t about David at all, this prophecy. He looked
ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ that he neither
was abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh suffer decay. That
didn’t happen of David. No embalming in the world could
have prevented what was coming his way. This Jesus God raised up again
to which we are all witnesses. They had seen it. They had been
around in the city in the last few weeks as reports about Jesus
resurrection surfaced and then reports of sightings began to
disseminate among the people there. He says, you know, you
know, well, the story, you know what happened, you know, God
raised him from the dead and you know that it squares with
Scripture. It’s the testimony of prophecy.
Peter follows along exactly along the Psalm 16. The argument that’s
used by Peter here is, in essence, the fact that this couldn’t possibly
refer to David. This is a prophecy of Christ. And now God has done it. And
what Peter is announcing to them must have been just absolutely
stunning. But he’s not done. They said
that we’re looking at the resurrection of Jesus Christ in threefold
relief, not only the historical documentation as Peter laid out
the proof and the prophetical orientation of the resurrection,
but thirdly, the application of simplicity. Of the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, look at verse thirty three, therefore, Having
been exalted to the right hand of God, states it as fact, Christ
is exalted. And having received from the
Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this
which you both see in here, this unexplainable phenomenon that
had suddenly burst onto the scene that no one seemed to be prepared
for, not even the apostles themselves, speaking in foreign tongues,
proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that all could understand. He says, let me tell you what’s
happening. God has poured forth this which
you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended
into heaven, but he himself says, the Lord said to my Lord, sit
at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for
your feet.” This is a difficult passage as well, taken from Psalm
110. But Peter is really just echoing
words that he had very likely heard directly from the Lord
Jesus Himself. The Lord used the same Scripture
to make the same point on a different occasion. In Matthew chapter
22, it is recorded that while the Pharisees were gathered together,
Jesus asked them a question about the Christ. Whose son is he? They responded, the son of David.
They gave what was the right and expected answer. But then the passage goes on.
to say, how is it that they say that Christ is David’s son? For
David himself says in the book of the Psalms, the Lord said
to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make enemies, your enemies,
a footstool. The whole subject here in this
great section in Matthew chapter 22 and even in this passage is
the priest king. Aspergian said, none of the kings
of Israel ever United these two offices, some endeavored to do
so. The priest-king spoken of here
is David’s Lord, a mysterious personage and looked for by the
Jews as the Messiah. He is none other than the high
priest of our profession, Jesus of Nazareth. The psalm describes
the appointment of the king-priest, his followers, his battles and
his victory. Who is in view here? It is the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is absolutely the Lord Jesus
Christ, the psalm, which has been called the crown of all
the psalms. Some said it’s worthy to be overlaid
with precious jewels, containing Christian doctrines, understanding,
wisdom and comfort richer and fuller than any other passage
of Holy Scripture. Consider what’s contained in
this little psalm. The doctrine of the Trinity,
Jehovah, Adonai, by the Spirit, the incarnation of Christ, the
sufferings of Christ, His completed work, His resurrection, His ascension,
intercession, the resurrection to eternal life. All of that
is contained in this psalm. Psalm 110 The way Peter uses it here, which
is exactly how Jesus had used it, is to point to the fact that
it is Christ who is in focus. It is Christ who is in view. This passage, interestingly enough,
is quoted five times in the New Testament. Jesus says simply, How is it
that they say that Christ is David’s son? For David himself
says in the book of the Psalms, the Lord said to my Lord. Peter says it quite simply, echoing,
as it were, the very words of his Lord. Sit at my right hand
where he now knew Christ to be. High and exalted. just as Paul’s
epistles declare Him to be. Ephesians 1.20, seated with Him
at His right hand in the heavenly places. Just as Philippians 2.9
said, God highly exalted Him, bestowed on Him the name which
is above every name. That’s where we know Christ to
be. And that’s where Peter declared Him to be. In these closing verses,
Peter knew where his Lord was and he wanted these perpetrators
of his death to know. The Scriptures all declare that
Christ is at the right hand of God. Colossians 3.1, Hebrews
8.1, 10, 12, 1 Peter 3.22, who is at the right hand of God,
having gone into heaven. There’s no doubt. There’s no
doubt. And for Peter, His closing words utter forth
His purpose when He says in verse 36, Therefore, let all the house
of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and
Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. And He brings the weight of that
evil deed back upon their shoulders. But he does two things and he
brings them face to face with the Christ they crucified. And
he mercifully calls them to repentance. What was the point that Peter
was making? What is the application that Jesus wanted his hearers
to make? Repentance. Repentance simply
and turning to Jesus Christ in faith. You know, an amazing thing
happened. It says that when they heard
this, they were pierced to the heart. They knew what they’d
done. They said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren,
what shall we do? Now that you’ve laid out the
facts and you’ve shown us the prophecy and you’ve told us the
application, what should we do? One records that there was a
sense here that they were stung with remorse at the enormity
of the wickedness which they had committed And at the blindness
which the whole nation had closed their eyes with regard to the
teaching of the prophecies which had been spoken of the Messiah.
And Peter’s simple answer will ring true for all time. Peter
said to them, repent and each of you be baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. He’s calling the
very people that put Christ on the cross to repentance. There’s no one outside the pale
of God’s mercy. Not even you. For the promise is for you and
your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord
God will call to Himself. And with many other words, He
solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, brethren, be
saved from this perverse generation. And then get this. So then, those
who had received His Word were baptized. And that day there
were added about 3,000 souls. This is the merciful call of
God. If it ends on the cross, it’s
not a good story. Spurgeon said it should drive
us to despair if that’s the case. But that isn’t the case. It doesn’t
end on the cross. It ends with the resurrection.
And even the resurrection itself is a new beginning. It is our
Lord Jesus Christ, Spurgeon said, one whose death is the source
of our salvation, whose resurrection and eternal glory are the guarantee
and foretaste of our everlasting bliss. If you do not know Christ,
If you do not know that the resurrection is a fact, if you do not own
the privileges that come to the believer because of the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ, see any one of us who knows Christ
afterwards. Ask us about it. Make it right
with the Lord your God. Let’s pray. Our merciful God,
We thank You and praise You for the truth, the validity, the
fact of the resurrection. That just as Jesus suffered for
us, just as He was buried, so also He was raised. And Lord,
we rejoice. We rejoice in that great gift
that opens the door wide to countless blessings. Father, we pray for
any here in this room who doubt the resurrection or wonder, who
do not know of the resurrection of Christ. Perhaps this is the
first time it’s been declared to them. Lord, for any who do
not know our Lord Jesus, may today be the day of salvation.
And Lord, for us who know, may we proclaim it with great boldness
and live it to the glory of God. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray,
Amen.