Sermon Tone Analysis

Last week we focused on the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Chapter 2 says it came suddenly with the sound of a violent rushing wind and like tongues of fire.

The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in understandable foreign languages.

The thousands of people gathered from all over the world were amazed, astounded, and perplexed.

In verse 12 they said to one another “What does this mean?”

Now, Peter is going to answer their question.

Now, we know these are the inspired words of God but the Bible says that Peter stood up and spoke.

So, we should pay attention to what Peter says.

Now ti should be said that Peter’s sermon, as recorded here, is probably a summary because it would have only taken 3 minutes to deliver.

and at the end of verse 40 Luke plainly says there were many other words that Peter spoke not recorded.

Nevertheless, this is a reliable summary of what was said and is the authoritative word of God.

We shouldn’t just dismiss what was heard and seen with excuses.

Pay attention to Peter!

They aren’t drunk.

And even if they did have a problem with alcohol it’s too early in the morning.

What does all this mean?

Peter’s answer is: It means Scripture is fulfilled, it means Jesus, and it means ultimate hope.

Scripture, Jesus, and Hope.

It means Scripture is Fulfilled

So if you want to understand the meaning of what happened in Acts 2, Peter’s answer is: Turn to Scripture.

He has no need to speculate and add his own opinion because there is an objective authority that can answer their questions.

In fact, Peter’s whole sermon emphasizes the authority of scripture.

Of the 534 words in this sermon 228 of them are quotes from the Old Testament.

More than half of his words aren’t his own.

Peter says...

No, the people aren’t drunk.

Listen to what was said through Joel.

Now we could just as easily say “by Joel” as the King James Version does because Joel was the one saying the words but remember the Bible is the inspired word of God, so the words have the authority of God, not of man.

And I’ll mention briefly here since the subject came up in Wednesday Bible Study…even though we understand the Bible to be God’s words, we have permission to use language like “Peter’s Sermon” or “spoken by the prophet Joel.”

Even Jesus, who is the Word, gave credit to the human authors.

In John 5:46 Jesus said “For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.”

Even though the whole Bible is about Jesus, and even authored by Jesus , Jesus still gave credit to Moses for the word he wrote.

So, here’s what was spoken by the prophet Joel...

So these are Joel’s words but Joel clearly understands that God is the one giving the words authority.

What does this all mean?

God says that what they have just seen and heard isn’t a bunch of people getting drunk but a work of the Holy Spirit.

God said he would pour out His Spirit and now He has.

Scripture is being fulfilled.

Now, it’s important to notice that God says the pouring out of the Holy Spirit occurs in the Last Days because this means the Last Days begin with Jesus and all of time between Jesus’ first and second comings.

This is an important key to understanding so many other prophecies.

The Last Days do not refer to a yet future time but to the present and the time since Jesus walked on earth.

Notice also, that God also said that His spirit would be poured out on all people but he didn’t mean every last person, rather on people from every part of the world.

God’s Spirit was, and still is, being poured out on all people, regardless of their position or status, on sons, daughters, young, old, etc.

We know it can’t mean every last person because if God pour out His Spirit on every single person in this way then we would have to say every last person will be saved which the Bible clearly doesn’t teach.

So the Spirit is poured out on all types of People and notice they all prophesy.

To prophesy literally means “to speak.”

When we witness we prophesy or speak of Jesus.

So everyone who has God’s Spirit is called to witness.

Even though the Bible says some are specifically called to prophesy in a special way in other passages, there is a universal calling to prophesy, to witness, for all God’s people.

Notice also that Joel says in these last days, as God’s Spirit is poured out, there will be accompanying signs.

God will...

Now, if we understand Joel’s prophecy as Peter did, that the last days begin with Jesus and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, then it makes sense to see their fulfilment in the events beginning with Good Friday not necessarily as a yet future event.

As Jesus hung on the cross Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say there was darkness that covered the land.

And with the resurrection of Jesus as the world literally became brighter with the rising of the sun the glorious day of the Lord, the time when salvation would reach to all people, began.

Peter, quoting Joel says...

So this is an amazing time that we live in.

Prophecy has been, is being, fulfilled.

We live in a time when everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

We live in a time when God’s Spirit is being poured out in dramatic ways to give witness to Jesus Christ.

And this is possible because of Jesus Christ which is Peter’s point.

The prophecy of Joel points to Christ.

The Holy Spirit being given is all about Scripture being fulfilled, which means it’s all about Jesus Christ.

It Means Jesus

Remember, Jesus had just spent the last 40-50 days with the disciples teaching them the Scriptures.

Now, he could have just instantly put the knowledge in their heads but it doesn’t seem that’s the way He did it.

Nor does it seem that’s the way he primarily teaches today.

Jesus’ example for us is that even He used the Scriptures to teach about Himself.

So Peter followed Christ’s example of relying upon the Scriptures authority and now speaks with authority about Jesus, too.

Verse 22 says...

Listen to these authoritative words!

The meaning of what just happened is a result of what happened to Jesus of Nazareth.

On the basis of Scripture we proclaim that Jesus is a man, fully man, in all ways tempted but without sin and able to sympathize with our humanity in every way.

But but we also proclaim Jesus is more than man, He is God-man which is verified by many miracles, wonders, and signs.

In other words, the meaning is Scripture and the entire life of Jesus tell us He is the Christ, the Messiah.

He is the promised Messiah.

There’s no rational way to deny it.

Even the coming of the Holy Spirit they they just saw and heard confirms it’s all about Jesus.

Even Jesus’ death confirms it’s all about Him...

See, the meaning is Jesus’ death was all a part of God’s plan.

Lawless people of their own free will, choose to nail him to a cross and kill him, but this was still according to God’s good purpose.

Now, this is one of those verses in the Bible where we clearly see the tension between man’s free will and God’s sovereignty.

God determined that Jesus would die but you, you people of your own accord, used lawless people to kill him.

And this was God’s plan from the beginning.

See the whole Bible is pointing to Jesus on the Cross.

It’s all about Jesus Christ!

And it’s all about Jesus Christ resurrected...

It was possible for Jesus to fully die because He is fully human but it’s not possible for him to stay dead because He is also fully God.

So, again, Scripture testifies to the fact that the meaning is all about Jesus...

Peter probably was very familiar with this verse having grown up Jewish, but now he understands this verse isn’t about David but about Jesus!

It’s Jesus who rejoices because his flesh wasn’t abandoned in Hades.

And in verses 29-31, Peter explains that the reason this Psalm must refer to Jesus is because David’s body did see decay, but Jesus’ body didn’t.

Whether David was fully aware of what He was saying isn’t clear but it is clear that the proper meaning of David’s Psalm is about Jesus Christ.

We can know for a fact that David spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah.

The meaning of the coming of the Holy Spirit is that Jesus is no longer in the grave.

His body did not see decay because of the promise of Scripture.

Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father.

And when we speak, or prophesy, of Scripture we can have confidence in a resurrected Jesus.

Verse 32 says...

So the Bible all comes together.

The Old Testament confirms the resurrection of Jesus and so do the witnesses of the New Testament.