Third Sunday of Easter
Preaching
Preaching and Reading the Old Testament Lessons
With an Eye to the New
Object:
Picking up where we ended our reading last week, we continue this morning with Acts' account of Peter's sermon to the assembled Jews on the day of Pentecost.
Strangely, the lectionary last Sunday was supposed to end with verse 32, and then the reading this morning begins with verse 36. But the intervening verses 33-35 are extremely important for understanding what is happening. We therefore mentioned them briefly last week and will reiterate their meaning again this week.
Because of his resurrection (v. 32; cf. Philippians 2:9), Jesus Christ has been shown to be both Lord and Christ, the Ruler of the new age of the Kingdom of God, who has been exalted in his ascension to the right hand of God, and who shares in the power of the Father. With Christ's appearance, the powers of the new age have broken into human history, his Spirit has been poured out upon his disciples gathered together, and the "last days," before the last judgment and the full coming of the kingdom, of which the prophet Joel foretold, have begun. Yet, Peter tells the assembly, you crucified that Lord (v. 36). You tried to put to death the One who is now risen Lord and Messiah over all. You face condemnation in the final judgment.
Such a message does not go over well with a modern congregation, of course. Ours is a society that, on the whole, does not believe that God judges anyone. God is a loving, forgiving, comforting God, who makes us feel better about ourselves. Self-esteem and therapeutic assurances rule our day. And salvation is equivalent to getting ourselves together.
But the scriptures are quite sure that God is moving human history toward the goal of his kingdom and that before that final coming, we will all face the question of how we stand in relation to Jesus Christ. "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ," Paul writes, "so that each one may receive good or evil according to what he has done in the body" (2 Corinthians 4:10).
Peter's audience of devout Jews in our scripture lesson know that God's judgment is coming, and so their reaction to Peter's account of the resurrection and lordship of Christ, and their realization that they have been among those who crucified him, cuts them "to the heart" (v. 37). "Brethren, what shall we do?" they cry out to Peter and the apostles.
Peter's answer is immediate. "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (v. 38). Repentance for sin in trust in Christ, baptism, receipt of the enabling Spirit of good -- those define the crowd's path to salvation in the last judgment (cf. v. 40).
That action that Peter prescribes is not to be taken as the absolute order that we are to follow. After all, most of you here this morning have already been baptized. And with your baptism we believe you have received the Holy Spirit. The church has always considered that baptism and the receipt of the Spirit are given simultaneously. But obviously all of us here this morning have need of repentance -- repentance for things we have done or left undone during this past week, repentance for our past and our proclivities to go our own way instead of God's, repentance for the fact that we have not loved our God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, or our neighbor as ourselves. We all stand in need of repentance.
The important note in our text is that little phrase "in the name of Jesus Christ" (v. 38). Always the forgiveness of our sins and our restoration to relation with our God is dependent on Jesus Christ. He is the only one by whom we can be justified and counted righteous in the eyes of our God. He is the only one who can redeem us from our sin and from eternal death. He is the only one who can present us blameless before the bar of God in the final judgment. Trust in the forgiving and saving work of Jesus Christ -- that is the foundation of Christian discipleship. That is the action by which we can be saved. And trust means that we count no longer upon our own abilities to justify and save ourselves, but that we count solely upon our Lord. We throw ourselves totally upon his mercy -- "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). And he who is forgiving Love beyond all of our imagining, declares us righteous inheritors of eternal life.
Note too in our text that when Peter tells the assembled crowd what they must do, he also proclaims to them that the promise of salvation is not only to them, assembled there is Jerusalem that day, but "the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off" (v. 39). The promise of salvation is to every generation of every nation that has lived or that shall live since Peter preached in Jerusalem. The promise is to us gathered here this morning. There are no barriers to the love of God in Jesus Chrst, no barriers of race or status, of gender or condition, of class or previous unworthiness. God loves his world, every single, sinful, hurting, hungering one of us. And in his Son our Lord, God offers us reconciliation and return to his beloved company and to the joy of our Father's house.
Another note in our text: "The promise is to you and to your children" (v. 39). Our little children, our sons and daughters whom we love so very much, are loved also by the Lord of us all and called to trust in him. And we can aid that trust by telling them the story of what God in Christ has done. Are you teaching your children the story that is found in the Bible? Are you passing on to them the language of our faith? Are you accompanying them to church school and worship, and teaching them how to pray? And very important, are you praying every day also for them? For God wants to welcome them, along with you, into his kingdom of eternal life.
Finally, note that our text says that the promise is to "every one whom the Lord calls to him" (v. 39). By that sentence, Peter is saying that even our trust in Christ is not our own doing. Rather, it too is a gift of God's Holy Spirit. God does it all for us, good Christians. He calls us, forgives us, justifies us, receives us, all that we may have life and have it eternally. Thanks be to God for his inestimable gift through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Strangely, the lectionary last Sunday was supposed to end with verse 32, and then the reading this morning begins with verse 36. But the intervening verses 33-35 are extremely important for understanding what is happening. We therefore mentioned them briefly last week and will reiterate their meaning again this week.
Because of his resurrection (v. 32; cf. Philippians 2:9), Jesus Christ has been shown to be both Lord and Christ, the Ruler of the new age of the Kingdom of God, who has been exalted in his ascension to the right hand of God, and who shares in the power of the Father. With Christ's appearance, the powers of the new age have broken into human history, his Spirit has been poured out upon his disciples gathered together, and the "last days," before the last judgment and the full coming of the kingdom, of which the prophet Joel foretold, have begun. Yet, Peter tells the assembly, you crucified that Lord (v. 36). You tried to put to death the One who is now risen Lord and Messiah over all. You face condemnation in the final judgment.
Such a message does not go over well with a modern congregation, of course. Ours is a society that, on the whole, does not believe that God judges anyone. God is a loving, forgiving, comforting God, who makes us feel better about ourselves. Self-esteem and therapeutic assurances rule our day. And salvation is equivalent to getting ourselves together.
But the scriptures are quite sure that God is moving human history toward the goal of his kingdom and that before that final coming, we will all face the question of how we stand in relation to Jesus Christ. "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ," Paul writes, "so that each one may receive good or evil according to what he has done in the body" (2 Corinthians 4:10).
Peter's audience of devout Jews in our scripture lesson know that God's judgment is coming, and so their reaction to Peter's account of the resurrection and lordship of Christ, and their realization that they have been among those who crucified him, cuts them "to the heart" (v. 37). "Brethren, what shall we do?" they cry out to Peter and the apostles.
Peter's answer is immediate. "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (v. 38). Repentance for sin in trust in Christ, baptism, receipt of the enabling Spirit of good -- those define the crowd's path to salvation in the last judgment (cf. v. 40).
That action that Peter prescribes is not to be taken as the absolute order that we are to follow. After all, most of you here this morning have already been baptized. And with your baptism we believe you have received the Holy Spirit. The church has always considered that baptism and the receipt of the Spirit are given simultaneously. But obviously all of us here this morning have need of repentance -- repentance for things we have done or left undone during this past week, repentance for our past and our proclivities to go our own way instead of God's, repentance for the fact that we have not loved our God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, or our neighbor as ourselves. We all stand in need of repentance.
The important note in our text is that little phrase "in the name of Jesus Christ" (v. 38). Always the forgiveness of our sins and our restoration to relation with our God is dependent on Jesus Christ. He is the only one by whom we can be justified and counted righteous in the eyes of our God. He is the only one who can redeem us from our sin and from eternal death. He is the only one who can present us blameless before the bar of God in the final judgment. Trust in the forgiving and saving work of Jesus Christ -- that is the foundation of Christian discipleship. That is the action by which we can be saved. And trust means that we count no longer upon our own abilities to justify and save ourselves, but that we count solely upon our Lord. We throw ourselves totally upon his mercy -- "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). And he who is forgiving Love beyond all of our imagining, declares us righteous inheritors of eternal life.
Note too in our text that when Peter tells the assembled crowd what they must do, he also proclaims to them that the promise of salvation is not only to them, assembled there is Jerusalem that day, but "the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off" (v. 39). The promise of salvation is to every generation of every nation that has lived or that shall live since Peter preached in Jerusalem. The promise is to us gathered here this morning. There are no barriers to the love of God in Jesus Chrst, no barriers of race or status, of gender or condition, of class or previous unworthiness. God loves his world, every single, sinful, hurting, hungering one of us. And in his Son our Lord, God offers us reconciliation and return to his beloved company and to the joy of our Father's house.
Another note in our text: "The promise is to you and to your children" (v. 39). Our little children, our sons and daughters whom we love so very much, are loved also by the Lord of us all and called to trust in him. And we can aid that trust by telling them the story of what God in Christ has done. Are you teaching your children the story that is found in the Bible? Are you passing on to them the language of our faith? Are you accompanying them to church school and worship, and teaching them how to pray? And very important, are you praying every day also for them? For God wants to welcome them, along with you, into his kingdom of eternal life.
Finally, note that our text says that the promise is to "every one whom the Lord calls to him" (v. 39). By that sentence, Peter is saying that even our trust in Christ is not our own doing. Rather, it too is a gift of God's Holy Spirit. God does it all for us, good Christians. He calls us, forgives us, justifies us, receives us, all that we may have life and have it eternally. Thanks be to God for his inestimable gift through Jesus Christ our Lord!
