Cut to the Heart (Acts 2:37-41)

This is Acts 2:37-41:

³⁷ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” ⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Well, our third look at Peter's sermon is really about the result of his beautiful gospel preaching. The passage says that the hearers “were cut to the heart.” This is a picture of the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit. But I want you to understand that the Holy Spirit was given not only to empower the disciples to preach and teach and do all the other things they did, but also because there's something that they were unable to do, and that is to reach into the heart of another human being and create conviction. That's the work of the Holy Spirit, and so we see that happening here; the Holy Spirit convicts of sin.

Now, I don't know, when you hear the word ‘conviction,’ what do you think? It's not a dark and scary thing. No, conviction is a beautiful thing! You see, we have a problem: our problem is that sin doesn't always look sinful to us. Sin doesn't always make us feel guilty or remorseful. If you're at Target, and you're lusting after a beautiful woman, you don't see danger; you just see beauty. Or, if you're eating the fourth piece of chocolate cake, you don't think of gluttony, you just want more beautiful chocolate on your lips. Or, if you're passing a word of gossip, you're experiencing the buzz of passing that information. You're not seeing the sinfulness of sin.

We need the Holy Spirit. We desperately need to open our eyes to the sinfulness, the darkness, and the destructiveness of sin. Now, think about this: conviction is not God judging us. If all he wanted to do was judge us, he would not convict us first. Conviction is not judgment; conviction is God wrapping arms of love around us and drawing us near. In conviction, when we feel “cut to the heart,” God is rescuing us from ourselves, from our dark ability to rationalize, excuse, minimize our sin, or shift the blame to somebody else. And so, I would say to you, “Don't ever run from conviction. You aren't being spanked; you are being loved!” And the only proper response to conviction is repentance.

What is repentance? Repentance is a radical change of heart that leads to a radical change in the way you and I live our lives. And what is God's promise? Forgiveness! This promise is for our children and for all those who are far away from faith, and for anyone who would come to God in repentance and faith. And as Peter appeals to this crowd, we don't know how big the crowd was, but he appeals to them to respond; 3,000 did, 3,000! Now that's recorded and preserved for our encouragement. God is reminding us that he will bless the clear communication of his gospel truth. And he will do what we're not able to do through our words: he will create conviction in the hearts of people who need it.

May we speak with the same clarity and courage that Peter spoke. May we believe in our faltering human words. God will do in the hearts of people what we are unable to do. He will open their eyes and bring them to repentance and faith!

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion

1. In the past, what has been your typical response to the Holy Spirit’s conviction? How would you say you’ve misunderstood conviction? How has conviction been an instrument of change in your life?

2. In what areas of your life have you been unable to see the sinfulness of your sin? Take some time to really think through your normal weekly schedule and ask the Lord to show you areas of sin you may currently be blind to.

3. Who might God be calling you to share the gospel with in your natural circle of influence? In what ways would you need to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with that person or those people?

4. Why is it so important to remember that human words cannot change people’s hearts? How can you purposefully pray for hearts to change, knowing that God is the only one who can truly draw someone to himself?

Conversation Prompts to Use with Children

For Younger Children:

• What do you think the word ‘conviction’ means? How is conviction different from just feeling guilty about doing something wrong? How does God use conviction to help us?
• How does God help us live lives that honor him and are good for us?
• Why do you think God wants us to tell others about the good news of Jesus?

For Older Children:

• What’s the difference between conviction and guilt? How can conviction be helpful in your life, depending on how you respond to it when it comes?
• Which areas of your life tempt you to make sinful decisions, and how can you make purposeful choices to get rid of those opportunities to sin?
• When you think about your non-believing friends or family, who do you think God might want you to share the gospel with as a way to show them love?
• Who changes hearts? Why is it so important to remember the answer to that question when we are sharing the gospel?