The Sermon, Part 2 (Acts 2:23-36)

This is Acts 2:23-36:

“… this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ²⁴ God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
²⁶ therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
²⁷ For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

²⁹ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, ³¹ he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. ³³ Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ³⁴ For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
³⁵ until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Well, I've already said that I love this sermon that Peter preached right after the gift of the Spirit was given, and I want to talk about five things in this wonderful sermon that are really important to note. The first thing is Peter wants you to know this about the crucifixion of Jesus; Jesus was not the victim of Roman execution; Peter is very clear about this. No, Jesus was delivered up by the definite plan of God! The cross was not God losing control of the story; the cross was not an interruption of God's great divine plan; the cross was the plan! Peter wants you to know that God was sovereign over everything that happened at the end of the life of Jesus, in all of its dark details.

The second thing he wants you to know is that does not excuse the people who were responsible for delivering up Jesus, for torturing him, and ultimately killing him. Peter names that as evil. And so, now we have something that is important to understand theologically. It is never just the sovereignty of God versus the responsibility of man; it's never either/or. No, rather God exercises his sovereign will through the choices of the creatures he has made!

The third thing that Peter wants you to know is that the resurrection of Jesus was also prophesied by David. In Psalm 16, it sounds like David is speaking autobiographically, but he clearly wasn't talking about himself, because David wasn't resurrected. We know that David, still to this day, remains dead.

The resurrection of Jesus was not only prophesied, but this is the fourth thing: it was a historical fact. Peter says, “We all are witnesses” to that fact, and it wasn't just Peter and the Apostles, but five hundred people were direct witnesses to the fact that Jesus was alive and well!

The fifth thing that Peter wants you to know is this work of redemption is the shared work of the whole Trinity. Jesus suffered and died, God the Father raised him up and seated him at his right hand, the Holy Spirit was then poured out as the listeners to the sermon had already seen. What an amazing sermon! The Lord of heaven and earth has exercised his almighty power so that Jesus would come, live a righteous life, die a substitutionary death, and rise again, ascend to reign with the Father, and the Holy Spirit would be given to empower the church.

This was all accomplished, not just for the people of that moment in history, but for you and me ‘right here, right now.’ I think it's really important to think that this sermon of Peter speaks not only to that generation, but speaks to us ‘right here, right now.’ Have you ever thought about this? Each member of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, works right now for your redemption. Each member of the Trinity is exercising their divine power for your rescue, your transformation, and to secure your destiny with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost forever and ever! What a Beautiful message!

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion

1. How does it make you feel knowing that Peter clearly states that God’s divine plan from the beginning was the cross? If Peter wants you to know that God was sovereign over everything that happened in Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension, how can that truth change the perspective you have about the sovereignty of God in your own life?

2. How does this theological statement impact you?: God exercises his sovereign will through the choices of the creatures he has made. What parts of that statement are confusing to you? What about it makes you hopeful?

3. In what ways does the fact that Jesus is alive right now impact your daily life? In what ways are you ignoring that truth by the way you live your day-to-day life? In what ways are you being called to change the way you're living each day?

4. How does the thought that the Trinity is exercising their divine power for your rescue, transformation, and security change your ‘right here, right now’ living? What, specifically, can you be praying for regarding that change?

Conversation Prompts to Use with Children

For Younger Children:

• Was the death of Jesus on the cross a good thing or a bad thing? Why?
• Why do we and other Christians believe that Jesus is alive right now? Why is it the most important thing about being a Christian?
• What do you think it means that God is always in control of all things (sovereignty)? How do you think God’s sovereignty applies directly to you? To me?

For Older Children:

• Why is faith in Jesus more than just salvation? How is it also about transformation? Why is continuing transformation important in the Christian life? How is transformation even possible as a follower of Christ?
• In what ways does the importance of Jesus’ resurrection speak to how you and I live our daily lives? If Jesus is alive right now, how does recognizing that truth directly affect your ‘right here, right now’ life?
• What does sovereignty mean? How does the sovereignty of God directly apply to every detail of your life? How does that truth make you feel?