In The Word
Read: Acts 2:14-36
Peter’s Sermon
14 But Peter, taking his stand with the other eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this, and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you assume, since it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,
‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
And your young men will see visions,
And your old men will have dreams;
18 And even on My male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days,
And they will prophesy.
19 And I will display wonders in the sky above
And signs on the earth below,
Blood, fire, and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood,
Before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22 “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—23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 But God raised Him from the dead, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. 25 For David says of Him,
‘I saw the Lord continually before me,
Because He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue was overjoyed;
Moreover my flesh also will live in hope;
27 For You will not abandon my soul to Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.30 So because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. 32 It is this Jesus whom God raised up, a fact to which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore, since He has been exalted at the right hand of God, and has received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
35 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’
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.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
As members of the crowd began to make sport of the believers, who were showing signs of being filled with the Spirit of God, Peter was emboldened to speak up and defend them. There would not be a cowering away in the dark, no denying now; Peter had seen the risen Christ, and it had emboldened him to preach what he knew. He knew that Jesus is the Christ and sits at the right hand of the Father. Quoting the prophet Joel, Peter reminded them, “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, men will see visions and dream dreams, and there will be numerous wonders in the earth and everyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:17-21). He began to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ, what He did, His miracles, and His resurrection.
There will be times in your walk when you will hear your faith or your Savior ridiculed. It is times like this that you must decide if you will take a stand for what you believe or remain in fear to proclaim what you know is true. Today, the enemy is the emboldened one. On television, at work, and at family gatherings satan’s disciples are speaking lies and spreading hate while believers remain quiet and refuse to speak up in defense of others or themselves. You can’t be a witness of someone you don’t know. You can’t share the Word if you don’t spend time in it, or share the blessings of a Christian walk if you haven’t committed to one. Choose today to be emboldened by the Holy Spirit, and begin to speak as He gives you utterance. Just like in Peter’s case, He’ll use you too!