A Sermon for a New Era Part 1 - Acts 2:14-36

1:30And there's one more element that would give us a little more dimension to Peter and his teaching, his ministry, and his mindset, and that is the sermons that he preaches in the book of Acts, as Luke records them. So, before we go back into 2 Peter, I want to further develop our understanding of the thinking, the mind, the ministry of Peter by looking at his sermons, and specifically this morning in Acts chapter 2. And this is a New Year's sermon, and really kind of a series of sermons. If you know me a little bit, it's hard for me to go through that much of a text in one sermon. So, we'll spend a couple of days looking at chapter 2. And this sermon really is the sermon of human history, not just a sermon for a new era. And you can go ahead and put it up there.

2:28You see my little fireworks off to the side, kind of a new year sermon, kind of. But it's an introduction to, I want to spend some time looking at Peter, his sermon this morning. And it really is a sermon for a new era, but it's really the sermon of human history. It is really a critical pivot point. It's an axis, A-X-I-S, of human history. Human history really revolves around. The apostolic preaching of the cross, and this is where it begins. And really, human history itself, you think about it. Certainly, in the last 20 years, I mean, the last 2,000 years is the history of Christianity. It is the history of where the gospel has been preached and men's reaction to it and those who oppose Christianity. You can look around the world today, you can look around our community today, and you will see the impact that Christianity has. And whether you're friend or foe, it is the centerpiece of the last 2,000 years.

3:42And this sermon of Peter stands at that critical juncture. The cross in isolation, and get this, did not change history. It was the preaching of the cross that changed human history. It was the preaching of the cross that brought the death, the resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus Christ to bear on the hearts of humanity. And this is that first sermon. This sermon was preached before any New Testament book was written. And understanding Peter's sermon here in Acts 2 is as. Fundamental to New Testament theology as the Torah is to Old Testament theology. So it's very important to understand the cross, to understand Christianity, to understand the New Testament, to understand the era that you are in right now, you need to understand Peter's sermon in Acts chapter 2. So I want to today serve as more of an orientation, an overview, an introduction to this sermon. And first, I want you to look at verse 12. The whole sermon is really bracketed by two questions. In verse 12, you see this question: what does this mean? Circle that question. Circle that question. What does this mean? There's some events that take place in the beginning of chapter 2, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit and the effect that that caused. And men came together and said, What does this mean? So Peter tells them what this means. And that is the sermon he preaches. Now look at verse 37.

5:38After he got done preaching, when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said, What shall we do? Circle that question. What does this mean? What shall we do? And in the middle is Peter's sermon. It's the so what of the death, the resurrection, and the ascension of Christ. And this is a masterful sermon. It is based upon a number of scriptures. He has a primary scripture out of Joel 2. He has several secondary scriptures: Psalm 16, Psalm 132, Psalm 110. And his primary is Joel 2, verses 28 through 32. It is a wonderful sermon. It has all the components of a great expository sermon. It has an introduction, it has a body, and it has a conclusion. Now, today, I think we'll only look at the introduction. But let me first bring to your mind those events that led up to the question in verse 12. Look back at chapter 2 and verse 1. When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place, the disciples. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house and where they were sitting. A very noisy, loud wind.

7:08And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit was giving them utterance, other languages. So this wind, speech, languages. Verse 5. Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem. Devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, referring back to the noise, that wind, when they heard this sound, they were gathered together. This is a big event. This is an ear-catching moment. And it drew a crowd together, and they came together, and they were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. So they were. They were drawn together because of the sound, and they were bewildered. Because what is going on here? We are all, he says, they were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, Why are not all these who are speaking Galileans? These are all Galileans. How is it that we hear them in our own language? And he lists the languages that were being spoken there, or the peoples whose primary tongue this was. There's all kinds: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontius, Asia, and on, Cretians, Arabs. And this is what we're hearing. We're hearing them in our own tongues, Galileans, and we are hearing in our own languages them speaking the mighty deeds of God. And they were amazed, great amazement. So you talk about a street preaching extravaganza. This was it.

9:01And like, what is going on? What does all this mean? This is amazing. What does this mean? What is the significance of all this? Some of them were mocking, verse 13. They're full of sweet wine. But Peter stands up to answer their question. And he raised his voice and declared to them, Men of Judea, and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. Now, let me just read the text. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel. And it shall be in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth my spirit on all mankind. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even on my bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth my spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will grant wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord.

10:19And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Men of Israel, listen to these words. Jesus the Nazarene is. 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. 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. But God raised him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says of him, I saw the Lord always in my presence, for he is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue exulted. Moreover, my flesh also will live in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow your holy one to undergo decay. You have made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence. Brethren, 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. And 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, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades nor did his flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. That's our text. This morning, I just want to look at the introduction of this great sermon, verses 14 through 17, or the first part is 17.

12:47And as we look at these verses, I want you to gain an appreciation for the historic magnitude of Peter's sermon. But also, in addition to that, I want to give you three New Year's resolutions that will serve you well in 2015. I've got to get that little New Year's punch in there, right? Without straining the text. Now, this is, I want to give you three good New Year's resolutions while we're working our way through this and gaining appreciation for the magnitude and the monumental.

13:30Pivot point in history that this is. So the first thing, first resolution. Purpose to not miss the activity of God that is happening right in your midst. Purpose to not miss the activity of God that is happening right in your midst. In other words, cultivate a local perspective of God's activity. Cultivate a local perspective on what God is doing around you. Look back at verse 12. What does all this mean? Look at verse 14, this introduction to this sermon. 1 Peter addresses his audience. But Peter, taking his stand with the 11, raised his voice and declared to them, Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem. Who's his audience? Men of Judea and all those living in Jerusalem. That is who he is addressing you. Men of Judea and all that you have gathered here who live in Judea. And this is fulfillment of really what Jesus had said would take place in Acts chapter 1 and verse 4. You'll remember, he gathered them together and he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised. He said, you will be, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that takes place. So when they had come together, they were asking him, saying, Lord, is it at this time you're going to restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, It's not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by his own authority. So Peter is not trying to give you a definitive outline of when and where everything is going to happen. He doesn't know it.

15:28But he does recognize what God does at the moment. And in verse 8, as a fulfillment to what Jesus had said, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses, both in Jerusalem and Judea, Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. So his audience, men of Judea, all who live in Jerusalem, Jesus said, you will be witnesses to these. And this is exactly what he is doing. He is witnessing to them. Now look at verse 14, he gives two imperative commands. Men of Judea and all you live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. In other words, this you must know. Kind of the literal. This you must know. Let this be known to you. That's what he's saying. And give heed to what I'm saying. I'm going to declare something to you. And give heed to it.

16:34Give heed, Acts 2:15. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day. In other words, he says, the event that you are witnessing is not what you have quickly dismissed. Pay attention to what I'm saying. These men are not drunk. Don't quickly dismiss what God is doing in your midst. You see, they had quickly dismissed the profound work of God and had reduced it to some natural, material, logical explanation. And they were totally missed the absolute profound and put a trivial label on it.

17:19Their response, they saw God was doing the profound right in their midst. And they say, you know what's going on? These guys are drunker than a bunch of skunks. That's what is going on. They're drunk. By the way, that's a very frightful picture. A drunkard and a skunk living out in the country when a skunk shows up in your yard in the middle of the afternoon, walking around. You know, something's really off, either rabbit or something like that, tipping back and forth. You know, those things are lethal, and they've got some range on them. And when we see a Skunk like that in our backyard. I mean, it's button down the hatches. Everybody stay inside. Well, that's exactly the picture that these God is doing a profound work in the midst of Jerusalem, and they're like drunk, drunk. But isn't that the way of the unbelieving world? And isn't that the way some of us sometimes will quickly dismiss what God is doing in our midst? But they quickly dismissed it either because they didn't want to deal with it, they just wanted to, or they were too busy with other things.

18:41Some of them, verse 13, were mocking and saying they are foolish. They were mocking. They're those who quickly dismiss the profound work of God, and even those who will mock what God is doing. And they show they have no understanding and no insight into what God is doing. And it is a shame. Because their dismissal of what God was doing lacked careful thought. If they had even just given it any kind of careful thought, they would know these men were not drunk.

19:14They should have known that, okay, maybe the drunkenness explains one part of it, but what about the noise? Them being drunk has nothing to do with the noise. But also, if they had been a thinking people, as Peter says in verse 15, it's only the third hour of the day. At best, this could only be 9 a.m., depending on the time of year. That would vary a little bit. But you were talking around 9 a.m. And Josephus says that on festival days, which this would have been Pentecost, that a devout Jew would not even eat before noon, let alone start taking drink.

19:54So this isn't a bunch of devout. 120 people didn't rise up at daybreak and start getting inebriated. This doesn't even make sense. Even drunkards, what are they doing a couple hours after daybreak? What are they normally doing? They're out. So it doesn't even make sense. It doesn't even make sense. But the bottom line is these Jews had quickly dismissed the profound work of God because something was happening in their midst. And they just quickly brushed it aside. You know, sometimes we can be too quick to dismiss God's activity among us. Sometimes we can be too quick to dismiss what God is doing right here in the midst of this body or church bodies like this.

20:48There is a connection between us and Pentecost. Don't fail to see that. It's the same Christ. He sits in the same exalted position. His goals for humanity have not changed. His goals for the preaching of the cross has not changed. Same spirit, same purpose in the world, and he has equipped his church to carry out all of the details and all of the desires that he has in his heart for his people. Never forget that. There is a chain, a link that links us back to this very sermon, this very day. We proclaim this very message, and he has equipped his church to perform all the desires of his heart. Just as he had equipped Peter and the apostles in this day to do what he had called them to do, so he has equipped us to do what he has called us to do. Listen, God's activity will often show up in areas and ways that unbelievers will quickly dismiss and even mock. And even some of us among the church will be quick to dismiss what God is doing in our midst.

22:10Listen, God is involved in the life of this church. The name Emmanuel is very reflective. God with us. And he is active in other churches like us who call upon his name, who have been set apart by His Spirit. On the surface, it may look pretty plain. On the surface, you may put some naturalistic, rationalistic label on what's going on here. Think about our Friday night program with Friday church, our pioneer program. On the surface, it looks like a little vans, a bunch of little vans running through town picking up kids. And it is that. But it is not merely that. That is what it looks like when God is reaching out into the community and seeking and saving that which is lost. That is one manifestation of it. And don't fail to see the profound in that. And how blessed are those who have been picked up? It is not just that a van has picked you up, but God Himself is drawing you, is seeking you out. That is what it looks like.

23:33Think about our Emmanuel lighthouse and our guest house that is there for those needing temporary residence. How blessed you are who get to come and reside there. It is not merely a temporary place, but there's something far more profound going on there that God is drawing. You to him. And he does that through people that he puts in your path who will proclaim to you the good news of our great God and Savior. How blessed you are.

24:16Respond to him in faith. Don't quickly brush it aside. From the outside, we're all a bunch of do-gooders. No, there's something far more profound going on. How blessed are those, and how blessed are those who announce good news. Isaiah 52:7, how lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces and says, Our God reigns. How blessed is it to be those receiving the message? How blessed it is to be those sending the message.

24:55And you can just put that label on every gospel-centered ministry, whether it's the campus outreach, whether it's those on campus who are sharing their faith, or those in the mall who are going person-to-person evangelism, or whether it be some of the Christ-centered music activities that are going on, even the Christmas caroling, don't fail to just put some sort of cheap label on it and totally miss the utterly profound. That's what these guys happened in Acts chapter 2.

25:30God was doing an incredible thing right in their midst, and they totally dismissed it. Sometimes we can be too quick to dismiss the work of God among us, and also we can be too quick to dismiss the work of God in our own lives. Sometimes we pray, and then we have failed to associate what happens next with our prayers. Listen, Christ is exalted, Christ is at the right hand of God, He does hear, He does know, and don't fail to associate what happens in your life with what you've been praying.

26:08Sometimes we do not see God at work in our lives because we are so blinded by our own prayer requests that are seemingly unanswered. And meanwhile, God is at work shaking up our lives all around us. And then we just simply resort to the simple, rationalistic dismissal. Well, God isn't involved. No, his faithfulness and his goodness can be seen on every corner for those who will take time to look. It's there, guaranteed. You see, the level of dismissal of Peter's audience was absolutely profound. Not just on the day of Pentecost, but if you look at verse 22, he says, 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.

27:06They were not clueless to the activity of Christ and what was going on. They had seen it, they had known, they knew this man was attested by God. They knew it, but they either suppressed it because they didn't like the implications of God in their life, or they were preoccupied with other things. So purpose to not miss the activity of God that is happening right in your midst, whether among the church or whether in your personal life. Cultivate a local perspective of God's activity.

27:44It'll serve you well in 2015. Second, purpose to not miss the activity of God that is happening in the world around you, in the bigger picture. Cultivate a global perspective of God's activity. Cultivate not only a local perspective, but also cultivate the global perspective. Look back in verse 15, and he says, it's not what you quickly dismiss, but in verse 16, but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel. And so Peter introduces his text. This is the text of this sermon. It's like he's saying, okay, now open your Bibles to Joel chapter 2. He says, this is what is spoken of through Joel. And then he sets the context for them. Look in 17a.

28:3017 at the very beginning, first line, and it shall be in the last days. And then, following, he says this, God says, and then Peter quotes Joel 22 or 2, 28 through 32, verbatim. So the text begins, after he says, God says, then after that, he quotes it verbatim. But Peter frames the context when he says, and it shall be in the last days. He puts the context, this is what is taking place in the last days. And the last days is a significant time indicator in the scriptures. It refers to a period of time that was highly anticipated in the Old Testament. And then it is often referred to, and a literal reading of it is the end of the days, at the end of the days, translated oftentimes the days to come or latter days. I like how the ESV translated because it stays pretty consistent. Latter days, but this expression is literally at the end of the days. At the end of the days, as a summation of human history, this is what God is doing and will do and will bring to completion at the end of the days. And they are. Events that the Old Testament prophesies that will happen at the end of the days. At the end of the days. You remember when Jacob blessed his sons in Genesis 49, in verse 1, he calls them. Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, assemble yourselves together that I may tell you what will befall you in literally the days to come, or literally the end of the days. Let me tell you what's going to befall you. And he goes through all of them, and he comes down to Judah, and he says, and to him, Judah, shall be the obedience. I mean, to the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until Shiloh comes. And to him shall be the obedience of the nations.

30:54Much of that fulfilled, but certainly part of it not. And that is, at the end of the days, one from Judah shall, the peoples, he will have the obedience of the people. Still future. You remember when Balaam was called upon by Balak to prophesy against Israel? Balaam says, you know, I can't really prophesy against him if God hasn't cursed him. Balak says, go ahead, do it, do it anyway. So he gets up there and does it. Instead, he blesses them. And then he says this in Numbers 24. 4.14. And now, behold, speaking to Baal, I'm going to tell you, I'm going to advise you what this people will do to your people at the end of the days. Let me tell you what they are going to do. In Numbers verse 17, he says, I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. A star shall come forth from Jacob. A scepter shall rise from Israel and shall crush through the forehead of Moab.

32:02Remember, the Israelites are out there in the plains of Moab when he uttered these. Then, Moses, this theme of the end of the days, the latter days is throughout the Old Testament. There's some very specific markers that will happen. When Moses speaks about this end of the days, in Deuteronomy 4:26, he says this, I call heaven and earth to witness against you that you will surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over to the Jordan to possess it. You shall not live in it long, but will be utterly destroyed. In other words, here are the Israelites about to go into the land of Israel, land of Canaan, and Moses is saying, Guess what? You're not going to go over there and stay very long. You're going to quickly perish. And he goes on in verse 27, the Lord will scatter. Scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord drives you. And then he says in verse 29, but from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you search him for him with all your heart and with all your soul. And when you are in distress, and all these things have come upon you, in the end of the days, you will return to the Lord your God and listen to his voice. For the Lord your God is compassionate, God. He will not fail you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant with your fathers, which he swore to them. So here's Moses on the brink of the Israelites going into the land of Canaan. He says, you're going to fail, but you're going to return. At the end of the days, you will return. And then, in Deuteronomy 39, 31, 29, Moses again speaks about the end of the days. And he says, This, For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you, and evil will befall you in the latter days, or at the end of the days. For you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of your hands. In other words, he's saying, You're going to go into the land, the Lord's going to judge you because you're going to provoke him to anger, and evil will befall you at the end of the days.

34:30He's also said, but you will also return to me at the end of the days. Isaiah picks this up, and he says, Now in Isaiah 2, chapter 2, he says, Now it will come about that in the last days, or at the end of the days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and it will be raised above the hills, and all the nations will stream to it, and many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us concerning his ways, and we may walk in his paths. For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word for the Lord from Jerusalem. And he will judge between the nations and will render decisions for many peoples. And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war. So at the end of the days, nations are going to cease to study war. Let me tell you, some of the best jobs out there today are in the war industry. This is not fulfilled. And Isaiah, in light of this truth, since this is the way things are going to be in the future, he says this in verse 5: Come, house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord. This is what God is doing globally. This is what's going to happen at the end of the days. So therefore, Let us now walk in the light of the Lord.

36:05So let us purpose not to miss that activity of God in the world, what he has accomplished in history, what he's already done in the world, what he is doing, and how we should live in light of that. You know, it's interesting, Jeremiah also speaks about this theme, the end of the days. And in chapter 30 and verse 18, he says, Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwelling place. And the city will be rebuilt on its ruin, and the palace will stand in its rightful place. This is right after he is totally brought to their attention the Babylonian destruction. He's just prophesied all this destruction. And then he says, But you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Verse 24, the fierce angler of the Lord will not turn back until he is performed and until he has accomplished the intent of his heart. And then he says this to the nation of Israel. In the latter days, you're going to understand this. At the end of the days, this is going to make sense to you. Jeremiah is writing to a future audience.

37:25He says, At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God. All the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Not true today. God is still at work. And this is exactly what Peter in Acts in chapter 2 is trying to get them to see. You will understand this. That's why I'm explaining this to you. Now, turn, repent. Now, put your faith and trust in Christ. That is his message. One more that I think is very significant. Hosea also speaks of the end of the days. He was told to pursue his faithless wife, Gomer, after she had been unfaithful and been sold into slavery and put out there on the auction block. The Lord tells him this: Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods. So I bought her for myself for 15 shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. Then I said to her, You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man, so I will also be towards you. In other words, he brought Gomer back in and said, Okay, you're going to be back with me, but I'm not going to be, we're not going to be part of a marriage union. You're going to be with me, but you're not going to. Have a man. You're not going to have relations. And in verse 4, God says this, for the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice, without sacred pillar, and without ephod. In other words, they're not going to have their control, their priesthood. All that's going to be out of commission. And this describes, friends, the last couple thousand years of Israel's history. And then he says this, afterward, the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God, David their king, and they will come trembling to the Lord and his goodness in the last days. So Peter's knowing these, okay?

39:44The end of the days, they are going to return to David their king, and they are going to come trembling to the Lord and his goodness in the latter days. So this phrase, and I lay all that out for you, there's rich depth to this expression, the end of the days or the last days, that to the Hebrew mind was just pregnant with meaning. And especially a bunch of Jews who were assembled for Pentecost. And so Peter ties the events of Pentecost to the last day. And the Pentecost literally means 50th. And it refers to the celebration of the Feast of Weeks, which celebrated 50 days after Passover. And at Pentecost, that's when they brought the first fruits of their offerings. First fruits, very significant. The first fruits. This Pentecost, the first fruits of the last days, the first fruits of the believer's inheritance, baptism of the Spirit, the first fruits of the ingathering of the church. So the last days is very significant from the Old Testament perspective. Rich.

41:01And this definitely would have been on the minds of those that Peter was speaking to. But there are also three key events of the last days that Peter cites from Joel chapter 2, verses 28 through 32. Basically, three. And I'm not going to walk through each line of this, but I want to give you a quick overview of what he does here. Three key verbs. In verse 17, notice, I will pour. Circle that. I will pour.

41:34And verse 19, and I will grant. Circle that. God will grant. And in verse 21, and it shall be. It shall be. So three key actions. I will pour, I will grant, and it shall be. And in verse 17, he says, I will pour. And in verses 17 through 18, he talks about three categories of people, male and female. Old and young, men slaves and female slaves. And they shall prophesy. That is, they shall articulate and interpret the words and events of God. And this is exactly what Peter was doing at that moment. And then look at verse 19. And I will grant. What is he going to grant? Cosmic disturbances. There's going to be signs above and earth below.

42:23And this is going to happen before the great and glorious day of the Lord. And this is the day that they were waiting for, this glorious and great day. But it was not going to be at all like they thought it was going to be because they had crucified the one who is returning. And Peter is going to bring this to bear upon them. That's where he's going with this. And then he says this in verse 20, and it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And then he cuts Joel off mid-sentence. He stops. You asked a question. I'm going to answer that question to you from the Bible. Here's the text I'm using. And then he cuts it off right here. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh shall be saved.

43:13Three events. It's going to be this outpouring, cosmic disturbances, and this period that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. The door of salvation is open wide. Access could never be easier. For those who wish to enter. And the question is: what is the name of the Lord? I must know his name before I call upon him. This is Peter's emphasis: whoever calls upon the name of Yahweh shall be saved. And if you remember, they could not utter that word Yahweh, right? Didn't know the name of the Lord. A devout Jew, even devout Jews today, will not pronounce the word Yahweh.

44:01I've come to this and I've watched one reading. I was reading with it, came to the word Yahweh and said Adonai. And I said, That doesn't say Adonai, it says Yahweh. Can't say that word. Who is, what is the name of the Lord? That's the question. That's what Peter is taking them through. Which brings me to a third New Year resolution. Purpose to not miss the activity of God that is happening through Jesus Christ. In your 2015, do not miss what God is doing around you. Do not miss what God is doing in the big picture, in history, and in the present, and what He will do in the future. But make sure you do not miss the activity of God that is happening through Jesus Christ. That is the center point. Develop a Christo-centric perspective of God's activity. Very big word, right? Cultivate a Christ-centered perspective. On life. This is what God is doing through this individual. And the question is: what is the name Yahweh? What is the name of the Lord? Well, again, just in a brief overview, I'll tell you what Peter's answer is. Look in verse 22. Write the very next verse. And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved. Then he cuts him off. Men of Israel, listen to these words. Jesus, the Nazarene.

45:32Jesus is the name of Yahweh. This is the name that one must call upon to be saved. Then he, again, in verse 32, after he goes through another text of Scripture, he says this. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he, Jesus, has poured forth this which you both see and hear. He answered the question that they asked in verse 12, right? What does all this mean? He says, I'll tell you what it means. The one you crucified, God raised from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he has poured this out.

46:26This is a testament to the exaltation of Christ. What's very interesting about this is Job chapter 2 and verse 28 says that Yahweh is going to pour forth his spirit. And Peter says, yes, Yahweh is going to pour forth his spirit. And more precisely, Jesus is Yahweh. That is the name of God. This is the apostolic preaching of the gospel. God has walked among us. Yahweh has walked among us. So purpose not to miss the activity of God that has happened and is happening right in your midst. Purpose not to miss the activity of God that has happened and is happening in the world around you. And purpose not to miss the activity of God that has happened and is happening through the person of Jesus Christ. He is the center of all God's activity. He is the hinge point of eternity. So what do you do?

47:49Call upon him. That's what Peter is saying. Everyone who calls upon him will be saved. Let us be a people who call upon him. Let us be a people. Who continue to call upon him? Let us be a people who publish this message with everything that we have. So repent. It's going to be the conclusion. Bow before him and be baptized in his name. Do not be ashamed to publicly be identified with Christ. And some of you need to be baptized. Some of you need to call upon him.

48:30Let's pray. Heavenly Father, indeed we give you thanks. Father, help us to frame our lives and our mind around what you have revealed through your Apostle Peter in the text that we have in Acts chapter 2. Father, help us to see your work around us. Help us to see your work in the big picture of human history and the geopolitical horizon which we are now in. And see, and Father, above all, help us to see the person that you have exalted, the name that you have given by which we must call.

49:15Help us to love and treasure to see Christ, to understand him, to understand what your word says, and to understand how this bears upon our lives. Father, we thank you that you see things, big picture, and you say things. On a micro scale, there is no difference between the infinite and the infinitesimal to you. And so, Father, we gladly can come before you with all of our concerns, all of our pains, struggles, sorrows, convictions, perplexities, and difficulties, and you will hear them. Father, help us not to quickly dismiss that you are involved.

50:05Give us eyes and ears to hear, we ask in Jesus' name.