Amen. Our scripture again is taken from the second chapter, the book of Acts, and we'll look at verses 22 through 36. Acts chapter 2 verses 22 through 36. Men of Israel hear these words of Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands have crucified and put to death, whom God raised up having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be held by you. For David says concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face. For he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. More over my flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in Hades nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption. You will have made me to know or made known to me the ways of life, you will make me full of joy in your presence. Men and brethren let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body according to the flesh he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne. He foreseeing this spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out this which you now see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens but he says himself, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. May God richly bless both the reading and the hearing of his holy word. As you can see this text continues the narrative of what took place on the day of Pentecost, the opening of this era of the church as it were. Now among other things that we have already talked about the phenomenon of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, among other things what this outpouring was an inauguration and an anointing of the church both corporately and individually for the ministry of the word of God. The church, whatever else the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was and it is a number of things and we've already addressed some of what the significance of that event. But among other things, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost is the inauguration and anointing of the church both corporately and individually for the ministry of the word of God. Peter eludes to this in verse 18 where he speaks of the young men and the old men and even here in verse 18 he says and on my men servants and on my maid servants I will pour out my spirit in those days and they shall prophesy. So it is the ministry of the word that God's people are inaugurated for on the day of Pentecost. This phenomenon of God anointing the church or God anoints the church for these two reasons because the ministry of the word among God's people is his continuing voice in the world. The ministry of the word, the ministry of the word through the people of God is God's continuing voice in this world. So the world cannot expect until the return of the Lord no greater display, no greater use of the word of God than through the ministry of the word through the people of God. Now that's going to be seen the ministry of the word of God among the people of God is seen corporately as we proclaim in a public setting God's word and individually as God's people communicate God's word in evangelism and even want to one another. The word of God people will say well I want to hear from God well when the church is engaged in the ministry of the word that is the world being witness to the word of God. God says I've spoken and here's my voice he has spoken finally and definitively in Jesus and God speaks in and God speaks to this world in his present state through the church the ministry of the word through the church that is God's voice is continuing voice in this world but God also anoints and inaugurates his people in their ministry of the word because God's people, God's collective people individually and corporately we are his continuing witness to this world. So the world will get no more voice from God than what they hear through the church and they will get no more of a witness from God than what we get what then what they get through the church. So the church is is the voice of God and the church is a witness of God in the world until Jesus returns and all of this is ministered is as we carry out our ministry of the word of God. Now I know we've touched on some of this in looking at the first part of Peter's sermon but I reiterate it here because the church's ministry of the word is both foundational and fundamental to our identity and our function. The church's ministry of the word is both foundational, foundational in the sense that this is the foundation of what God has called us to be. In fact we're told that the foundation of the church is the doctrines of the apostles or the apostles themselves are considered to be the foundation of the church and it is also fundamental to our identity. So the ministry of the word whatever else we may or may not do, the ministry of the word is foundational as well as fundamental to our function, our identity and function until the Lord returns. Now in a moment we'll be looking at the second half of Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. We've already looked at the first part of it and the first part of it basically is Peter explaining the phenomenon of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit but then he begins to expound from the scriptures which we'll see in a moment but before we look at at the second half of Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, I want to offer a rather lengthy quote from Jonathan Lehman who was an elder of Capitol Hill Baptist Church or one of the elders in Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C. He's written a book which I was intrigued by entitled reverberation, reverberation which is like an echo, the restating of something and it's really an apt description of the ministry of the word. In fact let me give you the title and the subtitle because it really captures it. The title was reverberation and the subtitle was how God's word brings light freedom and action to his people. So let me give this quote and then we will look at and that sort of frames our discussion here from Peter's second half of Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. He says, picture this, picture in your mind some church that you have known. Now just for a moment take away the programs, take away the children's nursery, take away the parking lot, take away the musical instruments and take away the bulletins, take away the building and take away everything but the people of the church itself. Now imagine all of these members of the church standing together in a field. Now once you have this church in your mind and in your head then now ask the question, now that everything has been taken away and the only thing that is left are the people. Now here's the question that you need to ask, what do we need to grow this church in both numbers and spiritual debt. Take away all of those things, take away everything else and anything else that wasn't mentioned, take those things away and all you are left with are the people and the people essentially, that is the church, but take away all of those things and now if we are to rebuild, if we are to build, here's the question, what do we need, need being the operative word? What do we need to grow this church in both numbers and spiritual debt? What is it that we must have? Here's what he says, the answer, the answer is God's word working through spirit or through God's spirit that because somebody he says has to pick up a Bible and read it. Someone has to explain it when this happened, the word or the spirit begins to work upon the people's hearts, causing them to believe the words and to give a proper weight to them. The people repeat the words in their songs, they repeat the word in their prayers and they also repeat the words of God to one another throughout the week and they help each other discern God's will for their lives, their lives begin to be shaped by the words so that they begin to live differently at work and at home. These words, these words are life-giving, hope-giving and love-producing. Brothers and sisters, here's what Lehman is saying, that if you take everything else away, what is it that is a must-have for the people of God? If we really desire to see love produce in the hearts of God's people, what is it that is the one thing that we cannot be without and still be a church corporately or even a believer? What is it that we must have? Brothers and sisters, that one thing that is necessary is the word of God. And so therefore his point and I think the point that we will see throughout the book of Acts is the dynamic of God at work in his people and through his people, through his word. And so Peter sermon gives us a good, it's a good launching place because in verses 17 through 21, what Peter does is he explains the phenomenon of the outpouring of the spirit really as the inauguration of the church's ministry of the word. That's what he does. That's why he says in verse 18, what you have seen, you're about to see more of. And what is that? Men and women that have been called by God, created by the word of God itself, being ministers and announcers of God's word. Brothers and sisters, isn't it amazing that in our generation that we have seen such an increase of everything else and what has been minimized is the preaching and teaching of God's word. I suggest that God's word is our lifeline and that's not me just trying to promote people to come out to Bible study and to hear. No, that's what God says. That he creates, God creates by his word and God creates through his word. And so what we get in Peter's sermon, what we get in the second part of Peter's sermon are some indicators of what it is in God's word, the totality of God's word that ought to mark our corporate existence as well as our individual lives. Four things that we'll look at. Four things from Peter's message, the second half of his message that that should strengthen us and really should reinforce our faith and our individual as well as our corporate existence as the people of God. You see, in other words, what we get here is that the church is our primary ministry. Whatever else we do or don't do, we are ministers of the word of God. And so as Peter begins to unpack this message that we are both to embrace and proclaim, there are four things that we can learn from his preaching that ought to characterize our relationship with God's word. Here's the first thing. The first thing to note is that our message is an old message. Our message is an old message in verse 21 where Peter says that whoever calls on the name of Jesus shall be saved. He says that. That is the goal of preaching. That is the evangelistic goal of preaching that unbelievers would call upon the name of Jesus and that believers would live in the name of Jesus. We know that, but notice this. That is what he says, but then notice what he does in verses 25 through 28. He cites an old document to make the case for Jesus. In other words, what Peter does, he says that we shall call whoever calls on the name of Jesus shall be saved in verse 21. But then in verses 25 through 28, he quotes from Psalm 16, which was our reading this morning, our call to worship. But specifically verses 8 through 11, he cites psalms to articulate the salvation that is found in Jesus. So for Peter, for Peter, in other words, Peter is convinced that even David, O Testament, St David, understood that salvation from God was located in Jesus. In fact, David understood, says Peter, David understood that the promise of the Messiah would come from David's line and yet it would be someone else, but it was an old promise. In verses 29 through 30, he makes the point that the one that has been, that has been appointed by God is one who was understood and anticipated by David. Notice in verses 29 in 30, he says, men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David. Notice what he doesn't do. He doesn't call on any modern witnesses. He just calls on an old witness. He says, this is what the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried and his tomb is with us today, therefore being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on the throne. Brothers and sisters, our message is as old as the problem of human sin. The reason I say this is because I think the church in every generation is tempted to try to find a more relevant message for the world. And we hear it. I've been hearing it ever since I could remember growing up. We need a new message. No, no, no. The church needs to be cutting edge and that's okay. Listen, you don't have to be stuck in the 1930s in your clothes and you don't have to, you know, you don't have to forsake the things of the world. You can have computers and everything else. It doesn't change our message. We can be cutting edge and technology. Go ahead. I don't think the church has no problem with the church having a website. Have a website. Hey, man, it's nothing wrong with using multimedia on our website. Be cutting edge. Make sure that we have the finest and the newest. We be up to date. But when it comes to our message, it's an ancient message. If we don't need to change it, it's new people say, well, but people, listen, people, don't get fooled by changing hairstyles. Don't get fooled by what's new new technology. The human problem is no problem. It's no, it's as old as the garden. It's as old as Genesis 3 and the message for the most fundamental of human problems is still the same. It's still the same. It's still sin. My wife, every time we hear of individuals caught up in particular sins, she always says, you know, you know, what people, there's nothing new. She says, you know, it's nothing new. It's always the same old stuff, same old things that bring us down. Put us in nuclear. I know what we think. Satan is conniving and scheming, seeing what he can do to trip us up. No, he's not. He's resting and probably amusing in the fact that the same old stuff still works. It still works. He hasn't created any new sin or new enticements since we could, none of us is old enough to remember. Anytime Satan had a new temptation. Same old stuff. And you know why? Because it still works. It still works. The pride of life. The lust of the flesh and the lust of the world still works. Therefore the message is an old message. Peter doesn't try to preach a new message. He preaches the same message that David preached. He preaches the same message. And it's the same message that gave Adam hope. What does that message that God saves? And he will save through the seed of the woman. Brothers and sisters, I do believe that again every generation has the problem facing the church and every generation is resisting the temptation to cater the message to the spirit of the age. And I don't care what age it is. It's a sinful age. And there's only one solution to sin. Now, here's what we see because many people have been co-opted by the spirit of the age. We don't talk about sin anymore. We talk about dysfunction and disorder. We don't talk about salvation anymore. We talk about fulfillment. Okay? So here's the, that's what we do. Why? Because we've been co-opted by the spirit of the age. This evening we'll be talking about a particular dysfunction within or disorder. But understand this. Every disease, every dysfunction, and every disorder has its roots in sin. Everyone, there's not a one. There's not a single dysfunction that can't be traced to sin. There's not a single disease that is not traced to sin. Not particular sin, but sin as it is corrupting our nature and sin as a condition rather than just as deeds that are done from that condition. So here's the message that we, here's the lesson we learned from Peter. The first place that our message is an ancient message and brothers and sisters, if you're not ready to proclaim the ancient message then you don't understand it. Now we, we will find new ways to express it. There are new expressions of old sin and there are new ways to express old truth, but it still must be the same old truth. Now here's what I get. Where everybody wants to be authentic and we become, and we become authentic to the sacrifice of authentic truth. Everybody wants to be unique and attractive and appealing, but we do so at the expense of authenticity that is anchored in the ancient message. Brothers and sisters, here's what we learn from Peter. Peter has this audience and it's a massive audience. We know that 3,000 of them believed. And can you imagine on this stage, Peter, here it is, your first, your big opportunity. Here you are in the center of this part of the Roman Empire, Rome at the apex of his glory. What will you tell them? What do you know what he tells them? You're a sinner and God saves. Brothers and sisters, that has to be our message. It has to be our message to unbelievers. And it has to be our message to believers. First thing that we note from Peter is that Peter anchors his message in the old scriptures. Likewise, our message is an old message. Here's the second thing we learn. We learn from Peter's message, or his sermon, the necessity of knowing God only through Jesus. The necessity of knowing God only through Jesus. In verse 22, 33 and 36. First off, in verse 22, Peter says, men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did through him. God worked through Jesus. And in his miracles and in the wonders that were performed by Jesus, Jesus was proclaiming the message of God. But also, notice not only verse 22, verse 33, he says, therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out this which you now see and hear. There is no interactions with the Father except through Jesus. Even the gift of the Spirit has been, in fact, the reason God can, the reason Jesus anoints the church with the Spirit is because he has received the Spirit in fullness. And it is he and through the Father that sends the gift of the Spirit to the church. That's what he says in John's gospel that he would pray the Father and the Father would send the Comforter. So our knowledge of God, our empowerment of God is always through Jesus. Also, look at verse 33, where, again, Peter says, therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received, oh, excuse me, verse 36, he says, therefore let all of the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. You cannot get to the Father except through the Son. Now here's one of the reasons this is so critical in our generation. People are looking for unmediated access to God. They think that, well, you know, the God knows me. They don't have, and I hear this all the time, I'm spiritual, but I'm just, you know, I just don't get into the church. Me and God have a thing. No, you cannot love God and hate the bride of his Son. No, you can't do that. I know what people think. I just close my eyes and hold my hands and no, you know, everything you know about the Father is through the Son. And that's some kind of dangerous spiritualism that we have convinced ourselves of that where Jesus is just a side piece and God is the main thing and we don't have to love God or the people of God or the things of God. We just go directly to God. It's just me and God, you know, no, no. Here he says that God witnessed to you through his Son. You see, I like what Jesus tells us in the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Remember when the rich man lifted his eyes up in hell and he was tormented and he looks at Abraham and he says, which you please sin, sin, sin, sin Abraham, sin somebody, sin somebody to, or sin Lazarus back to my brothers that they would witness. And here's where Jesus, Abraham tells me, no, listen, they have the prophets. God's not going to show up. He's not going to do something special for you. He's sent his Son, that's special enough. They've got the prophets. Our witness to the work of God and God Himself is always through Jesus. I would maintain that union with Christ is central to our understanding our spirituality. I often quote John Owen who says that there is an infinite ocean of love that is within God but not one drop of it can reach us except through Jesus. There is nothing from God that can reach us except through Jesus and here's the other thing brothers and sisters. There is nothing from us that is acceptable to God except it be through Jesus. Now I know many of you grew up like I did hearing the song, only what you do for Christ will last and while the sentiment is good is not true. It's not only what you do for Christ that will last. It's only what you do in Christ that will last. Everything else is sinking sand. Nothing else matters. Only what you do in Christ matters. If that's the only thing that matters before God. Our prayers mediated through Christ. Our worship mediated through Christ. Our righteousness is the righteousness of Christ. Only what you do in Christ matters because Christ is the mediator and here is the centerpiece of Peter's message on the day of Pentecost. Everything that God did for sinful men is through Jesus. The mediatorial, the necessary, the necessity of the mediatorial work of Jesus. That has to be central to our message. We have to tell people that you need Jesus. In fact, that's what Peter's doing. He's telling these people unashamedly the very ones that crucify Jesus. He says, but you need him. You need him because he is God's voice. He, it is through him that you can receive the pleasures of God and it is only through his mediation that we are able to interface with God in any profitable manner. So we see that Jesus knowing God is only through Jesus. No one can say that they know God and be ignorant of Jesus. Here's the third thing we see. A third thing to note from Peter's sermon is that the hope of the message we proclaim rests upon the incomparable promise and power of God. The hope, the hope that we maintain, what is our hope that God saves and that God saves through Jesus. So what makes this, what makes this our hope is that it rests upon the incomparable promise and power of God. In other words, notice there are two things. In verse 23, we are told that sinful deeds could not hinder God's purpose. Notice in verse 23, he says, him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you having taken by lawless hands, you have crucified and you have put him to death, but understand this. God intended to send his son to die for the sacrifice or for the sins of God's people. Now he doesn't make these sinners plot to kill him, but the fact that they plot it to kill Jesus doesn't hinder God's purpose for bringing people to salvation through that death. So he lets them do what they're going to do because in doing it, they are accomplishing his purpose. Here's a greater truth for his brothers and sisters. That's true, not only of these individuals when it comes to the crucifixion of Jesus, but here is our joy. God's promises are incomparable and his power is also incomparable. So that sinful deeds cannot frustrate or hinder God's purposes. Not your sins, not the sins against you. There is nothing that can conspire and keep God from doing what he was going to do. Here's the thing I love about God. He doesn't try to do anything. I appreciate it when people are not able to do something that I tried. God bless them. They try. They try. And that's good and you appreciate somebody trying to do something on your behalf. But here's the thing about God. God is not a try to God. And there is nothing to say but you don't know what I'm up against. You don't know who's doing it. God has determined to save and come hell or high water. There is nothing that can stop him from saving. God sent his son into the world. Now do you think he would find some people that are dirty and low down enough to kill an innocent man? Right. You think that's going to be hard to find in this world? No. And so God doesn't have to put it in anybody's heart to kill an innocent man. He just let sinners do what sinners do and then he does what he does through their in spite of their deeds. And so it is with everything that God has intended for us brothers and sisters, don't look at others and say, well, he can't through this. No, this is God you're talking about. And so therefore sin cannot sinful deeds and sinful desires, sinful plots and plans cannot hinder his purpose. It doesn't excuse the sinner but it doesn't stop his purpose. That's why I love what Paul says in Romans 8. He says all things work together for good for those who love God and are the cause according to his purpose. Now he doesn't say all things good happen to the people that love God but what God does is he takes the evil that is intended for evil and makes good out of it. Joseph says, brethren, I know what you guys meant. God tried to kill me. Yes, what you did. You tried. I'm not fooled by that. You tried to kill me but God meant it for good. The good of God cannot be hindered by the evil of men. That's where our hope lies. My hope lies in the fact that God who promised cannot fail. But listen, not only sinful deeds could not hinder God's purposes. We also see secondly in verse 24 that death can't hold God's purposes. I love Peter's words here. He says it was not possible for death to hold him. It was not possible that death should hold him why? Well for two reasons. One because he's God. Jesus was God but secondly because God made a promise and just like sin could not prevent his promise neither could death. This is demonstrated in the faith of Abraham when Abraham was willing to offer up his son Isaac and the way that is described in the book of Hebrews it corresponds with the way it's recorded in the book of Genesis. That Abraham he told his servants when he reached a certain point he told his servants that's will be back. We, me and Isaac, will be back. But it's told and we're told in the book of Hebrews that Abraham by faith he offered up his son Isaac believing in the resurrection. Why? Why does he believe in the resurrection? Has someone written a book at this point about the dynamics of the resurrection? No because he knows that God can't lie and if God can't lie and he requires the life of his son then my only conclusion is God is going to bring him back to life. Therefore even in the mind of Isaac it was not possible for death to hold Isaac because God promised that through your seed you have many seeds and he can't fulfill that promise is if Isaac is dead. Likewise here's what we know sin can't stop God's promise and neither can death. That's why brothers and sisters we don't I know when we have we deal with serious sickness we want people to believe in the gospel because here's what we know that if we are in Christ our bodies may deteriorate by cancer but cancer can't keep us from eternal life because God promised us eternal life and if sin can't stop it death can't stop it then surely cancer can't stop it so he will sometimes use cancer as the chariot to take us to our gift of eternal life because God can't fail in his promises that's our hope. That's what our hope is our hope is God's promise is on is an uncomfortable promise and purpose and and there's nothing that can hinder its sin and sinful intentions can't stop it you try to plot something against God's and he'll turn around and use it for them that's what he does I like if he doesn't have to deliver you from fiery furnaces he may let the fires eat you up so that you can wake up in the the air conditioning of his arms he may let the lion eat you up so that you can wake up in his bosom you see brothers and sisters plotting and losing on this end doesn't stop God's promises and here's what Peter says Peter says your sin couldn't stop God's promises and death couldn't stop his promises because God through your sin delivered us a savior and God through raising up his son proved death was nothing but a liar yes that's ought to be in our message our message is an old message our message is about the singular mediator of Jesus Christ our message is resting upon the uncomfortable promise of God in Jesus Christ nothing can stop us and nothing can separate us from what God himself has promised in his son that brings us to a fourth and final thing here's one other thing we can learn from Peter's message and that is the all the goal or the aim of our proclamation is that we would see Jesus as God sees him that is our goal that's our goal in salvation that's our goal even as we preach to believers that we would see Jesus as God sees Jesus notice in verses 33 through 36 Peter goes on to say this he says therefore being exalted let me pause therefore a moment God has exalted Jesus here's where the problem of continuing sin for believers rest this is our problem we don't exalt Jesus enough it's when we see Jesus as God sees Jesus that we are able to say no to unrighteousness we have too low of view of Christ if we keep nibbling and dabbling with that which is inconsistent with who we are in Christ Jesus that's why Paul says in in Colossians he says listen if you've been raised if you if you've been raised where Christ is then set your mind above on the things of Christ see here's what Peter is telling us God has an exalted view of Jesus how much so he put him at his right side amen he seated him at his right side and and notice this he not only says that he is seated at the right hand of the Father he has received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit and that's what you experience here says Peter and then he says in verse 34 and 5 he says for David did not ascend into the heavens but he says himself the Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your foot stew therefore let all of the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ I know I grew up in a church setting where we were invited down maybe you've made Jesus the Lord you've made him your Savior now you need to make him Lord you can get off that treadmill you don't need to make Jesus Lord you can't make him Lord God has made him Lord and here's what breaks the power of sin in our lives when we exhort our thoughts to see Jesus the way the Father sees Jesus that he's holy and that he's desirable and that he's exhorted and that he is Lord of all and that he is the Christ the fulfiller of all that the promise the Father has promised for our soul salvation let us look then to Jesus and see him as he is at the right hand of the Father accept it and beloved and when we see him that way then we will act like he is Lord brothers and sisters that ought to be our preaching our preaching ought to be an old message about a single mediator that is that rest on uncarkable power because God cannot fail and here's what it aims at that Jesus would be exalted in the minds of the hearers I pray that Jesus exalted above your sins if you are an unbeliever this morning I pray that you would see that there is nothing better there's nothing finer there is no higher goal that you can reach in this life than to have the Son of God as your own Savior and I pray that if you are a believer I pray that you would see him not defeated but you would see in his nail scarred body the exalted beloved son of God that he is seated at the right hand of privilege that he would deliver all that the Father has promised to you you wrestling with sin you you small-minded and you're thinking look to Jesus that's why we preach Jesus that's why the only thing that can break the debt of canceled or the debt of canceled sin is to know Jesus the only thing that can get saints to turn from their sins is to know that Jesus is more desirable and here's our confession when we lose sight of how precious Jesus is then we let other stuff seem like it's more important brothers and sisters there's nothing greater than Jesus therefore the theme and subject of all of our proclamation is Jesus in him crucified in him raised in him seated at the right hand of the Father disputes make better sense when I see Jesus seated in victory pain makes better sense when I see Jesus seated in victory all of a sudden disease and destruction make better sense when I see Jesus seated in victory because what that means is he did not die in vain and as as the angels told the disciples don't worry about it he is you see him you see him right here's the good news he's coming back and he who did not spare his own life is coming back to avenge all of those who do not see him as the Father sees him and so here's the proclamation of the church that we would present Jesus as the Father has received him and that's our message so I know we want to get current we want to get relevant there's nothing more relevant to a dying soul than Jesus crucified and Jesus raised let us preach Jesus because Jesus is all that matters amen