Acts 2:22-41: The Gospel

Watch this lesson on YouTube, or listen to it here.     

1)     Intro

A)   Summary of our last two lessons:

1)     Acts 2 in the big story of the Bible:

(a)   God created us because he wants to be with us.

(b)   Sin is our problem.

(c)   Acts 2:38 – Jesus came to fix our sin problem, so we could be in the presence of God.

2)     Acts 2:16 – “This thing that you see happening right now is what Joel talked about.”

(a)   What did Joel talk about?

(b)   Because of Israel’s sin, God cursed the world with locust and drought which took away the people’s food.

(c)   Joel says that if the people will repent, then God will restore their life.

(i)    Joel 2:23 – “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.”

(d)   Then, Joel 2:28 points to a deeper spiritual restoration, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…”

(e)   Joel’s message is not ultimately about God pouring down rain on a dry earth. It is about God pouring out his Spirit on a death world. Peter said – THIS IS THAT!

B)    That brings us to this lesson: HOW?

1)     How is God going to fix our sin problem and restore his presence with us?

2)     How is God going to pour out his Spirit on a dead world to save us?

3)     Answer: Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

C)    There are two goals for today’s lesson:

1)     If you are not a Christian, then you are lost and dead in your sins, and today I’m going to tell you how to get out of that mess.

2)     If you are a Christian, you might think you don’t know enough about how to tell other people about the Good News. It’s probably way simpler than you imagine, and with a few notes in your Bible, you’ll be ready to share the Gospel of Jesus today.

2)     Acts 2:22-36: Peter preaches the Gospel of Jesus (7 points).

A)   v. 22 – God validated Jesus.

1)     Matt. 9:6

2)     Jn. 10:37-38

3)     Acts 1:3

B)    v. 23 – Jesus was crucified and killed. Why? (7 passages.)

1)     Is. 53:4-6

2)     Matt. 20:28

3)     Gal. 3:13-14

4)     Col. 1:19-22

5)     Heb. 9:22, 26-28

6)     1 Pet. 2:24

7)     1 Jn. 2:2

C)   vv. 24-31 – God raised him up.

1)     If Jesus was killed and stayed in the grave, then he would be just another dead person; but God raised him from death, which is the ultimate validation that he is the Son of God, and that we need to listen to him.

D)   v. 32 – There were witnesses.

1)     Don’t skip this one. Christianity puts a huge emphasis on the eye-witness testimony of MULTIPLE people who saw this with their own eyes.

2)     1 Cor. 15:5-7; Heb. 2:3.

3)     There is no other religion in the world that invite genuine validation.

4)     Jesus said, “I’m going to prove it to you with miracles, and then I’m going to give you witnesses who can tell you about these miracles that they saw with their own eyes.”

E)    v. 33a, 34-35 – Jesus is exalted at God’s right hand.

1)     Lk. 22:66-71 – That Jesus is seated at the right of God is the claim that he is the Son of God.

2)     Heb. 1:1-5

F)    v. 33b – “having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit”

1)     John’s testimony – Jn. 1:32-33 / Matt. 3:11 / Mk. 1:7-8 / Lk. 3:16

2)     Jesus said he would do this (presence and life) – Jn. 14:15-20

3)     Jesus said it was about to happen:

(a)   Acts 1:4-5

(b)   Acts 1:6-8

(c)   Acts 2:1-4

(d)   Acts 2:39 – The promise is for everyone.

4)     This is the life and the presence of God that we have been waiting for since Gen. 3.

5)     Gal. 3:13-14 (vv. 26-29 – this means we are “sons of God.”)

6)     Connecting point: 1 Pet. 1:22-23 – The Spirit is working through “the living and abiding word of God.”

G)   v. 36 – Conclusion: THIS is the Gospel in one sentence

1)     Jesus is Lord!

(a)   Lord refers to a ruler, or a master, and was often used to refer to the Roman Emperor.

(b)   Jesus is King. But also…

(c)   This is the word used in the LXX to translate Yahweh.

(d)   He is not only King, but he is the King of Kings.

(e)   Practically, this is what this means for YOU: Not just that Jesus is King, but that you will submit your life to him and that he will be YOUR King (Phil. 2:8-11)!

2)     Jesus is the Christ!

(a)   Christ means Messiah, or anointed one, or chosen one. Jesus is the promised Savior that we have been waiting for.

(b)   Gen. 3:15 – He is the seed of woman who crushed the snakes head.

(c)   Gen. 12 – He is the seed of Abraham who is a blessing for all nations.

(d)   2 Sam. 7 – He is the seed of David who reigns forever and builds God’s house.

(e)   Jer. 31 – He is the initiator of the new covenant that includes the forgiveness of our sins.

3)     Acts 2:37-41 – Their reaction. If you want to be saved from your sins and be restored to the presence of God, this is how you do it, and we can help you with that right now.