Scripture reading: Psalm 116.

Sermon text: Acts 2:32-41.

“Resurrection.” The word brings something to mind when we hear it. Some people scoff at it, believing it’s impossible. Others think of it only as a historical reality that means nothing to them. Yet, the resurrection of Jesus propelled the Apostles on a lifetime of challenge and opportunity, a path that took Christianity across the Roman Empire and, over time across the world.

The Resurrection itself changed everything, but the coming of the Holy Spirit empowered the small group of believers to turn Jerusalem upside down. The power of God, demonstrated in the Resurrection, poured into the world as the Holy Spirit filled the believers and began working through them to draw others into the Church.

St. Peter proclaimed the word of the Resurrection in Jerusalem following the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, A.D. 33. Most likely, St. Peter delivered this sermon to the Jews in the Temple in Jerusalem, as the Temple alone could hold the kind of crowd mentioned in this passage. St. Peter’s greatest advantage came in his words in verse 32: “we are all witnesses.” St. Peter and the other believers had seen the resurrected Lord; they had received the Holy Spirit and, through Him, the power to preach the gospel to everyone in Jerusalem, even in the languages of those spread throughout the world.

St. Peter told the people in the crowd that God had “raised up” Jesus from the dead and then “poured out” the Holy Spirit on the believers. Through the Holy Spirit, the news of the Resurrection began working in the hearts of the crowd.

St. Peter used the prophecy of David, King of Israel, from Psalm 110: “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’” All the Jews in Jerusalem knew this psalm; they had quoted it for centuries in their worship. Most of them had given no thought to David’s “Lord,” but now St. Peter gave them the true answer: Jesus, David’s Descendant, had now, through His resurrection, become the Lord of David, Israel’s greatest king. If God had proclaimed Jesus the Lord of David, Jesus now served as the Lord of all Israel: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

The word that God had resurrected Jesus, the One crucified by Pilate at the instigation of the Jewish leadership, may not have meant much to the Jews except that the Holy Spirit began working in the hearts of the crowd. “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’”

The Holy Spirit had used St. Peter’s words to work in those who heard them. This reminds us of an important fact about our salvation. People can hear all the facts about Jesus, and we can try to explain eloquently as possible about His victory for us. However, only the Holy Spirit can draw people to the cross. Only the Holy Spirit can work to bring the spiritually dead to life.

This should actually encourage us in our spreading the gospel through our words and lives. So many people think, “I don’t know what to say; I don’t know what to do.” The power of the Holy Spirit can make even our feeble attempts to explain the gospel of Jesus and use them to work the miracle of eternal life in those who hear them.

It seems St. Peter needed some help in his technique; he ended his sermon without telling anyone how to respond to his message. The people had to ask:  “Brothers, what shall we do?” St. Peter told them: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Repentance doesn’t mean saying “I’m sorry” to God; it means turning from the world and confessing Jesus as Lord, declaring you will live by His ways and by His commandments. Jesus gave us only 2 commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). When we keep those commandments, we demonstrate to the world that God Himself has now claimed us as His children.

Baptism demonstrates to the world that we have accepted Jesus as Lord of our lives and have become a part of the Church, the Body of Christ on earth. The water of Christian Baptism doesn’t bring the Holy Spirit into our hearts; that happens when we repent of our sins and confess Jesus as Lord of our lives. We receive the “gift of the Holy Spirit” to help us live by the 2 commandments Jesus gave His followers.

Even better, the gift went beyond those in Jerusalem that heard St. Peter’s original sermon: “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Through the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church, God has called countless believers to confess Jesus as Lord, repenting of their sins and receiving Christian Baptism. As the Church has spread, people from every language, race, and tribe have repented and experienced baptism.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to work with Samaritan’s Purse as a volunteer in disaster relief in Tuscaloosa. I worked with one of our members, but our group also consisted of Christians from Chilton County, Pickens County, and Kenya. Our group consisted of Alabama fans, Auburn fans, and even a Mississippi State fan. No one cared about race or denomination, and yes, no one cared about sports loyalties, either. As the nearly 1,000 volunteers spread across the areas ravaged by the April 27 tornado, people in those areas saw the Church fulfilling the commandments of Jesus. People saw that we had accepted the gift of salvation and, through our words and actions, were demonstrating the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

St. Luke recorded that on the day of Pentecost, A.D. 33, “about three thousand souls” came into the Church. Countless others have joined the Body of Christ since.

The gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost remains the gift that never grows old, that never wears out, that never ends. The Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus and leads us to repent of our sins. He also lives within us to help us lives the salvation lifestyle that will demonstrate the gift to others in their lives. If you’ve never received this gift, repent of your sins, confess Jesus as Lord, and receive Christian Baptism into the Church. If you’ve received this gift already, live the commandments Jesus left us. Let others see the presence of His gift in your life that they, too, will receive the gift of eternal life.