Pentecost: The Day of the Lord Has Come (Acts 2:14-36)
Introduction
Someone once sent me a cultural critique of contemporary Christianity. The critique is simply that the church is pursuing the TED talk model. The church needs to keep the sermon under 20 minutes. There needs to be many self-help tips in the sermon. Make sure that the delivery is very smooth and polished.
There is no doubt that we should communicate the gospel in a language that normal people can understand. But when we read Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, we find something different entirely. It is not a TED Talk. You find condemnation without Peter being condescending. Peter doesn't stand above the crowd and say, “I’ve got this figured out, and you need to catch up.” He stands in the midst of the people and explains that they are witnessing a partial fulfillment of the Day of the Lord. So, how does Peter prove this point?
Peter's Use of Joel
The Pentecost event itself produced two reactions. When Pentecost manifested, some people affirmed that the supernatural was happening and wanted to understand it. Others dismissed it as drunkenness. Peter won't allow the dismissal. He makes clear that people being drunk is not an option. It is nine in the morning, and most people have not even eaten breakfast.
Peter tells them in effect to sit down and pay attention. It is time to hear essential things from the prophet Joel. Joel prophesied the Day of the Lord: fire, darkness, judgment, the nations gathered, and survivors whom the Lord calls to himself. It's a vision of final reckoning — and Peter is saying, what you just witnessed is a manifestation of that.
Peter wants people to see that the Day of the Lord comes in two stages. The spiritual dimension is inaugurated now, at the resurrection of Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit. The full physical blessing is delayed. The complete restoration of all things is when Christ returns.
The beauty of this is that the Spirit is poured out on all humanity. It is not just for the kings and significant people of the ancient world, but for the common people, including servants and maidservants. We cannot miss that the Lord undoes the curse at Babel. The confusion of language that made people spread out is overturned. Now, the Lord breaches the language barrier for all to hear the Gospel.
Peter's Use of David
Peter continues to use the Old Testament. Joel makes clear that a partial fulfillment of the Day of the Lord is manifested at Pentecost. Now, Peter shows that David has something to say about this event.
First, Peter calls to our attention that the resurrection was predicted by David. Peter cites Psalm 16: God would not abandon his Holy One to the realm of the dead. The realm of the dead is known as “Sheol.” Sheol is considered the belly of the earth or the bottom of the sea. David’s point is that even if he is in the most remote place, Sheol, David knows that the Lord will not forsake him.
Clearly, David is not talking about himself because his remains are in his tomb in Jerusalem. David sees the fulfillment of his eternal heir promised in Second Samuel 7. David wants to build the Lord a house, but the Lord promises to build David an eternal house. David will have an eternal heir, the Messiah, who will come through David’s line. So, Peter assures us that Christ’s resurrection is not an afterthought, but the Lord’s intention.
Second, Peter cites David in Psalm 110. He appeals to Psalm 110 to make clear that the ascension means Christ reigns now. Christ is seated at the right hand. His resurrection testifies to his ultimate authority. Sure, his fully glorious kingdom did not come, but it is spiritually realized. The full manifestation of the day of the Lord will be realized when Christ returns. The reason: Christ’s resurrection guarantees the end. He is the first fruit of the resurrection harvest. We taste our victory in Christ in the Spirit as we walk in faith.
Peter's Application
Peter has been building toward something, and now he arrives. He says it plainly: God intended for Christ to go to the cross. Yes, God ordained it, but the crowd demanded it.
Peter never lets the crowd off the hook because they demanded that Christ be crucified. Think about what it would mean to crucify your Redeemer. To look him in the face and call for his death. That is the sin Peter is naming. Pentecost is not the Lord turning his back on humanity. It is the Lord crossing every barrier, transcending every language, bridging every divide, to call his people to himself. It means these people who shouted to crucify Christ can also receive the cleansing work of the Spirit.
Our problem is we like to sanitize the fall. We want to minimize our sins. However, we told God we do not want his fellowship. Pentecost declares that God restores the fellowship his people rejected. We are in Christ, passing through the day of the Lord in Christ, and being refined in Christ.
Conclusion
Honestly, I don't know where I would have stood in that crowd. I hope I would have been somewhere on the edges, not shouting with the rest. But I can't be sure. None of us can.
What I do know is this: my life is not secure because I'm worthy of it. It's secure because my Lord has made me worthy. Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 together confirm that Christ’s death was no accident, his resurrection was predicted, and he now stands as our great High Priest, interceding from the throne room of heaven itself. The day of the Lord is guaranteed because Christ's resurrection is the firstfruits of what is coming. The Spirit gives us the first taste of that day’s victory.
Walk in that confidence. We are a people redeemed once for all, represented by a superior priesthood that presides in the glory of heaven. Walk in him, in his power, as those who belong to the risen Christ.