Acts 2:14-35

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Peter’s Sermon on the Day of Pentecost

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. The return of Christ was predicted in Joel 2.

  2. The resurrection of Christ was predicted in Psalm 16.

  3. The ascension of Christ was predicted in Psalm 110.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Get comfortable with the doctrines of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility.

QUESTIONS

  1. Describe the events on the day of Pentecost.

  2. How could Peter’s Pentecost sermon be outlined?

  3. Which three Old Testament prophetic passages did Peter quote?

  4. What was the logic behind Peter quoting Psalms 16 and 110?

  5. What should we notice in Acts 2:33?

ANSWERS

  1. The Holy Spirit came upon the early Christians at the feast of Pentecost. They began praising the Lord in the temple courts in different known languages.

  2. This event is a fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus is the Messiah and is alive. The Holy Spirit has been poured forth

  3. Joel 2, Psalm 16, and Psalm 110

  4. Since David did not fulfill these prophecies, He must have looked ahead to Someone else who would.

  5. All three members of the Trinity are mentioned in this verse.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Discuss whether Joel’s prophecy from Joel 2:28-32 was completely fulfilled at Pentecost. Part certainly sounds like Pentecost, but the rest sounds like the events surrounding the Lord’s return.

  2. If the crucifixion was the predetermined plan of God, how can God hold man accountable for putting Christ on the cross? Here we see the doctrines of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. It is beyond our comprehension to see exactly how these doctrines work together, but we know they are both taught as truth in the Bible.

CHALLENGE

  1. Imagine yourself at the Jewish temple on the day of Pentecost. What would have been your reaction to these believers speaking in your native tongue and calling Jesus the Messiah?

KEY VERSES

  • “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, 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 it.” Acts 2:22-24

Acts, Talks, New TestamentDeb HarmsActs 2:14-25