Acts (2)

Be sure to view the video introducing our study of Acts 2 (Lesson 2) by clicking here.

Read and meditate on Acts 2.14-21.
We note how easily Peter dismissed the one explanation proffered for the events of this Pentecost morning. It was so stupid and nonsensical that all he had to do was point out a basic incongruence in the explanation: Nobody is drunk this early in the morning.

1. OK, that dumb idea dispensed with, on to the real explanation. Or, rather, on to the Word of God. Peter immediately turned to the Scriptures, not to some eloquent explanation of their experience – “And you can have it, too!” He wanted these people to know that what they were seeing exactly corresponded to what God Himself had revealed centuries before. God’s Word is sure, not Peter’s experience (cf. 2 Pet. 1.19-21). What does this suggest about how we should present the Good News to others?

2. We note also that Peter announces the beginning of the “last days”, the days in which the ongoing work of Christ has been proceeding for nearly 2,000 years now. The “last days” are not, as some suppose, a brief period at the end of time just before Jesus returns. They are now, and have been since the Spirit first fell, and whatever the Scriptures of God say about those last days refers to the ongoing work of Christ, the work of Restoration, and the work we as Christ’s followers should be pursuing in our day. Meditate on Micah 4.1-8. How did Micah envision the last days? What should we learn from him about what to expect during this time of the ongoing work of Christ?

3. That work is a work of proclamation first of all (vv. 17, 18). Whatever “wonders” may accompany that preaching (vv. 19, 20) will be, like Pentecost itself, the Lord’s doing. Our duty is to proclaim, and the duty of those who hear is to “call upon the name of the Lord” and be saved (v. 21). And what we are to proclaim is the rule of King Jesus. How would you explain the Kingdom of God? How did Jesus come to be its King?

4. Peter establishes an important principle concerning the ongoing work of Christ, which is the work of Restoration: We do not leave the Old Testament behind! The Kingdom of God comes as promised in the Old Testament. The Old Testament informs our thinking about the Kingdom and the Restoration we seek in Jesus Christ. If we fail to base the ongoing work of Christ in the Old Testament, we ignore the example of the Apostles, and of the Lord Himself. What do we learn from Genesis 49.8-11, Daniel 2.44, 45, Daniel 7.18-27, and Isaiah 9.6, 7 about the Kingdom of God?

5. Does the Old Testament play as large a role as it should in the life of your church? In your own discipleship? In pursuing the ongoing work of Christ, what do we learn from Peter about the importance of the Old Testament for life in the Kingdom of God?

Summary
Peter’s announcement of the Good News hangs on three pegs: the teaching of the Old Testament, the life and work of our Lord Jesus, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The objective of his preaching was to call men to submit to and obey Jesus as Christ and King. Here is a template or pattern for all believers and their churches in all times. How well does your church adhere to this template?

Closing Prayer
The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their waves.
The LORD on high is mightier
Than the noise of many waters,
Than the mighty waves of the sea.
Your testimonies are very sure;
Holiness adorns Your house,
O LORD, forever.

Psalm 93

T. M. Moore

Each week’s studies in Acts are bound together into a free PDF that you can download for personal or group use (click here). Each week also features a video related to the studies of the week, which you may find helpful as you work through our studies Acts.

Acts is the record of Christ’s ongoing work as King and Lord. For more insight to His work in our here and now, order the book, The Kingship of Jesus, from our online store by clicking here.

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