Acts (Part 15) - Acts 2:36-37

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Acts (Part 15) - Acts 2:36-37 1. Acts 2:36 – Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. A. The same Jesus whom the Jews crucified God made both Lord and Christ. i. Satan thought he had won the battle against the Messiah who had been prophesied to defeat him (Gen 3:15). ii. The same Jesus who was crucified was resurrected (Luk 24:36-40). iii. The scriptures prophesied that the Messiah would have to suffer before entering into His glory (Luk 24:25-26). iv. The same Jesus who was crucified is now reigning over the universe at the right hand of God (Eph 1:20-23). B. Christ is another name for Messiah, both of which mean “anointed” (Joh 1:41; Act 4:26 c/w Psa 2:2). i. Jesus was anointed by God (Luk 4:18; Act 4:27; Heb 1:8-9). a. God anointed Him with the Holy Ghost at His baptism (Act 10:38 c/w Mat 3:16). b. That is when Jesus officially became the Messiah/Christ. ii. There were three offices in the OT that were conferred by anointing: a. prophet (1Ki 19:16) b. priest (Exo 28:41) c. king (1Sa 15:1; 1Ki 1:39) iii. Being the Lord's anointed, Jesus possesses all three of those offices. a. Jesus is a prophet (Act 3:22-26; Heb 1:2). b. Jesus is a priest (Heb 6:20). c. Jesus is a king (1Ti 6:14-15; Act 2:29-36). d. "Christ as our Priest secures our relationship with God. Christ as our Prophet guides us. Christ as our King rules us, saves us, and defends us." - Pastor Ben Mott e. "The New Testament church’s covenant and worship are mediated by Christ as Priest. The church receives its instruction from the New Testament revelation given by Christ as Prophet. The church is governed by Christ as King." - Pastor Ben Mott iv. The same Jesus, whom the Jews killed, who was the anointed prophet, priest, and king at His baptism, was declared to be the Son of God and the Christ with power by His resurrection (Rom 1:4 c/w Act 2:36). C. whom ye have crucified i. The Bible holds the Jews primarily responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. ii. There was a grand conspiracy to murder the Son of God, in which the Romans, the Jewish leadership, and the people of Israel all played a part (Act 4:25-28). iii. The Romans gave the order and actually crucified Jesus (Mar 15:15-25). iv. But the Jews called for it and ultimately made it happen (Mar 11:18; Mar 12:6-8, 12; Joh 5:18; Mar 15:9-14). v. This is why the Bible repeatedly holds the Jews responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus (Act 2:23, 36; Act 3:14-15; Act 4:10; Act 5:30; Act 7:52; 1Th 2:14-15).  a. The person who hires an assassin is just as guilty of murder as is the assassin himself. b. David was held responsible for Uriah’s murder (2Sa 12:9) ― not the messenger, the commander of the army who withdrew from him, or the enemy fighters who killed him. 2. Acts 2:37 – Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? A. Now when they heard this, i. They had “ears to hear” (Mat 11:15). ii. They were blessed, because not all men have ears that hear spiritual things (Mat 13:16-17). B. they were pricked in their heart, i. These Jews, though great sinners, were God’s elect who had been regenerated and given new hearts of flesh capable of feeling the pricks of the gospel (Eze 11:19-20). ii. The righteous are pricked in the heart when they are brought to a knowledge of their sins (Psa 73:21-22), but the wicked are cut to the heart when called to repent (Act 5:33; Act 7:54). C. and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? i. This is a Biblical “altar call,” wherein the sinner asks the preacher what he should do (Luk 3:10; Act 9:6). ii. Preachers should preach the gospel, exposing sin and telling men that Jesus died to save sinners, and then wait for the Holy Spirit to convict them of sin and bring them to the point of asking what they should do. iii. After a preacher has said enough, he should stop and let penitent men come to him.