The response of those listening to Peter’s explanation of what had happened on the Day of Pentecost was remarkable. We are told, ‘they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”’ (Acts 2:37) Peter’s response was clear: ‘Repent and be baptised, 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.’ (Acts 2:38) The first step in our response to God’s word always has to start with repentance.

Repentance means a complete turnaround, a volte-face, turning to go in completely the opposite direction to before. None of us finds this easy, for we are so used to going our own way (Is 53:6). I see this daily in my little granddaughter, who at two years old could be named Little Miss Independent! She hates having to hold my hand on walks outdoors, even if there is lots of traffic around; she hates being dressed by other people, even though her attempts to dress herself frequently result in clothes put on inside out and shoes on the wrong feet! But our independence has led us away from God, and God always calls us back. (Luke 3:3, Matt 4:17, Mark 6:12, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30, Rev 2:5) This is most vividly enacted in the Parable of the Lost Son, when the younger son finally comes to his senses and returns to his father (Luke 15:17-21), only to find his father running to embrace him and welcome him home.

Repentance is not something which occurs only once in our lives. Every time we wander away from God, lured by the enemy’s lies, we have to turn around to return. The benefits of repentance are outlined by Peter here, though: the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). David spoke of the restoration of joy (Ps 51:11-12) which repentance brings. None of us likes admitting we are wrong, but it’s foolish to continue down a path which only leads to destruction. The people’s response led to massive change and spiritual renewal. If we want to be refreshed and renewed spiritually, we too need to repent.

Peter’s sermon outline (for Luke makes it clear he said many other things to the crowds) in Acts 2:14-41 reveal to us an emphasis on Jesus in his preaching which we would do well to emulate. He gives the crowd information about each of the following:

• The life of Jesus (‘Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. Acts 2:22)
• The death of Jesus (the full significance of which is not expounded here, but which is developed in later sermons and in the rest of the New Testament)
• The resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:24, 32), to which all the disciples can attest
• His exaltation (Acts 2:33-36)
• His salvation (Acts 2:37-39)

We need to focus on these key events in the life and ministry of Jesus in our preaching, but must also be aware, as John Stott wrote in his commentary on Acts, ‘it is not enough to “proclaim Jesus”, for there are many different Jesuses being presented today.’ What we need to do is preach on the following areas:

• the historical (Jesus really lived, died, rose and ascended in the arena of history; he is not a mythical character)
• the theological (his life, death, resurrection and ascension all have saving significance which matter to us)
• the contemporary (he lives and reigns to bestow salvation on those who respond to him.)

Thus, the apostles told the same story of Jesus at three levels –

1. as historical event (witnessed by their own eyes)
2. as having theological significance (interpreted by the Scriptures)
3. as contemporary message (confronting men and women with the necessity of decision).

“We have the same responsibility today to tell the story of Jesus as fact, doctrine and gospel.”[1]

[1] John Stott, ‘Acts: Seeing the Spirit At Work’, P 19

In Acts 2:14-41 we see once again how Peter describes the death of Jesus in human terms (‘you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross’ Acts 2:23), but also firmly believes in God’s sovereign foreknowledge (‘this man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge’ Acts 2:23).The death of Jesus is therefore attributed simultaneously both to the purpose of God and to the wickedness of men. Through the death of Jesus God’s saving purpose was being worked out. All throughout Scripture, God’s foreknowledge and man’s free will are held in tension. In these verses ‘we have the paradox of divine predestination and human freewill in its strongest form.’ ‘Even in putting Jesus to death, the Jews were simply fulfilling what God had determined must take place and indeed had foretold in the prophetic writings.’ (Howard Marshall, P 75)

It is not easy for us to reconcile these two things and usually we fall into one of two traps, emphasising man’s free will to the extent that God seems irrelevant or extolling God’s foreknowledge and will as being so absolute we are mere robots. The truth has to lie in the middle… where there are still plenty of questions and known unknowns!

In church history and theology, the two extremes are known as Arminianism and Calvinism (named after their chief proponents, Arminius (1560-1609) and Calvin (1509-1564)). These systems of theology attempt to explain the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in the matter of salvation. In my view, the truth lies in the middle, as Peter implies. God is absolutely sovereign and knows all. Human beings are called to make a genuine decision to place faith in Christ unto salvation. These two facts seem contradictory to us, but in the mind of God they make perfect sense. Thus we can be sure that Jesus’ death – so crucial to our salvation – was both planned by God and executed by people. God was not taken by surprise by the events of Easter. Nor can we dismiss people’s responsibility in His death as being because they were mere ‘pawns’ in God’s plan. The mystery of God will never be fully explained or understood, but we can embrace God’s plan as the crowd did, resulting in believers swelling from 120 to over three thousand after Peter’s sermon.

Garry preached recently on God’s preparation, reminding us that God’s plan of salvation was not a last-minute desperate attempt to rescue us, but that Jesus is the Lamb ‘slain from the creation of the world.’ (Rev 13:8) The same idea is conveyed by Peter in his first sermon after the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Day of Pentecost. He ties what has happened firmly into Old Testament prophecy, saying ‘this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel’ (Acts 2:16) and going on to quote Joel 2:28-32. In his sermon, he also references Psalm 16 (asserting that since David, the author, is dead and buried in Jerusalem, the resurrection he refers to in this passage cannot be referring to him but must refer to his descendant, namely Jesus) and Psalm 110 (a Messianic psalm which Peter firmly attributes to Jesus.)

There are many people who believe the Old Testament is irrelevant and that we should only preach from or study the New Testament now. Frankly, it’s hard to fathom how the New Testament makes sense without reference to the Old Testament! In Acts 1 & 2 alone there are 5 direct quotations from the Old Testament and allusions to other practices (e.g. drawing lots), none of which can be understood except through an understanding of the history of Israel as revealed in the Old Testament.

Sometimes when reading a detective series, we are told that the novel can be read on its own without reference to the previous books, but any good author will build on these back stories when referencing the same characters and there is great satisfaction for the reader in understanding the allusions and references which add to the bigger picture of the character’s behaviour and actions. In the same way, the saving acts of Jesus are best understood against the sacrificial system which foreshadowed His arrival and the prophetic anticipation which colours the whole of the Old Testament.

Peter’s sermon looks back to God’s promises of a redeemer and then confidently declares ‘let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.’ (Acts 2:36) The ‘now’ is understood from the ‘then.’ Both are vital, then and now.

We talk about Good Friday as the ‘greatest day’, the day when Jesus died on a cross as a once-for-all sacrifice for sin, and it is fitting that this day should hold such an important place in the Christian calendar. It is a sad sign that our society is losing touch with its Christian roots to see this day, although still a Bank holiday, treated as so ordinary by so many people.

Yet Maundy Thursday, the day we remember today, is hugely important also. On this day, Jesus taught His disciples extensively (John 13-17), shocking them by washing their feet (John 13:1-20) and instituted the Lord’s Supper (Matt 26:20-30; Mark 14:17-26; Luke 22:14-20). Then they went to the garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1, Mark 14:32), where Jesus prayed possibly the greatest prayer in the world.

The whole of salvation hung in the balance at this point in history. The disciples slept through this, reminding us that so often we miss out on what God is doing because it does not look that remarkable to us at the time. But if Jesus had turned away at this point, we would never have had Good Friday to celebrate.

The hinge on which the story turns is found in Jesus’ request for this cup to be taken from him. (Matt 26:39) and in his prayer ‘yet not as I will, but as You will.’ (Matt 26:39) Jesus drew back from the suffering and agony involved- from the physical pain, from the spiritual agony, from the divine wrath. His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death (Matt 26:38). Being fully human, he did not want to suffer in this way. Yet he chose to submit his will to God’s will. ‘If it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.’ (Matt 26:42)

The real battle was won here, in Jesus’ submission to the Father’s will, even though this meant personal suffering, humiliation, pain and spiritual agony.

The outcome of this battle was not a foregone conclusion. It is described as ‘agony’, with Jesus sweating drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Yet the success of God’s plan of salvation hung on Jesus’ willing submission to the Father’s will, no matter what the personal cost.

Many of us draw back at precisely this point and therefore fail to move on in our spiritual lives. When push comes to shove, our will triumphs over God’s will. We never reach the point of ‘magnificent defeat’ (Wes King), the point where, broken and in anguish, we submit to God, knowing that His plan is better than ours and will succeed, even if presently we do not see that.

Linger today in Gethsemane and ponder this greatest prayer. It doesn’t seem like Jesus got his own way. His prayer was not answered in perhaps the way he wanted (a removal of the cup). Yet still Jesus is obedient to the point of death. Still Jesus puts the Father’s will above his own. This is the place we need to reach before we can know victory. If we do not learn to suffer with Christ, we cannot hope to reign with him.

On Good Friday (19th April) we will be remembering and celebrating our Lord’s death from 5 p.m. We’ll be having a fellowship meal together and sharing Communion and then from 6 p.m. will be reflecting on the 7 last words spoken by Jesus as He hung on the cross. This will be a time of reflection, prayer and consideration as we think about the themes touched on in these words, but there will also be prayer activities to help us focus and the service will be accessible to all ages.

So if you want to reflect on forgiveness, hopes and dreams, family relationships, feelings, spiritual thirst, contentment and satisfaction in God and how to face death with the courage and faith Jesus showed, come along to our service and take part at your own pace and in your own way.

On Easter Sunday we will have two services to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ: a Communion service at 10.30 a.m. and a family service at 6 p.m. All welcome at both services.  As Chris Tomlin sings, because of Christ’s resurrection, now we too can know resurrection power ‘lviing on the inside’. Praise God for the death and resurrection of Jesus!