Peter's Sermon in Acts

As a follow up to the previous post, I had always considered Peter's sermon in Acts 2 somewhat of a disappointment. Here was supposed to be the 'perfect sermon', preached at the birth of the church, converting 3000 to the faith. When I read it, I couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

The problem was obviously not the sermon, but my understanding! Not until I had to preach through Acts did I finally begin to 'get it.' Peter's sermon was 'perfect' for the context. Peter does not preach penal substitution - Peter proclaims that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah, in accordance with Scripture, and what they have just witnessed, the coming of the Holy Spirit, confirms this. Not only that but we, the very ones waiting for the Messiah, killed him, but God, again to confirm his status, raised him to life, indeed to the right had of God!

Understandably, many in the crowd were cut to the heart, repented [changed their minds about what they previously believe about Jesus and/or the Messiah], sought forgiveness from this and other sins, and believed.

The genius of Peter's sermon is not it's proclamation of a timeless, one-size-fits-all gospel, but his grand sense of occasion - Peter understood how the cosmic Christ event applied to these people. That's not to cheapen the truth of what he said, it was exactly true, but it's not what Paul later preaches to the Gentiles who do not await a Messiah [Acts 17:16ff]. The gospel, if it is really true, is a Cosmic reality that overshadows every tribe, tongue and nation; that every human can hear 'in their own tongue'. Can we be filled enough with the Spirit, to see how the gospel is good news to the people around us, and thus proclaim.