Acts 2.16-31
We see now how Peter proclaims the Gospel to people in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit has just gathered a great deal of attention by visible and audible signs. Not only the assembled disciples of Jesus who experienced this sign, but also those people around them have been arrested by the spectacle. And when a crowd gathers everyone wants to know what is going on. We can imagine jostling, neck-craning, maybe even some children who have pushed through the legs of other people. And amid the noise and bustle, Peter quotes the prophet Joel.
In case we aren't as familiar as the crowd of devout Jews in Jerusalem were with what Joel said, let's review briefly. The quotation is from the beginning of Joel chapter 2. In chapter 1 Joel proclaims judgment and destruction due to unbelief. As he moves toward the end of chapter 1 there is a shift toward repentance. We see the promise of restoration and final protection in chapter 2. The idea of destruction and judgment was very clear to the people Peter was addressing.
What are we to do? God has shown himself to be the holy and altogether different God. We see that we are sinful. We have been bringing our offerings for Pentecost. We are trying to be holy, to have fellowship with God. Yet he pours out this sign. Is he coming to judge the world and to destroy us? These are the fears which Peter's listeners were dealing with as a result of God's miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Look now to the comfort Peter brings. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit is not just for an elite few. It is for everyone. God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on ALL flesh" (Acts 2.17a ESV emphasis mine). He lists some of the people. We have male and female, we have young and old. That pretty well covers everyone. And all these people, young and old, male and female, are together proclaiming God's message, presumably the message of the end and a coming distinction. There is judgment coming. And what is that judgment? It is condemnation and destruction (blood, fire, smoke, darkness) on those who do not call on the Lord, salvation for those who do call on the Lord.
By their very presence in Jerusalem, bringing their gifts; by their presence listening to Peter; by their concern about coming judgment the people who are listening to Peter are showing that they are calling on the Lord. If we are concerned that we have acted inconsistently, that we have believed inadequately, that we have been offensive to God, let us take heart. We have been offensive to God. (Wait, that's discouraging, not encouraging, but it's the truth, and the truth is what we need.) And while we were offensive to God, condemning Jesus to death, God in Christ was destroying death itself. In our repentance we see more clearly that Jesus has died in our place. In our desire for reconciliation to God we see more clearly that we cannot be reconciled to God but that God in Christ has reconciled us to himself. And as we read in verse 28, our Lord will fill us with gladness.
Here is the good news. Jesus Christ has risen from the dead to bring us to God the Father at the resurrection of all. And he does it in the same way he has always promised. If we are calling on the Lord he will bring us salvation, safety in eternity at our destination. If we are not calling on the Lord he will surely leave us to our own desires, sin and death. Nothing has changed.
The people surrounding Peter took comfort in Peter's words. This Jesus Christ is the way of salvation. He is the one in whom we were to trust. He has brought full and final reconciliation. We call upon him, the giver of life and salvation. We see that he has accomplished salvation already on our behalf. May we, like they, take comfort. We know in whom to trust. We have only to live in that trust. (v. 21 ESV) "It shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
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