How did Peter know the prophecy of
Joel? He must have memorised it, and
hidden it in his heart. Then the Holy Spirit came and jogged his memory bank,
’bringing to remembrance all things I have spoken unto you.’ The Spirit of God exercised this on the very
day He was given to the church. We must
hide God’s Word within. Many bible
teachers draw freely from the hidden truths.
The gracious Holy Spirit was equally for
young men and women? This Scripture was
evident in every missionary society where 2 out of 3 are women, and in every
prayer meeting where women major.
Furthermore, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams. The Spirit of God creates and excites faith, stirring youthful
vision; while old men recall the visions of their youth and relive their
dreams, their fondest aspirations.
He gave the widest invitation in ‘Whoever
calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.’
God opened windows of heaven to 16 diverse ethnic groups as the gospel
sounded out ; the Name of the Lord included all that our beloved Lord meant to
us; the most precious gift of eternal l.ife was imparted to all ‘who call’.
The newly-empowered Peter cried, ‘Men of
Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by
miracles, wonders and signs, which God did through Him in your midst as
yourselves also know’. ( v22 ) Peter
referred to the manhood of our Lord ( true God and perfect man ), his human
growth and development, namely at Nazareth; and the heavenly Father’s
recognition of Him. His sinless life
with miracles, wonders and signs, accompanied Him. The Holy Spirit made a cringing coward courageous.
Peter did not spare them as he preached,
showing ‘ Him ( Christ ) , being delivered by the carefully-planned intention
and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by lawless hands, have crucified
and put to death.’ Both aspects of our dear Lord’s crucifixion are stated . The
religious leaders unlawfully accused him, nailing HIM to a cross, while God’s
plan and purpose was redemption by the sacrificial death of His sinless Son .
The Holy Spirit, as God,
perfectly balanced these marvellous truths.
Peter had seen and worshipped the risen
Christ, hence his strong assertion that ‘God raised Him up, having loosed the
pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.’ (
v24) . Later Paul wrote, ‘Oh, death where is your sting? Oh, grave where is
your victory? When Christ, the eternal
One died, He took the sting out of death.
No more shame or sorrow could be added to His death. He overcame the
grave, which could not hold Him. His
perfect sinlessness compelled His heavenly Father to raise Him from the dead.
Peter surprised by quoting from David, ’ I
foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at My right hand that I
should not be shaken: therefore My heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad ;
Moreover my flesh will also rest in hope Because You will not leave My soul in
Hades ( the place of departed spirits ) .
Nor
will You allow Your holy One to see corruption. You have made known to Me the
ways of life. You will make Me full of joy in Your presence.’ ( Psalm 16 )
The
Paraklete reminded Peter of this comforting Psalm as he preached.
This first preacher understood that the
soul of the Lord Jesus could not remain in Hades after He had ‘led captivity
captive and given gifts to men’. He
continued that the holy body of the sinless Saviour would not corrupt. The
father must raise Him from the dead, promoting Him to His right hand in the heavens.
Marvellous
preaching, Peter! Only God’s Spirit
could give such eternal insights
The fisherman preacher told of His
victorious death, His burial and His all-conquering rising from the dead. Let us follow this pattern. David Adeney preached in rural China of
Jesus’ death, prayed and bicycled home.
The Holy Spirit reminded him to return and tell how Christ had risen
from the dead . He biked back, and told the entire story – and crowds turned to
faith in the Saviour.
‘The Patriarch David is both dead and
buried, and his tomb is with us to this day, ‘( v29) thundered Peter comparing
the frailty of the man ‘after God’s own heart’ with the glorious Son of the
Most High. What a contrast!
David was also a prophet, and ‘knowing
that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the
Christ ( the Messiah as Prophet, Priest and King ) to sit on the throne.’ ( v30
)
Matthew
recorded the lineage of the Babe Jesus directly from the seed of King
David. Bible prophecy was fulfilled in
His birth, and later in His death and resurrection.
‘David foresaw this and spoke concerning
the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His
seed see corruption. ‘(v31) The same
Holy Spirit, Who energised David to prophesy, galvanised Peter to draw support
from memorised writings 1000 years earlier. The eternal nature of the Spirit
was obvious. He must motivate us in
all we do for our beloved Lord.
‘God has raised up this Jesus, of which we
are all witnesses.’ ( v32) Peter joined the host of witnesses described in
1Corinthians 15, where ‘He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve, and after
that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once’. Paul supported Peter when
he wrote that ‘we are all witnesses’, which word means ‘martyrs.’ Each of the twelve disciples ,excepting the
aged John, died for the Lord they adored.
We have lost some of the urgency and fire of this. truth.
The third Person of the Godhead, the Holy
Spirit, directed Peter in quoting from Old Testament prophets, Joel and David from
the Psalms, and blended the majestic truths of Christ’s death, burial and
resurrection in his preaching.
We
too must faithfully use the entire Scripture, accenting these life-giving truths.
If these studies have strengthened your understanding of God’s Word, please write and tell us. hgsteward@cobweb.com.au