Acts and Apologetics: 3. Peter's Keys

So how did a relatively uneducated, backwoods, backwater fisherman become the first "big name" in Christian apologetics? 

It's quite a story! Think about it. 

A scant 3 years earlier, this Peter, originally known as Simon, was minding his own business, probably mending his fishing nets for the seemingly millionth time when his brother Andrew, ran up to him and told him that Messiah had finally come and Peter needs to meet him. He drops what he's doing and follows  Andrew...and the rest is History.

Now Peter just didn't become this fabulous speaker. We read of many times in the Bible where he just plain failed: He spoke when he shouldn't have, he didn't speak when he should have. At times pride got in the way or his foot got in his mouth. Peter is a normal mortal man. Sounds like  most of us!

The good news is that GOD still chose to use Peter. God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, patiently and personally worked with him day after day, week after week, month after month. And then at some point, GOD knew that Peter was ready. Peter may not have thought so, but God knew. And God knows you and me too. 

We have to remember that it is God who is in charge of our lives,  not us.  He is the one running things. He knows exactly what will or won't work. Our job is to simply be obedient and available. That's it. If we have  done those two things, God will work miracles in our lives in the propagation of His Kingdom.

Let's take a look at Peter's sermon. It is powerful. It is simple. It is straightforward.

"Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and addressed the crowd:  “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by  the prophet Joel: 

“‘In the last days, God says,

    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.

Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below,
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

“Men of Israel, listen to this: 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. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him. David said about him:

“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
    Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will live in hope,
because you will not abandon me to the grave,
    nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God,  He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and  yet he said,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’

[Peter continuing] “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.

"When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

"Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, 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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.'

"With  many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save  yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." Acts 2:14-41.

Peter's 5 Keys

As we look at this great sermon and life-changing event in Acts 2:14  through 41, for thousands of people in Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago,  let's look at what I believe are 5 Keys that Peter employed (he probably didn't realize it at the time, he was just being obedient) in modeling a  good apologetic or defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The first Key we notice is in verse 14: Peter stands up (remember showing up from lesson 1 of this series) with his brothers in Christ. When we stand up with our brothers and sisters in Christ we stand strong. There is strength in numbers. Now granted, as Christians, we are never alone. Christ lives in us, but as we begin to speak to others, especially in larger groups, it's "easier" to have someone back us up. We can be more bold and this boldness is more than just a shared experience. Those who stand with us are also empowered and encouraged. 

This brings us to the second Key: Peter's knowledge and use of God's Word. Why did Peter speak and quote the Old Testament prophet Joel, chapter 2  verses 28 through 32? I don't know. But God had a purpose. 

Here's that passage in Joel: "I  will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams,  your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my  Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD  will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be  deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls."

Remember the context of the passage. The event is in Jerusalem. People from all over the Roman Empire had gathered there for the Spring Jewish festivals. These gentiles had all just witnessed the Apostles speaking in their own languages. They truly didn't understand what was happening.  In fact, all of Joel chapter 2 is quite eye-opening. Back in verses 12  and 13, we are admonished about the proper attitude we should have when worshiping God. Rending garments may "look" holy and pious, but what about our hearts? That's where God wants to work. But back to the passage... 

Look through to verse 32 - "And everyone who calls  on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls." Joel may be a "minor" prophet, but God has given him a major message to be used in these last days; including today. This passage of Scripture was completely relevant to Peter's sermon that morning. We also remember that it's God Who does the calling; God does the saving of souls. You and I are merely instruments.

As an aside, recall that Peter's "background" is a Galilean fisherman. He wasn't a scribe. He wasn't a rabbi. He wasn't a "learned" man. He was simply an ordinary man, set aside by God, who was willing to be used by  God. He was a man who acknowledged being forgiven and changed by Jesus for a purpose not his own. Peter is not very different from you or me.

How did Peter know all of this stuff? Like any good Jewish boy, he most likely attended services every Sabbath in the local synagogue. He had heard a good amount of the Law and the Prophets growing up. But in the last 3 years, God Himself taught him. Sitting at Jesus' feet day after day taught him something about God and His Word. More importantly, at this crucial moment, the Holy Spirit "took control" of Peter and his tongue and reminded him of everything he needed to say. There were no wasted words or ideas. It was exact. The sermon was to the point. God is always succinct; He is never verbose. 

Years later, the apostle Paul would pen the words of 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17: "all Scripture is God-breathed  and useful in Teaching, Rebuking, Correcting and Training in righteousness so that the man [or woman] of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." Are we diving into God's Word on a regular daily basis in order to know  God better and to be "thoroughly equipped"? I ask myself that question all the time.

The third Key is acknowledging God. Throughout this entire passage of Acts chapter 2, God is acknowledged.  Remember that as we "defend the faith", God Himself is the very center of that defense. God, as Creator and Sovereign of the Universe must be acknowledged for who He is and what He has done and what He is doing.  

The Apostle knew his audience. The Holy Spirit directed his speech as he spoke of God's Sovereignty in the affairs of men. He also acknowledged God's words spoken by His prophets through the ages. He acknowledges God's fulfillment of prophecy. Peter weaves this acknowledgment of God throughout his speech; as should we in our speech. 

I believe God wants us to talk about Him all the time. At home, at work, and at school. Talking about the Words and Works of God is not something to be saved for Sundays. God is active in our lives 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, every week of the year, without any kind of break. We need to let Him overflow into our lives and speech.

Peter employs the fourth Key: Peter acknowledges Jesus Christ. In verses 22 to 36, Peter looks at Jesus' life, His works, His atoning death, and most importantly, His Resurrection. Peter recalls what Jesus did in the very midst of the people. Peter recalls how Jesus was referred to by the Old Testament psalms and prophets. The Jews of that time would have heard these readings and texts regardless of their personal leaning - Sadducee or Pharisee (resurrection deniers or adherents). 

The fact of the time was that Jesus of Nazareth did indeed live, work, and walk among the people. He ministered openly for all to see. Jesus proved His deity through His works. For these few, short years, men and women were actually able to look into the eyes of God Himself. Think about that for just a minute. That's simply astonishing!

Jesus physically died, not by Jewish stoning (as would have been required for the  sin of blasphemy, as charged by the Jewish leaders), but by Roman crucifixion for all to see. And then to everyone's amazement, but to  many denials, Jesus bodily rose from the dead. Remember this: because  the resurrected Jesus had appeared to hundreds of people before  His bodily ascension to heaven - after 40 days - anyone could have gone and asked any of these witnesses. Later on, these same people were willing to die for what they KNEW to be true. 

But back to Peter. Peter now had the crowd's attention and as we discussed, this caused them to ask the question, "Brothers, what shall we do?" As we speak to friends, neighbors, relatives, and anyone God brings into our lives about Christ and His Hope, that should be the question they ask us, "what shall we do?".

And so finally, there is the fifth Key: acknowledging our need for a Savior. We need to acknowledge our utter depravity and our need for Christ. Many of us know of someone who is just "really  good." They're always honest. They're always helping someone. They  don't smoke, drink, chew, or "go out with girls (or boys) who do." You know them and you don't think they need to come to a personal relationship with God through the work of Jesus Christ. But we remember, that ALL of us have gone astray and sinned, each to his own way; and for that, the wrath of God lays heavy on our being (Isaiah 53:6). That means every person who has ever trod this earth; regardless of color, stature or creed. We all have sinned and have fallen short of the Glory of God  (Romans 3:23). 

And so like Peter, we must direct them to the Savior Jesus Christ. What He did on the Cross cost Him everything. What He offers to us is not only a  free gift, it is also freedom from sin leading to an eternity of life in proper fellowship and relationship with God. Peter takes the people  by the hand and tells them exactly what they must do to be saved: repent from sin (which includes confession), individually (we come alone to the Cross), believe in the finished work of Jesus, and receive the gift of forgiveness. Their baptism would demonstrate to the world their inner transformation. 

Peter doesn't send them away to seek someone more learned. He calls the people to action. I think Peter understood the idea that years later Paul would pen in his letter to the Corinthians, "For he says, 'In  the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped  you.'  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2.

Today is the day of our Salvation. God calls us to be good and proper witnesses to the world around us and to those individuals in our sphere of influence. Who will God have you witness to today?

Father  God, thank you for giving me the example of the man Peter. Help me to follow Peter's example and use me to bring people to Yourself. Amen.