 Alright, our recording has started and we can begin. I would like to request one of us to please lead in prayer this morning. Okay, anybody volunteer to pray? I'll pray first. Yes. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this morning. Thank you for this day God. I pray, Lord, that today you would have your way. God, let your kingdom come. It will be done in our lives, God. As Pastor Nancy teaches us your work, God, I pray that we would hear your word and that we would apply it in our daily lives, God, and learn more about you and practice it every day, God. Thank you for another day, Pastor Nancy, and giving her the words to say and giving her wisdom. Lord, I pray for your grace. I pray for each student here. I pray that we would learn and that we would grow in the knowledge of who you are. God, have your way, and God, in Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Thank you, Kung. We will get started from where we had stopped in the last class. We saw how the Holy Spirit was poured out in the Book of Acts. And then we saw that when this great noise came through from the upper room that people had gathered and we could notice people from at least 15 different communities who came and who heard praises of God in their own language. And then, you know, Peter stands up to explain the phenomenon and he quotes from Prophet Joel and he lets the people know that this is what the Prophet Joel had spoken about. And we know that it looked quite different from what the Prophet Joel had mentioned because he had enlisted dreams, visions, prophecy and things like that. But in this particular happening, it was an unknown language which people were speaking. But by the Holy Spirit, he was able to tell that this was the work of the Holy Spirit. And the people who observed it, we noticed they had two responses. One was that of honouring God. The other one was that of mocking these people. So, you know, Peter begins to explain further. We saw how he made his sermon, right? He made his sermon. He first talked about this being a work of God and then he goes on to talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. So, this is Peter's first sermon and he quotes from the Old Testament. We had gone over the sermon somewhat quickly but I'll just take some time today to explain it better to all of us. So, although we stopped somewhere, you know, at the place where Peter talked about Jesus being greater than David, I'll just, you know, go to some of the scriptures which are earlier and start from there. So, Acts chapter 2, verse 21. Let's go back there. Yes. So, we said that, you know, Peter talked about the prophecy of Joel. Now, in verse 21, I want you to notice this. From this time onwards, after the Holy Spirit has been poured out, well, not exactly this moment, but the last days and I explained to us the last days are once Jesus was able to perform that sacrifice that God had sent him to make. So, that is when the last days begin. From then on, what did Jesus do? He opened up the way for the Gentiles as well. But up until then, he was going to the children of the covenant, which is the children of Israel. But after his sacrifice, it was open to all. So, verse 21 here, you know, Peter reiterates that and he says, and it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. So, this is something for us to take notice of because this would not have been possible, but for the sacrifice of Jesus. And something has shifted. And so in the Book of Acts, till the Gospels, we see that Jesus insisted that he must minister to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But from the Book of Acts, no, this is changing. So, the Gospel is actually according to the Great Commission going to all communities, all tribes, all nations. So, there is no restriction as far as the community is concerned. So, that is why Peter says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord and that is a great encouragement and brings great hope to our hearts. And going forward, we see here that Peter begins to share the Gospel. Another thing that we have to take notice of is that he quotes from the Old Testament because he's talking to a Jewish audience and he knew that they will honour his message if it is related to the Scriptures. So, there are certain passages that he goes back to. Initially, he quoted from Joel chapter 2 verses 28 to 32. Then in the rest of what he shares, he quotes from Psalm chapter 16 verses 8 through 11. He also quotes from Psalm 110 verse 1 as we go forward. So, now he begins to talk about Jesus of Nazareth. And I remember telling all of us that Peter was so bold. We see a completely different man here compared to the one who denied Christ in his crucial moments. So, Peter is very bold and he talks about Jesus of Nazareth because at this point he was a controversial figure to the people anyway because less than two months ago he had been crucified and a lot of confusion existed around his death and later when people started saying that he rose from the dead, it would have been very difficult for the authorities. So, for Peter to proclaim this Jesus at this point in time was amazing. And notice how in verse 22 he says Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus of Nazareth. So, he is not afraid of being clear in his proclamation. And then he talks about Jesus of Nazareth. He says that he was attested by God. Now again, it's all very scary to make statements like this in such an environment because the people had chosen to, you know, Jesus was convicted by the authorities. But Peter is saying he was attested by God or approved by God through the works that he did miracles, wonders and signs. So, it was indeed bold of Peter to do this that he shares the rest of what happened to Jesus verse 23. He says, him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands and crucified and put to death. So, again, it's amazing. The people chose to do something but God was still able to fulfill his plan and purpose. So, it's a way in which God's purposes are accomplished, you know, despite the lack of cooperation from mankind. In this case, people chose to kill him. But God's great plan and design that Jesus will become that redemption lamb for us, it was still fulfilled. So, in God's foreknowledge, God knew that Jesus will make a sacrifice and he also knew that the people will be unwilling and they will not be supportive. Yet, God was able to fulfill his purpose. And so, Jesus was crucified and you see, he was put to death. Till that point, it was easy for the people to receive. But verse 24, Peter says, whom God raised up having lost the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be held by it. So, all these statements were very bold of Peter to make at that point because there was still speculation about this event of resurrection. For the Jews, we know in the Gospels, we read that the people who were guarding the tomb of Jesus were told to inform the people that his body was stolen by the disciples. So, there must have been speculation that Peter and his friends have stolen the body of Jesus. Now, with all this in the air, Peter clearly tells them God raised up. So, he is affirming the resurrection, the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says it's God who raised him. So, God lost the pains of death and God is the one who brought him out of that tomb. And he quotes David here. He says, for David says concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. So, he's talking about Yahweh God whom they worshiped. And let's see what else David says. He says, therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. Moreover, my flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in Hades, 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. So, it's a prophetic psalm. David is speaking as if this concerns him. As if God will not let his soul rest in Hades or hell. But, you know, Peter wanted to clarify to the Jews that though David seemed to be speaking of himself in Hades, that God will not leave him in Hades, that they needed to note that it's actually in Jesus Christ who's being spoken of and that God raised him from the dead. So, resurrection would have been a very hard thing for the onlookers to accept. So, he's giving a clarification from scripture. So, in verse 29, he says, meant and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David. That he is both dead and buried and his tomb is with us too this day. So, you know, he's making it plain and clear and saying, look what David said. He said that God will not let him his flesh or his soul remain in Hades. But, what do we know as a fact, you know, right now? He is both dead and buried and his tomb is with us to this day. So, he is explaining that these lines are not about David. Further, verse 30, therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that the fruit of his body according to the flesh he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne. So, he is pointing to the fact that David had a promise that through his lineage will come, you know, somebody who will sit on the throne. So, there will be a descendant on the throne at all times and that would be the Christ. Then verse 31, he foreseeing this spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades nor did his flesh see corruption. So, he said this was actually spoken about the Christ. Verse 32, this Jesus, God has raised up of which we are all witnesses. So, he clarified that it's only the Christ. What is Christ? Christ is a title. Christ is a saviour. Was the name of Jesus Jesus Christ? No. His name was Jesus and he was probably identified as Jesus of Nazareth. So, that was the identity of Jesus. But Christ is a title given to the one who would save the people. So, Peter explains that it is only possible for the Christ to rise from the dead and then he associates Jesus and says this Jesus, who is this Jesus? The same Jesus who was crucified. Not too long ago, this Jesus, God has raised up. So, do you see the connection here? The Christ is to resurrect. But this Jesus, God raised up and he says, you're all witnesses to that. We have seen it. We can confirm it to you. We are all witnesses of what God has done. And verse 33, therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out this which you now see and hear. So, he just gave witness toward the resurrection of Jesus. By quoting Old Testament scriptures, by quoting the patriarch David. So, some of these men of the Old Testament were known as patriarchs. They were great men of faith and their lineages gave birth to other men, mighty men of faith. So, they were well respected. So, using all this, he still proclaimed that scriptures talk about a Christ who cannot be held by death. And he points out how the Lord Jesus is the one who has risen and he fits into this explanation about the Christ. He also says we have witnessed him. So, resurrection is proclaimed by Peter. He proclaims one more aspect about Jesus which is his ascension. So, he says, therefore being exalted to the right hand of God. All these things are not possible by mere human, but it is only possible by the Son of God. So, Jesus ascended up in his resurrected body to the right hand of God. And he says he was received up by the Father and the promise of the Holy Spirit. He poured out this which you now see at here. So, so far we have seen the explanation which Peter gave about basically the phenomenon which was observed by the people. But more about the reason for this phenomenon which is the Lord Jesus, the fact that he is deity, the fact that he has proven his deity through the death, the burial, resurrection and ascension. So, let me just pause here for a moment and talk to all of you. I hope you are all doing fine. Do you have any thoughts at this point? Any comments or questions? We shall take that up and then proceed further. Any other observations of Peter's sermon? Yes, Kennedy, please go ahead. What I am asking, right? Upon the death of Jesus, where did you go to? Upon the death of Jesus. So, I think it's a book of Ephesians where there is an explanation of how Jesus went to the depths of hell and he took the keys of death and he came out having taken those keys. That's where he was. Thank you. Yeah, sure. So, we also recognize from this passage that he went there because at that time you had hell which was according to their understanding. People of Jesus' times it was known as Hades and it had this whole partition where you had one section where it was known as Paradise or Abraham's bosom and those who believed in God, they were all in that place. So, they were all released and from that point on we only have heaven and hell. So, we don't have what is known as Paradise anymore. So, Jesus went down to Hades, he went and he took the keys of death and he came back. So, that's what happened when he had died. Yes, Sister Rupa, you have something to say? Okay, it seems like... Yeah, Sister Rupa, you're back. Yes, ma'am. Wrong touch. You were asking about any point to be added to Peter's sermon. I just remembered that the Joel prophecy has started when Peter was preaching and it is continuing and it will reach its completion in the end days I believe because the whole prophecy is not fulfilled on that time but it is a continuous process and it will be completely fulfilled in the last days and we should be ready and prepared to receive it. That's what I just wanted to add ma'am. Thank you. Yes, thank you so much for that. That's a very good observation. While Peter was able to say that this is that which is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which was spoken of by Joel, Sister Rupa is very right. It was just the beginning and the last days continue right now till Jesus returns. So, the work of the Holy Spirit and the baptism in the Holy Spirit the manifestation of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and these are all things that are continuing to unfold even now and the fulfillment as such is not yet done or it's not complete. The Spirit is being poured out and many manifestations are being recognized. So that is correct Sister Rupa. Thank you for that. Any other observations? How about an observation that I made is how Peter makes use of the opportunity. He realizes that people have a question when they hear that sound. So he makes an explanation for that but notice how he brings in the gospel. He brings in the proclamation of the Lord Jesus and who he really is. So that is preaching the gospel. So he made use of the opportunity to invite people to repent, invite people to give their lives to this saviour. So the proclamation of the gospel even at a time when Peter was only meant to give an explanation for what was going on. He doesn't waste the opportunity but he makes sure that he preaches the gospel. So that's something that really touched me. Anything else that you have noticed? So we'll go further and let's see what else happens in Acts chapter 2. So far we've seen Peter's sermon. He's addressing the crowd that had gathered. He has spoken about Jesus and he has talked of his resurrection and ascension till now. So verse 34, for David did not ascend into the heavens but he says himself. Again Peter is clarifying that David is not the one who resurrected from the dead. So he says, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. So the Lord here refers to Yahweh, the God of the Jews. So they could understand that. Said to my Lord, it's very interesting because David introduced by Peter here is a prophet. So David has a prophet, spoke these things. So in his prophetic word David was actually referring to the Lord Jesus. So Jesus is his Lord. He said it in his prophetic message. The Lord Yahweh God said to my Lord, my Lord, the Lord Jesus. Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. So it's amazing how the Holy Spirit gave Peter the wisdom to preach such a message based on scripture. Now who is Peter? Already the Jews who had gathered said, oh these Galileans, they are not learned people. These Galileans, they are not good orators. And to add to that, what are Peter's credentials? You know, cowardly. He's a fisherman. Okay. So speaks before he thinks so many challenges with Peter. But here he is filled with the Holy Spirit standing up in boldness and wisdom to proclaim the Lord Jesus. While he provides an explanation to the phenomenon. So it's really powerful what Peter was able to do that day. But we know for a fact that it was not Peter just by himself. But it was the work of the Holy Spirit through Peter that caused him to speak such a powerful sermon. Okay. And to add to this, you know, it was unprepared. He had no idea that he will have to preach a long message like this, you know, on that day of Pentecost. Because how did the day of Pentecost come? And suddenly, yet, we're talking about this beautiful sermon that Peter preached unprepared. Now let's go forward verse 36. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. So very bold of Peter to speak in this way of the Lord Jesus. Again, he's not afraid to point to this Jesus so that the people are not confused that he's talking about some other Jesus. And he boldly says, this Jesus whom you crucified, what has God done, he has made him both Lord and Christ. So he's God, he's deity, he is a messiah. So the message of Peter was bold and clear, very, very clear. Verse 37. Now, when they had heard this, they were cut to the heart and sent to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? So a message preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, it has a response. It has a powerful message, has a powerful response. What is that response? The onlookers, they were cut to the heart. What is cut to the heart? Cut to the heart is the conviction of the Holy Spirit which came upon the listeners. We know from scripture that the Holy Spirit does his work of helping people, of convicting people, of sin righteousness and of judgment. So he brings them to the realization of these things. So as Peter proclaimed the message, the Holy Spirit was working together with him. And people where scriptures say cut to the heart or they were convicted when they heard this. And whenever conviction comes upon people, our responsibility is to guide them on what they need to do. Now, when people are convicted about their sin and people are convinced about the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ that he's the messiah, we need to call them to repentance and the steps that follow repentance. And that's exactly what Peter did. But very beautiful in verse 37 that the large gathering, they were cut to the heart, they were convicted. And they said men and brethren, what shall we do? How many times do we see this kind of a response that people hear what we say and they want to respond? They want to do something to make it right with God. So it was a very effective sermon which Peter preached going to verse 38 here. Then Peter said to them, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So Peter is very clear in what needs to be done. So he says, repent. That's what you need to do if you are convicted by my message. Repent. John the Baptist preached. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. What did Jesus preach? Same message. Repent. Get right with God. And here is Peter being filled with the Holy Spirit. He also says repent. Turn from your wicked ways. Get right with God and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. So once you have repented, you have to, you know, this is a public proclamation that you've made this decision of repenting of your sins and walking with the Lord Jesus. So he says, be baptized. So baptism is that it's a public proclamation of our decision. So he says, be baptized. Be baptized in what name so that they don't get confused, you know, about the baptism of John the Baptist. He says be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And what else? In addition to that, there is a beautiful promise that you will receive, which they had just received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. So he says you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Verse 39, for the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off as many as the Lord our God will call. This particular verse here, 39, gives incredible hope to us. Why? Because in the early church, which is, you know, what is being formed in Acts chapter two. So many people like to title at chapter two as the birth of the early church. Okay, so the church is being birthed here and Peter is telling the believers that you will receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. But it's the great news in this is that this promise will not stop just with you. You will receive it, but who else will receive it? The promise is to you and to your children. So their descendants, their generations who believe will also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And who else says and to all who are afar off, which includes you and I. So it includes our generation today. And that is what Peter was saying 2000 years ago. He was saying that everyone who believes repent, be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So we shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And anyone who believes, you know, even after we have believed, we go and proclaim the gospel, people turn to the Lord. Everyone who believes has this portion to receive. What is it? The gift of the Holy Spirit. And it says as many as the Lord our God will call. So the promise is very valid for all of us today. So I just want to pause any thoughts, any questions right now about Peter's message, the parts of Peter's message, the response of the people. Okay, so a very powerful sermon over there. And I wish, you know, we could have witnessed it. But thank God, you know, the Holy Spirit has recorded this beautiful sermon for us. Now, let's continue verse 40. It says, and with many other words, he testified and exalted them saying, be saved from this perverse generation. So it simply tells us that what we have read so far, what Luke has recorded so far, it's a shortened version of Peter's sermon. Would he have included other passages, other explanations? Maybe he would have done that. But whatever was necessary has been put out here by Luke for us. So in all these ways, what did Peter do? He testified, he exorted. Exaltation is like gently, you know, encouraging, nudging people. That's what it is to do the right thing. So he was testifying, he was exerting them to be saved, to follow God to, in other words, be born again. In verse 41, it says then, those who gladly received his word were baptized and that day about 3,000 souls were added to them. It's nothing less than miraculous. You just think about it, you know, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and he preached this message. And in those days, you know, I'm sure they probably had, you know, good oratory style and all those skills to be able to communicate their message to the audience. But they did not have had the aid that we have today, you know, we have technology, we have PowerPoint, we have, you know, talk about it, any kind audio visual aid, everything that we have. But what made the message of Peter so effective? The anointing of the Holy Spirit. So it was a very effective message, response, people were convicted and what else happens? They were told that they gladly received his word and those who received where what baptized on the same day, how many of them 3,000 souls were added to them? If we see something like this, you know, we would be amazed. Things like this, we would only expect, okay, the crusade or in some sort of revival meeting with 3,000 people have accepted Christ and they are baptized on the same day. So sometimes the book of Acts, you know, is referred to as the revival in the early church, because you see the wonderful things that are happening here. It's kind of, you know, amazing as we grasp, you know, what is actually unfolding here. So 3,000 people being saved, 3,000 being people being baptized. What about those 120 people who were baptized in the Holy Spirit? They would all have instantly become volunteers because there is no option now. Peter preached the message and, you know, you have people who have accepted the message and they need baptism. We don't know how many of them actually helped in baptizing these people in the nearby water bodies. All we know is that in one day so much of work had been done, 3,000 people had been baptized. So the 120 people would have been so busy, you know, getting all this done. What a mighty revival that broke into the early church. So this is how the birth of the church started. You will not see the term church anywhere right now. Neither will you see the term Christians. So this is the formation of the early church and the people of God that is taking place in Acts chapter 2. So now 3,000 people have been baptized. What happens next? Verse 42. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayer. So what should we do when people are born again when there are new believers in Christ Jesus? Do we just praise God about it, make a report about it and then forget about it? No, that's not how the apostles and the initial volunteers in the church did ministry. What did they do? They made sure that these people continue strong in God. So when people are born again through our ministry, we shouldn't let them, you know, just go be happy, you're now born again. It's all wonderful. No, we don't do that. Instead, we see how we can invest in their lives so that they can continue how steadfastly or in a firm way, in an anchored way, in a strong way, they can continue in God. So what are some of the things that help people continue in God? This is not, you know, a complete list, but of course it is a good list nonetheless. We see that they continued in the apostles doctrine. So doctrine or the word of God is very important to help people continue firmly in Him. So what is apostles doctrine? Apostles doctrine is the truth which the apostles proclaimed. What would they have proclaimed? They would have proclaimed the scriptures that Jesus honored. Now we know that Jesus was committed to the scriptures of the Old Testament, you know, the Jewish people at that time, the Torah. So different things that Jesus honored, those scriptures, the apostles honored, obviously. So they would have taught from that. But in addition to the scriptures that Jesus honored, they would also have taught the teachings of Jesus. So that makes up apostles doctrine. So that is what they would have taught to these early believers. So see, it's very simple. You know, in the Great Commission, what did Jesus say? Go make disciples of all nations. Yes, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But also what teaching them to observe, isn't it? So whatever you have been taught, you teach it to the others and that is what they were doing. So they taught them everything they knew, which is termed here as the apostles doctrine. So that is one. Second, second is fellowship, fellowship. So for the people to remain strong, gathering together was necessary. Gathering together, coming together, associating community. Do we have different terms for this? That was important. So they encouraged the fellowship of the believers and that also kept them strong in God. Next, in the breaking of bread. Breaking of bread is what? Communion. They saw Jesus do that in the supper and they follow the same thing. Why? Because Jesus said, do this in remembrance of me. So what were they actually accomplishing by breaking the bread? They were remembering the sacrifice of Jesus. So the community of the believers should never forget the sacrifice of Jesus. That is why communion was instituted and communion is something that the early church is practicing. And you see that here. Then what else? In prayers. So these were some basics that the first set of believers were trained in the apostles doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and in prayers. So in this manner, they were kept strong in the work of God and encouraged in the Lord. So what are we seeing? We're seeing, okay, people are saved. 3000 people are saved and the church is now being, you know, the way we understand the church is being built up. The people are being built up. Who is the church? The people. So the people are being built up and strengthened was 43. Then fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. So what else is happening? You see that the gathering of believers, the community of believers is being recognized as, you know, blessed by God. So what's happening? Fear came upon every soul. So that is a respect. There is an honor which people have towards the people of God, the apostles and also the breaking out of the supernatural. And that's why I said, you know, the book of Acts, it's revival, revival which broke out after the ascension of the Lord Jesus and after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So when these, you know, supernatural things started happening, verse 44 says, Now all who believed were together and had all things in common and was 45 and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need. So the community was a strong and strong and a welded community. In this case, we see that it was also a giving community, a sharing community, a loving community. They were taking care of each other to the extent that they even sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had needs. So why is this taking place? Because please understand that during the festival of Pentecost, people devout brethren had come from other regions around Jerusalem. And once they heard the message of the Lord Jesus, it is possible that some of them did not go back. So they decided to stay on with the apostles. They did not have work there, jobs there. So while there were people who were well settled in Jerusalem, there must have also been people who had nothing to continue in Jerusalem. And which is why this whole hospitality and sharing aspect comes into the community of believers. So we don't see this everywhere. And for us to apply it or impose it on every believing community and say, No, you have to give to the extent that you sell your possessions would not be right. It won't be applicable. This was because of the circumstances that the early church was in at that time that people even had to meet others needs by selling their own things. So this is how the early church is growing. And we will see more in the next session. We'll take a break for now. If you have any questions, please hold on to them or you could post it on the chat. We'll come back. You can answer those questions and continue. So let's go for a break and we'll see each other in 10 minutes. Thank you.