But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. Acts 2:14
The first sermon I ever preached was given at High Rock Bible Camp in the summer of 1998. I have no idea what happened to the outline of that sermon, but I do know that it was quite different from the outlines I prepare now. It was shorter. It was simpler. And it took a lot longer to prepare! Although my first sermon has already been lost to the sands of time, Peter’s first sermon remains after nearly twenty centuries for us to read today! His first sermon was a lot different from mine in that it was spoken to a crowd of thousands, composed with the aid of the Holy Spirit, and prepared in the mind of God from eternity. No other apostle’s first sermon has been so preserved. Why don’t we take a look at his outline?
My first observation is that this sermon is absolutely filled with Scripture. He introduces his discourse with a quotation from a prophecy of Joel, asserting that this remarkable demonstration the people were witnessing was not the product of “new wine,” but rather of the Holy Spirit (vv 16–21; cf. Joel 2:28–32). Next he quotes David and applies two centuries-old prophecies to the resurrected Jesus (vv 25–35; cf. Ps. 16:8–11; 110:1). In all, better than half of Peter’s sermon is direct quotation of Old Testament Scripture, and the rest is inspired commentary on these passages.
His sermon identifies Jesus as the Christ, the Savior of the world. He proved Jesus was the Messiah by pointing out the “miracles, wonders, and signs” that his audience had witnessed for themselves (v 22). He shows that the death of Jesus did not disprove that He was the Messiah; to the contrary, His death and resurrection were the surest proof of all (vv 23–24). He declares that God fulfilled in Jesus His promise to put the Son of David on the throne––not on earth, but in heaven, where Christ sits to this day (vv 30, 33–34). Peter seals these proofs with his own personal testimony (v 32) as one who saw, talked with, and even ate with the Lord after His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5).
He concludes with a glorious invitation. This invitation is prefaced by a proclamation of guilt: “Him…you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death” (v 23). The desperation can be heard in the people’s response: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (v 37). Peter then tells the crowd that remission of sins can be obtained by means of faith and repentance in the name of Jesus (v 38). It is by this means that they should “call on the name of the Lord” (v 21) and become recipients of the blessing of salvation that was promised by God long before (vv 39–40). How marvelous is the fact that these people––as well as we––could be saved because of Christ’s death, not in spite of it! Many were obedient to the gospel call that day (v 41), but many more refused. The result of their conversion was great joy and a change of life that was apparent to everyone (vv 42–47).
What makes a good sermon today? Is it a catchy title or a tear-jerking story? Is it witty alliteration? A good sermon is still the one that is filled with Scripture, points us to Jesus, and exposes man to the means of responding to His blessed invitation.