MONDAY October 3, 2022
People’s Mockery Refuted
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. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel....”
Acts 2:14-16
Imagine, Jews had gathered to Jerusalem from all over the world, and they began to hear God being exalted in their own dialects. They began to wonder about the wind, fire and tongues––a miraculous experience. Some Jews thought Christ’s followers were drunk, and they chose to mock them.
Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, as the Church leader, stood to address them. He stopped any false doctrine. In that culture, nobody drank during Passover or Pentecost; it was prohibited. The disciples were sober––it was only 9:00am in the morning!
Notice the change in preaching. Peter stood to preach. In Jewish society, Rabbis usually sat to teach, and the people stood to hear the message. Think about it. Peter stood to herald the Word of God; he gave a message to almost 5000 people without a sound system!
Peter had never been to seminary. Biblically, he had no authority to teach; he was a mere fisherman. Yet this rugged man of the Sea of Galilee was taught by the best Teacher, His Master––Jesus Christ.
When Peter stood, he began to proclaim his sermon with boldness. He used the authority of the Old Testament Scriptures, the book of Joel, to explain the phenomena. By the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, the prophet Joel prophesized about 700 years earlier, that God would pour out His Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
Peter gave one of the best expository messages he ever preached. At the end of his sermon, there were 3000 souls saved, and by the end of the week, another 5,000 men were saved! What a great altar call!
It is not the man who brings the Word that saves the soul, but the Word which the man brings.
~Thomas Arthur~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
