Jesus promised in his Word that he would not leave you and I as orphans before he died, was buried, and rose again. He said that He would send us the Holy Spirit, the Comforter… and He did. And when Peter and the gang and so many other believers received the Holy Spirit, it was an extraordinary sight. It was an awesome day. And Peter got to preach after that happened, and that’s what you and I are going to study today. You and I are never alone and comfort is always available at any time. It’s truly something to sing about today.
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Transcription:
Reason 1,000,000,000,001 why I love Jesus: He never breaks a promise. Welcome to the Bible for Busy People. My name is Erica. I’m your host and yep, it’s Friday, which means it is time for Joy Bombs in the Psalms. It’s going to be a special edition today. We’re going to be diving in in moments, but first I want you to know that Jesus promised in His Word that he would not leave you and I as orphans. Before he died and was buried and rose again, praise God, He said that he would send us the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and he did. And when Peter and the Gang and so many other believers received the Holy Spirit, it was an extraordinary sight. It was an awesome day, and Peter got to preach after that happened, and that’s what you and I are going to study today, because interestingly enough, he actually quotes a Psalm of David inside his sermon that he gave after the Holy Spirit had come down upon all of them. The very same Holy Spirit by the way, that lives in you and in me. Praise God, the same spirit that rose Jesus from the dead is alive in us. And that means you and I are never alone and comfort is always available at any time. It’s truly something to sing about on a Friday. It reminds me of that song. Praise the Father, Praise the Son. Praise the Spirit, three in one. Oh Lord, we praise you. What an amazing God you and I serve. Okay, join me now in the book of Acts chapter two. We’re going to dive in at verse 22. This is Peter preaching now, after Jesus restored him on that beach. Oh, I’m still thinking about our last time together. What a special day.
“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
Okay, here we go. Here comes the Psalm in the middle of the sermon, verse 25 now.
King David said this about him: ‘I see that the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 26 No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. 27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.28 You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’ 29 “Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30 But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne. 31 David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave. 32 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34 For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand 35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”’ 36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” 37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
I want to pitch a small tent here and say, I still remember being part of a Bible study when I was about 18 or 19 years old, and I remember someone reading those words out loud, those powerful words from verse 37, except for it was from the NIV translation. And it said this,
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart.
Wow. I mean, that verse has stuck with me for more than half my life, because when you hear the gospel, it really does pierce through every layer of your heart. It cuts straight to the heart. That’s what the gospel does. It is good news, but before you receive it as good, you’ve got to deal with the bad. The fact that you are a sinner, I am a sinner, but here comes the good; there is a savior and his name is Jesus, and if you accept his love forgiveness, he will wash your sins away and make you clean and rescue you and give you peace, and then open the door of heaven so one day you can walk in. He opens that door with his nails scarred hand. Oh how I love our Jesus. Okay, picking up our time today in verse 38 now.
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
I want to wrap up our time today by saying, if you are a person who has heard the gospel, which simply means good news for the first time, it is good news for you, not for the grandma with the adorable white buns sitting in the front pew at church, Jesus died for you and for me. He simply loved us that much, and I want you to know that you can trust the man who died for you. Until next time, you are really loved.
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