“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” (I Peter 1:3-9).
I realize that is a long read but it reveals a Peter who went from being a fisherman to a preacher. The last couple of weeks our focus has been on Jesus interacting with His disciples, last week especially Jesus questioning Peter concerning his love for Him. Jesus commissioned Peter to assume his shepherd’s role caring for Jesus’ flock, both young and old. The previously quoted passage, taken from his first epistle, encapsulate the message Peter preached from the very beginning to the very end of his ministry.
This week we are going to explore the first sermon Peter preached through inspiration (Acts 2:14ff). Remember Peter’s profession was a fisherman, and now his is a fisher of men. When the day of Pentecost had come and all the disciples were gather as prophesied by Christ, the Holy Spirit did come and fulfilled the room where they were gathered. But what we are going to be looking at, specifically, is Peter’s Inspiring sermon. We will see the positive results when the gospel is preached. When a person is confronted with the truth, as Peter was confronted by Jesus on the seashore, it brings about a positive result. Peter’s sermon resulted with about 3,000 souls, or disciples, being added to the church.
Peter went from a man of little faith to a preacher of great faith. His preaching was convicting and life-changing for many. Peter demonstrates spiritual growth as He just simply obeys Jesus’ instructions.
We, too, can grow in knowledge and grace as we study God’s Word and have faith in it enough to be completely obedient to it.
The sermon you will hear this week was truly given to us from God Himself because He inspired Peter to preach it to the multitude.
My prayer is that we can all come together as they did on the day of Pentecost so many years ago and be inspired and encouraged. In Christ,
Steve
NOBLE CHURCH OF CHRIST
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