Acts 1-2
We left our apostle, in the end of John’s gospel, on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, sweetly and happily restored to the favor and sunshine of the presence of his blessed Master. There we saw what really made Peter a servant. And now the Spirit of Clod, in the opening chapters of Acts, brings before us this servant doing a wonderful work.
The difference between Peter in the high priest’s, hall, and Peter on the day of Pentecost, is this: in the high priest’s hall, where you have him denying his Lord, Peter was full of himself; in the second of Acts he was “full of the Holy Ghost” — and there is an immense body of truth underlying such a statement. A man full of himself God must humble, whereas a man full of the Holy Spirit of God can He trust, and use for His glory. I can, therefore, quite understand, though the Lord had said to him, when He called him to follow Him, “Henceforth thou shalt catch men,” why we do not hear of his catching them till Acts 2. But then what a catch! Three thousand men in one day! Let us see how it came about.
The writer of the Acts of the Apostles is the same as the writer of Luke’s gospel — “the beloved physician” of that name. In fact, the Acts is an appendix to that gospel, and written to the same person — the high-born Theophilus. Let us turn for a moment to the gospel of Luke. In the last chapter we find the disciples had got back to Jerusalem, and the Lord, addressing them after His resurrection, said, “These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me.” That means the then whole revelation of God, the whole of the Old Testament Scriptures. The Lord thus puts His stamp of approval on the Old Testament Scriptures from end to end; and if you do not believe in them implicitly, it is clear that you are not keeping company with Christ. Then we read that He “opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures.” That is beautiful! Before the coming of the Holy Spirit, too, observe it is that He opens their understanding to understand the Scriptures; and I doubt not it was this opening of his understanding that enabled Peter to do as he did in the end of the first of Acts.
Then the Lord goes on to say, “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer.” It was the necessity of love that He must die if man were to be brought to God. There is but one doorway into heaven, and that is the doorway of death; not your death, but the ever memorable death of the Son of God. And consequent on that death and resurrection, “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Begin, says the Lord, at the very worst spot, the spot where they would not have Me, the spot where they scorned and spit upon, and slew Me; begin there, but go out to all nations. Then the Lord led the disciples out as far as Bethany, and “lifted up his hands and blessed them; and it came to pass while He blessed them He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.” His hands, uplifted in blessing, have never gone down since. In Exodus 17, where it was a question of conflict between Israel and Amalek, if Moses held up his hands Israel prevailed, but if Moses’ hands fell Amalek prevailed; so that we read that Aaron and Hur stayed up Moses’ hands. But with our Jesus, blessed be His name, no one has any need to hold up His hands, they are kept up eternally in blessing. He loves to bless. It is His joy and delight.
Now let us turn again to the Acts of the Apostles. When Luke wrote his gospel, he began, “Most excellent Theophilus;” when he wrote his second letter, he began simply “O Theophilus.” I do not for a moment think that Luke was a Radical, or a society-leveler in the least, but I take it he knew that Theophilus thought far less of his worldly position and title, when he last wrote to him, than when he got his first epistle from him. The knowledge of a rejected Saviour alters entirely a Christian’s estimate of things — right enough in themselves — here below.
The Lord had been taken up, as we have seen in the end of Luke; in the first of the Acts we have this restated with a little more detail. We read there that the Lord, after His resurrection, and before His ascension, was seen of His disciples for “forty days, speaking to them of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” All that He says and does is “through the Holy Ghost.” I believe we see here what the Christian will be in the eternal state — full of the Holy Spirit, and acting entirely by Him; and, further, what he should be even now, as “dead indeed unto sin, and alive unto God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:1111Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:11)). We have recorded in Scripture that the Lord was seen ten times in resurrection, five times on the first day of the week, and five times afterward. He showed Himself for forty days. Why forty? Because forty was the full time of probation and testing. And there is thus the most absolute testimony as to the truth and reality of the resurrection — now, alas so frequently denied.
This time being over, the Lord tells them not to “depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which ye have heard of me” (see John 14-16). He then said to them, “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” Look how beautifully the Lord defines the circle now. The fact is, the Cross, with all its wondrous fruits for God and man, having been accomplished, every dispensational barrier had been thrown down; and salvation, like a shining river, could go out to the ends of the earth, beginning at the guiltiest spot of all, but ever widening and flowing out and on till, thank God, it reached us benighted Gentiles. If you do not yet know and possess God’s salvation, my reader, I have grand news for you. You may have that salvation today. Take care you do not miss it; for if you do, you will inevitably taste damnation, and that for all eternity.
From the Mount of Olives the apostles go back to Jerusalem, and assemble in the upper room, and you have the roll-call once more named, and Peter again heading the list. And while they wait, what do they do? They have a prayer-meeting! There was blessing coming, but, while waiting for its coming, we find them praying. Now let us not miss the meaning of this. If there is to be real blessing in the Church, or among the unsaved, we must have the moral condition of soul that leads up to it; you must have the heart bowed constantly in prayer if the life is to witness for God.
Peter then stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, “This scripture must needs have been fulfilled,” and he quotes from the 69th and 109th Psalms.
I understand, says Peter, from Scripture, that someone else must come in to take up the “ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” He must be chosen from the ranks “of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us.” How lovely that is! Look at the beautiful intimacy of Jesus with His own. The expression, “went in and out among us” breathes volumes for the affectionate heart.
Then they select two men, and turn and look to the Lord for the expression of His choice, and, according to Jewish order, they cast lots. Peter bases his action on the known Word of God, and I have no doubt God approved the action, founded on His Word, as it was, Matthias being chosen.
Now we pass on to the second chapter. What peculiarly marks the day of Pentecost is the coming of the Holy Spirit personally to earth, to abide in the believer, and in the assembly. This is the kernel of Christianity. By the death of the Lord Jesus the way had been laid open, back to God. Sin had been put away, the grave opened, death annulled, and the Lord Jesus having ascended to the right hand of God, as Man, and anew received the Holy Spirit in that place of exaltation, the way was prepared for the Holy Spirit to come to earth to take the place of Jesus, and reproduce the life of Jesus in His disciples here below.
So we read that suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” The house was filled, and they were all filled. You have the indwelling of the Spirit of God in them personally, and also the Holy Spirit dwelling amongst them collectively, a truth of the utmost importance alike for this day, as for that. I doubt not the cloven tongues indicated that God’s testimony was no longer to be confined to the Jew only. His testimony was to go to the ends of the earth, hence a divided tongue, and of fire, because it was to judge all that was contrary to God (fire is ever a symbol of judgment), to break man down, break up his pride, and consume what is opposed to God.
While we have the tongue of fire sitting on these men at the beginning of this chapter, we find the tongue of fire doing its work in the three thousand men at the end of the chapter, pricking them to the heart, and bowing them down low before the Lord in confession of their sins, and of His name.
Then follows a wonderful scene, as “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (vs. 4). The manifest contrast with Genesis 11, in which, because of the pride of man, we find God confounding men’s tongues, is very remarkable. Here, because of the perfection in obedience of the humbled Man — Jesus — who, in every possible circumstance, and with utter will-lessness, had been absolutely devoted to, and had perfectly glorified God, there was a temporary reversal of Babel, and the apostles, empowered by the Holy Spirit, could speak in all sorts of languages that they had never learned, and all the various nationalities who were in the city came up, and had to hear about Jesus. God, so to say, rang the bell in this remarkable way just to gather souls to hear of His Son. Blessed, indeed, are the ways of the God of all grace.
Now we see what follows. Those that hear are amazed — as well they might be — and say, “What meaneth this?” While some inquire honestly, What means this? — and it is most blessed to inquire honestly what does God mean — yet, alas! others mocked. How sad, my friend, to be ranked amongst the mockers, either then or new. Do not forget that if you mock in the day of His grace, God can do similarly in the day of your calamity. (See Prov. 1:20-3320Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: 21She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, 22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: 30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. (Proverbs 1:20‑33).)
Now, hear what Peter has to say, “Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken unto my words.” There is something perfectly beautiful in the bold way this man speaks. He has such a sense of his Master’s love, and grace, and pardon, that he can stand up now and face the whole world for his beloved Master. So he continues, “These are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.” The devil will invent any reason to get rid of the testimony of God, but usually shows his folly therein, and specially so here, for it was the custom among the Jews not to break their fast before the morning sacrifice, therefore they had not eaten, much less had drunk. Peter says, as it were, This is the first installment of the prophecy of Joel. He knows now how to handle the Scriptures, and thus he cites from, rather than directly and literally quotes, Joel 1 have no doubt the complete fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28-3228And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. 32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. (Joel 2:28‑32)) remains for a future day, when the Jews are again in Palestine — a restored people — hence Peter is careful not to say it is the fulfillment. Just before the Messiah, the Son of Man, comes out in judgment of the earth, Joel’s prophecy will be fulfilled. But you, my reader, if you miss salvation now, will never come in for it then. You will never be converted, when the Lord comes by-and-by to set up His kingdom upon earth, if you refuse to take Christ now. The day of blessing, of which Joel speaks, is for those who have never heard the gospel of a heavenly Saviour. All present rejecters of Him will be judged, not blessed, then.
Peter then goes on to give a lovely testimony to the Lord: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God (lid by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.” He calls attention to the beautiful life of his Master: what He had been doing, how on every hand He had been blessing men, as they well knew. But then what a charge he makes! He charges boldly home on them their guilt. “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel, and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” Terrible impeachment! They were guilty of the murder of their Messiah, and of the refusal of the Son of God. Only seven weeks before they had refused to have the Lord, and had chosen Barabbas, a robber and a murderer, instead of Him. They had cried, “Away with Him, crucify Him,” even though Pilate, the Roman governor, had declared Him innocent.
You may say, my unsaved reader, I never cried, Away with Him! But have you ever taken your stand on the side of the Christ whom the world rejected then, and rejects still? This day it is true for you that you must receive or reject Him. You did not help to nail Him to the tree, with your hands — true: but what about your sins, which helped to place Him there? And has He not been standing at the door of your heart, knocking, and saying, Let Me in? Yes, and you have refused to lot Him in till this moment; you have refused to give Christ His right place in your heart. God have mercy on you! God save you! The mob said in that day, “Let him be crucified” — that is, get rid of Him. And what does your attitude to Christ now mean? Many a time you have had Him presented to you for your acceptance, and up till now your desire has been to get rid of Him; and you have managed to put Him away from you. Peter’s solemn charge has a terrible application to you, dear unsaved reader.
But the Man whom the world refused, God has raised from the dead, and seated at His own right hand. Peter could remind his hearers that they had crucified Him; gambled for His garments under His dying eyes; turned carelessly away when they saw He was dead; set a seal upon His tomb; and, when it was found empty, had paid “hush-money” to godless watchmen, to say they slept while His disciples stole His body. The watchers took the money and did as they were taught. The lie was believed for seven weeks, but now God sends Peter to proclaim that He is alive! He could not be holden of death; He went into it, but came up out of it, annulling its power, and gaining title to set its captives free.
Then Peter quotes David, and shows how the Psalm 16 could not refer to him when it said, “Thou wilt not leave My soul in Hades, neither wilt thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption,” for David had seen corruption, but the flesh of the Lord saw no corruption. Death had no claim on Him; but when God gave His Son, and man in his wickedness killed Him, by dying He annulled the power of death, and put away sin, which brought in death. As death came in by sin, so sin was put away by death; and the Man who died — and died for me, I am thankful to say — God has raised from the dead, “whereof,” as Peter says, “we all are witnesses.” If you were to seek for them, my friend, you could easily find twelve witnesses now to the fact that there is a risen Saviour.
But Peter continues: “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens, but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool; therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” The work of redemption is done, the power of the devil is broken, and the Holy Spirit has come down to let us know this, and that the Lord sits on high till He makes His foes His footstool, and meantime He is gathering out His friends. Are you among His friends, my reader?
There is direct variance, Peter urges, between the house of Israel and God. They put the Lord in the tomb, and God has put Him on His throne in glory; and there He is in heaven till His enemies are made His footstool. Peter opened the door of the kingdom of heaven that day, as he unfolded the truth that the King is in heaven. He was commissioned to unlock the Jewish leaf of the door that day, and what is the result? “They were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” They are awakened to a sense of their guilt, sin, and danger; and in reply to their query Peter says, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, for the remission of sins” — that is, judge yourselves, own your guilt, acknowledge your true state, “and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” If you own the Lord I own, you will get what I have got. “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar of even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” The Gentiles are brought in there; God is sovereign in His grace; and how we should bless Him that it is extended to us, and that He has called us, who were indeed “afar off.”
Peter then adds, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation.” But you say, “How can I save myself?” By coming to Jesus, who is the living Saviour, and clearing out of the world which is under judgment. “You are in wrong company this day,” Peter as it were says; “come out from among them.”
It was a noble address, and much blessed of God, for we read, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added about three thousand souls.” This was grand fishing, indeed; and how Satan must have bewailed the hand he had in fitting the fisherman for his glorious work!
There is a lovely contrast I would here note between the reign of law, and that of grace. The day that Moses brought down the law, graven on tables of stone — only to find it broken already — three thousand men died by Levi’s sword — three thousand law-breakers were hurled into eternity unblessed (Ex. 32:2828And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. (Exodus 32:28)). The day the Holy Spirit came down to witness to an ascended Saviour, three thousand souls were brought to that Saviour, and were blessed and saved by Him; three thousand took their stand boldly for the Lord, having judged themselves, believed the truth, and received forgiveness of sins, and the Holy Spirit as the seal of their faith.
What follows is noteworthy. “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” This is very charming. I believe if you had gone to the breaking-of-bread meeting you would have found them all there, and, if you had gone to the prayer-meeting, you would have found them all there too. At the start of Christianity the prayer-meeting and the breaking-of-bread meeting were co-extensive. The activity of the grace of God was lovely. They were so fresh and so happy in the Lord’s love that they could not get on without meeting daily. And they had wonderful testimony outside, for they were “praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
This then was the result of Peter’s right use of “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,” and of “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” that day. And now, my reader, may you be like one of these three thousand — believe the Saviour, receive the Saviour, and confess the Saviour, and then you will know in your heart that you have received the forgiveness of your sins, and that the Holy Spirit dwells in you, as the seal of that forgiveness.