This blog post is based on a sermon delivered on September 14, 2025. Listen to the full audio here.

When Peter stood up on the Day of Pentecost to address the crowd gathered in Jerusalem, he delivered one of history’s most powerful and effective sermons. In a single message, about 3,000 people came to faith in Christ. What made his proclamation so compelling? More importantly, what can we learn from it for our own gospel witness today?

The Context: From Confusion to Clarity

The scene in Acts 2 is dramatic. The Holy Spirit has just been poured out on the apostles with the sound of rushing wind and tongues of fire. They’re speaking in languages they’ve never learned, declaring God’s mighty works to Jews from across the Roman Empire who have gathered for Pentecost. Some observers are amazed; others mock, suggesting the apostles are drunk at nine in the morning.

Peter’s response is masterful. Rather than becoming defensive, he immediately connects what’s happening to Scripture, quoting the prophet Joel: “And it shall be in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind.”

The Four Essential Elements

What’s remarkable about Peter’s sermon is how precisely it follows the blueprint Jesus had given the apostles. In Luke 24, after His resurrection, Jesus opened their minds to understand that the Scriptures taught four essential truths they were to witness about:

1. The Christ Would Suffer

Peter doesn’t shy away from the difficult truth. He tells his audience directly: “This man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (Acts 2:23).

Notice how Peter holds two truths in tension—God’s sovereignty (it was His predetermined plan) and human responsibility (you nailed Him to a cross). The suffering of Christ was both divinely ordained and humanly executed.

2. The Christ Would Rise Again

Peter dedicates significant time to the resurrection, quoting Psalm 16 to prove that David was prophesying about the Messiah, not himself: “You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay” (Acts 2:27).

This is crucial. David died and was buried—his tomb was still there in Jerusalem. But Jesus rose from the dead, and Peter declares boldly: “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32). This wasn’t the rambling of one person but the unified testimony of multiple eyewitnesses.

3. The Christ Would Enter His Glory

Here’s an element often missing from modern gospel presentations: Christ’s exaltation. Peter proclaims: “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear” (Acts 2:33).

This changes everything about how we present the gospel. We’re not asking people to “make Jesus Lord of their life”—that subtly gives them authority over Christ. Instead, we’re declaring that God has already made Him Lord, whether anyone acknowledges it or not. As Peter states definitively: “Let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36).

4. Repentance for Forgiveness Would Be Proclaimed

When the crowd is “pierced to the heart” and asks what they should do, Peter doesn’t heap condemnation on them. Instead, he offers the beautiful promise of the gospel: “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

Peter connects two profound promises: forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t just about getting our sins erased; it’s about receiving the very presence of God to transform us from within. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live differently, to bear witness, and to be progressively conformed to the image of Christ.

Peter emphasizes the scope of this promise: “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself” (Acts 2:39). The same promise that transformed Peter from a fearful denier into a bold proclaimer is available to us today.

Why This Matters for Us Today

We’re Still in the “Last Days”

Peter identified Pentecost as the beginning of “the last days”—a period that continues until Christ returns. We’re living in the same era of salvation history, with the same gospel to proclaim and the same Spirit to empower us.

The Gospel Hasn’t Changed

The elements Peter proclaimed are the same ones we need to declare today:

• Christ suffered for our sins
• He rose from the dead
• He is exalted as Lord of all
• Forgiveness is available in the name of Jesus to all who repent and believe the gospel

We Have the Same Power Available

The Holy Spirit who empowered Peter’s sermon is the same Spirit available to believers today. We don’t need to be eloquent orators or have magnetic personalities. We simply need to faithfully proclaim these truths, trusting the Spirit to work.

A Challenge for Today

Peter’s sermon challenges us to examine our own gospel witness. Are we including all four elements? Are we proclaiming Christ as the already-established Lord, or are we subtly suggesting people have the power to decide whether He gets to be Lord? Are we offering both forgiveness and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit?

Peter concludes with an urgent exhortation: “Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40). The call isn’t to be saved from life’s difficulties or to have a better life experience. It’s a call to be saved from a way of life that’s contrary to God’s design—to be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

The Question That Remains

The early church took this message and spread it throughout the known world. Generation after generation has passed it on, which is why we have the gospel today. The question is: Will it stop with us? Will we faithfully proclaim these same truths with the same Spirit’s power, or will we try to create our own version of the gospel, leaving out the parts that seem difficult or adding elements God never commanded?

The world needs the authentic gospel—the one Peter preached at Pentecost. It needs to hear that the Christ suffered and rose again, that He is Lord of all, and that forgiveness and transformation are available to all who repent and believe. This message has the power to pierce hearts and change lives, just as it did 2,000 years ago.

The elements are simple. The power is available. The only question is: Will we be faithful witnesses?

For the complete exposition of this passage and its application to our lives today, listen to the full sermon here.