Scroll down to see and play Audio.
Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Identity is a big deal isn’t it? Each person breathing today is unique among 7.6 Billion humans alive, in fact each of us is unique from all humans who have ever existed, isn’t that true? So, what defines you as a unique person, my friend? What is YOUR unique IDENTITY?
Of course your fingerprint, your DNA, the pupil of your eye…but what else? I think your IDENTITY is the unique combination of your family heritage, your personality, your passions, your life experiences, the major events of your life, your educational journey, how you are pursuing your hopes and dreams for your future and of course your spiritual journey. These and more, all combine to make you uniquely YOU! But here’s the big question: how are you taking advantage of your uniqueness? What would we all be missing if suddenly you weren’t alive?
Our “Walking with Jesus” journey has brought us to a very special moment in history, found in Acts 2. Please join me and several thousand ‘amazed and perplexed’ people in Jerusalem, about 2000 years ago. The “Feast of Weeks” has filled Jerusalem to overflowing with unique, Jewish people from all around the known world. An unexplainable spectacle has occurred with about 120 people who are close friends of Jesus. 10 days ago, Jesus shockingly said goodbye and miraculously elevated into the clouds in full view of many of these friends. For 10 days these friends of Jesus have been together in Jerusalem and suddenly, within the past few hours, what looked like tongues of fire fell from heaven upon each of them, without burning them, and they began to speak in languages they had never learned. A crowd quickly gathered and were astonished because each language being spoken is understood by some of these pilgrims! These are the languages they speak back in their home regions. I doubt we can fully appreciate the frenzy, the noise, the confusion.
Some say these friends of Jesus are drunk! But suddenly one loud voice is calling for quiet. He’s one of Jesus’ disciples, a unique man for sure! Galilean fisherman Peter. I wonder how many people in the crowd recognized Peter? Perhaps some of the disciples covered their eyes not wanting to see what might happened next. It was only 53 days ago or so that Peter had boldly boasted he’d follow Jesus anywhere, including to death if need be, and only a few hours later, he melted in fear and denied three times that he even knew Jesus. Peter was unpredictable, that was for sure!
But this was not the same Peter as the man who’d run into the night shadows when he denied Jesus. May I suggest Peter was a man of several identity changes in his life, and I think we can learn somethings from him, right here. You’ll recall when Peter and Jesus first met, Peter experienced an identity change! Jesus said to him, “You are Simon son of John, but you will be called Cephas.” (John 1:42) His family heritage was his identity until that moment. But this new name Jesus gave him was predicting that Jesus knew his future strong, reliable, unwavering, rock-like commitment to Jesus, would become Peter’s identity! Peter’s identity had been as a fisher of fish, but he left the nets, and his identity through the centuries has been a fearless Apostle of Jesus. Yes, it’s true, for a few weeks Peter’s identity had been the failure and shame of denying Jesus, but on the shoreline that day over breakfast, Jesus forgave and restored Peter to his important role as an ambassador of Jesus. (John 21)
So I invite us all to look back over our lives for a moment. What was your identity when you were 10 yrs old? How about as a teenager and then again a young man or woman in your 20’s? What was your identity in your 30’s or 40’s, or if you are old enough, when you turned 50 or how about 60 or even 75? Finally, what is your identity if you are among the most seasoned of us all, in your 80’s or 90’s? What has caused the change of identity in your life journey from season to season? I invite you to give some thought to this and write down a word or phrase which you think was your identity in each of the various seasons of your life. Then ask yourself the simple question why? What were the contributing factors which defined your identity in each season?
The loud voice, bearded, former fisherman, turned passionate, bold, follower of Jesus now has everyone’s attention. Look at Acts 2:14-36 and you’ll see a remarkable moment in history. Peter is no Rabbi, nor trained by a Rabbit to be an orator, yet what he shouts over the crowd must have stunned them and especially any learned scholars among them! Peter rejects those who accuse the Holy Spirit filled, Jesus followers as being drunk, and offers a more plausible, yet shocking explanation.
Because these are Jews, they know their history very well and Peter quotes one of their relatively minor prophets, Joel. We have Joel’s writings in our Old Testament. Joel had been led by God to write a description of what God was going to do in what Joel called ‘the last days’. The people were not exactly sure what all these ‘last days’ would entail, nor when they would occur, but each generation hoped these days would come in their lifetime, and certainly they expected the Messiah would make His long awaited appearance somewhere in these ‘last days’.
Peter quoted Joel’s prophetic words to explain the IDENTITY of Jesus Christ to these thousands of pilgrims from the far reaches of the Roman Empire. Never before had anyone made such bold claims about a person, much less in such a unique venue with representatives from every corner of the Empire listening. In a way the entire known world was listening to Peter!
Peter raised his voice: “Listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.” (Acts 2:22) It was a bold but undeniable statement. Everyone present had heard of Jesus, and the amazing miracles He had preformed, His amazing teaching and most of all, the reports of His claim that He was sent by God! Peter began with a bold statement which demanded that every person listening make a decision… what did they believe was Jesus’ true IDENTITY? What did God have to do with this man Jesus and what He had done and said? I suspect Peter paused right here and let his bold proclamation hang in the air, simmer on the stove top of their minds and hearts. Everyone could feel the turmoil down deep inside… who did they really believe this Jesus was? Peter was challenging them to take a stand, to make a decision.
Peter took a deep breath and shouted… “This man Jesus was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.” It was as though everyone in the crowd had been punched in the stomach. What a powerful, profound, punishing accusation. Peter was saying each of them had a hand in crucifying Jesus! I can see many shaking their heads, refusing to accept the blame. But then wait a moment…Peter had said it all happened according to “God’s set purpose and foreknowledge”! Was Peter claiming it was all somehow a Plan of God? How could that be?
Peter had paused again, waiting for the buzz of whispered questions to calm down. When all eyes were riveted back on Peter he continued: “But God raised Jesus from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.” Now the whispers turned to a low rumble of comments and questions as the people turned to each other. Peter was declaring what many had only heard rumors about. Resurrection? How? Why? What did it all mean?
Peter then moved from quoting Joel the prophet to quoting the greatest King of Israel of all time, David. “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.” All across the crowd heads nodded in agreement. Everyone knew where David’s tomb was in Jerusalem. On the pilgrimages to Jerusalem it was a must stop, for other than Moses and Abraham, David was the most revered of all their great ancestors.
Masterfully Peter explained David’s Psalm in a way no one had ever imagined: “Seeing what was ahead, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay.” While the people knew David as the God blessed shepherd boy who had killed the giant Goliath, and their great king who had conquered Jerusalem and made it the capital of their nation, and they knew David as the father of King Solomon who had built their great Temple, Peter was declaring king David was also a prophet who pointed forward to the Messiah!
And then in full voice Peter made his boldest declaration of all: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of this fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” (Acts 2:32,33) I think Peter pointed to his fellow apostles and those who had been with them when the Holy Spirit came in fire. These were the eye witnesses… of the resurrection of Jesus, the ascension of Jesus, and now the coming of the Holy Spirit of God in great power, as Jesus had predicted!! Eye Witnesses!
The buzz of shouting and talking must have sounded like a stadium full of excited football fans as the people were amazed, excited, almost overwhelmed by what Peter was declaring. Look, do you see Peter raising his arms calling for quiet…he is not finished yet! Let’s listen carefully to what more he has to say: “Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord (Adonai) and Christ (Messiah)!“ At this the crowd erupted, it was deafening. Could it be true? Jesus of Nazareth was their long awaited Messiah? And they had agreed to His crucifixion? If true, what great judgment was God preparing to pour out upon them? Would they be struck blind, or would their skin suddenly turn white with leprosy? Would God send snakes among them or locusts or scorpions? Or would God send the angel of death and slay them all where they stood?
Dr. Luke writes: “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do’?” The moment of reckoning had come. Deeply convicted of their sin, realizing God had every right to kill them where they stood… what should they do? Freeze this moment my friends… it is the same for you, me and every living person. We all must come to the place we realize our guilt is overwhelming and essentially it is our identity. Above all we are sinful people guilty of a lifetime of sin against God. Justice must be served and we deserve eternal separation from Holy God! It is here we are finally ready to meet the resurrected Jesus and consider all He has done so our IDENTITY can be changed from despicable sinner to someone transformed by God’s mercy and grace!
So let’s just stay right here in the middle of this crowd, for the rest of today. Look at Peter, and let’s contemplate the bold, powerful truths he has spoken. “What shall we do”? I urge you to speak with Jesus right now… what does your heart want to say to Him? And listen carefully, what does Jesus want to say to you?
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.