Sunday School Lesson
September 26
Lesson 4 (KJV)
PRAISE FOR SALVATION
DEVOTIONAL READING: Acts 2:37–47
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:32–33, 37–47
ACTS 2:32–33, 37–47
32. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44. And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45. And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
KEY TEXT
They continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.—Acts 2:42
LESSON AIMS
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Identify the transformation from sinful to saved.
2. Distinguish between elements related to justification (things that happen in order to be saved) and elements related to sanctification (things that happen for growth in holiness after one has been saved).
3. Brainstorm ways to enhance practices of the first-century church that should be continued in his or her church today.
HOW TO SAY IT
Corinthians
Ko-rin-thee-unz (th as in thin).
Deuteronomy Due-ter-ahn-uh-me.
diaspora dee-as-puh-ruh.
koinonia (Greek) koy-no-nee-uh.
Leviticus Leh-vit-ih-kus.
Messiah Meh-sigh-uh.
Nazareth Naz-uh-reth.
Pentecost Pent-ih-kost.
Samaria Suh-mare-ee-uh.
Theophilus Thee-ahf-ih-luss (th as in thin).
Introduction
A. No Longer Endangered
News about the endangered species list is rarely uplifting. Of the 719 animal species that have been listed for the US, at least 11 are extinct on the continent, and many more remain endangered. Only 27 animals have been taken off the list, due to species recovery. In December 2019, the latest three joined the list of recovered species: the Monito gecko, the Kirtland’s warbler, and the Foskett’s speckled dace. Removal from the endangered list requires evidence that the species can survive and flourish on its own in its natural environment. Many factors come into play to make sure that such recovery can be expected to continue. When all criteria are met, we can celebrate a successful recovery.
As new life can be breathed into dying species, God can breathe new life into endangered people. Today’s lesson gives us a dramatic example in this regard.
B. Lesson Context
The Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were both written by Luke, a Gentile disciple and physician (Colossians 4:14). The Gospel is like a Part 1, while Acts is Part 2. Luke addressed both of his books to a certain Theophilus (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). Acts 1:8 anticipated the spread of the gospel message from Jerusalem to Samaria and on to the remotest parts of the earth. The contents of the book of Acts span about 30 years, beginning in AD 30. The time frame of our lesson is 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection.
The apostle Peter was the one speaking in today’s text (see Acts 2:14). There’s a very good chance that many or most of his audience had been in the city during Jesus’ trials, crucifixion, and resurrection; it was natural for those making the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for observances of Passover and the feast of unleavened bread (Leviticus 23:5–6; Luke 22:1) to stay for the feast of weeks (Deuteronomy 16:9–12). The latter came to be known as Pentecost.
The people who heard Peter preach were from various locations (Acts 2:8–11). Imagine the nonstop talking in the streets about the events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth! There would have been rumors, questions, and doubts about the identity of Jesus. Did He really rise from the dead? Was He really the Christ?
At first glance, we may be surprised that Peter exhibited the boldness we see in today’s text. After all, he had denied Jesus three times before the crucifixion (Luke 22:54–62) and had cowered afterward in a locked room (John 20:19). But having been reinstated by Jesus himself after the resurrection (21:15–19), Peter became a different man.
I. A Divine Plan
(ACTS 2:32–33, 37–40)
A. Promises Fulfilled (vv. 32–33)
32. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
The Jewish people were expecting a king in the likeness of David (Matthew 12:23), not this Jesus. The people expected their Messiah to deliver them from Roman rule and “restore again the kingdom to Israel” (Acts 1:6). Instead, Jesus was a humble servant who had no palace (compare Isaiah 53:1–3; Luke 9:58). He came to provide forgiveness of sins and a better kingdom (John 18:36).
The people might not have recognized the arrival of the Messiah, but that was all in the plan of God from the beginning (Acts 2:22–23; Galatians 1:4). The death of Christ was no accident or unforeseen wrinkle; it was the perfectly executed plan from God. From the Garden of Eden, in which God promised to strike the serpent (Genesis 3:15; compare Romans 16:20), to the promise to Abraham, wherein his seed would be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:1–3), God worked His plan (compare Galatians 3:16–18). That plan included raising Jesus from the dead just as the Scriptures had predicted (Acts 2:23–35). The apostles were witnesses. They had seen Jesus alive again and had watched Him ascend to Heaven to sit at God’s right hand (see next verse; also Luke 24 and Acts 1).
What Do You Think?
How can Colossians 3:1, etc., help you guard against actions that would serve to damage your Christian witness?
Digging Deeper
How much difference does it make to your answer that our witness is not that of the text’s eyewitnesses? Why?
33a. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted.
To be at the right hand of someone is to be in the position of honor or preeminence (Genesis 48:13–20; Psalm 80:17; Acts 7:56; Ephesians 1:20; etc.). Peter expanded on this a bit by quoting Psalm 110:1 in Acts 2:34 (not in today’s text).
33b. And having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Just before returning to Heaven, Jesus reminded the disciples of His Father’s plan to send them the promised Holy Ghost (Luke 24:49; compare John 14:16–17; 15:26). God began to fulfill this promise as He poured out His Spirit in Acts 2:1–4.
The phrase which ye now see and hear points back to the evidence of the audible and visual phenomena of Acts 2:2–4. To correct a misinterpretation seen in Acts 2:13, Peter quoted from Joel 2:28–32 in Acts 2:16–21. That prophet had pronounced one of the greatest of all prophecies of Christ’s church. Joel foresaw Judah devastated by a terrifying locust plague (Joel 2:1–11). Yet God promised to remove the plague and pour out His blessings if the people repented (2:12–27). In looking into the distant future, Joel also said that God planned to do more than restore crops: He also promised to pour out His Spirit (2:28–29).
In Acts 2:34–36 (not in today’s text), Peter concluded his sermon with convicting words. His message is often called the first complete gospel sermon because it was the first public announcement of the significance of Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. The Scriptures had predicted that all this would happen to the Messiah (examples: Psalms 2; 16; 22; Isaiah 53; Luke 24:25–27).
B. Promises Offered (vv. 37–40)
37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
This gospel message penetrated like a sword (Hebrews 4:12) as the people were called to account. Many came to the painful realization that God sent Jesus out of love for them (see John 3:16) but they had rejected Him (Mark 10:32–34). Even though they had not personally driven the nails into His hands and feet, they had either agreed with those who did (Luke 23:21) or they had approved of the crucifixion by their silence.
Though we probably think of the reaction of being pricked in their heart as little more than a gut feeling, certainly many in the crowd had had their hearts prepared to receive correction from the Lord. A heart that is willing to ask What shall we do? is prepared to discover the rich blessings of God. In this case, the people were asking the apostles for immediate help with their realized need.
GOD’S PLAN OR MINE?
A few years ago, I was comfortable. Semi-retirement suited me, especially as I remarried after my first wife’s death. Everything was working according to my plan—until my new wife and I were approached by a ministry that served at-risk youth. The ministry was seeking a short-term leader who could effect some needed changes. The ministry leaders asked if we were interested. Our answer was essentially, “Not really. Life is going according to our plan.”
But soon came a request for a résumé and an interview. God’s plan was at work, and we engaged the new ministry. It turned out to be my most satisfying two years in a lifetime of ministry.
Israel’s plan for the type of Messiah they wanted and expected wasn’t working. That was because God had other plans. With the Spirit’s guidance, Peter was able to show the people how God was at work in ways they never expected! Are you alert to the possibility that your plan may not be God’s plan?
—C. R. B.
38a. Then Peter said unto them, Repent.
The words repent and repentance occur more than 50 times in the New Testament. To repent is to turn away from sin and toward God in heart, mind, and lifestyle (compare Ezekiel 14:6; 18:30; Acts 3:19; 26:20). Throughout history there have been moments of truth in which people were faced with the stark choice of either walking away from God or toward Him (Joshua 24:14–15; 2 Chronicles 7:14; etc.). A hard-hearted, prideful individual will not admit wrongdoing. But through repentance, that person can find peace with God. Instead of denying, excusing, or justifying sin, people must admit it and turn from it.
38b. And be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul later explained that to be baptized was to be “buried with [Jesus] … into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead … even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4; see also Colossians 2:12). He further noted that “as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).
There is nothing magical about the waters of baptism; rather, baptism is God’s chosen time when regeneration and renewal happen (Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21). As such, baptism is not a human work of merit (compare Ephesians 2:8–9); rather, it is a work of God.
38c. For the remission of sins.
Remission simply means “forgiveness,” as the same Greek word is translated in Mark 3:29 and Acts 5:31. The most important thing anyone can do when reaching the age of knowing that they have sinned against God is to have those sins forgiven. The wonderful thing is that God is willing to forgive us and to help us resist future sin. The former (known as justification) happens through Christ; the latter (known as sanctification) happens through the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:11; also see next).
38d. And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
With the gift of the Holy Ghost, Christians have the power to put off the works of the flesh and to bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–25). In this regard, Peter’s sermon foreshadows the church’s submission to the leading of the Spirit in the book of Acts and beyond.
39. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Those who heard this sermon likely understood all that are afar off to refer to Jews who had left Israel in the diaspora (the dispersion of Jews beyond Israel). That dispersion was not limited to the exiles of 2 Kings 17:6 and 25:21. The reality of the diaspora is a context of the first century AD, with Jews living all over the Roman Empire (see Acts 2:9–11; James 1:1).
In both Acts 8 and 10, there was confusion and questioning about the nature of God’s call. Christians of Jewish background initially believed that Jesus had come to redeem only Israel (compare Luke 24:21; Acts 11:18). But throughout the book of Acts, the Spirit led messengers to take the gospel to Gentiles as well.
40. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
The word translated untoward is also translated “crooked” in Luke 3:5. That’s the idea in Deuteronomy 32:5, which refers to “a perverse and crooked generation.” Christians must shine like stars in a sin-darkened world and keep themselves “unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).
What Do You Think?
Looking at 1 Peter 1:15–16, what is one way to increase your distance from the surrounding unholiness?
Digging Deeper
How does your status of being “in” but not “of” the world (John 17:13–19) speak to this?
II. A Divine Change
(ACTS 2:41–47)
A. Added to the Church (v. 41)
41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Modern estimates suggest that Jerusalem’s population was 60,000–80,000 at the time. With the annual observance of Pentecost, however, the number would have been temporarily much higher. The three thousand souls who accepted Peter’s message were therefore a small fraction of those who could have. Even so, their influence in Jerusalem and their hometowns located in the regions listed in Acts 2:9–11 could be enormous (compare Luke 13:20–21).
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES
I accepted Christ and was baptized at a young age. In middle age, I visited Israel. At a spot in the Jordan River, I watched as several in our tour group were baptized. Most also had been Christians from their youth.
As a teacher of Christianity, I focused on biblical truth. In that light, I knew of no precedent for rebaptism in the New Testament except in the case of John’s baptism (Acts 19:1–5). Since that didn’t apply to me, and since I had already been baptized, I decided not to join them.
Years later, I went to Israel again. I approached that trip from a different perspective. I had begun to look at faith less academically. I reflected on how abundantly God had blessed me since I had been baptized. Standing again at the Jordan River, I decided to be baptized again.
That decision was not necessary in God’s eyes since there is “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). But I did it as an act of personal spiritual and emotional renewal. How has your perspective on spiritual life changed with maturing faith?
—C. R. B.
B. The Active Church (vv. 42–46)
42a. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.
Decisions changed lives—and eternal destinies. The new Christians began stedfastly to do things four things that they had not done before.
For one thing, they heeded the apostles’ doctrine (teaching). Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would guide the apostles “into all truth” (John 16:13). They passed those truths along as they taught about Jesus. That life-changing message, preserved in the pages of the New Testament, remains the very center of the Christian faith. True doctrine is important!
42b. And fellowship.
The new Christians’ steadfastness in fellowship is still a model for today. We have the privilege of belonging to the greatest family on earth as we work together to spread the good news. The Greek word being translated is koinonia, and many churches use that word as the name of one of their Bible study classes: Koinonia Class. When Christians pool their time, talent, and treasure into the gospel task, we can say they are “fellowshipping” in the gospel (Galatians 2:9; 1 John 1:3–7).
43c. And in breaking of bread.
Breaking of bread could refer either to an ordinary meal or to the Lord’s Supper (compare and contrast Luke 9:16; 24:30; Acts 20:7; 27:33–36; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:23–24). Just which is in view here is a matter of some debate. At the very least, we should think that these meals involved close fellowship since that was just noted.
43d. And in prayers.
Although prayer is mentioned fourth, that doesn’t mean it’s the least important! Whether prayers were offered by an individual (Acts 26:29) or Christians joined together (12:5), these earliest believers realized how important prayer was to their new relationship with God. And so it is today.
What Do You Think?
What plan for change do you have for strengthening your weakest area of the four mentioned in this verse?
Digging Deeper
What kind of help will you accept to do so?
43a. And fear came upon every soul.
Many present in the Pentecost crowd seemed to have been terrified when they realized they had rejected and killed the Messiah. But the fear mentioned here is not of that type. Rather, the idea is one of respect, reverence, and awe.
43b. And many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
God continued to shake Jerusalem by empowering the apostles to do miracles, which is what wonders and signs are (see also Acts 2:19; 2:22; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 14:3; 15:12). The miracles were wonders because those who witnessed them were amazed. They were signs because they pointed people to the truth about Jesus (compare John 14:11).
44–45. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
One of the most important characteristics of Christians is generosity. The fact that these earliest Christians had all things common indicates that they shared their possessions, going so far as to sell property and give as anyone had need (example: Acts 4:32–37). There would have been a pressing need during this time because of those who had stayed in Jerusalem following Pentecost. These new Christians seemed to have lingered in town to continue in fellowship. Provisions would have likely run out for some, given the extension of the originally planned length of the trip.
God helps the needy, and Christians must be like-minded (Galatians 6:10; 1 John 3:17–18). This is one of the first lessons that the earliest Christians learned, and they learned it quite well.
46. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.
These earliest Christians found strength in getting together daily. Larger groups could meet in the temple, while smaller gatherings could meet house to house.
Temple gatherings occurred specifically “in Solomon’s porch” (Acts 5:12), along the east side of the outer court. Jesus had been here (John 10:23), and it became the site of a miracle that resulted in another sermon by Peter (Acts 3:11–26) and sharp confrontation with opponents (chapter 4).
Meeting in one another’s homes was more conducive to sharing meals and personal interactions. The singleness of heart that led to or resulted from such gatherings set them apart from the rest of the world (see also Acts 5:42; 20:7). This happened as a natural outflowing of love, helping bind together those of “like precious faith” (2 Peter 1:1).
In modern US society, Christians can allow themselves to become too busy to engage in this kind of fellowship. We may get home after work, shut the garage door, and “cocoon” for the rest of the evening. What a tragedy to miss out on opportunities that can bind the church together!
What Do You Think?
How do the attitudes and practices in Acts 2:46 aid you in answering the questions associated with Acts 2:42, above?
Digging Deeper
Which of the areas does your church need to promote most to avoid the divisions of Romans 16:17 and 1 Corinthians 1:10; 11:18?
C. A Growing Group (v. 47)
47. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Public meetings in the temple meant that the earliest Christians were not huddling together in secret. Instead, their public witness gained them favour with the people. To have a good reputation with outsiders is important for attracting them to Jesus (Colossians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:10–12; 1 Timothy 3:7). And that seemed to be what was happening here as the church continued to grow daily. As the first Christians succeeded in being a strong, loving witness to the community, they also had God’s approval. After all, He is the one who ultimately saves (compare Romans 3:24–26 and Titus 3:4–7).
Conclusion
A. Transformation
The most powerful realization from today’s text is that Christ is still good news for a dying world—He has been since the Day of Pentecost, and He will continue to be so until He returns. Until then, we must share Jesus with everyone we can.
Foundational to this effort is a sense of awe, which is often missing in the church today. Sometimes our worship services feel stale. Our prayer lives may dry up. We allow the urgent to distract us from the important. But in those times, we can ask for transformation as we cry for God to “restore unto me the joy of thy salvation” (Psalm 51:12).
God still works in and through His people. May we be aware of His movement in our lives, our churches, and our communities so that we too may see the church growing daily.
What Do You Think?
Which concept or imperative in today’s lesson do you have the most trouble coming to grips with? Why?
Digging Deeper
How will you resolve this problem?
B. Prayer
Lord, thank You for being the God of transformation! As You have been merciful, patient, and forgiving to us in that regard, may we be so to others who need to hear of Your Son. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
God can transform those who have ready hearts.
