Cut To The Heart

Read: Acts 2:14-41; Focus on 37-41 (Peter’s Sermon Part 3)

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”” (v.37) 

“What shall I do?” If you are genuinely in Christ, you have asked this same question. There is a point when the weight of your sin and your need to be saved from yourself intersects with the powerful work of the Holy Spirit and you are laid bare. In that moment you cry out to the Lord in surrender, and ask “what shall I do?” This crowd feels that very same weight. This is the sensation of being called by the Lord. The movement of the Holy Spirit in God’s people will inevitably result in these sorts of moments. God’s calling does not stop with salvation. It is actually the first of many interactions where the Lord brings us closer and closer to him. It is the first of many times that we ask, “what shall I do?” In terms of salvation, we need to be reminded that there are really two different responses in these moments: “mocking” and “repentance with baptism”. (v.13, 38, 41) How does God respond when we answer his call and “repent”? 

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (v.21) We are “saved”… saved from ourselves… saved from pointlessness… saved from hopelessness… saved from death. This is what happens when we “call upon the name of the Lord” and “repent and are baptized”: we are “saved”, our “sins are forgiven” and we “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (v.13, 38) Look at the way this life in Christ is described:

“…therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

my flesh also will dwell in hope.

For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One see corruption.

You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.” (v. 25-28, Ps. 16:8-11)

We are given a glad heart. Our words overflow with praise. We are given hope… hope to carry on in the midst of difficulty! Our souls are not “abandoned to Hades”, we are given hope not only for this part of our lives, but for the life ahead… our life everlasting. God “makes known to us the paths of life”… we learn how to walk into things that GIVE life not take it! We are filled with “gladness”. Finally, we are freed from the lifelong fear of dying because our lives are “hidden in Christ” and it is NOT POSSIBLE for death to hold Christ; “ God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” (v.24, cf. Heb. 2:14, Col. 3:3) In these “last days'' this is what God is pouring out onto his people! This is what God is doing. It is the final stage of his plan that he kicked off at Pentecost and is carrying out to this very day. It is a “promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (v.39) Talk about thanks-giving! 

“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (v.41) It is mysterious to me exactly who “receives” the word and who walks away “mocking”. Who can imagine the moment that 3000 people respond to Christ and are baptized and join the C/church!?! It takes a church a month of planning these days to execute a “baptism” service for 6 people and then another 6 months for them to have a “new members” class to bring 10 more people in as members… Peter preached a sermon and 3000 people responded and their “souls” were added that day! The simplicity of it is striking: the gospel truth is declared and held out, and a portion of the people respond. In that moment their “souls are added”. All joking aside, and to be fair to the church, there was obviously work that followed this account… good work… but I never want us to over-complicate what God has made clear! Have you asked God “ what shall I do?” Have you “called upon the name of the Lord”? Look back at this passage and all that God has in store for you. This is the unstoppable work of the Kingdom of God! What an exciting time for the people of God to be alive. When Spirit driven ministry in the midst of God’s people combines with the declaration of his word, the result is people being “cut to the heart” and “calling upon the name of the Lord”!  Have you experienced this yourself? Love you guys. - JDP