Today's Devotion

November 16, 2010

The Makings of a Good Sermon

Today we read the rest of Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. There are some features to this sermon that merit our attention. As you read Peter’s message you will discover; The identity of the Savior, The guilt of the sinner, The goal of resurrection, The testimony of Scripture, and a clear concise summary of the facts.

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—— “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. “For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’ “Men [and] brethren, let [me] speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. “Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, “he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:22-36 NKJV)

The Identity of the Savior
This may seem like a simple thing, but in the confusion of the day there are many who masquerade as the Savior. A good Gospel presentation must cut through all the church-talk to find common ground with the listener. We live in a country where everyone knows the name Jesus Christ, but few know who He really is. Many know He is called the Son of God, but don’t understand that He is God. Try to lead people into this truth by opening the Scriptures to them. Let them read about Christ in passages that demand a decision about Him. Is He Lord, liar, lunatic? He must be one of these when you look at His message.

The Guilt of the Sinner
Peter laid the guilt of Christ’s crucifixion right on the shoulders of the Israelites. People need to know they are guilty of sin. They need to understand that the wages of that sin is death. Don’t try to coddle people by offering them a wonderful plan for their life. Explain condemnation to them so they might flee from the wrath of God and seek forgiveness by faith.

The Goal of Resurrection
While we don’t want to coddle people, we do want to give them hope. The goal is to be resurrected with Christ, to be born again into the Kingdom of God. All men fear death at some level even though they suppress that truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18-23). Explain that salvation is freedom from sin, its dominion as well as its guilt.

However, we need to beware of offering hope before hope is needed. It’s interesting that Peter does not offer this to these men until after they ask what they need to do. He speaks of the resurrection of Christ but does not offer them anything. He does declare Him to be both Lord and Christ which would have given them some understanding. But, again, he withholds the altar call. Only after they ask, does he give them the solution.

The Testimony of Scripture
Personal testimonies are fine, but faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Unless you have demonstrated a walk of holiness before the one to whom you speak, your testimony is little more than a sales pitch; And, if you have not live circumspectly, then it might even hurt your message. Open the Bible and let them read the words of life. Peter preached the Word to these men.

The Need for Summation
When people are confronted from the Scriptures and their minds travel to that place of introspection, they often miss some of the details of the message. When they are seeing their lives silhouetted against the background of Scripture, guilt may overwhelm them. Remember to give a concise summary just in case they were distracted by their emotions and failed to hear everything clearly.

I hope you are praying for people and desiring to be used of the Lord. God has not left the business of saving people. He is just as powerful and just as desirous to see men repent. Let us be like Isaiah when the Lord ask, "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Let us stand up and say, "Here am I! Send me." (Isaiah 6:8)