Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
David prophesied of Jesus that God would show Him the path of life and fill Him with gladness by His own presence. This was fulfilled when God raised Jesus from the dead before His body saw corruption and exalted Him to heaven as Lord and Christ. Peter applied this prophecy to Christ in his bold, Spirit-inspired testimony on the day of Pentecost, proclaiming the same Jesus whom his hearers crucified as the risen Prince and Saviour exalted to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. Through Jesus God still makes known the way of life and gives fullness of joy in His presence, filling the humble, contrite soul that keeps Christ continually before the heart by faith with glad praise. That joy carries a wonderful promise that even if Christ's followers lose their lives they will rise from the dead and receive crowns of glory, and it moves those who have received it to carry the message of repentance and forgiveness to others in willing obedience and love.
Pentecost Sermon Setting
Acts 2:28 belongs to Peter's firm, bold, Spirit-inspired testimony about Christ on the day of Pentecost, addressed to those who had rejected Him and demanded His crucifixion. His bold witness there shows his divine restoration, for complete restoration reaches the depths of the soul through the Holy Spirit's transforming power.
The disciples gave this witness after receiving the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem at the time of the great religious festival. They had spent several days together confessing their sins and praying for the Holy Spirit in obedience to Jesus telling them not to depart from Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father, and were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind filled the house, cloven tongues like fire sat on each of them, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke with other tongues. God then used them to give the multitudes assembled from every nation the message of the risen Saviour with power to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.
The sermon proclaimed that God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted the same Jesus whom they crucified as both Lord and Christ. He was proclaimed by disciples after the descent of the Holy Spirit as a risen Saviour, a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins, with one desire for the salvation of souls. Empowered by the Holy Spirit they bore witness to the truth about Christ and carried the message of repentance and forgiveness to others.
It was preached in the demonstration of the Spirit and with power, its great and mighty subject being the Spirit unfolding Jesus and glorifying Him before eyes that before saw no beauty in Him to desire Him. It lifted up His work and character, whose glorious inner beauties are not discerned with natural eyes, for it is the Spirit that gives life. It explained the mystery of the cross together with mysteries concerning the Messiah. Through it people who had condemned Jesus became convinced that He was no pretender and were converted to Christ, for beholding the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world brings repentance.
Hearts were pricked leading to repentance and baptism every one in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost promised to them and to their children and to all afar off. About three thousand gladly received, were baptized, and were added in one day, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and they went out and preached the Word everywhere with thousands converted in a day. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house eating with gladness and singleness of heart. They were praising God and having favor with the people, while the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
David's Prophecy Fulfilled
Acts 2:28 is part of David's prophecy about Jesus, spoken by David as a prophet foretelling Christ's future life and ministry, which Peter on Pentecost applies directly to Christ. David foresaw the Lord and declared that God would make known to Him the ways of life and fill Him with joy by His presence. The promise is that Christ finds life revealed to Him and fullness of joy in God's presence.
That prophecy was fulfilled in Christ's resurrection and ascension, when God raised Jesus before His body saw corruption and exalted Him to heaven. God did not leave Him among the dead, death could not hold Him, and His body did not decay. The disciples witnessed His resurrection, and He was exalted as Lord and Christ.
Jesus truly rose with His body not seeing corruption, the tomb being empty early on the morning of the first day of the week except for the shroud that had wrapped His body and the napkin that had been about His head. He was seen alive and talked with, joining two disciples on the way to Emmaus and revealing Himself to the eleven in the upper chamber, while risen saints also testified to His resurrection. This certain evidence triumphed over the priests' hired lie that the body was stolen and established Christianity on proof that could not be controverted.
Life and Joy Promised
The promise declares that God reveals the path to life through Jesus and fills with complete joy by His presence, as the One raised from the dead and exalted as both Lord and Christ. It holds a wonderful assurance that even if His followers lose their lives, they will rise from the dead, and Christ Himself will bring them forth and place crowns of glory upon their heads. The Lord makes the ways of life known and fills the humble, contrite soul with joy by the light of His face. That joy is received by faith in Christ and by keeping Him continually before the heart, and it produces glad praise rather than self-exaltation or disparaging others. Joy is found in God's presence, and this is seen in the gladness of those who serve God acceptably with patience and hope and unselfish care for fellow workers.
The chapter to which the promise belongs bears witness of Christ as the crucified One whom God made both Lord and Christ, proclaimed by disciples after the descent of the Holy Spirit as a risen Saviour with one desire for the salvation of souls. Hearts were pricked unto repentance and baptism, every one in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins, to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost promised to them and to their children and to all afar off, with about three thousand gladly receiving and being baptized and added. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, eating with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with the people, while the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. It shows rejoicing in the sweetness of communion with saints, in tenderness and thoughtfulness and self-denial and willingness to sacrifice for the truth, revealing in word and deed the love Christ commanded in order to awaken love in other hearts. Believers are therefore called to cherish that apostolic love, to go forward in willing obedience to love one another as Christ loved, to be so closely united to Christ as to fulfill His requirements, and to magnify the power of a Saviour who justifies by His righteousness. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the disciples bore witness to the truth about Christ's resurrection and carried the message of repentance and forgiveness to others.
The promise belongs to the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and they went out and preached the Word everywhere with thousands converted in a day. It shows that sinners are to be converted and that believers have something to do in it. That same Spirit is needed now through the self-denying life of Christ, making people hungry to hear the Word. The Bible is to be taken from house to house to bring souls to the knowledge of the truth, as believers wake from stupor and indifference to give the message in this judgment hour.
David prophesied of Jesus that God would show Him the path of life and fill Him with gladness by His own presence. This was fulfilled when God raised Jesus from the dead before His body saw corruption and exalted Him to heaven as Lord and Christ. Peter applied this prophecy to Christ in his bold, Spirit-inspired testimony on the day of Pentecost, proclaiming the same Jesus whom his hearers crucified as the risen Prince and Saviour exalted to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. Through Jesus God still makes known the way of life and gives fullness of joy in His presence, filling the humble, contrite soul that keeps Christ continually before the heart by faith with glad praise. That joy carries a wonderful promise that even if Christ's followers lose their lives they will rise from the dead and receive crowns of glory, and it moves those who have received it to carry the message of repentance and forgiveness to others in willing obedience and love.
Pentecost Sermon Setting
Acts 2:28 belongs to Peter's firm, bold, Spirit-inspired testimony about Christ on the day of Pentecost, addressed to those who had rejected Him and demanded His crucifixion. His bold witness there shows his divine restoration, for complete restoration reaches the depths of the soul through the Holy Spirit's transforming power.
The disciples gave this witness after receiving the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem at the time of the great religious festival. They had spent several days together confessing their sins and praying for the Holy Spirit in obedience to Jesus telling them not to depart from Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father, and were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind filled the house, cloven tongues like fire sat on each of them, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke with other tongues. God then used them to give the multitudes assembled from every nation the message of the risen Saviour with power to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.
The sermon proclaimed that God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted the same Jesus whom they crucified as both Lord and Christ. He was proclaimed by disciples after the descent of the Holy Spirit as a risen Saviour, a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins, with one desire for the salvation of souls. Empowered by the Holy Spirit they bore witness to the truth about Christ and carried the message of repentance and forgiveness to others.
It was preached in the demonstration of the Spirit and with power, its great and mighty subject being the Spirit unfolding Jesus and glorifying Him before eyes that before saw no beauty in Him to desire Him. It lifted up His work and character, whose glorious inner beauties are not discerned with natural eyes, for it is the Spirit that gives life. It explained the mystery of the cross together with mysteries concerning the Messiah. Through it people who had condemned Jesus became convinced that He was no pretender and were converted to Christ, for beholding the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world brings repentance.
Hearts were pricked leading to repentance and baptism every one in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost promised to them and to their children and to all afar off. About three thousand gladly received, were baptized, and were added in one day, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and they went out and preached the Word everywhere with thousands converted in a day. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house eating with gladness and singleness of heart. They were praising God and having favor with the people, while the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
David's Prophecy Fulfilled
Acts 2:28 is part of David's prophecy about Jesus, spoken by David as a prophet foretelling Christ's future life and ministry, which Peter on Pentecost applies directly to Christ. David foresaw the Lord and declared that God would make known to Him the ways of life and fill Him with joy by His presence. The promise is that Christ finds life revealed to Him and fullness of joy in God's presence.
That prophecy was fulfilled in Christ's resurrection and ascension, when God raised Jesus before His body saw corruption and exalted Him to heaven. God did not leave Him among the dead, death could not hold Him, and His body did not decay. The disciples witnessed His resurrection, and He was exalted as Lord and Christ.
Jesus truly rose with His body not seeing corruption, the tomb being empty early on the morning of the first day of the week except for the shroud that had wrapped His body and the napkin that had been about His head. He was seen alive and talked with, joining two disciples on the way to Emmaus and revealing Himself to the eleven in the upper chamber, while risen saints also testified to His resurrection. This certain evidence triumphed over the priests' hired lie that the body was stolen and established Christianity on proof that could not be controverted.
Life and Joy Promised
The promise declares that God reveals the path to life through Jesus and fills with complete joy by His presence, as the One raised from the dead and exalted as both Lord and Christ. It holds a wonderful assurance that even if His followers lose their lives, they will rise from the dead, and Christ Himself will bring them forth and place crowns of glory upon their heads. The Lord makes the ways of life known and fills the humble, contrite soul with joy by the light of His face. That joy is received by faith in Christ and by keeping Him continually before the heart, and it produces glad praise rather than self-exaltation or disparaging others. Joy is found in God's presence, and this is seen in the gladness of those who serve God acceptably with patience and hope and unselfish care for fellow workers.
The chapter to which the promise belongs bears witness of Christ as the crucified One whom God made both Lord and Christ, proclaimed by disciples after the descent of the Holy Spirit as a risen Saviour with one desire for the salvation of souls. Hearts were pricked unto repentance and baptism, every one in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins, to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost promised to them and to their children and to all afar off, with about three thousand gladly receiving and being baptized and added. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, eating with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with the people, while the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. It shows rejoicing in the sweetness of communion with saints, in tenderness and thoughtfulness and self-denial and willingness to sacrifice for the truth, revealing in word and deed the love Christ commanded in order to awaken love in other hearts. Believers are therefore called to cherish that apostolic love, to go forward in willing obedience to love one another as Christ loved, to be so closely united to Christ as to fulfill His requirements, and to magnify the power of a Saviour who justifies by His righteousness. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the disciples bore witness to the truth about Christ's resurrection and carried the message of repentance and forgiveness to others.
The promise belongs to the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and they went out and preached the Word everywhere with thousands converted in a day. It shows that sinners are to be converted and that believers have something to do in it. That same Spirit is needed now through the self-denying life of Christ, making people hungry to hear the Word. The Bible is to be taken from house to house to bring souls to the knowledge of the truth, as believers wake from stupor and indifference to give the message in this judgment hour.