This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
God raised Jesus from the dead, and the disciples and apostles are all personal witnesses of His resurrection. Their witness rests on assured eyewitness knowledge, for they had seen the risen Savior, spoken with Him after He rose, and watched His ascension, which filled them with gladness and triumph. His rising fulfills David's prophecy that the Holy One would not remain in the grave to see corruption, which could not refer to David who died and remained buried, and being exalted at God's right hand He received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and poured out what was seen and heard at Pentecost. Empowered by the Spirit they bore bold, unhesitating testimony at Pentecost to the very people who had rejected Jesus and demanded His crucifixion, declaring Him to be the divine Prince of Life whom God made both Lord and Christ, so that about three thousand gladly received the word, repented, were baptized, and received remission and the gift of the Spirit. It is the Spirit unfolding and glorifying Jesus that opens blind eyes to His beauty and brings repentance, and that same outpouring is to be sought now, with believers witnessing not only by preaching but by living the truth, loving one another, and carrying the Word house to house.
Witness at Pentecost
This Jesus God raised from the dead, and the disciples and apostles are all witnesses of the resurrection. The resurrection is God's act in raising Jesus, and the apostles bear public witness to that gospel event.
The witness rests on personal eyewitness knowledge, for they had seen the risen Savior. They had spoken with Jesus after His resurrection and had witnessed His ascension, and the Holy Spirit empowered them to testify boldly before the gathered crowds. This assured knowledge filled them with gladness and triumph rather than sorrow over disappointed hopes, and made their testimony at Pentecost assured and powerful because they now knew Jesus to be of divine origin, the Messiah and the Savior.
The testimony was given at Pentecost to the multitudes assembled in Jerusalem for the great religious festival. After spending days together confessing sins and praying for the Holy Spirit in obedience to the command not to depart from Jerusalem until receiving the promise of the Father, they were filled with the Holy Ghost. There came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind with cloven tongues like as of fire, and they began to speak with other tongues so that Jews out of every nation heard them speak the wonderful works of God in their own languages. It was after the descent of the Holy Spirit and when special miracles were wrought that they went forth as witnesses to proclaim a risen Savior.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit after His descent and in fulfillment of the Savior's promise of the Spirit, they went forth as bold, decided, and unhesitating witnesses. They proclaimed with assurance and power because they had personally witnessed the resurrection and knew Him to be the Son of God, of divine origin, the Messiah and Savior, the Prince of Life exalted at God's right hand though humiliated and crucified. Their firm, bold acknowledgment was made to the very people who had rejected Jesus and demanded His crucifixion in place of Barabbas, to the Jews who had rejected Christ. They answered false reports that He had not risen and openly charged His killers, testifying that the Jesus who had been crucified was risen.
Prophecy and Exalted Lord
The resurrection fulfills David's prophecy that the Holy One would not remain in the grave but would rise before His body saw corruption or decay. That testimony confirms Peter's claim that Jesus fulfilled David's prophecy of the resurrection. Unlike David, who died and was buried and remained in his grave with his body decaying, Jesus was not left in the grave. This contrast confirms the prophecy referred to Jesus and not to David.
The appeal to David presents Jesus as the Christ descended from David. David was used because the Jews revered him as a patriarch, while their prejudice made them unwilling to accept proof drawn from Jesus' own teachings.
The risen Jesus was then exalted in heaven at God's right hand. Having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out what was seen and heard at Pentecost. That exaltation followed the resurrection and its outpouring was evidence of His authority.
That resurrection and exaltation confirm that the same Jesus who was humiliated and crucified is now the divine Prince of Life. He is lifted up as a Prince and a Savior to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. God has made Him both Lord and Christ, with authority as priest and king, and His resurrection and exaltation at God's right hand confirm it. Before the Spirit opened eyes no beauty was seen in Him to be desired, for the glorious inner beauties of His work and character are not discerned with natural eyes, but it is the Spirit that quickens and beholding the Lamb of God brings repentance.
Preaching the Risen Christ
Peter's preaching at Pentecost explained the mystery of the cross and other truths about the Messiah, and through it thousands became converts to Christ in a single day. About three thousand who gladly received the word were baptized the same day. Their preaching of Christ's resurrection and ascension openly accused the leaders who had killed Jesus and troubled them. After the descent of the Holy Spirit the disciples went forth as witnesses to proclaim a risen Saviour.
The witness centered on Jesus whom God raised up and made both Lord and Christ. Hearers were called to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, a promise to them and to their children and to all afar off whom God shall call. The new believers continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. They continued daily with one accord in the temple and from house to house with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with the people, while the Lord added daily those being saved.
The great subject that brought three thousand souls to repentance in one day was the Spirit unfolding and glorifying Jesus with demonstration and power. Before the Spirit opens the eyes no beauty is seen in Him to be desired, and the glorious inner beauties of His work and character are not discerned by natural eyes. It is the Spirit that quickens, and beholding the Lamb of God who takes away sin brings repentance. At Pentecost the Spirit gave powerful evidence to the gathered people that Jesus was the Son of God, had risen and had ascended to heaven. Those who had been convinced of His mission but afraid to acknowledge Him were moved to act openly on their convictions.
The resurrection which God accomplished calls for public witness to the gospel. Christians are to witness to Christ not only by speaking and preaching but by living the truth with His witness in the heart. The salvation of souls is to be the one desire, with rejoicing in communion with saints, tender, thoughtful, self-denying, and willing to make any sacrifice for the truth. Believers reveal in holy words and actions the love Christ commanded in order to awaken that love in other hearts, cherishing it in willing obedience to the new commandment to love one another as Christ loved. They are united so closely to Christ as to fulfill His requirements while magnifying the power of a Saviour who can justify them by His righteousness.
The Pentecost experience belongs to the early church whose experiences God's people are to study because they must pass through similar experiences. That same outpouring of the Holy Spirit is to be sought now, showing that sinners are still to be converted. Every believer has something to do in it by living the self-denying life of Christ, making people hungry to hear the Word, taking the Bible from house to house and reading to them, and waking from stupor and indifference to give the message in this judgment hour. The risen Jesus is a living Saviour who goes before those who serve Him and works with them. His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension are sacred facts and the hope of Israel, for He is the world's only hope and Saviour.
God raised Jesus from the dead, and the disciples and apostles are all personal witnesses of His resurrection. Their witness rests on assured eyewitness knowledge, for they had seen the risen Savior, spoken with Him after He rose, and watched His ascension, which filled them with gladness and triumph. His rising fulfills David's prophecy that the Holy One would not remain in the grave to see corruption, which could not refer to David who died and remained buried, and being exalted at God's right hand He received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and poured out what was seen and heard at Pentecost. Empowered by the Spirit they bore bold, unhesitating testimony at Pentecost to the very people who had rejected Jesus and demanded His crucifixion, declaring Him to be the divine Prince of Life whom God made both Lord and Christ, so that about three thousand gladly received the word, repented, were baptized, and received remission and the gift of the Spirit. It is the Spirit unfolding and glorifying Jesus that opens blind eyes to His beauty and brings repentance, and that same outpouring is to be sought now, with believers witnessing not only by preaching but by living the truth, loving one another, and carrying the Word house to house.
Witness at Pentecost
This Jesus God raised from the dead, and the disciples and apostles are all witnesses of the resurrection. The resurrection is God's act in raising Jesus, and the apostles bear public witness to that gospel event.
The witness rests on personal eyewitness knowledge, for they had seen the risen Savior. They had spoken with Jesus after His resurrection and had witnessed His ascension, and the Holy Spirit empowered them to testify boldly before the gathered crowds. This assured knowledge filled them with gladness and triumph rather than sorrow over disappointed hopes, and made their testimony at Pentecost assured and powerful because they now knew Jesus to be of divine origin, the Messiah and the Savior.
The testimony was given at Pentecost to the multitudes assembled in Jerusalem for the great religious festival. After spending days together confessing sins and praying for the Holy Spirit in obedience to the command not to depart from Jerusalem until receiving the promise of the Father, they were filled with the Holy Ghost. There came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind with cloven tongues like as of fire, and they began to speak with other tongues so that Jews out of every nation heard them speak the wonderful works of God in their own languages. It was after the descent of the Holy Spirit and when special miracles were wrought that they went forth as witnesses to proclaim a risen Savior.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit after His descent and in fulfillment of the Savior's promise of the Spirit, they went forth as bold, decided, and unhesitating witnesses. They proclaimed with assurance and power because they had personally witnessed the resurrection and knew Him to be the Son of God, of divine origin, the Messiah and Savior, the Prince of Life exalted at God's right hand though humiliated and crucified. Their firm, bold acknowledgment was made to the very people who had rejected Jesus and demanded His crucifixion in place of Barabbas, to the Jews who had rejected Christ. They answered false reports that He had not risen and openly charged His killers, testifying that the Jesus who had been crucified was risen.
Prophecy and Exalted Lord
The resurrection fulfills David's prophecy that the Holy One would not remain in the grave but would rise before His body saw corruption or decay. That testimony confirms Peter's claim that Jesus fulfilled David's prophecy of the resurrection. Unlike David, who died and was buried and remained in his grave with his body decaying, Jesus was not left in the grave. This contrast confirms the prophecy referred to Jesus and not to David.
The appeal to David presents Jesus as the Christ descended from David. David was used because the Jews revered him as a patriarch, while their prejudice made them unwilling to accept proof drawn from Jesus' own teachings.
The risen Jesus was then exalted in heaven at God's right hand. Having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out what was seen and heard at Pentecost. That exaltation followed the resurrection and its outpouring was evidence of His authority.
That resurrection and exaltation confirm that the same Jesus who was humiliated and crucified is now the divine Prince of Life. He is lifted up as a Prince and a Savior to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. God has made Him both Lord and Christ, with authority as priest and king, and His resurrection and exaltation at God's right hand confirm it. Before the Spirit opened eyes no beauty was seen in Him to be desired, for the glorious inner beauties of His work and character are not discerned with natural eyes, but it is the Spirit that quickens and beholding the Lamb of God brings repentance.
Preaching the Risen Christ
Peter's preaching at Pentecost explained the mystery of the cross and other truths about the Messiah, and through it thousands became converts to Christ in a single day. About three thousand who gladly received the word were baptized the same day. Their preaching of Christ's resurrection and ascension openly accused the leaders who had killed Jesus and troubled them. After the descent of the Holy Spirit the disciples went forth as witnesses to proclaim a risen Saviour.
The witness centered on Jesus whom God raised up and made both Lord and Christ. Hearers were called to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, a promise to them and to their children and to all afar off whom God shall call. The new believers continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. They continued daily with one accord in the temple and from house to house with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with the people, while the Lord added daily those being saved.
The great subject that brought three thousand souls to repentance in one day was the Spirit unfolding and glorifying Jesus with demonstration and power. Before the Spirit opens the eyes no beauty is seen in Him to be desired, and the glorious inner beauties of His work and character are not discerned by natural eyes. It is the Spirit that quickens, and beholding the Lamb of God who takes away sin brings repentance. At Pentecost the Spirit gave powerful evidence to the gathered people that Jesus was the Son of God, had risen and had ascended to heaven. Those who had been convinced of His mission but afraid to acknowledge Him were moved to act openly on their convictions.
The resurrection which God accomplished calls for public witness to the gospel. Christians are to witness to Christ not only by speaking and preaching but by living the truth with His witness in the heart. The salvation of souls is to be the one desire, with rejoicing in communion with saints, tender, thoughtful, self-denying, and willing to make any sacrifice for the truth. Believers reveal in holy words and actions the love Christ commanded in order to awaken that love in other hearts, cherishing it in willing obedience to the new commandment to love one another as Christ loved. They are united so closely to Christ as to fulfill His requirements while magnifying the power of a Saviour who can justify them by His righteousness.
The Pentecost experience belongs to the early church whose experiences God's people are to study because they must pass through similar experiences. That same outpouring of the Holy Spirit is to be sought now, showing that sinners are still to be converted. Every believer has something to do in it by living the self-denying life of Christ, making people hungry to hear the Word, taking the Bible from house to house and reading to them, and waking from stupor and indifference to give the message in this judgment hour. The risen Jesus is a living Saviour who goes before those who serve Him and works with them. His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension are sacred facts and the hope of Israel, for He is the world's only hope and Saviour.