Peter Speaks Boldly – The First Gospel Message (Acts 2:14-40)
Something powerful happened on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came, and the followers of Jesus began speaking in different languages. A crowd gathered, amazed—but also confused. Some even joked, “They must be drunk!”
That’s when Peter stood up and delivered the first public sermon in church history. His message was clear, bold, and full of truth.
Not Drunk—But Filled with the Spirit
Peter began by addressing the confusion. He said, “These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!” Instead, he explained that what they were seeing was the fulfillment of a promise God had made long ago.
He quoted the prophet Joel, who had said that in the last days, God would pour out His Spirit on all people—sons, daughters, young, old, men, and women. People would have dreams, see visions, and speak from God.
Peter was saying: “This is that moment. God’s Spirit has come.”
Jesus Is the Promised Savior
Next, Peter turned the focus to Jesus. He reminded the crowd that Jesus had done many miracles—proof that He was sent by God. But even though Jesus was innocent, He was handed over, crucified, and killed.
But Peter didn’t stop there. He said something powerful:
“God raised Him from the dead.”
Then he explained that King David, a hero in Jewish history, had actually pointed to the resurrection of the Messiah. Peter showed from the Scriptures that Jesus is the one David was talking about—the one who would not stay dead, whose body would not decay.
Jesus is alive, Peter declared, and now exalted in heaven. He is the one who sent the Holy Spirit, which is why they were seeing and hearing such amazing things.
A Hard Truth and a Hopeful Response
Peter didn’t hold back. He looked at the crowd and said:
“Let all of Israel be sure of this: God has made this Jesus—whom you crucified—both Lord and Messiah.”
That hit hard. The Bible says the people were cut to the heart. They asked,
“What should we do?”
Peter answered with words that still matter today:
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
He told them the promise was not just for them, but for their children and for people far away—meaning everyone, even us today.
Peter kept urging them to turn away from their sins and choose a new path. And that day, about 3,000 people believed and were baptized.
What This Means for Us
Peter’s message is just as powerful now as it was then:
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Jesus really is the Savior—He died for our sins and rose again.
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God wants everyone to know Him, no matter where they come from.
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There is hope and forgiveness when we turn to Jesus.
The people in the crowd that day started with confusion and ended with transformation. That’s what the good news of Jesus does—it changes hearts and gives us a fresh start.
The same Spirit that moved on Pentecost is still at work today, calling people to turn from sin and trust in Jesus.
Will you respond like the crowd did—asking, “What should I do?”—and taking your next step with God?
Acts 2:14-40 (WEB)
2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. 15 For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.* 16 But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:17 ‘It will be in the last days, says God,that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.Your young men will see visions.Your old men will dream dreams.18 Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days,I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.19 I will show wonders in the sky above,and signs on the earth beneath:blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.20 The sun will be turned into darkness,and the moon into blood,before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.21 It will be that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’22 “Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him among you, even as you yourselves know, 23 him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; 24 whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,‘I saw the Lord always before my face,for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.26 Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced.Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope,27 because you will not leave my soul in Hades,neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.28 You made known to me the ways of life.You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’29 “Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 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, 31 he foreseeing this, spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul wasn’t left in Hades, and his flesh didn’t see decay. 32 This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself,‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by my right hand35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’36 “Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”37 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?”38 Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” 40 With many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”