“…PIERCED TO THE HEART”
ACTS 2:37-41

I. Introduction
When speaking to someone about the salvation that is found in our Lord Jesus, are there cer-tain words you carefully try to avoid? Are you convinced that using terms like “your sins,” and “be saved” will turn people away? Are you concerned that you’ll be labeled a religious fanatic or something worse? And, if people do respond positively to you, and ask questions about salvation in Christ, what do you tell them they must do be saved? Do you say, “Just believe in Jesus,” because you’re reluctant to use the word “repent”?

In last Sunday’s text in Acts, the Apostle Peter made it crystal clear just who Jesus of Naza-reth actually was. He told his hearers that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, the Christ, and that they were responsible for His death. But God had not only raised Him from the dead, but that Jesus had ascended to heaven and had taken His place at the right hand of God. Peter finished his sermon by reminding his audience that they had crucified the One whom God had made “both Lord and Christ.”

The truth that Peter had told the crowds had “pierced them to the heart.” In today’s text in Acts they will want to know what they should do. Here is what Peter will not tell them to do: “Oh, just believe in Jesus.” Rather, he will tell them to repent. The Lord Jesus Himself gives us a very good reason for that.
*Luke 13:1-5
1 Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And He (Jesus) answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Gali-leans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate?
3 “I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
4 “Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?
5 “I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

What does it mean to repent? The words “repent” and “repentance” have a very specific meaning. Yet it seems that few Christians fully understand what it is. The most common misconception is that repentance is “a feeling of sorrow about one’s sin.” You can have sorrow for your sin and still not repent of it. Sorrow may well accompany repentance, but repentance is not sorrow.

Another common misconception of repentance is that it is “a turning around,” or “a turning away from one’s sin.” Turning away from sin is a result of true repentance, but by itself, turning away from sin isn’t repentance either.
The biblical definition of repentance is “a change of mind that leads to a change of direc-tion.” (repeat) True biblical repentance is both of these things. They must go together. In other words, a change of mind without a corresponding change of direction can be called many things, but it cannot be called repentance as the Scriptures define it.

It isn’t hard to see how repentance, one of the core truths of biblical Christianity and salva-tion in Christ, can be so thoroughly misunderstood when people have such different ideas about what repentance means. Can you see how that affects the preaching of the gospel?

The first NT use of the word “repent” is when John the Baptist said, “Repent, for the king-dom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2).” The kingdom of heaven, in the Person of Jesus Christ, was about to appear. So John prepared the people to receive their Lord, and he told them that they must repent. After John was arrested, Jesus began His ministry by saying the very same thing: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).”

Are John and Jesus telling people that feeling bad about their sin and being sorry for it will save them? No! Are they telling them that putting forth their best efforts to turn away from sin and live better lives will save them? No! They’re not telling them that either.

What both Jesus and John before Him are saying is this: People need to change their minds about Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers. They’re saying that it is only when they change their minds about the Lord Jesus Christ that they will change their minds about what they believe. And it is only when they change their minds about what they believe that they will change their direction. That is the definition of biblical repentance.

You can be sorry for your sin and still reject Christ. You can change the direction of your life for the better and still reject Christ. But biblical repentance requires that you change your mind about Him. You have to change your mind about who He is and what He has done. That and that alone is true repentance. Jesus said, “I tell you…unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Listen, we cannot preach the gospel without repentance, but when we use the word, we need to help people understand what it means. Unless and until people change their minds about who Jesus is – He is God in human flesh, and what He has done – He has paid the price for their sins – they cannot be saved.
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II. Review
It is the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. Jesus was resurrected from the dead fifty days ago. He ascended to heaven ten days ago. The Holy Spirit has descended upon the apostles. He has filled them with the power of God. The crowds around the temple have heard the twelve speaking to them in their own languages, but the skeptics and cynics have dismissed this miraculous movement of God as nothing more than drunkenness.
And so, in Acts 2:14-21, the Apostle Peter has risen to speak. He has told the unbelievers that they are wrong. There’s no drunkenness here at all. Rather, what they were all witness-ing was the beginning of the fulfillment of OT prophecies. What they were all witnessing was the first day of the last days before Messiah’s return in power and in glory. And Peter told them that, from this day forward, and until the Lord’s return to judge the world, “…it shall be, that everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved (Acts 2:21).”

Then, in Acts 2:22-36, Peter identified Jesus as the Messiah. He made it clear that Jesus came to earth to suffer and die. He made it clear that it was God’s plan that was made in eternity past. He said that Jesus was murdered by the hands of the very people He came to save, but that God raised Him from the dead and placed Him at His right hand in glory. Peter closed with these words…
*Acts 2:36
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified.”
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III. Text
It was these words in v. 36 that drove Peter’s point all the way home.
*Acts 2:37-41 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
39 “For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”
40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”
41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Last Sunday I told you that John Wesley claimed that the gospel, when properly preached, would always elicit a response. He said it would always convict men’s souls. That convic-tion would either result in salvation or in anger. That is to say, people would either be driv-en to Christ or away from Him.

The gospel of Jesus Christ, when properly preached, leaves no room for neutrality. You believe it, and you receive Christ and His gift of salvation, or you do not. You simply can-not be neutral about the Lord Jesus. Listen to Him in His own words. He said, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters (Matthew 12:30).”
For or against – gathering or scattering – Jesus says that there is no third option!
Now, Peter has told his hearers, in no uncertain terms, that they have rejected and murdered the very One God sent from heaven to save them.
*Acts 2:37
37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”

Peter’s presentation about the Person of Christ – who He is, what He has done, and where He is now – convicts those who are hearing him speak. Clearly, they know that what he has told them is true. The reality of it has sunk in, and they cry out, “What shall we do?”

What must I do to be saved? That is the question, isn’t it? People have been asking that question since Adam and Eve were cast out from the Garden of Eden. The right answer is God’s answer, and it is as simple and straightforward as it can be. God’s answer is repent-ance and faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way to eternal life and heaven. Do you remember what Jesus said to Thomas? “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me (John 14:6).”

That is God’s truth. But God has an enemy who does whatever he can to hide that truth from us. Listen, Satan knows that we are by nature religious beings. We all have the need to worship something. Even the avowed atheist, who claims to know that there is no god, worships something, even if it is only himself. Atheists profess to be wise, but the Bible calls them fools. Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” The Apostle Paul addresses that very thing in Romans.
*Romans 1:18-23
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.
25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the
creature rather that the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

“But,” you say, “Nobody I know worships other people or animals. I don’t even know any atheists. In fact, most of the people I know go to church, or at least they say they believe in God.” That may be, but the issue is neither church attendance nor “belief in God.” Satan believes in God, doesn’t he? “Believing in God” merely raises one to the level of demons!

So what must we do to be saved? The day will come when that will be the only question that will matter. Again, there are an infinite number of wrong answers, an infinite number of lies. But there is only one right answer, only one truth. Do you think for a moment that the devil cares which lie you believe? Satan only cares that you do not believe the truth!

So ask yourself this: Which lies are the most compelling? Which lies hook the most peo-ple? Would they not be the lies that are closest to the truth? The nineteenth century Ameri-can preacher, Henry Ward Beecher, said, “Whatever is almost true is quite false, and among the most dangerous of errors, because being so near the truth, it is the more likely to lead astray.” Yet much of the professing church today is filled with beliefs and doctrines that are “almost true.”

As a result of such “almost truths” there are millions today who think they’re Christians because they’re doing what their churches have taught them to do – they’re working for their salvation. And they always know a Bible verse or two that seems to support their efforts.
Let me give you four distinct examples of such people.

1. The Legalist
The legalist argues that salvation is obtained by doing good works. Legalists like to quote James 2:21 which says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son…?” But the legalist ignores the rest of the passage where we learn that God made Abraham righteous as a result of his faith. In fact, the Apostle Paul says…
Romans 4:2-3
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

There goes the legalist’s argument!

2. The Moralist
The moralist argues that he’ll make it into heaven because “God is love,” and as long as his good deeds outweigh his bad, the divine scales are bound to tip in his favor. Moralists enjoy quoting passages like John 5:28-29 which says, “…for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to
a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”
But the full passage is only saying that the lives of believers will be filled with good deeds, while the lives of unbelievers will be filled with evil deeds.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.

There goes the moralist’s argument!

3. The Ritualist
The ritualist is convinced that his religious observations, rites, and obedience to man-made traditions will secure his place in heaven. Things like water baptism are often cited as being among the requirements necessary for salvation, but the Bible repeatedly teaches that it isn’t observations, rites, and traditions that save; it’s changed hearts. It’s faith in Christ alone that saves a soul.
Romans 10:9-10
9 …if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved;
10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

There goes the ritualist’s argument.

4. The Universalist
The universalist believes that since “God is love,” all sins will be forgiven and all people will ultimately be saved. Universalists love to cite passages like Romans 5:18 which says, “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.” But, as is so often the case, they ignore the larger context which, in this case, contrasts the difference between Adam and Christ. Again and again Jesus taught that not all people will be saved.
Matthew 7:13-14
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.
14 “For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

And there goes the universalist’s argument.

All of them – the legalist, the moralist, the ritualist, and the universalist – claim to have truth. But what they really have is what Henry Ward Beecher called “almost truth.” Do you remember what he said? “Whatever is almost true is quite false, and among the most dangerous of errors, because being so near the truth, it is the more likely to lead astray.” Too much of the modern church answers the question, “What must I do to be saved?” with the false solutions of the legalists, the moralists, the ritualists, or the universalists.

But in today’s passage in Acts 2, we hear God’s answer from the Apostle Peter. Here it is…
*Acts 2:38
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

In v. 38 Peter’s answer is, “Repent!” What he’s saying is, “Change your mind about Jesus, about who He is, and about what He has done.” Isn’t that the whole point of what he has already said going all the way back to v. 22? What he has told the crowds about Jesus has already “…pierced them to the heart.” They have been convicted of their sin and they want to know what they should do.

“What should I do?” In Acts 16:30, when the Philippian jailer was convicted by the Holy Spirit, he asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” In Acts 22:10, when Paul was giving his testimony. He said that when God got his attention on the road to Da-mascus he asked Him, “What shall I do, Lord?” It is clear that these men had come to a point where they were aware of their own sinfulness and guilt before God. No one can be saved who doesn’t come to that point in their lives.

Theologians can (and do) argue about the order in which the various elements of salvation take place. These elements include adoption, calling, election, faith, glorification, justifica-cation, predestination, regeneration, repentance, and sanctification. But suffice it to say that all of those elements are present in true conversion. Salvation in Christ includes them all. If you have been redeemed, they all apply to you.

Have you heard the gospel? Have you been convicted of your sin? Yes? It is that very con-viction that the Holy Spirit of God uses to prepare your heart to receive Christ. Therefore, if you are under conviction, you must do two things. First, you must acknowledge your need for a Savior. Second, you must come to the realization that Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ is that Savior. There is no one else. Didn’t He say so? “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me (John 14:6).” Either Jesus’ statement here is true or it is not. Thus the fact of the matter is that your eternal future will be deter-mined by what you do with Jesus.

C. S. Lewis dealt with the question of Jesus’ identity: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his
being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
In Acts 2:38 the conviction of their sin has fallen on the crowd. They know they are sinners and they fear God’s judgment for sin. In the nineteenth century American theologian Albert Barnes said, “False repentance dreads the consequences of sin; true repentance dreads sin itself.” That’s so good!

Christian, have you come to the point in your life where you truly hate your sin for what it is? Have you come to the point where you hate your sin because you know that it was the cause of Jesus’ suffering on the cross? Have you come to the point where you hate your sin because, when left unconfessed, it keeps you from a close relationship with God? Oh, that we would all hate our sin as God hates it!

Now in Acts 2:38 Peter tells those who believe to make a public statement of their new faith.
He tells them they need to be baptized – not because being immersed in water will save them. They’re already saved. He tells them that their baptism will be public statement of their conversion. Peter wants them to take a stand for Christ in front of our Lord’s enemies.

Unlike the way the gospel is so often preached today – where accepting Jesus is made easy – Peter is making it hard. He wants them to know that the cost for receiving Christ is high. But isn’t forgiveness of sins and eternal life worth the cost? Confessing faith in Christ in a world that hates Him has a cost. Salvation is free, but it cost Jesus His life, and it can cost us our lives as well.

By the way, when Peter says “baptized…for the forgiveness of sins,” he is not teaching what is usually called “baptismal regeneration,” which says you cannot be saved unless and until you are baptized. We’ve already seen that no religious rite or ceremony can save anyone. Repentance is for forgiveness, and baptism follows forgiveness; it never causes it.

But there’s something else in Acts 2:38 we don’t want to miss. When people repent and are forgiven they are baptized by and filled with the Holy Spirit – just as were the other believ-ers back in vv. 2-4. This is the baptizing and filling that the Prophet Joel had said would prove the Messiah had come, the last days had begun, and the church had been born.

And there is one other thing we don’t want to miss.
*Acts 2:39
39 “For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”

This does not mean that if you’re a Christian your children are automatically Christians too. Rather, it fulfills OT prophecy. “…you and your children” relates to Israel and the Jews.
Ezekiel 37:14 (speaking to Israel)
14 “And I will put my Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken,
and done it,” declares the LORD.
“…all who are far off” refers to both distance and time. And it speaks of the Gentiles (us) who would one day come to saving faith through Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.
*Ephesians 2:12-13 (speaking to the church)
12 …you were at (one) time separate from Christ, excluded from the common-wealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (back to Acts 2:39)

In Acts 2:39 we come face-to-face with what might be called the divine balance in salvation. Who will be saved? In Acts 2:21 the Scripture says, “…everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And now, in Acts 2:39 the Scripture says, “…as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.” We shake our heads and we say, “I just don’t understand how those two things can work together.” But God does; He understands it completely.
*Acts 2:40
40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

What can we say? Was the generation to whom Peter was speaking any more perverse than this generation in which we now live? I don’t think so. The call to be saved is as clear today as it was on the Day of Pentecost.
*Acts 2:41
41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

The Apostle Peter did not “sugar-coat” the gospel to make it palatable to his audience. He did not soften the truth so as not to offend anyone’s sensibilities. He told them the truth about Jesus and the truth about themselves. And three thousand people repented and came to saving faith.
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IV. Conclusion
The true gospel is an offense to the unregenerate man because it tells him he is lost and will be judged for his sin. It’s an offense because it tells him he is bound for hell and there is nothing he can do to save himself. But the true gospel of Jesus Christ also tells him that if he repents and asks God to forgive his sin, he will be saved. That’s because, “…everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved (Acts 2:21).”

~ Pray ~