Jesus is the Messiah You’ve Waited For - Acts 2:14a, 32-41

Jesus is the Messiah You’ve Waited For

Acts 2:14a, 32-41 – April 19, 2020

The doors were locked. The people were talking in hushed tones. Every footstep outside signaled danger. Jesus’ followers were gathered on the Sunday after his death, wondering what would happen next. The leaders of the people had finally gotten their wish. Jesus was dead. Would they come after his followers next?

Sure, some claimed they’d seen Jesus alive. Peter did. But he’d been kind of off since Friday morning. Maybe he was just in denial after he denied Jesus three times. And the women? Well, they probably shouldn’t have prepared those spices in an unventilated space. Those two disciples who just returned from Emmaus? They’re just trying to cash in on the hype.

But then, all of a sudden, there he is! How’d he get in? The doors are locked. But he’s here! Alive! He says, “Peace be with you!” He eats some fish, and it doesn’t just pass through his body. He’s not a ghost! He stays a while. And then he leaves the way he came.

Just then, a knock at the door. It’s Thomas. “We have seen the Lord,” we tell him. “Bah! You’re crazy. Alive? I know he raised other people from the dead. But how can he come back if there’s no one to raise him? I won’t believe it until I see it.”

Thomas was willing to believe. But he wanted to see it for himself. He wanted more proof. He wanted to know for sure. Fortunately for Thomas, Jesus did appear to him. He showed him his hands and side.

But what about you? You’re willing to believe Jesus rose from the dead. You’re hoping it’s all true. But when Jesus says, “Don’t doubt, but believe,” you say, “How can I do that?” Today, Jesus is going to show you how it’s possible.

I. His resurrection confirms it

We’ve jumped forward fifty days from Jesus’ resurrection. We’re ten days removed from Jesus ascending back into heaven. And the disciples have been anxiously waiting for the next step. Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem. He would send the Holy Spirit on them. And then their mission would begin.

That day, Jesus poured the Holy Spirit out on the disciples. He descended in tongues of fire on their heads. They began to speak in many languages. They went outside, and all the people heard them preaching in their own language.

And there were lots of people there. Many came from all around for the Festival of Pentecost. It wasn’t just Jerusalem Jews, but Jewish people from all over the world who were listening to Peter.

These people knew all about the God's promise of a Messiah. They knew how God promised David a Son the throne of whose kingdom God would “establish forever” (2 Samuel 7:13). They’d heard the Messiah’s own words in the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” They themselves had read David’s own words in Psalm 16, “You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”

They were waiting for this Messiah, the one who would come and save them. Of course, they had different opinions on what salvation meant. Did it mean salvation from their enemies, the Romans? Did it mean Israel becoming a superpower? Did it mean salvation from the worries of this world? Did it mean salvation from sin?

For some, Jesus could have just been a flash in the pan. A prophet with a meteoric rise and fall. At one time popular enough to make a king. Later, unpopular enough to crucify. Could he really the Messiah? Or should they keep waiting? After all, if Jesus were the Messiah, he was supposed to reign forever. He was supposed to save Israel from her enemies. How could he do that if he were dead?

Peter wants the people to know Jesus is the Messiah they’ve been waiting for. And the proof was in his resurrection. He tells them, “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.”

What further proof could there be that Jesus was the Messiah? The Holy Spirit, speaking through King David, had said the Messiah would rise from the dead. And Jesus did! Some of the people there were aware of the events that had happened just 50 days before. They’d heard about the crucifixion. They’d heard rumors of resurrection. Now, Peter and the other apostles confirm for them that this is what was supposed to happen. This was proof of Jesus’ Messiahship. “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

Peter then explains what the Messiah brings. He brings salvation from sin and death. When the people are cut to the heart by Peter’s words, and ask what to do, he tells them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” The risen Messiah forgives those who killed him. The risen Messiah washes away their guilt. The risen Messiah brings people into his family, 3,000 on that day alone!

But how can we know Jesus is the Messiah we’ve been waiting for? Even if you’ve known Jesus for a long time, if you’re like me, there are times when you think, “Is this really real? Did Jesus really win forgiveness for me? I don’t really feel forgiven. Is he really the Messiah? Or should I look somewhere else?”

It’s not necessarily that you want to throw off God's law and say, “It doesn’t matter.” It’s that your heart still carries a burden of guilt. Deep down you cringe at the thought of some of the things you’ve done. You make excuses that your mind readily believes, but your heart flatly rejects. You want more proof, more assurance that you’ve really found the Messiah you’ve been looking for.

Many Messiahs have come on the scene since Jesus died. They offer freedom from the guilt you feel. Salvation from your enemies. A better life right now. All you have to do is follow them and their teaching. But what guarantee do they offer? What foundation do they have? What if you follow their teachings and the guilt doesn’t leave? Your enemies still win? Your life still stinks?

Only one Messiah has risen from the dead. Peter points to Jesus’ resurrection as the proof of his Messiahship. His rising from the dead proves he has conquered sin and death, just as God promised long before. He is the Messiah you’ve been looking for, the one who saves you from sin, who makes you right with God, who promises you peace in the storm now and life forever with him in perfection.  

II. His Holy Spirit affirms it

But are you going to take Peter’s word for it? After all, you didn’t see Jesus rise from the dead. Like Thomas, you may doubt it even happened at all. The people on Pentecost didn’t see the risen Jesus either. Why should they just take Peter at his word?

Peter offers further proof. He says, “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” The people may not have seen Jesus risen from the dead. But they had heard the great sound of rushing wind. They had heard the apostles speaking in their own language. God the Son sent God the Holy Spirit to affirm his Messiahship.

Speaking by the Holy Spirit, Peter told them, “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.” Even if they still couldn’t believe, the Holy Spirit promised to come to them to help them believe. When Peter says, “The gift of the Holy Spirit,” he doesn’t mean they should be looking to speak in tongues like the apostles. He is saying the gift is the Holy Spirit.

But what about you? You didn’t hear the great sound of wind. You didn’t see the tongues of fire on the disciples’ heads. You didn’t hear them preaching in English even though they only language they should’ve known was Aramaic. How can you know this is true?

The Holy Spirit’s working wasn’t limited to Pentecost. Peter says, “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” When Peter says, “All who are far off,” he doesn’t only mean distance. He also means far off in time. The Holy Spirit continues to bring the promise of salvation even today through the same gospel Peter preached on Pentecost.

Still hard to believe? That’s why the Holy Spirit gives us more help. When the Holy Spirit gives faith to someone, he comes and lives in that person’s heart. He helps them believe. Peter was preaching the gospel news to them about Jesus. The Holy Spirit uses the gospel to create faith in people’s hearts. He uses baptism to bring people into God's family. He gives himself as a gift to us so that we can believe the good news.

Yes, those doubts about Jesus will come. They always come. We single out Thomas, but is there really anyone who’s never doubted at all? You look at your own heart and think, “I could never be forgiven.” You look at your fellow Christians and think, “I could never be good enough.” You look at what’s going on in the world. You look what every enemy of God says about his Word. Everywhere you look the devil wants you to believe they’re right and God’s wrong.

But their proof is flimsy. The proof in your own heart is fragile. Some days you feel guilty. Others not. But God gives us much greater proof. He has raised his Son from the dead. He has poured out his Holy Spirit on you through the Word and at your baptism. The Holy Spirit lives in your heart to help you. And some days you need all the help you can get. Go back to his Word. They’re not just words on a page. They are power. All this God gives you so he can say to you, “Don’t doubt! Believe!”