In this sermon, Peter presents evidence of Jesus' life through miracles, wonders, and signs, and explains that his death was part of God's determined purpose and foreknowledge. He emphasizes the responsibility of those who crucified Jesus, while also highlighting the power of God in raising Jesus from the dead. Peter further reveals the true meaning of Old Testament prophecies in relation to Jesus and emphasizes that fullness of joy is found in the presence of God.

Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 2 and this morning we will be looking at Acts chapter 2 verse 22 down through verse 28 and continuing our series in the book of Acts And thus says the word of the Lord. Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through him in your midst as you yourselves also know him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God you have taken by lawless hands have crucified and put to death whom God raised up having loose the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be held by it. For David says concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad moreover my flesh also will rest in hope for you will not leave my soul in Hades nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life.

You will make me full of joy in your presence." Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for these words of life and Lord we ask now that your Holy Spirit would teach us Lord the true meaning help us Lord to understand What you are saying for us and Lord that we would live in accordance to your word father I pray that the power of your Holy Spirit Lord would would work upon your people Lord that this word would settle down deep into their heart and be etched Lord as if in stone upon our hearts that we would see the glories of Jesus Christ and we ask it in his name amen you may be seated this week I sent out in the newsletter these couple verses from the book of 1st Corinthians and I would like to read them again because I believe that it really gets to the heart of what I would like to say to you this morning. In 1 Corinthians chapter two, and I'm actually gonna read one extra verse beginning in chapter two verse 12 of 1 Corinthians. Paul writes these things, and I want you to hear what he's saying here because I believe this captures the point that I want to make to you this morning.

He says, now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God. That we might know the things that we have freely or that have been freely given to us by God These things we also speak not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches Comparing spiritual things with spiritual But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. And what we find here in the book of Acts in chapter two is really an amazing thing because we find here at the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit of God descending and filling the disciples there in that upper room. And as we looked at last time, that the Holy Spirit of God, and they heard as it was the sound of a great rushing wind, a mighty wind. They saw these cloven tongues as a fire resting upon each of them, and the crowd coming in together, wondering, Men and brethren, what can this be?

What can this mean? That was the question that we said was such a good question to ask when they saw something that they could not comprehend and did not understand. And yet at the same time, there were others of those who came and they looked at what they had seen and they said no these men are full of new wine they're drunk they're out of their minds and it's amazing to me that two people can look at the exact same event and the exact same circumstances and they can come to two totally different conclusions of what's taking place. On the one hand, you will have men and women who can look at the work of the Spirit of God and they may say with a sincere heart, what does this mean? What is this that I'm looking at?

And they will receive the words of life. And then at the same time you can have other people who will look at the very same circumstances and the very same events and they will say, you're out of your mind. You're drunk, you're drunk with new wine, you're full of new wine. And As a result of those two questions, or as those two statements that we see from this crowd, as Peter is standing up, we read that in verse 14 last time, that Peter standing up with the 11, raised his voice and said, men of Judea, he is beginning his sermon, he's going to preach to them, And I spoke about this last time about a biblical interpretation of the day of Pentecost. And I'm gonna use that same theme or that same title in these next two messages as well with a slight variation.

This week what we are looking at in verses 22 through 28 is this, a biblical, and in quotation marks I put, a spirit-filled interpretation of the life and death of Christ. In this passage and in Peter's sermon, we see Peter laying out for them an interpretation of the things that they are seeing. That's what's taking place here. He's standing up there. They are asking this honest question, men and brethren, what could this mean?

You have another statement here, they're drunk or they're full of new wine and Peter says, men and brethren, let me tell you what you're looking at. Let me tell you what you're looking at let me tell you what you're seeing so it's fascinating for me as a preacher to be preaching a sermon on a sermon that is spirit-filled so that's what I'm gonna do to you this morning I'm gonna preach a sermon of a sermon so that we can get the biblical spirit-filled interpretation of the life-death resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ So as we think about this last time we looked at the biblical interpretation of the Day of Pentecost understanding the work of the Holy Spirit and what he was doing. This week we will consider a biblical or spirit-filled interpretation of the life and death of Jesus Christ, and next time we will look at a biblical or spirit-filled interpretation of the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ all four of these things are Truly essential in our understanding of the work of Jesus Christ now Obviously the work of Christ is much broader and much greater than these things But these are really what?

Encompasses the main thrust of Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost. As he's standing up and answering this question men and brethren what could this mean this is what he tells them and he lays out for them this wonderful exhortation and interpretation which is not just Peter's interpretation. This is the Spirit of God filling Peter to preach the clarity of God's word to these people so that they would understand. And brothers and sisters, that's been my prayer this week and in the weeks prior, and it will be continuing to be my prayer for each of us, that we will have a true biblical understanding and interpretation of what God's Word is telling us. So, the reason that I'm focusing on this biblical interpretation is because what we have is a spirit-filled interpretation.

If you'll remember there what I just read in 1 Corinthians chapter two, it speaks there about we have the Spirit of God. And The Spirit of God is the one who gives us understanding. And listen clearly, there may be some of you here who have, I'm sure there are many of you here who have the Spirit of God, but there may be others of you here this morning who have not the Spirit of God. And if you do not have the Spirit of God, I do not say this to discourage you, but I want you to understand something, that your full understanding of this text will not be possible, unless the Holy Spirit of God gives you life and gives you eyes and ears to hear and a heart to understand. Salvation and understanding of God's Word is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

You know in my study this past week it was interesting I was kind of reading back on some of the interpretations of this coming of the Holy Spirit and and why it was that some people heard and saw these things and believed and others mockingly said these men are full of new wine and One of the things that they said was very interesting to me, and I believe that it really hits very close to the heart of what we see taking place here, and that is this and what 1 Corinthians 2, 12 and 13 and 14 speak of, and that is this, is that Those who heard and said, what can this mean? They did hear the language in their own language. They did comprehend because of what the Spirit of God was doing in their hearts, and they were getting a full interpretation of what they heard. They were understanding. They had eyes to see, they had ears to hear, and they had a heart to understand We see that because later on they said men and brethren what shall we do and Peter tells them what to do?

Repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins, and then he tells them this wonderful promise, which we'll get to later on in our series. But then you have those who were mocking. Now, regarding those who were mocking, I believe that they heard the words that were spoken, but having ears, they did not hear, and having eyes, they did not see. And yet having a heart, they did not understand. That is the difference between someone who has the Spirit of God teaching them And someone who does not have the Spirit of God There will be something that they look at this thing and they say this is craziness Did you know that lost people look at us and they say they're out of their minds and?

You know when we look at the Word of God And we see the spiritual and a true meaning of things we think how can they not see this? It's so clear to us. Let me tell you something, it's not because we're wiser or smarter than they are. It's because the Spirit of the living God has given you understanding, and we should be thankful for that. That's my prayer for us this morning, a long introduction, but that is what I want to happen to us this morning, that the Spirit of God would give us true understanding.

So, it's interesting to point out that, and a point worth making really, that in this sermon that Peter distinguishes a new point that he's wanting to make with a statement like this. So I wanna show you a few things as we get into this text and I believe he's laying out some things for us. In verse 14, in the second part of verse 14, we'll call it part B of 14, we see that Peter makes this statement. Men of Judah and all who dwell in Jerusalem. And then in verse 22, he says, men of Israel, hear these words.

Verse 29, men and brethren, let me speak freely to you. And in verse 36, therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly. Remembering that his overall point is to prove that Jesus of Nazareth to these Jewish hearers Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah that's his point he's wanting them to understand that he is the Messiah he is the Son of God and that all of the law of Moses all of the prophets and all of the Psalms are pointing to this single man who is God. And since this is the case, there were those there who did not understand, but there was this push for them that they must have a response to what is being preached. There will always be a response to what is preached.

The things that are going to be preached to you today, you will respond to in some form or fashion. You may respond by saying, I don't believe that, and I don't want any part of that. You may respond with total indifference. What difference does it make to me? You may respond with a heart that is ready to hear the word and allow that word to sink deep into your heart, and the word of God will bear fruit in your heart.

It's kind of like the four types of soil. You see that played out in every one of us. You'll either be a pathway, which the birds of the air steal it. You'll either be that shallow ground when the sun comes up and scorches it. You'll either have a heart that is being choked out by the cares and the riches and the pleasures of this world or You will have that type of soul where the word of God sinks down deep and it bears fruit into everlasting life That is the response so this We will get to in our next time in verse 37.

Listen to what he says. Now, when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? And that should be our question. That's a sincere, genuine question and a proper response to the Word of God. However, in verse 22, we pick up with this main part of Peter's sermon regarding his defense of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Christ.

This week I want to mention that we will be focusing mainly primarily upon his life and upon his death So first and foremost the life of Jesus Christ was substantiated by God The life of Jesus Christ was substantiated by God the life of Jesus Christ was substantiated by God we see this in verse 22 read with me men of Israel hear these words Jesus of Nazareth a man attested by God to you by miracles wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst as you yourselves also know he is pressing upon them the validity and the Substantiation that God has testified that Jesus of Nazareth is who he claimed to be. So first and foremost, we see this within this, the life of Jesus Christ being substantiated by God. We see first part of verse 22 that he's speaking here regarding the humanity of Jesus Christ when he says this, Jesus of Nazareth. Why did he call him that? It's a little different than what we typically see within the testimony of the apostles.

It's typically Jesus Christ or Jesus the Son of God or the Son of Man. We hear these terms, but here he brings it very much down to his humanity, Jesus, who's from Nazareth. Speaking of his humanity, it would seem that Peter is wanting to press in because they believe that Jesus of Nazareth existed. And I would say that everyone in this room most likely believes that Jesus Christ existed. There is historical evidence and documents that are irrefutable.

He existed. However, what they did not believe was that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God and the Messiah and That's where Peter is going to press in on them. So because he says this a man Attested by God He wanted the crowd to understand that this Jesus was a man but not only a man. This Jesus was the Son of God but he is God. This man was more than a man.

He was the Son of Man and as you well know it is nearly always the point at which Jesus is defined, whether someone is a heretic or not a heretic is, what do you believe about Jesus Christ? Is he only a man? Is he only a spirit? No, brothers and sisters, the true doctrine of the Word of God is Jesus is fully man and fully God. This is the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ and it is almost always at that point in which heretics can be noted.

Those who deny the humanity of Christ are apostate. They have denied the faith once and all delivered to the saints. Jesus Christ was fully man and fully God. Next we see this man was attested by God. Attested here literally and simply just means to bring out or to show forth.

It means that God the Father Declared him we saw this at his baptism When the Spirit of God descended upon him he said this is my beloved son Hear him he pointed him out. It is It means to declare or to show by proof. It means to demonstrate. It means to set forth or to show. It means to demonstrate that something is what it claims to be.

In other words, God put forth certain infallible, irrefutable proofs to show that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ. That's what he's doing. That's what God did throughout his earthly ministry. He did it actually before his earthly ministry. He did it in the law of Moses.

He did it in the prophets. He did it in the Psalms. He did it before his birth. He did it at his birth. He did it when he was 12 years old in the temple.

He did it at his baptism. He did it in his three and a half years of ministry. He did it in his death. He did it in his resurrection. He did it in all of him.

And he did it in his ascension before and he's still doing it He's still showing forth the glories of Jesus Christ that he is God Jesus Christ is still changing lives and changing people today the miracles continue and he said I will give my Holy Spirit this is a miracle of Jesus Christ he's still doing those glorious things He is being attested by God that he is who he said he was By God worked miracles wonders and signs these miracles wonders and signs proved beyond contradiction that Jesus was the Messiah. That's what Peter wanted to press into this crowd. I do not believe that Peter is trying to make a distinction between these three, like oh, we have miracles, we have signs, we have wonders, and let's define what these things are. I think he's just giving us this broad scope category of what God did to prove that he was who he said he was. It's miracles, wonders, and signs.

He did these things that were beyond recognition. I heard a man this week on a podcast and he was trying to define a miracle by something that man has done that's really extraordinary. That is not a miracle. That is just something that man can do. A miracle is something that is beyond contradiction and is irrefutably the work of God that man cannot do.

Raising someone from the dead, man cannot do. It is beyond him and that's what God did in irrefutable ways. Matthew Poole notes it this way, he says, indeed all sorts of wonderful works Christ did and so many and so great as no verity of words can express. We can't even comprehend and put into language all that Jesus Christ did. These miracles also were not done in secret.

Peter wants them to understand that and he says you can acknowledge this. This wasn't done in a corner somewhere, this wasn't done behind a curtain somewhere, this was done right in front of you and you know it. The point I believe is this, that these wonderful miracles that Jesus did were so again I'm going to use this word so irrefutable and so public that those listen that those who were not convinced by them that Jesus was who He claimed to be are self-condemned. If you sit here this morning and you have any understanding whatsoever of the miracles of Jesus Christ, and specifically regarding His life, His death, His resurrection, and his ascension, and you deny who Jesus is, you are self-condemned. You've condemned yourself.

These things are irrefutable. They who do not believe these things are without excuse. You can think about what Scott has said in the book of Romans there, that the people who deny the work of God in creation are without excuse because the Godhead is clearly seen in them. These people likewise, think about this, these people who saw the works of Jesus Christ, they saw him raise the dead, they saw him heal the blind man, they saw him give a man who was mute the ability to speak, a man who was lame could walk, a man with a withered hand had it stretched forth, a man who walked upon water, a Man who was transfigured before the disciples eyes and of course all the crowds didn't understand all of that But they did see the miracles of Jesus Christ. You are without excuse Secondly we see in verses 23 through 24 that the death of Jesus was ruled by the providence and power of God.

You see, the life of Jesus was substantiated by God through the miracles that Jesus did, but the death of Jesus Christ was ruled by the providence and power of God. Now this, I believe, is really important and one that can cause many people to stumble in many ways and I want to spend a little bit of time on this so that we can hopefully get a good grasp of it although it's really beyond comprehension. It's beyond our natural mind to fully grasp all the depths and the wisdom of God in what he did It's beyond us, but hey, we're told to dig into it We're told to search for it like hidden treasure and we will Be blessed it's like looking for gold and silver and precious stones And we're gonna dig these things up this morning and just see what God has for us So think about this it is ruled by the provenance and power of God Look with me in verse 23. He says this Him being Christ being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death. Now if you just let that slip past your ears and work kind of startled with what was just said I don't think you heard what was just said let's read it again him Christ, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death.

In this verse we see this glorious doctrine, two doctrines, of the sovereignty of God, this providential work of God in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ and we see the responsibility that God places upon man for his sinful acts. Let's first look at the determined purpose of God. There were those even after all the miracles that Jesus did that they did not believe. It always fascinated me that the soldiers standing there at the tomb who were there to give guard, who were there on duty. You go to sleep, you're put to death.

They were there on guard at the tomb. And when they went back to the religious leaders and told them what they had seen, they were convinced to take money to lie. That is the hardest heart that could possibly be. And yet, in any of you here today who deny the things that you have heard and read in the word of God. If you deny them, your heart is even harder still." These things are irrefutable.

Listen to what he says. In Matthew, we have these wonderful words of Jesus Christ. You see, the fact that they saw Jesus did not save them. But we read this in Matthew 27, 41, he says, Likewise, the chief priest also, Mocking with the scribes and the elders said he saved others himself He cannot save if he is the king of Israel Let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him. He trusted in God.

Let him deliver him now, if he will have him, for he said, I am the Son of God." You see, what we are about to see is that this death and crucifixion of Christ was not merely an act of ungodly men, but the foreordained purpose of God. You see, these religious leaders viewed what they were seeing as if God was bringing judgment upon this man upon the cross, Jesus of Nazareth. They were saying, if God will have him, let him save him. And they interpreted what they were seeing in this way. If he's truly from God, God will get him down from the cross.

They totally missed it. Because he was God, he willingly stayed on the cross because he was purchasing our sins, or he paid for our sins and he died for us. So, Matthew Henry comments are helpful. He says, as he rightly attributes this to the crucifixion He says as God's act and in him. It was an act of wonderful grace and wisdom He delivered him to death not only permitted him to be put to death but gave him up and devoted him this is explained in Romans 8 32 he who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things You see he delivered him up for us all and yet he was approved by God and there was nothing in this that signified the disapproving of him for if for it was done by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God in Infinite wisdom and for holy ends he goes on and he says which Christ himself Concurred in and in the means leading to them thus divine justice must be satisfied Sinners must be saved God and man brought together again and Christ himself glorified.

It was not only according to the will of God, but according to the counsel of his will that he suffered and died. These things were not acted upon Jesus as if he had no choice. This was determined in the counsel of the Godhead before time. Isaiah is very helpful in this. In Isaiah 53, I quoted this last week for the Lord's Supper.

In Isaiah 53 10 and 11 we read this, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand he shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied By his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many for he shall bear their iniquities This The death of Jesus Christ was ordained by God. We look at these two words, determined and purpose. To determine something means to mark off by boundaries.

It means that which has been determined according to an appointment. In theological terms, we would call it a decree. God decreed something. That means nothing is going to stop it. It means He is the one that had the plan.

It means that the cross is not plan B. It means it's plan A, because there is no other plan, because God decreed it and he's able to do it. There's no plan B. Plan A is Jesus Christ's death upon the cross. Purpose here means to properly a resolved plan used particularly of the immutable aspect of God's plan.

It means to purposefully arrange all... This is so glorious, God is so wonderful. It means to purposely ordain all circumstances which guarantees every scene of life works to his eternal purpose. We read in the book of Hebrews, in the fullness of time God sent forth his son. There was no better time in all of human history than the exact time when Christ was born.

There was no better time in all of human history that Jesus Christ lived upon this earth. There was no better time in all of history and all of existence before time began there was no better time then this time that Jesus Christ died upon the cross this was the determined purpose of almighty God This level of God's plan demonstrates that he's Lord of all of history So brothers and sisters as we see all of this stuff going on be careful that we don't misinterpret what we see because hey men And I say that as humanity we are gifted at misinterpreting Circumstances and we fail to remember God's providences Keep your eyes upon the Lord. You see God is always in charge Hey, let the nation's rage let the kings of the earth plot vain things the Lord sits in the heavens and laughs because he is controlling all things I Hope this does something for you the purpose of this is not to fill your head It is actually to fill your head and your heart and your life with obedience to the Lord. It is to remove all fear and anxiety from your life.

Can you imagine living with no fear and anxiety? Scott said it last week. Sinful fear. Anxiety of that kind is sin. Because when we have our eyes upon Jesus, fixed there, all anxiety flees because he's in control of all things.

Whether you're sick, whether you're healthy, whether you're happy, whether you're sad, whether you're down, whether you're up, whether you're rich, whether you're poor, it doesn't matter. If you understand that God is king of all of history, that he is controlling every circumstance to bring it to his purposeful end, you will rest in Him. Anxiety can flee away, brothers and sisters. This is the one of the mysteries of the wonderful providences of God that finite man cannot enter into fully. We cannot grasp all of this glory.

It is often at this point of theology that man cast judgment upon God when they only see the circumstances that God ordains and cannot comprehend the purpose by which and for which God has ordained This is going to hit you right where you are. How are you interpreting your circumstances? Accidental? Circumstantial? Out of control?

Accidental? Circumstantial? Out of control? No meaning? Or God's purposeful plan for you?

Changes everything. It changes everything. It will actually restore to you the joy of your salvation when you believe this and when you understand this. Jesus Christ it says in the book of Hebrews For the joy set before him endured the cross This is our God Isaiah again helps us with this how do we grasp these marvelous things? How do we hold on to them and try to comprehend these things?

Listen to what Isaiah says in Isaiah 55, 8 and 9 he says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. He says also in Isaiah 45, 6 and 7 that they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides me. I am the Lord, there is no other.

I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create calamity. I, the Lord, do all these things. In Acts 4, chapter 4, verse 27 and 28, we have the disciples praying to God, listen to their prayer, for truly against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together to do whatever your hand and your purpose determined before to be done." This is one of the clearest passages regarding the purpose of God and the death of Christ. How do we grapple with these things?

How does God's determined purpose now relate to God's foreknowledge? Foreknowledge. This is more than just God knowing what's going to happen in the future. It is actually forethought and prearrangement. It's a predetermination.

It is the determined purpose of God is what I understand to be equal to the foreknowledge of God he's not saying two different things the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God as if they were different. He's saying it's the determined purpose and, let me tell you what that means, it's the foreknowledge of God. He's saying these two things are the same. The Bible often does that, gives us two things that explain the same thing, that are pointing to the same thing. So these three words, or these two concepts that we look at, are actually speaking to us of the same thing.

It is two ways of saying the same thing. Our confession of faith, 2nd London 1689, really helps with this. It says this in this confession, it says God hath decreed in himself from all eternity by the most wise and holy counsel of his own free will and unchangeability all things whatsoever come to pass. Yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin, this is important, nor hath fellowship with any therein, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away but rather established in which appears his wisdom and disposing all things and power and faithfulness in accompanying his decree." and then it goes on, although God knowing whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all supposed conditions. Think about that just for a moment.

He knows not only what will, but what could. Yet hath he not decreed anything, listen, he has not decreed anything because he foresaw it in the future. Or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions. In other words, God does not determine some events because he saw that this was what was going to happen, but rather God determines all things and therefore they come to pass. You see the difference?

Vastly different. When I began to understand these things, God went from a God in my own mind to being something that I could grapple with. I could shove him down into this small void in between my ears here and I could kind of get a hold of him. When I begin to understand the sovereignty of God and the providence of God and the holiness of God and all of these glorious doctrines, God became so much bigger. Let me say something.

God is not only bigger than you think he is He's bigger than you can think He's greater. He's more glorious. He's more. Holy he's more just he's more righteous. He's more loving.

He's more merciful He's more all of these attributes of God He's more than you can grapple with Your brain cannot comprehend the greatness and goodness of God you your brain you think you know the love of God? It can't even comprehend the love of God because it is so glorious, it is so eternal, God can be perfectly holy, wrathful and loving all at the same time and none of the other of the two would diminish in the least. You can see this demonstrated in the cross itself when you see Jesus Christ upon the cross. You see the perfect wrath, righteousness, and justice of God in punishing sin And at the same time you see the perfect righteousness love mercy and grace of God Because he put him there instead of you He's more glorious than you can think This can be such a challenge for us but this is because we cannot grasp how God works good out of suffering and evil. How does he do that?

Can he do that? Perhaps some of you here have had great evil done to you or by you. Perhaps some of you have suffered more than any of us even know and that could be physical, emotional, mental, all sorts of suffering. It is at this very point, and I mentioned this a few weeks ago, that at the point of the cross that God demonstrated his great wisdom and power to do that very thing. That God worked the greatest evil, the murder of his son, his perfect sinless son.

And he produced the greatest good, the glory of his name, and the salvation of his people. At the same time, both of those things were true. So do not wonder at how God can make something good out of your suffering or out of your pain or out of your trials or out of your temptations. He's already demonstrated to you all that he can do through the cross of Jesus Christ. The greatest good out of the greatest evil.

God can do all of these things. For if the salvation... I want to focus in on something just for a moment. The greatest good is not actually the salvation of sinners. The greatest good is the glory of God.

And in fact, the salvation of sinners works to that end of the glory of God. So salvation of sinners is wonderful. We spend our life and our money and our efforts and all of this energy goes to the gospel being proclaimed and Paul gave his life for it and many people around this world are giving their lives and they're all in their forts, everything so that sinners can hear the gospel. Why? It should be for one singular purpose, the glory of God.

For what is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. How do you glorify God? By loving Him and doing what He commands. What does He command?

That's spelled out for us in the Word of God and one of those commands is go into all the world and preach the gospel To that greater end of the glory of God you see he demonstrated his glory upon the cross He demonstrated his glory in the life of Jesus Christ in the death of Jesus Christ in the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the ascension Of Jesus Christ it is all about his glory Have you ever read the book of Ephesians? It will tell you it's all about His glory. And you think, boy, is He so self-focused. No, he's so worthy. He's worthy of all glory and honor and power and might.

Think about the book of Revelation and how all these holy angels gather around him and all they can do night and day is sing, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. He is worthy of all of our praise and all of our honor. This leads, however, to great humility, it should, from our perspective. It's pretty humbling stuff when you think about it. Especially for a humanity who truly believes that we're the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Remember the chief end of man is to glorify God. Live your life to that end and you're gonna find something happen. Self-pity will disappear. One of the biggest problems we have and I think even as Christians is self-pity. We think so highly of ourselves that we feel sorry for ourselves that we don't have it really better than what we do.

And yet we live the best life of any people who have ever lived on the face of this earth. In all of history. The reason we feel self-pity is because we love ourselves so much when in fact if we would get the focus off of ourselves and all focus upon the Lord Jesus Christ you'll find self-pity disappear and you begin to see that you need to serve God and to serve others You don't have time to think about yourself when you're serving God and suffering serving others, and you'll find something else You'll find that joy will increase You like joy? Serve God and serve others. You know there's that little acrostic Joy, J.

O. Y. Jesus first other second yourself last most of us have yod We have ourselves first and others and then Jesus and that's our problem You have no joy because Jesus Christ and others are not your primary focus you are So stop that now the responsibility of man. Here's the other side of the coin. The other side of the coin, Peter says, he said, by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, this happened.

And then he says, you. So he's saying to this crowd, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death. Now Here's just a crowd of Jews there from all over. How is it them? Well, guess what because they were Jews there was a representation of the Jewish nation and of the people Remember the gospel came first and Jesus was a Jew and it came to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

It was a judgment upon the people of Israel that Jesus was crucified. And they cried out and said, let his blood be upon us and upon our children. And so here he goes and he says, you have taken Bala'la's hands and crucified and put to death. Matthew Poole says this, yet this, the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, did no way excuse those who were instrumental in his death. Notwithstanding God's determinate counsel concerning it, He tells the Jews, you have taken the determination of God as it does not necessitate to, so it does not excuse any from sin.

Even though God ordained it, man was responsible for it. Now, how do you reconcile that? Let me tell you what J.I. Packer says about this. In this book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God.

He writes, A contradiction or paradox exists when a pair of principles stand side by side seemingly irreconcilable, yet both undeniable. There are cogent reasons for believing each of them. Each rests on clear and solid evidence, but it is a mystery to how they can be squared with each other. You see that each must be true of its own, but you do not see how they both can be true together. Two seemingly incompatible positions must be held together and both must be treated as true.

Such a necessity scandalizes our tidy minds, no doubt. But there is no help for it if we are to be loyal to the facts he says this what the Bible does is to assert both truce side by side in the strongest and most unambiguous terms as two ultimate facts. This therefore is the position we must take in our own thinking. And he quotes C.H. Spurgeon here as one person asked Spurgeon if he could reconcile these two truths with each other.

And Spurgeon in his way that he had with words, he said, I wouldn't try. I never reconcile friends. Friends? Yes, friends. This is the point that we have to grasp.

In the Bible, divine sovereignty and human responsibility are not enemies. They are not uneasy neighbors. They are not in an endless state of cold war with each other, they are friends and they work together. God determined and foreordained the death and crucifixion of Christ and yet man is certainly responsible for his part in it. It was their lawless hands who crucified and put the death the Lord of glory.

This is the greatness of the wisdom of God. God is not only bigger than you think he is He's bigger than you can think and next we see in verse 24 the power of God notice what he says He says whom God raised up having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible That he should be held by it I'm going to touch on the resurrection here, but I'm going to leave the main part of that for next time that I preach But here in this we see that God raised him up even though the Jews and the Romans and Pontius Pilate inherited all of these people crucified Jesus the means of his death was by the way of Scourging and the nails yet the true sense of his death Was not the nails in his hands or the spear in his side Jesus says in John 10 therefore my Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down. And I have power to take it again.

This command I have received from my father. It was not the nails. It was not the scourging It was not the spear in his side It was none of these things that killed Jesus But rather according to his own will he gave up his Spirit and it was by the same spirit that Jesus rose from the dead the point is is that Jesus was in control the whole time Bound to a cross perfectly in control. That's our God This is seen in the next statement because it was not possible that he should be held by it. I love that.

He submitted himself to death by his own will and he said, Father into your hands I commit my spirit and he died. And one of the things that was amazing is that Pilate said he marveled that he was dead so quickly. Remember they went and broke the legs of the other two men. That was typically what they would do, but Jesus was already dead. Why?

Because he determined that was the moment. He said, now. And he died. The pains of death did not have power to keep Jesus in the grave. It was not possible.

The impossibility of Jesus remaining in the grave is beyond comprehension. No one, no more could a gnat stay the hand of the Strongest angel in heaven then could the grave hold our Savior? He is life itself John 1 4 in him was life and the life was the light of men and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not Comprehended in other words it did not overcome it. It could not overcome it This is Jesus Christ the way the truth and the life Nothing can overcome him the grave can't hold him he was there for three days because the prophets said it would be three days because Jesus or God told them to tell it say it would be three days it was all perfectly orchestrated by the counsel of God nothing could hold him Lastly we have here in just a few more minutes I hate to shortchange all of these verses from Psalm 16 and maybe I'll just pick up with some of them next time but we have here in the sermon of Peter The true meaning of the Old Testament prophecies made more clear That was one of the big points of the Holy Spirit of God coming was to explain the fullness of the meaning He says for David says concerning him They didn't know that before One of the points that Peter wanted to press upon this crowd was that this Jesus, whom they crucified, was the one prophesied about.

In fact, he was the one you have been singing about. You know, that happens to our children. Especially when they grow up in church they sing hymns and they have no idea what they're singing They sing of Jesus dying for them and him rising from the dead up from the grave he erode. They sing all of these songs and they're blind to it. That was the Jews.

This was in the Psalm of David, Psalm 16, regarding, they thought, only David. For far too long the Jews looked into the word of God with a veil over their eyes. Paul speaks about this in 2 Corinthians 3, 14, he says, but their minds were blinded. For until this day, the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day when Moses is read, a veil remains on their heart.

Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty But we all with unveiled faces beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being Transformed into the Same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord. That's what the Holy Spirit of God does. People say, I feel like I'm reading the Bible for the first time. Yeah, I know, the veil's been taken away.

The Spirit of God has helped you to understand it. I feel like I'm singing that song for the first time. I know because your veil has been taken away and you see the glory of Christ in it That's the difference It's the Holy Spirit of God Opening your eyes giving you eyes to see and a heart to discern and ears to hear the glorious gospel and the truths of Jesus Christ. Without the Holy Spirit indwelling and interpreting this psalm, it would never have appeared that Psalm 16 was about Jesus. They thought it was all about David.

However, we have here the true meaning given to us by the Holy Spirit. Peter filled with the Holy Spirit spoke these words so that the hearers would understand the true meaning of the Psalm. This is a big part of what the Holy Spirit came to do. Listen to what Jesus said in John 16, However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak.

And he will tell you things to come he will glorify me he will for he will take up what is mine and to clear it to you all things that the father has a mind therefore I said that he will make take of mine and to clear to you he also Jesus also said look 24 he said to them These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms concerning me. And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then he said to them, Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." And this power came in the filling of the Holy Spirit of God and Peter stands up with boldness to proclaim this glorious truth to this crowd so that they would hear and believe the gospel and understand that all the things that the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms said were all about Jesus.

It's about this man, Jesus of Nazareth, whom you think was only a man but in fact was God that's what he wanted to do and then he goes into this beautiful psalm about the Lord Jesus Christ and and let me just suffice it to say a couple of things The Lord foresaw the Lord always before my face. Christ always had his eyes upon the Lord. For he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. Jesus never faltered nor was shaken in his purpose because God was with him. I like what Spurgeon says here.

He says, the eyes of Jesus' faith could discern beforehand the countenance of divine support to his suffering son. Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. But such was his devout reliance upon his God, that he sang over the tomb. He rejoiced in God. Moreover, my flesh also will rest in hope never for a moment did Jesus' hope fade because his eyes were upon his Father.

For you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. Jesus knew that the grave was but for a moment. He knew that it would be so temporary a stay that his flesh would not see corruption. You will have made known to me the ways of life. You make me full of joy in your presence.

Can I just say that Jesus became the first fruits of the way of life for his people? He was the first to resurrect from the dead, but he was not the last. We too will be resurrected from the dead because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. You see, as we consider what he says, it is here at the right hand of God where Christ had his fullness of joy And it is here that we too will find fullness of joy John 15 in fact says this in verse 11, These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. Death, suffering, or trials do not determine your joy.

You're standing before God does. Are you standing in Christ? Ever beholding the face of Jesus in all of your circumstances. Brothers and sisters, our confidence and joy in any and all circumstances is found here, for in his presence is fullness of joy. What are our takeaways?

Three things real quickly. You are without excuse if you do not believe the irrefutable testimony of God concerning Jesus Christ. If you're here today and you deny it and you don't believe it, I'm not talking about an intellectual sin, I'm talking about trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins and that he says unto you, take your cross and follow me. If you deny these irrefutable truths, you're self-condemned. Number two, God's sovereignty and man's responsibility are friends that need not be reconciled.

They're both true, believe both, and rest there. And number three, fullness of joy is only found in the presence of God. Fullness of joy is only found in the presence of God. Thank you.