SAVE YOURSELVES FROM THIS UNTOWARD GENERATION

Text: ACTS 2:36-41

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INTRODUCTION:

1.     Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost begins at Acts 2:14, but this morning we will concentrate on his concluding remarks, giving particular attention to Acts 2:40.

2.     In fact, verse 40 can be looked at as the summary of Peter’s message.  Peter spoke “many other words” that day but the Holy Spirit has chosen to just give us Peter’s chief exhortations, concluding with this statement, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (2:40).

 

I.        THE SINNER’S RESPONSIBILITY

II.     THE SINNER’S CONVICTION

III.   THE SINNER’S CONVERSION

 

I. THE SINNER’S RESPONSIBILITY – “Save yourselves” (2:40).

1.     What exactly did Peter mean by “save yourselves”?  The Bible teaches that the unregenerate are dead in trespasses and sins and incapable of saving themselves.

2.     The Bible is clear: Lost sinners are helpless and hopeless apart from the grace of God.  Jonah 2:9 says, “Salvation is of the LORD.”

3.     Peter was literally saying, “Be ye saved…” (passive voice).  And how were they to be saved?  The same way all sinners are to be saved – through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

4.     First, there must be genuine repentance (Acts 2:38).  In these days of lukewarm Christianity, repentance is seldom emphasized.  In fact it is seldom even mentioned.

5.     There are some large churches right here in the NYC area that would probably lose most of their members if a preacher ever got in the pulpit and preached repentance the way Peter did.

6.     I meet these worldly church members all the time and they give no evidence of being born again.

7.     Repentance meant something to Peter and his listeners. The Jews to whom Peter preached had to publicly repudiate the sin of their nation in crucifying Jesus (Acts 2:23, 36, 37).

8.     And it is the same way today.  That is why we so few Jews believing in Jesus.  My heart goes out to these Israelis being forced out of their homes in the Gaza Strip, but the Bible teaches they will continue to suffer because of their unbelief.

9.     And repentance is not just for the Jews; it is for all unbelievers, whether they be Muslim, Hindu, Roman Catholic, or backslidden Baptist.

10.Some are wondering – who are the “backslidden Baptists”?  We have heard of the independent Baptists, and the fundamental Baptists, and the conservative Baptists, and the Southern Baptists, and the National Baptists, and the Freewill Baptists, and the American Baptists, and the Regular Baptists…but who are the “Backslidden Baptists”?    They are the biggest group!

11.Peter said, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). 

12.This verse has been misunderstood and misinterpreted.  Some erroneously teach that one must be baptized in order to be saved.  Sinners should be baptized only after they repent and receive Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

13.Much of the confusion comes from this little Greek preposition eis, translated “for” in our King James Version.  The Scofield Bible has “unto” in the margin and that is easier to understand.

14.Another way to understand what Peter meant would be to translate eis as “because.”   For example, we often say, “He went to prison for armed robbery.”  What do we mean?”  We mean, “He went to prison because he committed armed robbery.”

15.Or we speak of a soldier being given a medal for bravery.  We mean because of his bravery.  And that’s the way it should be understood in Acts 2:38 – “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ (NOT A POPULAR NAME WITH THE JEWS) because your sins have been remitted…”

16.Baptism cannot remit (forgive or pardon) sin.  The waters of baptism are symbolic and can never wash away sin.  Only the blood of Jesus can wash away the pollution and defilement of sin (cf. Matt. 26:28). 

17.“Remission” in Matthew 26:28 and in Acts 2:38 means the same thing – “forgiveness” – and this forgiveness is on the basis of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.  “And without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

18.Remission of sins comes only through faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He died on the cross for our sins (Acts 10:43).

19.Peter did not preach two contradictory messages.  He did not preach salvation by water baptism in Acts 2 and then salvation through faith in Christ in Acts 10.

20.There is only one way to be saved and that is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  “Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission (forgiveness) of sins” (Acts 10:43).

21.Consider what our Lord said in Matthew 12:41.  “The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at (eis – because of) the preaching of Jonah.”

 

II. THE SINNER’S CONVICTION – “from this untoward generation” (2:40).

1.     Before a sinner is genuinely saved he has to be convicted of his sin.  “Untoward” generation means “crooked and perverse” generation.  Doesn’t that sound like our generation?

2.     “Crooked and perverse generation” was an OT phrase for rebellious Israelites.  Deuteronomy 32:5 says, “They have corrupted themselves…they are a perverse and crooked generation.”

3.     In the NT, we see the same term used to describe stubborn sinners who reject the Lord Jesus Christ.

4.     Our Lord often rebuked His “evil and adulterous generation.”  He called it a “wicked and adulterous generation,” a “faithless and perverse generation,” an “adulterous and sinful generation,” and a “generation of vipers.”

5.     Are you grieved at the sins of this godless generation?   Are you grieved over the worldliness of professing Christians?

6.     We must recognize that this world is no friend of grace.  This world hates the Lord Jesus Christ.  It hates the Bible.  It hates the Gospel. 

7.     Peter and the other apostles made this very clear in their preaching (Acts 2:22-24, 36, 37).

8.     If you want to follow Jesus you must go against the world.

9.     The phrase “pricked in their heart” (2:37) indicates strong conviction.  The enormity of their sin and guilt pricked their hearts.  This is the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.  Our Lord said, “When He is come, He will reprove (convict) the world of sin” (John 16:8).

10.Strong conviction forces the sinner to make a decision.  He must either choose Christ or reject Christ. 

11.In Acts 2, Peter’s audience was convicted; they repented, and were saved (2:37-41).

12.Then when we get to Acts 7, we see that Stephen’s audience was under conviction but rather than repent they killed Stephen (7:51-60).

13.I heard a preacher say, “The Gospel will either make you ‘shouting glad’ or ‘fighting mad’.”

14.What about you?   Which side are you on?

 

III. THE SINNER’S CONVERSION (2:41).

1.     First they were convicted, then they repented.  Then they “gladly received his word” (2:41), i.e., they believed the Gospel.  They were saved.

2.     Getting baptized was an important step of obedience (2:38, 41).  Baptism was visible proof of their repentance.  By getting baptized these Jews were identifying with the Lord Jesus Christ and His church. 

3.     Some here today need to get saved.  And there are others who are saved but have never been Scripturally baptized. 

4.     First Peter 3:21 describes baptism as “the answer of a good conscience toward God.”  Do you have “a good conscience toward God”?  If not, then you ought to get things right with God this morning.

5.     Read carefully the book of Acts and you will note that every time a person is saved they immediately follow the Lord in believer’s baptism (cf. Acts 8:36-39; 9:18; 10:47, 48; 16:14, 15, 30-34).

6.     Three thousand souls were saved on the day of Pentecost.   This cannot be understood apart from the wonderful convicting work of the Holy Spirit.

7.     Just before He ascended into heaven, our Lord told Peter and the other disciples, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

8.     Peter’s bold preaching and the three thousand that were converted is the beginning of the fulfillment of this promise – “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem…” (Acts 1:8).

 

CONCLUSION:

1.     Unsaved friend – “Save yourself from this untoward generation” (2:40).

2.     Christian friend: have you been Scripturally baptized? (Acts 2:38, 41)