The First Resurrection Sermon

The First Resurrection Sermon

History has a way of remembering the speeches that follow world-changing events. When something monumental happens, someone eventually stands up and explains what it all means.

After the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. After Pearl Harbor, Franklin Roosevelt addressed the nation. When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, he gave words to the moment.

In Acts 2, we find another moment like that, and it is arguably the most important one in history. The resurrection of Jesus has just taken place. The tomb is empty. Peter stands up to preach the first sermon explaining what it all means. 

To understand the weight of his message, we need to understand the context.

Jesus had been crucified just weeks earlier. He died publicly, brutally, and unmistakably. His followers, those who had walked with Him, trusted Him, and believed Him to be the Messiah, were terrified. If Jesus had been executed as a criminal, what would happen to them?

So they hid.

Then something happened that changed everything. Jesus did not stay in the grave. He began appearing to people, first to the women at the tomb, then to His disciples, and eventually to hundreds of others. These were not vague impressions or spiritual experiences. These were real encounters with the risen Christ.

The disciples moved from fear to boldness. That boldness reaches its peak in Acts 2 when Peter stands before a crowd in Jerusalem and begins to speak.

His message is strikingly direct.

“Jesus of Nazareth,” he says, “a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs… you crucified and killed.” 

There is no softening here. Peter places responsibility squarely on his listeners. They had seen the miracles. They had witnessed the works. Still, they rejected Him.

Then Peter says something even more surprising.

“This Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.” 

In other words, the cross was not a tragic accident. It was not a failure of God’s plan. It was the plan.

Yes, sinful men carried it out. At the same time, God ordained it.

Why would God plan such a thing?

Because every one of us has a sin problem. We have all violated God’s law. We have all lived in ways that fall short of His standard. Scripture is clear that the wage of sin is death.

That creates what we might call a divine dilemma. How can a just God, one who must punish sin, also show mercy and forgiveness to sinners?

The answer is found at the cross.

Jesus lived a perfect life. He is the only one who has ever fully obeyed God. At the end of His life, He went willingly to the cross as a substitute. On that cross, God placed the weight of our sin onto His Son and poured out His righteous judgment, not on us, but on Him.

Jesus took our place.

He absorbed the justice we deserved so that God could extend mercy without compromising His righteousness.

That leads to an important question. Was His sacrifice enough?

The answer comes through the resurrection.

God raised Jesus from the dead, confirming that the payment for sin had been fully satisfied. The resurrection is not only a miracle. It is a declaration. It is God’s announcement that the work of Christ is complete.

Peter and the other apostles stand as witnesses to this reality. These were not men spreading rumors. They had seen the risen Christ. They had touched Him. Now they were willing to risk everything to proclaim Him.

When the crowd hears this, their response is immediate.

“They were cut to the heart.” 

They feel the weight of their guilt. They recognize their sin. They ask the only question that matters.

“What shall we do?”

That question is not just theirs. It is ours as well.

The truth is we are not fundamentally different from that crowd. We too have sinned. We too have rejected God in countless ways. We too stand in need of forgiveness.

Peter’s answer is just as relevant today.

“Repent and be baptized… for the forgiveness of your sins.” 

To repent is to turn. It means acknowledging our sin before God and turning away from it. To believe is to place our faith in Jesus Christ. It means trusting that His death was for us and that His resurrection secures our salvation.

When that happens, something remarkable takes place. God removes our guilt and credits us with the righteousness of Christ. This is not something we earn or deserve. It is given to us by grace.

The message of Easter is not simply that Jesus is a good example or a moral teacher. It is that He is the Savior of sinners. He took our punishment, satisfied God’s justice, and offers us forgiveness and new life.

So the question remains.

Who is Jesus to you?

Is He simply a historical figure? A teacher? An example?

Or is He your Savior?

The call of Easter is clear and unchanging. Repent, believe, and receive the forgiveness that Jesus purchased through His death and secured through His resurrection.