The Crucified King

A crucifixion looks like defeat until you hear Acts 2:36 said out loud: God makes the crucified Jesus “both Lord and Christ.” We lean into that tension and follow Peter’s Pentecost sermon as it cuts through the noise, from the crowd accusing the disciples of being drunk to the stunning claim that the risen Jesus is the true King over everything.

We connect Luke and Acts as a two-part story so the message stays centered where the Bible keeps centering it: Jesus. Then we track Peter’s logic step by step, from “you crucified” and “God raised” to the Old Testament proof in Psalm 16 and the royal implications of Jesus as the Son of David seated on a throne. Along the way we slow down on two loaded words for any serious Bible study: “Lord” as sovereign ruler, and “Christ” as Messiah, God’s anointed King promised across Scripture.

The turning point is painfully practical. After the sermon, the crowd asks the question every listener eventually faces: “What shall we do?” Peter’s answer is direct, public, and embodied: repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We also talk about baptism by immersion, why it matters, and why declaring “no other king but Jesus” reshapes how we think about politics, authority, and who gets the last word over our lives.

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Transcript

The Crucified King Text

Anderson George 0:00

Acts chapter number two Acts chapter number two Verse number thirty six Acts chapter two Verse number thirty-six Scripture says therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ this Jesus whom you crucified one more time therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. From this verse and its surrounding context, I want to labor symbolically from the title The Crucified King. The Crucified King.

Luke And Acts As One Story

Anderson George 1:05

I want you to know that as we read the book of Acts, the book of Acts is actually the second volume in a two-volume set. The first volume is Luke, the Gospel of Luke. Luke Gospel is written by Luke. And Luke begins Luke chapter number one, verse number one, by saying, For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most shortly believed amongst us, even as they delivered them unto us who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word. It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. If you pay attention to verse number four of Luke, chapter number one, he says he's writing to someone named Theophilus. Then when you open Acts, Acts chapter number one, beginning at verse number one, he says, The former treaties I write to you, Theophilus, about the things that Jesus began both to do and to teach. Acts is the second volume of a two-part series written to someone named Theophilus, and its story is about all the things that Jesus began both to do and to teach. That allows me to know that whatever Acts is about, Jesus is at the center. Let me say that one more time. As you read Acts, you may read about Peter and Paul, you may read about Herod, you may read about Festus and Agrippa, you may find several names in the book of Acts, but it's all about Jesus. In fact, I want you to know that every story in the Bible, from Genesis all the way to Revelation, every story, every account is about Jesus. It doesn't matter where you begin, it's all about him and not just about him. The story of Jesus is that he is king. As you read your Bible, there is one singular thematic message that it wants you to have categorically, emphatically clear in your mind, and that story is we have a king, and his name is Jesus.

Pentecost And Peter Stands Up

Anderson George 3:53

So in Acts, as you read Acts, it opens up telling us that Jesus, after his resurrection, spends 40 days with his disciples, telling them that they must stay in Jerusalem. He tells them in Acts chapter number one, verse number eight, and you shall be my witnesses, beginning in Judea, Samaria, and even on the uttermost parts of the world. And they're supposed to stay in Jerusalem. While they're in the upper room waiting for whatever Jesus has promised, Peter gets up and he announces that we need to replace Judas, who betrayed Jesus. And so they cast lots and they got another disciple. Then chapter 2 begins. And chapter 2 says, when the day of Pentecost is fully come, they were gathered in one accord, and the Holy Ghost fell upon them, and the disciples are now speaking in languages they did not previously study. And when this happens, the people who are hearing this, the people who are seeing this, begin to mock them, saying these men are drunk with new wine, not even the good stuff. They drank some bad stuff and they're drunk with this new wine. Peter stands up and he says, These men are not drunk as you suppose, because it's too early in the morning. That's not an excuse you could use today. You're coming inside here. Peter's reason for why these men could not be drunk. He said, It is the third hour in the day. The third hour is nine o'clock. Peter said, We can't be drunk because it's nine o'clock. I wish I had a church. What you're seeing can't be drunkenness because it's too early. So then he says, This is that which was prophesied by the prophet Joel, and he quotes Joel.

The Sermon: Crucified And Raised

Anderson George 6:21

But after quoting Joel, Peter begins his sermon. His sermon begins uh in verse number 22. Peter begins his sermon, and here's his sermon, meet me in verse 22 to verse 24. Here is the sermon, ye men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves already know. He, being delivered by the determinate counsel and for knowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain Jesus, whom God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. Is that in the Bible church? Amen. All right. That's the sermon. Peter's sermon is Jesus of Nazareth, you crucified, and God raised him up. That's it. What he does is then prove his sermon. In fact, if I was talking to preachers, I would tell you that this is a good template about how to preach. Because what Peter did is in five parts. Part number one, he told you what his sermon is about. His sermon is about Jesus. Jesus, who was crucified, is resurrected. He then proved his sermon. His second point was to prove his sermon by looking at an Old Testament prophet. His third thing was to explain the quotation that he used. After explaining his example and quotation that he uses, he then tells them what they need to do. And that's all I'm going to tell you. The sermon is Jesus, whom you crucified, God raised up. Then he says, This was prophesied in the Old Testament. And so if you're with me, he begins in verse number 25 by saying, For David speaks concerning this.

David’s Psalm Points To Jesus

Anderson George 9:08

When Jesus died, he went to Hades, but his soul was not left there because he was resurrected on the third day. Peter quotes Psalm 16 as proof that Jesus, who was crucified, was resurrected. And then he explains it. And I don't want you to miss this. After he does all of that, in verse number 29 of Acts chapter number 2, he says, Brethren, let me speak to you freely of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is here with us to this day. He being a prophet and knowing that God has sworn an oath to him that according to his flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. He speaks beforehand concerning this. Here's what Peter just did. Don't miss it. He said, if you read Psalm 16, as you read Psalm 16, Psalm 16 was about Jesus who was coming 2,000 years later. Peter, as he speaks of it, said when David wrote this, he could not be speaking of himself because his tomb is right there. Oh, y'all missed this. David wrote it. And if you assumed he was talking about himself, he said that can't be because his tomb is right there, his grave is right there. You could roll the stone and you would see David is still there. However, he said he's speaking of someone else, the Christ. And it has to be the Christ because only Jesus got up from the grave the way Psalm 16 said it. Not only that, he then adds some color to it. He said, David being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn to him that of the fruit of his own, that's a fancy King James word for saying that a descendant from him would be resurrected and would be seated on the throne. Peter adds that the resurrected Jesus is a son of David, but also one who sits on a throne. I don't need to ask you who sits on thrones because you already know only kings sit on thrones. You're looking at me funny. Only kings sit on thrones. So Peter said, Not only is this Jesus whom you crucified, resurrected, he is a son of David, and he's a king. And then what he does, what he does, because sometimes you have to give more proof. He quotes the Old Testament as proof, but then he says, verse number 32, this Jesus had God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. He says in verse number 32, not only did David prophesy in the Old Testament, but we saw it with our own eyes. We witnessed it. So proof number one, the Old Testament said this would happen. Proof number two, we saw it with our own eyes. And then he said in verse number 33, that Jesus is now exalted and seated at the right hand of the Father and receiving from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has now poured forth what you both now see and hear. Says the reason why we had all of this commotion where you heard people speaking in tongues, where you saw people speaking in tongues, is because the crucified Jesus is now resurrected, and the resurrected Jesus is now exalted to be at the right hand of the Father. That's a symbol of saying he now has authority. That Jesus is responsible for what's happening here. And then he said in verse number 36 that all the house of Israel know ashortly this Jesus, whom you crucified. God has made both Lord and Christ. That's the sermon. Jesus is King. But because I want you to get this, hold on. Peter did not use the word king. He said he is Lord and Christ. But he already alluded to him being a king by saying he's a son of David. And David, when he prophesied, knew that God told him he would have a son that will sit on a throne forever. He said that's Jesus. But when he ends his sermon in verse 36, he said, Let everyone know he is

Lord And Christ Defined

Anderson George 15:01

Lord. And here I need to pause for a Bible commercial because Lord is not a word you use all the time. This is a word Peter borrows because in the Old Testament, this word was used to refer, firstly, to someone who is master over everything. He is Lord of all. He is master. He is ruler. Here's another word you don't use often: sovereign. He is sovereign. That just means he's master and ruler over everything. But sovereign is a word that you normally ascribe to kings. So when Peter said he is Lord, what everybody else heard was that he is master, ruler, and sovereign over everything. He is king of kings and lord of lords. There is none like him, there is none but him. That's what they heard. He is king, a king above kings, a king, unlike any other king. But he's not just king, he is Christ. Christ here comes from the Hebrew word meshiach, from which from which we get the English word messiah. He is the Mishiach of the Old Testament. That's a fancy way of saying he is the anointed one, chosen, appointed, anointed, and sent by God. He's not just king, he's God's anointed, appointed, chosen, and sent king. He is the one that we've been looking for. He is the one the Old Testament spoke about. He is the one you read about in Genesis 3:15, when God said, I'll put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and his seed. He shall bruise you on the head. That's Jesus. This he in John in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, is the same he that Peter is talking about in Acts chapter number 2. Jesus is king of the Old Testament, he's king of the New Testament, he's king of our time today, he's king of the time coming. It doesn't matter where you start. Peter says he was the anointed, appointed, chosen one, mentioned in the Old Testament, made visible in the New Testament, and we are announcing him today. Jesus is here. Now that's a fact.

What Shall We Do Now

Anderson George 17:46

The problem is not in the fact, it's what do I do with this fact. How do I respond to the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? How do I respond that God has made Jesus of Nazarene both Lord and Christ? It's simple. First, I'll tell you, we just need to read what the text says. Whatever they did is what we have to do. Whatever they did is what we have to do in order to accept, acknowledge, and receive Jesus as King of our lives. What happens after Peter says, therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly this Jesus whom you crucified, God has made both Lord and Christ. We have verse 37 of Acts chapter number 2. Verse 37 says, Men and brethren, what shall we do? I want to put it to you that what they're asking is, now that we have heard that Jesus is King, now that we believe that there is no King but Jesus, what do we need to do about it now? Now, there are so many smart people today. You either are intellectually smart or you are Google smart. I'm not asking which one you are, but I know we have smart people, and smart people either have it naturally and intellectually, or they know how to Google. And so, because I know there are smart people here, let me be smart for two seconds. Would you allow me to be smart for two seconds? Y'all didn't say anything, so I'll take that as permission. What shall we do? Is the question. What is an interrogative word that anticipates an answer? In other words, it tells us it's a question. Shall is an adverb of imperatival necessity, meaning that it is necessary for something to be done. We is a first person personal pronoun, plural, first person plural personal pronoun that says it's not just one but multiple people. We what shall we do is a word that implies activity. You put all of that together from the interrogative what to the first personal plural pronoun we and the action would do, and you have them asking what is necessary for each one of us to do because we now heard and believe that Jesus is King. If you didn't need all that smarts, all they were saying is, where do we go from here? You all good? Nice. Whatever Peter says is what they need to do. No, you're missing. Let me try this side. They just said, where do we go from here? Whatever pizza says is what they need to do. Nice. Okay, this side got it. Let me try it over here again. They just said, what do we need to do? Whatever pizza says. Is what they need to do. Oh, that was better. Oh, yeah. Look at you. Now, here's why I had to make sure I had your attention to bring that in. Peter has what we call the keys of the kingdom. I want to let you go, hopefully, in 10 minutes. Peter has the keys to the kingdom. So don't turn there in Matthew chapter number 16. After Jesus said that I will build my church, he then tells Peter, and I'll give to you the keys of the kingdom. Whatever you loose on earth shall have been loose in heaven. Whatever you bound on earth shall have been bound already in heaven. Peter has the keys. Keys open doors. So when they asked Peter, what shall we do? Peter is the only one with the right key to open the door to the kingdom. Oh, you're missing this. Peter is the only person right now who could tell them how to get through the door to be saved and to receive Jesus as King. So whatever he says is important. It also means he could say anything because he has the keys. Peter could say, you don't need to do anything, you are saved already. He could say that because he has the keys. Peter could say, All you need to do is say the sinner's prayer five times. Say two Hail Mary, say one our father, spin like a dog, bark like a cow. I know it doesn't make sense. That's the point. Peter could say anything. So whatever he says has to be important because he has the keys. Well, what

Repent, Be Baptized, Receive Spirit

Anderson George 23:59

does Peter say? Acts 2 38. Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He goes on, he says, and this promise is not just for you, but for you, for your children, for your children's children, and as many as are afar off, as the Lord our God will call. Now, follow me here. All Peter told them is what they need to do. You all with me? What we want to see is what do they do? Because whatever they do is what you have to do to receive Jesus' king. Oh, I wish I had a church. So he just said, Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus, for remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and it promises unto you and to your children and to your children's children, as many as are afar off as the Lord our God will call. Keep reading. Verse 40 says, and with many other words he testified, saying, Save yourself from this untoward perverse or corrupt generation. Come here, he just added something else. Accepting Jesus as king is how you save yourself. So if you didn't know what we're asking, now you know we're asking about how to accept that Jesus is king, but also how to be saved. Well, what does salvation have to do with Jesus being king? Kings conquer territories. A king wants to be supreme in everything. So if you want to be saved from the wrath that is coming of the king, you need to be in his kingdom. Because only kingdom citizens will be saved. Only kingdom citizens benefit from the king being king. So Peter is also telling them, I'm not just asking you to receive Jesus as King, I'm also asking you to save yourself. It's interesting that he said, Save yourself, because I can't save you. And you're kind enough to warn them and say, Save yourself. But they seem not to want to save themselves. Peter is saying, I need you to save yourself. So let's let's read again. Verse 40. And with many other words, Peter did testify, saying, Save yourself from this unto what generation. Let me tell you this. The fact that Peter says save yourself also means they're not yet saved. I would tell someone who has been saved to save himself. So up until this point, they are not yet saved, they have not accepted Jesus as King. So whatever they do after Peter says save themselves is what we need to do to save ourselves, but also to accept, acknowledge, and receive Jesus as Lord and Christ. Now that you have that, let's just read the entire thing and see what happens. From verse 36. Therefore, let the whole house of Israel know assuredly this Jesus, whom you crucified, God has made both Lord and Christ. When they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts and began saying, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Peter answered and said, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And the promise is unto you and to your children, and to your children's children, and as and as far as many as our Lord our God will call. And truly, with other words, Peter did testify, saying, Save yourself from this unto what generation. And they that gladly received his word. Well, what was his word? Save yourself. What was his word? Repent and be baptized. They that gladly received his word were baptized. That was a lot of work just to get to baptize. But I wanted you to see baptism is more than just saying you're joining a church. Baptism is the point where you realize that Jesus is Lord and Christ. And where because you not only acknowledged it, but you accepted it and were willing to receive it, you responded by being baptized.

Baptism Means Immersion

Anderson George 29:25

Now let me just tell you what baptism is, and then we could get some good food. Baptism is being immersed in water, immersed in water. Not anything else, but immersed. The word baptizo literally means immersed. Unfortunately, many of our Bibles did not translate the word, they just gave us the word in English, like it sounded in Greek. In Greek, the word is baptizo, in English, baptize. Same word. So I'm telling you, when Peter said repent and be baptized, what they all heard was repent and allow yourselves to be immersed in water for the forgiveness of your sins. They that gladly received his word were immersed, and the same day were added unto them three thousand souls. Here's why I said all of that today.

No Other King But Jesus

Anderson George 30:36

We live in a world where we have all sorts of governmental structures, and I I I this this I I don't have a concern about which governmental structure you like. I don't have a concern about what your political affiliation is, but I do want to tell you, in the midst of political quarrelings, in the midst of nations, governments, rulers, presidents, kings, governors, and mayors, the Bible is still saying there is one king that trumps every president. There is one king that trumps the king over in Netherlands, the queen in England, the prime minister in Trinidad and in the Caribbean, the presidents of the world. There is one king that's above every other king, and his name is Jesus. And we need to be a people that hear this word loud enough that we could say, we have no other king but Jesus. No king but Jesus. Because there is still a reigning and ruling king. I don't know what's going to happen in the political arena of the world, but I'm not bothered because God is still seated on the throne. And as a child in his kingdom, there is no weapon formed against me that will prosper. No government has the last say on me. The only person that has the last say and control of my life is King Jesus. The only person whose word matters at the end of the day is his. You want to be able to meet him as king and he says, Well done, thou good and faithful servant. And so today is a day where we reminder where we remind ourselves that Jesus alone is king. But where we also want you, if you have not yet been baptized, if you have not yet in your heart acknowledged, accepted, and received Jesus as King and shown that by obedience and immersion, today's a good day.

The Water Is Ready Today

Anderson George 33:16

Today's a really good day. The water is ready. And and you don't have to worry. You could say, Well, I didn't come prepared to do that. That's fine. We came prepared for you. If if if you're saying, Well, I just got my hair dead, we'll find something to tie up here. Yeah, yeah, we'll tie the hair up nice so you don't have to worry that the expensive extensions or whatever you did gets messed up. But we want to make sure that everyone here has an opportunity to accept, acknowledge, and receive Jesus before they leave. If you're already a Christian, today is the day where you remind yourself he's king. Not the people in my family, although you may treat your dad as a king, he is not the king of kings. Although your wife may be queen, she is not the queen. Amen, ladies. I heard all the men. I said amen, ladies, and all the men was like, Amen. Yeah, she may be a queen, and fellas, treat your lady like a queen, but ladies, let me put on my God voice. You are not the queen. You're not. You could have royalty in your life. I'm not telling you don't have royalty. I'm just saying make sure you know the pecking order, make sure you know the hierarchy, and above whoever is royalty in your life sits Jesus, the King of Kings. Can I have an amen to that? We're gonna sing. We're gonna sing.