This is the first message by Peter. The Holy Spirit came down on 120 believers. They spread the gospel in every language represented in the huge crowd of Jews who had come from all the surrounding areas for the feast of Pentecost. In the midst of this testifying of the good news that the world had a Savior Simon Peter stood and preached the straight truth of the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. The reaction was more than a disturbance to them; it was a pricking of their hearts.
The word prick used here is the same as getting a shot. It’s a descriptive term that shows what the gospel does: it injects the heart and you can’t help but react. So we have the “ouch” of the gospel. I want to use this in comparison to the suffering of Jesus. The devil would have us feel sorry for ourselves. He goes to great lengths to blackball the gospel. Think of how our sins affected Jesus. What better incentive for us than to realize his suffering on our behalf.
This is the first spelling out of the gospel. It resulted in 3,000 souls being saved. May it do the same for us today. May it prick our hearts where we need it.
Acts 2: 22Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38Then Peter said unto them, 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. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.
Jews from all the nations were in attendance. The gospel was plainly taught so that even a child could understand it. The truth about sin and what it does to us was laid out plainly. The truth about what God did so that we could be saved was told to all. Notice the effect it had. I don’t know Peter’s style of preaching that day. How he said it is not important. What he said is the main emphasis. I could blow trumpets and beat drums to raise your emotions today, but the Holy Spirit must do the work. You must hear the Word of God and believe it. The Word is what pricks the heart.
The gospel has a pointed edge that pierces the skin and muscle to make its way to the heart. No matter how tough a person’s skin is, a doctor’s needle is made in such a way that it can get through. The gospel needle has such a point. It can get to your heart if you let it. A person can get in a hardened state of mind and heart. Hearing about sin, the reality of your own sin, may evade you if you’re doing something to stop it. Don’t listen to the devil or society. Don’t listen to your own pride. Any of these can be a hindrance. We live in a hardened age, but the gospel has not lost its power to prick. If you want to do something about eternity, you must humble yourself and yield to the gospel. You will experience a piercing of not just the mind or your feelings but of your heart.
Growing up many of us probably thought the doctors and nurses who tried to give us shots were our enemies. They were not. They had the medicine in the needles to help us. The gospel is not our enemy. Don’t get mad at God if the Word pricks you. God’s needle is our friend. Dr. Jesus knows how to take care of the stains of sin that we can’t hide and get rid of on our own. The very thing that keeps us lost, unsatisfied and miserable is sin. Jesus came to save us from our sins. If we say we’re not guilty, we’re lying to ourselves. The only thing that can get rid of sin is the gospel. Jesus came for one reason: to bear the sins of man to the death. He lay in the tomb because the wages of sin is death. He had the power to take our sins upon him in that way. Despite the power of death and the curse of Adam, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. He is alive forevermore!
The only hand that can administer the life-saving medication of the gospel is the hand that was pierced. Taking my hand or receiving the right hand of fellowship of this church won’t save you. The nail-pierced hands of Jesus hold the gospel.
They did it. We did it. All our sins did it. We want a comfortable religion with a Christianity to suit us. If the Bible points out a sin that tries to prick us, we turn the page. We can’t doctor ourselves. Sooner or later we have to give into the needle of the Word. Do you think you don’t need a Savior? Do you think you can get to heaven just any old way that suits you? If you could, Jesus wouldn’t have suffered. The gospel is not our style. The “ouch” of it hurts. Everything in the gospel goes against our nature. Our nature is against God, spirituality, and truth. Our nature is not to face ourselves for who we are—lost without God on the way to hell. The gospel says we can’t save ourselves. We need Jesus. He suffered to the death. Jesus was more than pricked. He was pierced and cut. He cried out in agony. Our “ouch” is nothing in comparison.
Quit trying to stop the prick of the gospel. It will lead you in the right way. What is in that gospel needle is what helps. Say “ouch.” Let the gospel show you how you come short. We too can ask as did the Jews in Peter’s day what shall we do? The answer is still the same. Repent. Believe the gospel. Identify with Jesus.
Three thousand were saved that day. What about us? Has the needle lost its power? No. Loosen the hide. Break the fallow ground. Get rid of that barrier between you and the Lord. Extend the arm of your heart and let Jesus give you the shot that will save you.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 