Proof

Overview

Proof That Jesus Is the Messiah

In a courtroom, evidence can be weighed by a "preponderance" or established "beyond a reasonable doubt." When Peter stands before the crowd in Acts 2:22-23, he aims at something even greater: proof beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah. Having already explained the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost through the prophecy of Joel, Peter now pivots from explaining Pentecost to proving Christ.

Proof One: The Works of Jesus. Peter deliberately picks up the very title used in mockery—"Jesus of Nazareth," echoing both Nathanael's question in John 1:46 and the inscription nailed above the cross—and sets it in stark contrast to who Jesus truly is: "a man attested to you by God." How did the Father attest to Him? "By deeds of power, wonders, and signs." The miracles displayed supernatural power; the wonders described the awe of the people; the signs pointed beyond themselves to His identity as Messiah. And critically, Peter says, "as you yourselves know." Even the chief priests in John 11:47 admitted, "This man is performing many signs." The works of Jesus were undeniable—Exhibit A that He is the Christ.

Proof Two: The Death of Jesus. Peter declares Jesus was "delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God." The word "foreknowledge" in Scripture never simply means knowing the future in advance—it consistently carries the sense of God's foreordination and prior planning. The cross was not a tragedy where the enemies of Jesus succeeded against Him; it was the deliberate, sovereign plan of God carried out through human hands. The very event that seemed to disprove His messiahship is, when rightly understood, a proof of it.

Pastoral Application. The same evidence Peter laid before Jerusalem still stands before us. We are called not merely to admire these proofs but to immerse ourselves in them until they become part of us—shaping our confidence when faith is challenged, our worship when Christ is mocked, and our witness when others ask why we believe. The Jesus who was attested by God, who fulfilled God's definite plan in His death, is the Messiah. There is no shadow of doubt.

Transcript

Would you open your Bible, please, with me? 0s

To the second chapter of the Book of Acts, 2s

is we continue this wonderful study of this great book, 4s

Acts of the Apostles. 9s

Provent. 13s

Provent. 15s

Why in a court of law, there's 17s

well different degrees of proving aren't there. 20s

There's the preponderance of evidence. 25s

That's one degree. 27s

The other is beyond the reasonable doubt. 30s

Another way, another form of proving. 35s

Well, what if you were having to prove that Jesus Christ 41s

was the Messiah? 48s

What level of proof would you have? 51s

That is exactly what Peter is doing in our text for today. 56s

And he does it masterfully. 63s

In fact, this is something we need to immerse ourselves 67s

in study it so that it becomes just a part of it. 71s

For you see, as Peter proves that Jesus is the Messiah, 78s

it's not the preponderance of evidence. 82s

It's not beyond a reasonable doubt. 86s

Nope. 89s

It's beyond a shadow of doubt. 91s

So let's study. 97s

In the second chapter of Acts, we have this incredible sermon by Peter. 99s

We've studied the first part of the sermon, 105s

in the weeks leading up. 107s

The first part of the Peter's sermon is Peter was explaining 109s

the events of Pentecost. 112s

Remember, we have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 116s

The church is born. 118s

The church is equipped. 120s

The church had been waiting for the Holy Spirit. 121s

Peter is explaining the phenomenon that they were seeing. 123s

And the incredible manifestation of the Spirit when the Spirit came. 127s

Now there's a shift in the sermon. 132s

Having explained what Pentecost was 135s

and where it was rooted in Scripture, 139s

remember the prophecy of Joel. 141s

Peter now switches to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. 144s

So it's a shift from explaining Pentecost 152s

to explaining and proving Christ as the Messiah. 156s

Look with me, please. 164s

At verse 22. 165s

Because in these verses, we're going to study today. 168s

And then leading over into next week, 171s

there are four different proves. 173s

I want to deal with three of them with you today. 176s

Three proves that Peter highlights to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. 180s

Verse 22. 187s

You that are Israelites, 191s

listen to what I have to say. 194s

Jesus of Nazareth. 199s

Let's pause there. 203s

Jesus of Nazareth was the term that the Jews used to mock Jesus. 207s

Remember that question, can anything good come out of Nazareth? 215s

And remember what was the inscription that was placed above Jesus on the cross? 220s

It invoked Jesus of Nazareth. 225s

So as Peter here is explaining, who Christ is and 232s

going to give proofs that he is indeed the Messiah, 236s

he starts with using their term of mockery for Jesus. 239s

Why does he do this? 246s

Because he's going to point a distinction, 247s

a polarity between how they understand Jesus in a mocking way 250s

as Jesus of Nazareth to who Jesus is. 257s

You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say. 265s

Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God. 268s

You see there's a distinction. 275s

So they were regarding Jesus in mockery terms. 278s

Jesus of Nazareth, and here's the opposite. 281s

Here's the polarity. 284s

Now this is one who has been attested by God or depending on your translation, 285s

approved by God. 290s

And how did God the Father attest to the fact that indeed 292s

Jesus is the Messiah. 297s

Here comes the first proof with deeds of power, 299s

wonders, and signs that God did through him among you. 306s

In other words, the miracles that Jesus did, those deeds of power, 315s

those supernatural occurrences, they all testified to the fact that he was the Messiah, 319s

the healing, that he did testify to the fact 324s

that he was the Messiah. 327s

So you had the deeds of power, you had the miracles, 329s

you had the supernatural expressions here from the Lord Jesus. 333s

You had wonders, that's the reaction of the people, 338s

to what Jesus was doing, and then you had the signs. 343s

In other words, that which pointed, all that he did, all that he said, 347s

pointed to the fact that he was the Messiah. 351s

Peter said, here's proof one. 355s

Just look at what he did. 360s

Look at what he did in the miracles. 363s

Look at the reaction that you have, as you see the miracle, 365s

these are all signs that he did pointing to his identity. 370s

And they couldn't refute that he was doing it, 376s

where I look at the very next phrase there. 379s

After it says, and signs that God did through him 381s

among you, as you yourselves know. 385s

There was no refuting, no refuting, 391s

that Jesus had healed. 396s

There was no refuting, that Jesus took the meager means of the meal, 398s

with the boy, with the sac lunch, and fed thousands with it. 403s

There's no refuting it, nobody debated it. 407s

They saw it, that people were flocking out to Jesus. 411s

Why Scripture tells us in John 11, it says this, 416s

so that chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council and said, 420s

what are we to do? 426s

This man is performing many signs. 428s

Even as enemies admitted it. 435s

Peter says, now let me give you the correct understanding of this. 437s

What you're seeing, that's exhibit A. 443s

Exhibit A that he is in the sire. 450s

There's proof number two, is death, is death. 457s

Next verse, please, verse 23. 462s

This man handed over to you, according to the definite plan and 465s

four knowledge of God. 472s

You crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. 474s

This man handed over to you, according to the definite plan and four knowledge of God. 480s

So often that word, four knowledge is understood in terms of knowing that which will come in the future. 490s

But do you know? 498s

That never means that in the Scripture. 502s

Not once. Not one time. When you see four knowledge, does it ever mean knowing that which will occur 504s

in the future? It always means four ordination and four planning. 512s

Has nothing to do with knowing and advance what's going to happen? 521s

So read that verse again with that understanding. Verse 23, this man handed over to you, 526s

according to the definite plan and four planning of God. 531s

You crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. 537s

Peter highlights this and says, Jesus didn't die because the Jews were successful. 544s

Here, in getting him killed. Jesus didn't. 550s