This Jesus God Raised Up

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 5 April 2026, EASTER
Sermon Text: Acts 2:22-36
Main Points:
Introduction
I. “You killed Him” – The offense of Easter
II. “God raised Him” – The hope of Easter
III. “We are witnesses” – The mission of Easter
Conclusion

The passage we’ve just read forms part of the message the Apostle Peter delivered to the Jews in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost – the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the apostles and those gathered together in the place known as the Upper Room. It was the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Jesus. And significantly, this sermon of Peter stands as the first public proclamation that clearly expounds the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection. For that reason alone, it is fitting that we return to it and attend carefully to what it says.

There is a sense in which this message carries a striking immediacy. It was delivered less than two months after Jesus rose from the dead, leaving behind an empty tomb. In our context, events that capture attention tend to fade quickly – two months is often enough for something once compelling to become distant or forgotten. But in the 1st century setting, that would not have been the case. The news of Jesus’ resurrection would still have been vivid, unsettled, and widely discussed. It is into that living memory Peter speaks, not only recounting what happened, but interpreting its meaning – both its spiritual significance and its relevance for every hearer.

As we listen to this message, three features emerge. First, it is offensive. Peter does not begin gently. He confronts his audience directly, saying, “you crucified and killed” Him (v. 23). The proclamation of the resurrection begins with an accusation. It exposes guilt before it offers comfort.

Second, it is a message of hope. It says, “God raised Him up” (v. 24). What human beings brought about in death, God overturned in power. The hope of Easter is not that Jesus remains a figure of the past, but that He lives – and that His life is the reality and assurance for all who believe in Him.

Third, this message carries within itself a mission. It does not merely inform; it compels. The reality of the risen Christ demands to be proclaimed. Those who receive this message are not left as passive hearers, but are drawn into bearing witness to what God has done.

All of this rests on the reality of a historical event and its enduring significance. In other words, the message of Easter is not ‘what Easter means to me,’ but ‘what God has done in history – and what that means for me, for you and for all people.’ If God has acted decisively in raising Jesus, then, the question is not whether we find it meaningful, but how we stand in relation to it.

So, this Easter morning, let us consider that question together by looking at three aspects of the message – its offensiveness, its hope, and its mission.

I. “You Killed Him” – The Offense Of Easter

The message of Easter begins with offense. That may sound surprising, but it must be so, because its starting point is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Without His death, there is no resurrection. So, before Easter becomes an invitation, it first comes as an accusation.

The Apostle Peter states that accusation plainly in v. 23, saying, “You crucified and killed Him.” This is not merely an emotional charge; it is a forensic claim. It speaks not of abstract sin, but of real, historical, moral guilt.

And this accusation does not rest only on the Jews who stood there on the day of Pentecost. It extends to all humanity. In our sin, we stand aligned with the same act – we too are implicated in the rejection and death of Christ.

At this point, many would instinctively resist and say, ‘I was not there. I did not take part.’ But, that objection rests on a false assumption – that our guilt is limited to direct historical involvement. But Scripture presses deeper than that.

Consider what is undeniable: all people die. Biologically, we’re moving toward death – that’s our shared trajectory. But, this is not merely a natural process; it has a moral dimension. Death is the wages of sin, as Rom. 6:21 and 23 state. That means our lives are not neutral – we’re aligned with what leads to death – simply put, sin.

And if death is the consequence of sin, then, our condition reveals something about our posture toward God. We do not naturally move toward the Author of life; we turn away from Him. Indeed, as Acts 3:15 declares, Jesus is “the Author of life” – and yet He is the One who was killed.

This is why the cross is not an accident. It is a revelation. It shows with stark clarity what humanity does when God comes near. In other words, we do not seek God – rather, we oppose Him, even to the point of eliminating Him.

That is why the words “you killed Him” cannot be confined to a past event or a particular group. They expose a present and universal reality. Not only ‘they,’ but we also participate in the same rebellion through our sin. Sin is not merely the breaking of rules; it is the rejection of Christ. And every sin, in its direction, moves away from God and toward death. This is the offense at the heart of Easter.

II. “God Raised Him” – The Hope Of Easter

But, the message of Easter does not end with the accusation of our guilt. It moves forward – almost as if crossing the bar in a courtroom – and directs our attention to God the Judge and to His decisive act. In vs. 24 and 32, the apostle declares, “God raised Him up … This Jesus God raised up.” In other words, ‘You acted … but God acted.’

What human beings brought about in sin, God overturned in power. We crucified and killed Christ, but God raised Him up. We rejected the Author of life and nailed Him to the cross, yet God vindicated Him and brought Him out of death into life. This divine act of reversal is the very heart of Easter’s hope.

But we must be precise. The hope of Easter is not simply that something remarkable happened, but that what happened was entirely God’s doing. This is not a joint effort between God and man. It is not the result of human repentance, moral improvement, or religious striving. The resurrection of Christ is wholly and exclusively the initiative of God!

And that truth matters deeply. We know how fragile human promises are. We know how inconsistent our moral efforts can be, don’t we? Even our repentance, sincere as it may feel, cannot bear the weight of salvation. It is not the cause of Christ’s resurrection, nor the foundation of our hope. And that gives us, if we see it rightly, a deep sigh of relief!

That’s because if salvation depended on what we could produce – our repentance, our reform, our resolve – then, it would always remain uncertain, if not impossible. But, Easter tells us otherwise. It tells us that God has acted, not in response to human adequacy, but in spite of human sin.

The cross stands as the clearest expression of human rebellion; the resurrection stands as God’s definitive answer. Where sin brought death, God brought life. Where humanity rendered its verdict against Christ, God rendered His verdict for Him. This is the hope of Easter, my dear fellow believers! Salvation does not arise from within us; it comes from outside us. And in raising Jesus from the dead, God has made it clear: He Himself is our salvation! What surer hope could we possibly have?

III. “We Are Witnesses” – The Mission Of Easter

In sum, the message of Easter is both offensive and full of hope. It is like a courtroom where a convicted person stands under a sentence of death, yet the judge declares a full pardon. In any human court, such a verdict would be impossible – it would be an abuse of authority or dereliction of duty. But this is not a human judge. This is the Judge of all the earth, whose authority is absolute and whose judgments are always righteous. More than that, His own Son has already borne the penalty on behalf of the guilty. So, the condemnation is removed, and the condemned is vindicated!

What, then, would be the natural response of such a pardoned sinner? Would he remain silent? Surely not. He would want others to know what has happened – how he has been freed not only from punishment, but also from fear, shame, and despair. He would speak.

That is precisely what Easter brings about. It not only saves; it sends. This is exactly what the Apostle Peter declares in Acts 2:32, “God raised Him up, and of that we all are witnesses.”

To be a witness, then, is not a role we choose, but one we are appointed into. The logic is straightforward: if God has acted decisively in Christ, then, that act must be proclaimed, not concealed. If we who once stood among those who rejected Christ have now been freed from guilt and brought into life, then, we’re sent to proclaim that grace! Those who once stood against Christ are now sent out for Him.

At this point, some may hesitate. They may think that witnessing is beyond them – that it requires ability, confidence, or a certain personality. But, we need to be clear about what a witness is. A witness is not an expert, nor a skilled persuader. A witness is simply one who testifies to what God has done in Christ.

Scripture is realistic about the kind of people God uses. Witnesses are often weak, dependent, and fearful. As the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Cor. 4:7, the witnesses are described as ‘jars of clay that hold the treasure of Jesus Christ.’ Listen to the reason why we are called to this role – Paul continues in 2 Cor. 4:7, “to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” God does not rely on human strength or impressiveness. He uses fragile people so that His power – not ours – may be clearly seen.

Likewise, the mission of witnessing is sustained not by our ability, but by God’s provision. Acts 1:8 is clear about this in these words, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses.” The calling to witness is inseparable from the power God supplies.

What, then, do we bear witness to? Not ourselves, not our improvement, not our experience as such – but to the objective reality of what God has done: that Jesus died for our sins, and that God raised Him from the dead! This is the message.

So, our task is simple, though not always easy: we’re to bear witness to Him. Even weak witness matters, because the power does not lie in the messenger, but in the message itself.

Conclusion

So, where does this leave us? The message of Easter does not allow us to remain neutral. It tells us that we’re not innocent – “you killed Him.” It tells us that God has acted – “God raised Him.” And it tells us that this risen Christ now stands before us as Lord, calling for a response. The question is no longer about the event itself, but about our position in relation to it.

If this Jesus is still dead, then nothing really changes. But if God has raised Him – as the Scriptures declare and the apostles witnessed – then, He is Lord and Christ. That means we cannot ignore Him, we cannot redefine Him, and we cannot delay our response.

We’re called to turn to Him – to repent, to believe, and to come under the rule of the risen Lord. And having done so, we join in this same mission: to bear witness that this Jesus, whom God raised, is the only hope for our families, friends, neighbours, and the world! ***