A beginning, and its answer
The First Sermon of the Church
The church's first sermon is preached by Peter on the day of Pentecost, and its heart is the risen Christ. When he finishes, three thousand are added, and the church is born by the proclamation of Jesus raised from the dead.
“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:”Acts 2:14
The first
The first. On the day of Pentecost the Spirit is poured out, and the gathered crowd, hearing the disciples speak in many tongues, is amazed and perplexed. Peter stands up with the eleven and lifts his voice in the first public sermon of the church (Acts 2:14). He explains that this is what the prophet Joel foretold, then turns to the center of his message: Jesus of Nazareth, approved of God by mighty works, "ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death" (Acts 2:23-24). He proves from the Psalms that the Messiah could not be held by death, and declares, "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses" (Acts 2:32). He presses to the conclusion: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). The hearers are pierced to the heart and ask what they must do. Peter calls them to repent and be baptized, "and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41).
What it means
What it means. The first sermon of the church sets the pattern for all Christian preaching: it centers on Jesus crucified and risen, calls hearers to repentance, and offers forgiveness in His name. Peter does not preach general religion or moral advice; he preaches a Person and an event, the death and resurrection of Christ, and he grounds it in Scripture and in eyewitness testimony, "we all are witnesses." The sermon shows that the church is born not by human eloquence but by the Spirit and the word about Jesus. It also establishes the shape of the response God seeks: conviction of sin, repentance, faith, baptism, and incorporation into the community of believers. The three thousand added in a single day reveal that the risen Christ, proclaimed, gathers a people. From this first sermon flow the marks of the church that follow immediately: they continue in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers (Acts 2:42). The church begins where it will always find its life, in the announcement that Jesus is Lord and Christ.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. The first sermon is itself all about Christ, so it points to Him directly rather than by shadow. Its burden is the resurrection: "This Jesus hath God raised up" (Acts 2:32). Everything the earlier firsts anticipated, the promised seed, the true Passover, the covering righteousness, now stands proclaimed as accomplished in a risen Lord. Peter declares Him "both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36), the crucified one exalted and reigning. This is the message that raises the dead in soul as surely as God raised Christ's body. Paul would later say the same is of first importance, "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures ... and that he rose again the third day" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), and that if Christ is not risen our faith is vain (1 Corinthians 15:17). The church's first sermon rests everything on the empty tomb, and rightly, for the risen Christ is "the firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18) and "the firstfruits of them that slept" (1 Corinthians 15:20). The church begins by preaching Him, and it has no other message to preach.
Questions people ask
What was the main point of the first Christian sermon?
That God raised the crucified Jesus from the dead and made Him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:32-36). Peter's whole message centered on the resurrection and called hearers to repent and be baptized in Jesus' name.
How many people were converted?
Acts 2:41 says about three thousand souls were added that same day, after they received Peter's word and were baptized, showing that the risen Christ, proclaimed, gathers a people.
Why does this sermon matter for the church today?
It sets the pattern for all Christian preaching: Christ crucified and risen at the center, a call to repentance, and forgiveness offered in His name. The church's message has not changed since Pentecost.