The book of Acts gives a unique glimpse into the life and practice of the early church. It describes the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2, the spread of the Gospel outside of Jerusalem in Acts 8 and to the Gentiles in Acts 10, how the church made decisions in regards to doctrine (Acts 15), and more. The sermons in the book of Acts give us a window into the preaching ministries of Peter, Stephen, Philip, James, and Paul, along with the immediate impact those sermons had.
Below is a list of sermons preached in Acts along with a short description and reference for each are listed below. Not every passage below quotes the preacher’s sermon directly, but each passage will share something important about the content of the sermon or the response of the hearers.
A List of Sermons in the Book of Acts
| Major Sermons and Preaching in the Book of Acts | ||
|---|---|---|
| SERMON | THEME | BIBLICAL REFERENCE |
| Peter to Crowds at Pentecost | Peter’s Explanation of Pentecost | Acts 2:14-40 |
| Peter to Crowds at the Temple | The Jewish People should repent for crucifying the Messiah | Acts 3:12-26 |
| Peter to the Sanhedrin | Testimony that a helpless man was healed by the power of Jesus | Acts 4:5-12 |
| Stephen to the Sanhedrin | Stephen reviews Jewish history, accusing the Jews of killing the Messiah | Acts 7 |
| Philip to the Samaritans | Philip flees Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen and begins to preach to the Samaritans | Acts 8:5 |
| Peter to Gentiles | Gentiles can be saved in the same manner as Jews | Acts 10:28-47 |
| Peter to church at Jerusalem | Peter’s Testimony of his experiences at Joppa and a defense of this ministry to the Gentiles | Acts 11:4-18 |
| Paul to Synagogue at Antioch | Jesus was the Messiah in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies | Acts 13:16-41 |
| Paul and Barnabus at Iconium | Paul and Barnabus spoke boldly in Iconium’s Jewish Synagogue, causing many to believe and disbelievers to stir up opposition | Acts 14:3-7 |
| Peter to Jerusalem Council | Salvation by grace available to all | Acts 15:7-11 |
| James to Jerusalem Council | Gentile converts do not require circumcision | Acts 15:13-21 |
| Paul and Silas in Prison | Paul and Silas preach to the prison guard after a terrible earthquake | Acts 16:31 |
| Paul in Athens at the Areopagus | Paul preaches the Gospel in the Athenian culture that has no knowledge of the God of Judaism | Acts 17:22-35 |
| Paul to Ephesian Elders | Remain faithful in spite of false teachers and persecution | Acts 20:17-35 |
| Paul to crowd at Jerusalem | Paul’s statement of his conversion and his mission to the Gentiles | Acts 22:1-21 |
| Paul to Sanhedrin | Paul’s defense declaring himself a Pharisee and Roman Citizen | Acts 23:1-6 |
| Paul’s defense before Felix in Caesarea | Paul proclaims his righteousness and judgment to come | Acts 24:10-21 |
| Paul to King Agrippa | Paul’s statement of his conversion and zeal for the Gospel | Acts 26:2-23 |
| Paul to Jewish leaders at Rome | Paul’s statement about his Jewish Heritage | Acts 28:17-20 |
*Much of the information in this chart is taken from Nelson’s Complete Book of Maps and Charts (1996).
