The Coming of the Holy Spirit

[0:00] The same intimations as this morning, but just to go over again the same points, God willing, on Saturday the North U.S. induction takes place. David Ferguson, pleased to pray for him and his family.

[0:13] Again, there's at least two spaces with myself going down to North U.S., God willing. So it's this Saturday, travelling to be at Leaverborough for 8.05.

[0:25] So nice and early leaving, leaving Tulsa. Please do, if you are available and you wish to come along, you'd be more than welcome. It encourages the North Tulsa congregation. The more folks they have from outside their own gathering, the more they are remembered by us.

[0:40] So that's this Saturday coming, the 14th. Pray for the congregation, pray for David and his family. We also heard recently that the good news of four new members in North U.S.

[0:55] Sorry, four new members, an incredible encouragement for this man as he begins his ministry. Three of them were by profession. So three brand new Christians joining that congregation.

[1:08] Also, the reminder not on the sheet is, God willing, a week this evening in the hall after the service, a fellowship. And we'll have a representative from Safe Families Western Isles come and tell us about the work that Christian charity does.

[1:22] Again, please do come along to that to hear what we do and to hear perhaps how we or how you might be involved in serving in that way. And also our biggest prayer point this month is, of course, Hope Explored.

[1:39] There's some information in the back of a sheet about that. But just to remind ourselves, there's three sessions, three video sessions, and there's discussion questions as part of that. And for those perhaps who are coming along and those who are invited to come along, you can sit in silence and just take it in.

[2:00] Or you can sit and ask questions or sit and discuss. It's structured in a way that whatever you do, it's open for you to do that. It's not awkward at all. Very informal. Three weeks looking, first of all, how we find hope, how we find peace, and how we find purpose in Jesus.

[2:20] And again, to anyone here who is thinking of coming along, it's awkward. Again, as a quiet person myself, it's awkward going to these things the first time. It's never easy.

[2:32] You'd be more than welcome to come along into Haley, just at the end, just beside the community hall there, just at the end of the Mans Drive, beside the council houses at 7. Come along, some tea and some biscuits, and spend time asking the big questions of life.

[2:49] Again, the volunteers, thank you to those who have volunteered. Everyone who's volunteered, it's not a contract. You can come and go as you wish over three weeks as you're able to.

[3:01] If you can come perhaps a little bit earlier this Tuesday, just so we can discuss and pray together and plan what's happening. All that being said, we're here, of course, to worship the Lord. All our worship this evening is from the Scottish Psalter.

[3:15] Singing in, first of all, from Psalm 57. Scottish Psalter, Psalm 57. We sing verses 1 down to verse 3 of the psalm.

[3:29] Psalm 57, verses 1 down to verse 3. Be merciful to me, O God, thy mercy unto me. Do thou extend, because my soul doth put her trust in thee.

[3:41] Yet in the shadow of thy wings my refuge I will place, until these sad calamities do wholly overpass. Psalm 57, verses 1 to 3. To God's praise.

[3:51] Be merciful to me, O God, and mercy unto me.

[4:13] Do thou extend, because my soul doth put her trust in thee.

[4:31] In the shadow of thy wings my refuge, I will place, Thou kill me sound calamity, To have the hope, To have the hope, To have the hope, My Christ, I will cause, To have the hope, And to have the hope,prise ffмf RAW.

[5:31] V gospkj nocli, ku' someone by sa servo jlulmote. Of V paitha mi Sv da, Or让ật a lo devonc la strена agnme.

[5:50] Thank you.

[6:20] Thank you.

[6:50] Thank you.

[7:20] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[7:32] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[8:10] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[8:22] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[8:34] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. a small gathering in a small corner of this small part of your vineyard. But we give you praise that in your kingdom, smallness does not mean insignificant. Although we might be small in ourselves and small as a gathering, every one of us we know are eternally, eternally important to you. Those of us here this evening who know you and who love you, who seek to serve you.

[9:06] Thank you, Lord, for our gathering this evening. Help us for our short time together around your word, to be blessed by your word, to be uplifted by it, to be challenged by it. We come just now around your living word as we continue following on the direction of your early church, as we see the coming of the Holy Spirit, as we see then how the mission began to expand and extend across different countries and people groups. We give you praise that you take from the seemingly small and seemingly unimportant.

[9:41] And you use the small. You use the mean. You use these things as means for your glory. We look to ourselves this evening and we see ourselves as small.

[9:52] We see ourselves often as unimportant. And yet we give you praise and we ask you would use us in our homes, in our village, in our places of work, our places of study.

[10:03] Lord, you would use us as your witnesses. That you bring from our witness, bring from our conduct, bring from our sharing of the gospel, great fruit.

[10:14] As we pray for the expansion of the gospel in North Tolstice, we remind ourselves that we do this for your glory. As we pray for hope explored, later on perhaps Christianity explored.

[10:26] As we pray, Lord, for the upcoming plans and ideas and hopes, fellowships and men's breakfasts, future events, future plans.

[10:38] As we pray for the salvation of North Tolstice, we do so understanding if you are not in it, nothing will prosper. Although we might get numbers, we might get faces, there will be no salvation if you are not in it.

[10:55] Lord, help us then, we ask, and be with us. Guide us and lead us that every single idea we have and everything we pursue, we would do so understanding that you go before us.

[11:07] Help us never to be disappointed by what we see as the results, for we know that true results happen in the souls and hearts of men and women and boys and girls behind the scenes.

[11:17] As you sow that seed, which takes at times a year or ten years or fifty years to fully grow. Help us to be faithful servants, to keep on, as it were, sowing that seed, to keep on scattering that seed and trusting that you are bringing your work to the fore.

[11:37] Father, man, we do pray for our efforts. You would use our loaves and our fish and multiply them for your glory, using your power only. We come like that wee boy and we understand that the task is beyond us, beyond our ability, beyond our resources.

[11:56] It is not beyond you. Pray, Lord, just now for a hope explored. Pray for those who plan to come along and those who are on the fence whether or not to come along. We ask you, as it were, give them that encouragement.

[12:09] Pray, Lord, for those of us who will be there as part of it. Pray, Lord, just now for those who have volunteered to come and to be a friendly face. And we ask, Lord, you give them just the blessing.

[12:20] Pray, Lord, for all that goes on, the sessions and all the questions that might be asked. That you be glorified through all of it. Pray, Lord, just now for the good news of North U.S. We thank you for David and his wife.

[12:31] Pray for them as a family. Pray for a wee boy. Lord, we ask you to look after them and keep them. Keep them as a couple. Keep them as a family. But also now, as he engages in ministry, as a brand new servant in terms of his public ministry, Lord, we ask you to bless them, look after them.

[12:48] Give him wisdom. Give him peace. The learning curve is indeed big, but he is not on his own. Thank you, Lord, for the faithfulness of that congregation over so many years now as they have served you in that place.

[13:01] As ministries have started and ended, as they have seen numbers come and numbers go. We pray for the faithful remnant of your people there who day by day seek to serve you.

[13:14] And to week by week proclaim your goodness to North Uist. Pray also, Lord, for the vacancy in South Uist. We remember the vacancy also in Shobos to vacancy in Stornoway.

[13:25] The upcoming vacancy in Calanish and a vacancy in Park. Pray just now, Lord, for those who are intermoditors and those who are seeking to fill these vacancies. Pray, Lord, for peace and unity in the congregations who are facing vacancy.

[13:39] Pray just now for the boys and the men who are in college, those who are studying to become your servants in places of ministry. Pray just now especially for the students who are finished this year and who are coming to an end and who are awaiting calls.

[13:55] Give them peace as they wait. Remember, Lord, we give you thanks also for the good news of Forthrow's Free Church where we see the need for more space again as we see a growing youth fellowship and a growing youth club and a growing Sunday school.

[14:12] But we pray, Lord, as they have asked us to pray, we pray for them that you would indeed give them a chance to strengthen ties between themselves and the local community. Give them opportunities to share the good news.

[14:25] I also remember, as we did this morning, Uzbekistan, that nation where once they were, at least publicly, once they were none of your people but now we see that there are gatherings of your people across that nation.

[14:38] Pray for them, give them peace and give them comfort. Pray, Lord, just now for our own people here in North Tolstead. Pray, Lord, for your people here. Pray just now for your people here who are going through hard days and dark days.

[14:52] Your people here who are mourning recent loss but also anniversaries of loss of perhaps many years ago and we know, Lord, that as grief remains, it does not go away, it just changes as the years go on.

[15:07] Lord, we ask that you would comfort those who need that comfort this evening. We attempt but we know we fall so short and feel at times as if we're falling so flat in our words and our efforts that we come and we bring those who are grieving and those who are hurting to a God and to a Saviour who knows them, who cares for them.

[15:30] The ultimate comforter of the Holy Spirit, we pray that he would comfort his people this evening in a way that only he can comfort, bringing to bear once more the hope and promises of their Saviour.

[15:43] Help us, Lord, as our congregation. Keep us united. We thank you for unity that we enjoy. We understand that unity is a gift from you and the evil one is constantly seeking to snatch it away.

[15:54] Pray, Lord, for those who are on our minds this day and this week, those we pray for, those we care for, those we long to see sit beside us in a place of worship. Pray just now for close family members and close friends who right now have little to no gospel interest, those we've been praying for for many years and many decades now.

[16:14] We ask, Lord, you bring them to add gospel knowledge of yourself. As we pray, Lord, for our nation today, pray, Lord, for our island, especially then this evening. As we see, year by year, what looks to us the gospel calls declining and numbers declining.

[16:31] Help us not to be saddened, but help us instead to understand what is taking place. That you are reminding us of our duty as witnesses, reminding us of our duty as salt and light, as ambassadors, as those who are travelling a foreign land.

[16:50] At the same time, remembering that this island is yours, our nation is yours, our world is yours, and for a time we see the evil one working his work, but he does not win.

[17:02] The victory is assured and we hold steadfastly onto the finished work of our Saviour, who cried out, it is finished. With that we believe all is finished.

[17:15] Our place in him is certain and guaranteed. Our place with him in glory forever after is certain and guaranteed. And he will never lose a single one of his own. Help us then to focus on him this evening, bringing all our sin before you.

[17:29] We mourn for it, we hate it, help us Lord to hate it more, as we remind ourselves what it cost our glorious Saviour. ask all these things in and through and for his precious name's sake.

[17:41] Amen. Let's turn to God's word. We can have two readings. First of all, John chapter 16. The Gospel of John chapter 16.

[17:59] That's on page 848. John chapter 16. On page 848 of the Church Bibles. We can read from verse 26 of the previous chapter just to give us some context.

[18:26] John chapter 15 verse 26. For when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

[18:39] And you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning. I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues.

[18:49] Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father nor me. But I have said these things to you that when the hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

[19:06] I did not say these things to you from the beginning because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me and none of you asked me where you're going. But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

[19:21] Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

[19:33] When he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer.

[19:48] Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.

[20:02] For he will not speak on his own authority. Whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

[20:14] All that the Father has is mine. Therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. A little while and you will see me no longer.

[20:25] And again a little while and you will see me. Some of the disciples said to one another, What is this that he says to us a little while and you will see, not see me, and again a little while and you will see me.

[20:38] And because I am going to the Father. So they were saying, What does he mean by a little while? We do not know what he is talking about. Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him.

[20:49] So he said to them, Is this what you are asking amongst yourselves? What I meant by saying a little while and you will not see me and again a little while and you will see me.

[21:01] Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come.

[21:15] When she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you.

[21:32] In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing of my name.

[21:44] Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full. Again, we're turning to the book of Acts. The book of Acts chapter 2. Book of Acts chapter 2 page 855.

[22:04] Page 855. Acts chapter 2. Let's again hear God's word.

[22:14] When the day of Pentecost arrived they were all together in one place and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind and it filled the entire house that they were sitting and divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking of their tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

[22:39] Now they were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven and at this sound the multitude came together and they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language and they were amazed and astonished saying, Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

[22:57] and how is it that we hear each of us his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia and Pontus in Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene and visitors from Rome both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians.

[23:22] we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God and all were amazed and perplexed saying to one another What does this mean? Brothers, mocking said they are filled with new wine but Peter standing with the eleven lifted up his voice and addressed them Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem Let this be known to you and give ear to my words for these people are not drunk as you suppose since it is only the third hour of the day but this was uttered through the prophet Joel In the last days it shall be God declares that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy and I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below blood and fire and vapour and smoke the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes the great and magnificent day and it shall come to pass for everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved so on we give praise to God for his holy and his perfect word let's again sing then to God's praise again from Psalm 57 this time verses 4 down to verse 10

[24:51] Scottish Psalter Psalm 57 verses 4 down to verse 10 to God's praise奏 Thank you.

[26:00] Thank you.

[26:30] Thank you. Thank you.

[27:30] Thank you. Thank you.

[28:30] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[29:06] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[29:18] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[29:30] at this point they don't. We know ourselves and perhaps at times to our shame we shake our heads at the disciples at just how slow they are in the uptake.

[29:41] How gone off they are at times. They don't quite get what's going on. As if we ourselves would be any faster in their positions. And Jesus has told them what's going to happen but we know they aren't quite there yet. They never are and we never are.

[29:56] But the Lord has told them several times what's going to happen. But they wait. They follow the command. Now this evening we won't do an in-depth look at who the Holy Spirit is and what he does.

[30:11] Because quite simply we'll be covering that going forward in our prayer meeting. We're doing a very slow study at the Trinity. Slow because there's so much to cover.

[30:23] Reality is of course we're dealing here with our eternal God. We'll never cover everything. That's one reason why I would love you to come to the prayer meetings. Because very often we take more time.

[30:36] And they're much shorter services too if that helps. Much shorter services. But we take more time and we delve into perhaps greater specifics. More technical looks at things.

[30:48] Please do come along on our Thursday evenings. Well I will say just now about the Holy Spirit as we see him more in a second.

[31:01] And the reality is we'll see him also throughout the book of Acts. As he moves. As he leads. As he guides his church. A few points of note. Things we know but just to remind ourselves.

[31:13] I hope none of us believe these things. But just to remind us. The Holy Spirit. He is a he. The third person of the Godhead.

[31:24] Father, Son and Spirit. Equal power. Equal glory. Equal reverence. Deserving equal worship. Not a force. Not some form of tool that God uses.

[31:37] Because he is God. Fully. And rightfully. God. And he is worthy of all worship. He is worthy of all praise.

[31:50] And he engages. In specific ways. In the lives of the Christians. And we'll see that more as we go through the book of Acts. And perhaps.

[32:03] At times. We are still uncomfortable saying he. For the Holy Spirit. I hope we're not. For the Spirit. Because he is deserving. Of the proper title.

[32:14] He is deserving. Of being called. Who he is. Not just what he is. But who he is. He is God. One of father.

[32:25] One with. Father. And son. Three. Persons. One. God. As we've been covering at length. Next door. Father.

[32:37] So. This is. Looking at a section. A big section. Just under three. Simple headings. First of all. In seeing. The fire. Falling. Verses one. Down to verse four. The fire. Falling.

[32:48] Just following. What took place. Following. Their experience. So as we said. They're all together. As instructed. Jesus told them to come together. Until he arrived.

[32:58] Until he sent the comforter. So they're there waiting. They're there ready. To see what might happen again. They don't know what we're expecting. They have no real idea. What's about to take place.

[33:09] But they trust. For the Lord has told them to wait. Until he sends the Holy Spirit. So. They wait. We saw there. This. Chapter one. Verse four.

[33:19] And verse five. Where Jesus orders them. Not to depart. To the slum. But to wait. The promise of the father. Which he said. You heard from me. For John baptized of water.

[33:30] But you'll be baptized. With the Holy Spirit. Again. How much. They're unsure of that. We can't be sure. But they trust. And they wait. As we said. There seems to be joy.

[33:41] In the upper room. After all. They've seen. Their saviour come. And reassure them. They have seen him ascend again. They've returned back down with joy.

[33:52] They've just chosen. Matthias there. To replace Judas. They're seeing what it is. Brothers and sisters. Together. In the upper room. But with that joy.

[34:03] There must have been. If we'll allow ourselves. Some. Some. Some. Some. Some latitude here. There must have been. A certain amount. Of worry. And trepidation. And fear. Their saviour's gone.

[34:16] Yes. We saw him ascend. And yes. They leave that place. Of ascension. Worshipping. But their saviour's gone. They're men. And women. Just like you and me. They were normal people.

[34:27] With all the worries. And fears. We would have. In the same situation. As much joy. As they had. They've seen. Their saviour. Their friend. Their disciples. Have seen. As it were.

[34:37] Their rabbi ascend. They've seen the one. Who's commissioned. And ascend. And they're on their own. At this point. It's very much. Themselves. Really. Against.

[34:48] The world. The Roman Empire. The pagan nations. Their own people. The Jewish people. They're very much. Here. On their own. But they wait.

[35:01] And as they wait. The noise. Begins. Verse 2. And suddenly. There came from heaven. A sound. Like a mighty.

[35:12] Rushing wind. If you remember. Our Mark series. We see Mark. Loves the phrase. And suddenly. And suddenly. He uses it again. And again. And again. To keep the narrative going. Well here.

[35:24] Luke. Does something similar. But he does it. Not to move things on. He does it to show. Just the suddenness. And perhaps suddenly. Doesn't convey for us.

[35:35] The suddenness. Of a sound. But the word used there. In the Greek. It's a very. It's a quick word. Again. English doesn't really give us enough. Words to describe it.

[35:46] But it's. It's suddenly. But it's. It's. It's. It's. With a rapidness. Rapidly. We could say maybe. Rapidly. Bad grammar. But it fits better.

[35:56] Rapidly. There came. From heaven. A sound. Now we know. Do we not. The sound of wind. And I thought. Grabber was bad. But I've been moving to.

[36:08] Top of the hill there. I'm realising. Of course. Tulsa gets. A bit more wind. Than even for a grabber did. I remember thinking back. To the sound of rushing wind. 2005. Of course.

[36:19] That. Bad winter. We had. That storm. It caused so much damage. And so much pain. During that storm. One night. We had locked down. Everything. Doors closed.

[36:29] Shed is. Very much secured down. Windows closed. Everything's locked up. And tight. Everything's tied down. Outside. At two or three in the morning. We were.

[36:39] I was still awake. Couldn't really sleep on that. Anyway. It was this. Crack. And all of a sudden. Just. A vacuum. Just.

[36:50] A loud roar. A tree from next door. It hit. One of the windows. In the house. I broke the window. And just. That rushing.

[37:02] Roaring sound. Past your ears. We were. Two or three rooms away. I was. That rushing. Roaring sound. Of wind. We can all understand.

[37:12] We can all hear it. And here they are. Upstairs. In this room. Enjoying fellowship. Enjoying company. All of a sudden. Out of nowhere. Out of nowhere.

[37:23] There is this. Rushing. Room. Shaking. Sound. From heaven. It fills. Not just the room. It fills. The entire. House. We're told.

[37:34] Every. Part. Of that building. Is. Full. Of the sound. Of presence. Of God. This is not.

[37:46] Just a coincidence. We know that. This is. As it were. God. Announcing. His. Presence. This is God. Showing them. That the promise.

[37:57] Of their. Savior. It is. To be completed. Here we see. As it were. God. Appearing to them. God. The Holy Spirit. And he does not. Hide. His presence.

[38:10] So this whole room. This whole house. It is. As it were. Roaring. With a sound. Of wind. In the midst of the wind. Of course. We see. In the midst of this. Loud sound.

[38:20] We see. What appears to be. Flames. Of fire. Descend. Down. Upon them. And resting on them.

[38:33] As we are hovering down. And hovering above them. And resting on them. This is not. Just. Something that took place. When our Lord speaks.

[38:47] He is a God of logic. There is meaning. To these things. There is reason. For these things. We see of course. That both wind. And fire. All the way through.

[38:57] God's dealings. With his people. They are signs. Of God. Going with his people. And being with his people. And revealing himself. To his people. Think of.

[39:09] The fire. That fell. And falls. Several times. In the Old Testament. To consume. The burnt offering. To show that God is pleased. As fire falls. It shows that God is present.

[39:20] It shows that God is there. It shows that God is now happy. With what has taken place. As the. The pillar of fire. That led his people.

[39:31] In the desert. By night. And the smoke. By day. The sign of fire. Being God's presence. With his people. The sound of wind. Being used.

[39:42] To describe. The voice of God. And the presence of God. From Zion. All the way through. To our saviour. Talking about the. Sovereign. Power of the spirit. John 3.

[39:54] Verse 8. Where Jesus of course. Uses wind. As an image. To show. The spirit. Goes and does. Whatever. It is. He. Wishes.

[40:06] Fire. As a symbol. Of his cleansing power. His power of judgment. Also. These are clear. Outward signs.

[40:16] That God. As it were. Is in. The room. With them. That he is here. But we know ourselves.

[40:27] That outward signs. Are not the full story. Yes. They are impressive. And yes. At times. They are necessary. But outward signs. Only ever show. What is taking place.

[40:38] Inwardly. Outward signs. Are not enough. Outward signs. Don't change anyone. Outward signs. Show. That God. Is working.

[40:48] In the lives. And hearts. Of his people. As impressive. And as. Awful. As they would have been. If it was just. Outward signs. Of roaring wind.

[40:59] And just. Outward signs. Of flames. As they are. That once all of us. Stopped. These men. Are no better. Than they were. When all of us started. But we see. There is more. That takes place.

[41:10] Verse 4. It is not just. Seeing the signs. Or hearing the signs. When these things. Take place. The roaring wind. And the. The descending fire. They were all. Filled. With the Holy.

[41:21] Spirit. The outward signs. Show. The inner. Reality. Again. The Holy Spirit. Does not just. Show up.

[41:32] To show them. These signs. He has now. Made us home. Within these people. Permanently. These beloved people. Permanently. This is.

[41:44] As a word. The filling. Baptism. Of the Holy Spirit. That the Lord promised. They would. Experience. The fire. Comes down. And they are now.

[41:55] Filled. With. The Holy Spirit. And the second. They are filled. The second. The Spirit. Comes to live. Inside them. We see them. Begin to serve. The Lord. In an extraordinary. Way.

[42:05] In a way. That is. Quite literally. Beyond their ability. And beyond. Their power. The end of verse 4. As they are filled. The Holy Spirit. They begin to speak. In other tongues.

[42:16] As the Spirit. Gave. Them. Utterance. As the Spirit. Gave. Them. Utterance. Come to our second point. Here. Where. The people hear. But also.

[42:27] The people. Mock. The people hear. But also. The people. Mock. Here. Is. Living. Evidence. For the phrase.

[42:37] That we often cling to. And one. That. That's important for us. As a congregation. And we've seen the Lord. Blessing this phrase. To us. Perhaps it's a bit cliche.

[42:47] Perhaps it's a bit overused. But it's true. But God. What? He does. Not. Call. The equipped. But God. Equips. The ones. He calls.

[42:58] And here we see that. That's. Fully. Shown to us. By these men. Fully. Shown to us. These are fishermen. And crafters.

[43:08] These are normal people. Yes. Some of them. Of course. Are educated. We know that. But in general. In general. The majority of them. Are reasonably. We presume. Uneducated.

[43:20] Fishermen. Crofters. Yes. There's those amongst them. Who are. More educated. But not one of them. Is educated. We can be almost certain. In languages.

[43:32] That are. Not just. Neighboring languages. But languages. From much further afield. If it was one or two people. From close by. You could say. Well.

[43:42] Obviously. Some of these men. Had two languages. Three languages. Whatever. But you see here. Nothing in God's word. Is by accident. When the Lord. Chooses to list.

[43:53] All those. Who are present. It makes sense. Devout men. Under every nation. In heaven. Now. That's not literal. This is Luke. Writing in his way. There's not.

[44:04] Men. Every nation. There. It's not. Real. It's not possible. But what Luke's saying. Is. There was all sorts. There. All types. There. He then lists. Everyone. That he. Saw.

[44:14] There. All these names. The Parthians. And Medes. And Elamites. And so on. And so on. And so on. Not just languages. But also. Note. There's within these nations. A different. Dialects.

[44:26] Of languages. That's true. In these areas today. Never mind. Back then. And these men. Are speaking in language. And dialect. These men. Who.

[44:36] Before this. Had no ability. Are now. Spirit filled. And are being used. Straight away. By the Lord. To speak. Every language. That is present. In. The place.

[44:47] And you can see. The confusion. Of the crowd. In verse 7. The poor crowd. Are not all these. Who are speaking. Galileans. How on earth. Are they now speaking to us.

[44:58] In our various language. And dialects. How is it. That each of us. Hear. Our own. Native. Language. And so on.

[45:09] And so on. Eight. Nine. Ten. Different languages. There is. Like every miracle. There's two layers.

[45:20] To this. Two layers. First of all. Obviously. And clearly. This miracle. Proves. The power of God. That he is able.

[45:30] To make this happen. It shows us. He is able. As the one. Who gives language. He is able. To. To. To. To make. And to train. The brains. Of his people. To give them.

[45:41] The ability. The supernatural ability. To engage. In this way. With those around them. It shows. The power of God. These men.

[45:52] Are not faking this. They can't. Teach themselves. To do it. In a few minutes. It's a power. That God. Is exerting. On them. And it shows. That he is God. There is none other like him.

[46:02] He alone. Is able. To do this. That itself. Is glorious. That itself. Is amazing. Then below that. Then. And around that.

[46:12] That. There is a second. Purpose. A second. Reason. For this miracle. It allows. The people. To hear. The good news.

[46:23] Of God. And that is the same. We see for every single miracle. We see in scripture. Yes. There is a great showing. Of God's power. But then also. There is also.

[46:33] Always. A pragmatic. Or practical. Reason. For the miracle. The feeling of the 5,000. Yes. It's a great miracle. Showing. The ability. Of our saviour. To multiply.

[46:44] His own creation. But also. 5,000 plus. Got fed. That day. There is always. A reason. Always.

[46:55] A purpose. The Lord uses. For the miracles. And here we see. The purpose. It is clear. And it is. Beautiful. What's the purpose?

[47:05] What's the purpose? The people here say. Don't they? What did they hear? The end of verse 11. I have a list of all the names. We hear them.

[47:16] The disciples. Telling. In our own tongues. The mighty works. Of God. And all were amazed. So on. We are hearing them.

[47:27] Tell us. The mighty works of God. The gospel. The good news of Jesus. We can assume. Is being proclaimed. And preached. To everyone gathered. Everyone who has come. To hear.

[47:37] What this loud noise was. And as the crowd grows. As the languages grow. As the nationalities grow. They are hearing. In their own language. Being taught to them.

[47:48] Explained to them. Who Jesus is. What he has done. What God has done. Brothers and sisters.

[48:02] We think. That's good and well. And we love it. And we believe it. And we. Enjoy reading it. But. What does that apply. For us. In North Tulsa. We aren't praying.

[48:14] That the Lord gives us. Utterence. In different languages. We are not praying. For the ability. To speak. Many languages. What are we praying for?

[48:26] Well in many ways. The miracle we are praying for. Is the same miracle. We saw here. We are praying. Are we not. That everyone around us. Will hear. In their own language. In their own understanding.

[48:37] At their own level. And ability. They will hear. The incredible. Good news. The mighty works of God. What the Holy Spirit.

[48:48] Empowers. To take place. At this day. We pray. For the same power. In our day. In our place. In our time. In our village. That everyone around us. Would hear.

[48:58] The mighty works. Of God. Proclaimed. From. Our. Lips. The Lord.

[49:09] May not. Today. Cause us. To speak. Different languages. But. He does. Empower. Our speech. Every.

[49:19] Single. Sermon. Is. Evidence. Of that. These very words. Being preached. Right now. Are evidence. Of that. Yes.

[49:32] You know. Ministers. We work hard. We try our best. And we. We strive. To write sermons. That are biblical. And correct. And that are. Encouraging. Or challenging.

[49:42] That are edifying. Sermons. That will apply. And so on. So on. And so on. We do our best. I hope. At the end of the day. If it's just me. Doing my best.

[49:53] Of my auditory skills. There's no hope. For yourselves. In North Tulsa. There's no hope. For any of us. In North Tulsa. If it's the word of Donald. That we're hoping.

[50:03] To save. And rescue. And transform. And bring about. Gospel renewal. It will never happen. Never happen. If I was very charismatic. I might get some more numbers in.

[50:14] By my amazing speaking skills. But they won't last. They won't last. The salvations aren't real. If it's just all me. And we see that. There are many charismatic speakers.

[50:26] Many charismatic personalities. Who are good speakers. Good preachers even. And they bring crowds in. But give it long enough. And you see. Falling away.

[50:36] And falling away. And falling away. Why? Because it's not about us. We need. Holy. Spirit. Empowered. Words. So we come back to his word.

[50:49] Again. And again. And again. All the preaching in the world. If the Holy Spirit. Does not take these words. And apply it to those. Who are listening. Then nothing changes.

[51:00] Nothing happens. But just as he took the words. Of the disciples. And transformed them. Into these languages. And these words. Then have solid impact.

[51:11] On the hearts of the listeners. We'll see that later on. In the next few weeks. As we see the Lord. Using these words. To convict. And convert. These people. It's all done.

[51:22] Through the power of the Spirit. The disciples are speaking. And doing their best. And sharing. We are sure. Of the mighty works of God. But they're doing it. Through the Spirit's power. Brothers and sisters.

[51:33] When we share the good news. Not just servants. But individually. When we share the gospel. With friends and family. Those we live with. Those we love. So dearly. When we share.

[51:43] Who we are. And who he is. We're doing so. Only through the power. Of the Spirit. Only through his. Finished work.

[51:54] But we see. Even when. The Lord. Is showing. A clear miracle. To these people.

[52:06] There is still. The hardness. Of the human heart. Verse 13. But others mocked. Others mocking. Said. They are filled.

[52:17] With. New. Wine. Now. They are hearing. They are hearing. The same thing.

[52:28] As the rest are hearing. They are hearing. These men. Speak coherently. And clearly. The mighty works of God. In their own languages. They're seeing.

[52:39] The miracle. Take place. They're seeing. Their friends. Beside them. Say. Are these not Galileans. How is this possible. They're seeing it. They understand it. Logically. And yet.

[52:51] The hardness. Of their hearts. Reduces them. To mocking. What's taking place. Rather than stopping. To actually see. The Lord at work. They would rather.

[53:02] Denigrate the people. Mock the disciples. And by their. The same time. Mocking the work. Of the spirit. Than daring. To actually believe. For a second. It could.

[53:13] Be. True. They're just. Drunk. Now. They're not fools. They know. That's not true. Because. They're seeing.

[53:23] Other people. Listen. And respond. And they're hearing. Themselves. The languages. They're not babbling. Like drunk men. They're speaking. Other languages. But. Logic.

[53:34] Does not come into it. The hardness. Of our hearts. It defies. All logic. It's often. Asked. Or talked about.

[53:45] You know. When the devil. Temps. Jesus. I think. Well. The devil. In his. Past. Experience. He was in glory.

[53:55] He saw it all. He knows. Who Jesus is. You think. Well. How. How then. Does he tempt. Jesus. Or why. Does he tempt. Jesus. He knows. Jesus. Is a second person.

[54:06] Of a Godhead. He knows. That he can't. Tempt him. Well. For various reasons. We get into one day. But. Behind the scenes. The overarching reason is.

[54:17] The devil. Does not think logically. Nobody's not logical. He certainly is. But his own pride. Overtakes logic. And the hardness of a human heart.

[54:28] Is the exact same. Our sin. Our pride. Our evilness. Against a holy God. It takes over logic. That's why you have those. Who are experts. In their fields of literature.

[54:39] And theology. And biblical studies. And there's some. Even in Edinburgh. I went to her lectures. And not ETS. As you point out. But in Secondary University.

[54:50] Open lectures. And they'll go. And they'll. Even defend. Quite well. The proof. Of biblical events. And biblical people. And you'll leave. Thinking. I spent two hours.

[55:01] Hearing them defend. Really. Scripture. Defend that it's true. And yet. Not believe a word of it. They don't believe it. For themselves. Why? Because their hearts are hard.

[55:12] Their hearts are hard. The people here. Are hearing. And seeing a miracle. Just as those. In Jesus. Daily on earth. Saw miracles. Heard miracles. Could touch.

[55:22] And eat miracles. And yet. They did not believe. Think of the rising of Lazarus. As we had. At our communion services. There's some there. Who watched. Lazarus.

[55:33] A man. Who was very much dead. For these three days. Very much gone. They saw him. Come out. From the grave. After Jesus calls him out. And yet.

[55:43] After seeing a dead man. Now alive and walking. They don't say it's a trick. They don't say. This didn't happen. What does it tell us? Their hearts are filled with hate.

[55:54] And rage. And malice. They attempt. To escape. Listening to the gospel.

[56:07] By instead. Mocking. And sneering. And finding any excuse. And again. We are the same.

[56:17] Aren't we? We are the same. The minister was quite boring today. Therefore. I won't bother listening. As true as it might be. The minister didn't make much sense today.

[56:32] Therefore. I won't bother listening. The psalm tunes. Weren't the ones I like today. Therefore. I won't bother listening. I know all this already.

[56:43] Therefore. I won't bother listening. And so on. And so on. And we find our reasons. Not to listen. We find our excuses. Not to listen.

[56:54] We find our reasons. To mock and say. They're just drunk with wine. Whatever excuse you have. They're just X. He is just X. And in doing so.

[57:04] You miss a whole point. The gospel is being proclaimed to you. And you'd rather. Mock. And denigrate. Instead of actually listen. Nothing's changed.

[57:15] From these days. To our day. Rather than see the work of God. Before them. Some people would rather. Harden their hearts. And turn their hearts away.

[57:28] As they mock. They forget that God. Is not mocked. God is not mocked. Some listen. Some mock. And finally.

[57:39] We see Peter. In response to this. He stands up. And he lifts up. His voice. And he begins to preach. He begins to address him.

[57:50] But Peter. Standing. Verse 14. With the 11. Lifted up his voice. And addressed him. May of Judea. And all who go into Jerusalem. Let this be known to you. And give ear to my words.

[58:01] These people are not drunk. As you suppose. Since it's only the third hour of the day. And so on. He then gives this sermon. Really from Joel. From the prophecy.

[58:12] The prophet. Of Joel. Peter. In other words. Allows no escape. To those. Who are seeking. To ignore the gospel. Because. Of their mocking reasons.

[58:24] And Peter shows. That as Christians. We must have. As we're a working knowledge. Of the word. When we face mockery. And derision. We must have a good working knowledge. Of the word. And that's only. Given to us.

[58:35] By study. And by spending time. In it. Those we must trust. Like Peter does. The prophecy. Is being fulfilled. Even in session.

[58:45] We're talking about. God keeping his promises. We must believe. And truly hold. That God keeps his promises. And Peter here. Believes. That God. Who promised. In the days of.

[58:56] The prophet Joel. That he is keeping his promises. In their day. We believe. That God. Who promises to us. That he still has. His people. In this city. The God who promises to us. That he will never.

[59:07] Leave. Not abandon. Not forsake. Any of his people. The God who promises to us. That where his word. Goes out. It will never return to him. Void. And so on. And so on.

[59:17] We hold his promises. We believe his promises. But more than that. We apply these promises. Not just in preaching. But also. In our own interactions. In the community. And in our homes.

[59:30] And the disciples. Like ourselves. Understand. Understand. They are in the final days. Every day after. Our saviour ascending. It is the final days. It began then.

[59:42] It continues. Now. He is able. He is able. He is able. To transform. And save. Friends.

[59:56] The Holy Spirit. Who enabled. These men. These simple men. To speak languages. Well beyond their ability. That same power. Can change. Your heart.

[60:07] And your mind. And brothers and sisters. For us. The Holy Spirit. Who empowers. These simple believers. He also empowers. Us. Today. I was just thinking.

[60:20] About Tuesday. And. You know. I said before. You know. Naturally. Being quite negative. But we're trying to be. Gospel. Positive. The question arises.

[60:31] Well. What if no one comes? What if no one comes? And the answer is quite simple. It's fine. Why? Because at least. It shows us.

[60:41] That we have responsibility. I was. Very heartened. To see. How few invitations. Are left there. I think I gave. 60 out. And. The everyday account. There's 10 left.

[60:52] Or how many are left now. There's 10 left. That means. 50 invitations. Have been taken by yourselves. And I presume. Given out. At least. Prayed over. To give them out. Maybe tomorrow. Or Tuesday. He is able to take.

[61:06] Not just our words. But our very small actions. And use them. For his glory. And for his purposes. I'll close with a quote. From. Our friend.

[61:18] And. Our brother. Spurgeon. Who has given us many good quotes. My brethren. Do you believe. In the Holy Ghost. Have we such a reliance.

[61:29] Upon the Holy Ghost. Do we believe. That. At this moment. He can clothe us. With power. Even as he did. The apostles. At Pentecost.

[61:41] Do we believe. That. Under. The preaching. Of his word. By his energy. A thousand. Might be born. In a day. We're praying.

[61:52] For 400 odd. In North Tulsa. Not even a thousand. Even less than that. A few hundred. We pray. The Lord. Would hear. The prayers of his people. And like. Pentecost. Word of God.

[62:03] Will be heard. By multitudes. For the first time. Let's bow our heads. In that. A word of prayer. We thank you Lord. For the gift. Once more of your word. Thank you for the. The reminder.

[62:14] Of the narrative. Of the journey. Of your church. These early days. Of your people. In trust. And in hope. Gathering together. Relying. And trusting. On you. Help us Lord.

[62:25] To reclaim. Some of that same. Trust. As we lay hold. In your promises. And we ask Lord. Not for mighty signs. Or wonders. Not for flames. Or rushing wind.

[62:37] We ask only. For the words. To share. To proclaim. Like these apostles. To proclaim. Like these believers. The mighty works. Of God. God. Help us.

[62:47] As we continue. On this journey. Seeing how you've. Led your people. And seeing how the gospel. How the church spreads. Help us be encouraged. As we find ourselves here. These few thousand. Years later.

[62:58] These few thousand. Miles away. Proclaiming. Your name. As we see. In North Tulsa. Of a result. Of you. Expanding. And growing. Your church. From. These villages.

[63:08] And towns. All the way. To where we are. This evening. Give you praise. For that. That you are able. To take. What seems hopeless. What seems dark. And to bring it to life. And to shine light.

[63:20] Let's call these things. In and through. Jesus name. Amen. We can conclude then. Again. The Psalter. Psalm 111. The Psalter.

[63:35] Psalm 111. We sing verses 1.

[63:49] Down to verse 4. Of the Psalms. Psalm 111. Verses 1. Down to verse 4. Praise ye the Lord. With my whole heart. I will God's praise declare.

[64:01] Where the assemblies of the just. And congregations are. The whole works of the Lord our God. Are great above all measure. Sought out the hour of everyone. Who at doth fit in.

[64:12] Take pleasure. Psalm 111. Verses 1 to 4. To God's praise. Amen. If ye the Lord.

[64:25] With my whole heart. I will God's praise declare. Where the assemblies.

[64:40] Where the assemblies. Of legends. And congregations. And the congregations. And the whole works of the Lord.

[64:58] God's praise. And the whole works of the Lord. God's praise. And the whole works of the Lord. And the whole works of the Lord. So can't be our hope.

[65:12] And we want. God's praise. God's praise. And the whole works of the Lord.

[65:23] His work most hungered of the race, most glorious and pure, and His untinted righteousness forever, ever, ever, and yet.

[65:55] His work most wonderful, we have made to be looked upon.

[66:10] The Lord is gracious and He is full of compassion.

[66:28] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and forevermore. Amen.