Please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 2.
We just began our sermon series in the book of Acts a couple of weeks ago.
We're in chapter 2 today.
I was a little ambitious, I think, and attempted to cover up to verse 36 today, but that would
have been a really, really long sermon, so I cut it down.
You guys could thank me later.
And I'll try to cover that last part next week as part of next week's passage.
So Acts chapter 2, verses 1 to 21.
Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word.
Heavenly Father, we feel keenly our weakness,
our shortcomings,
our weariness.
But Lord, in your Word, we see your Spirit's life and power.
And Lord, we want our lives as your people to be characterized by that spiritual power.
Lord, we hunger for the feeling of your Spirit.
We know that you've given us the Holy Spirit to us, to all of us, to your church, to your people,
as deposit.
We sense His power coursing through us.
And Lord, we want to be filled by Him more and more.
So we ask for your help, Lord.
Meet with us this evening.
Speak to us.
We hang on your every word.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Let's read Acts chapter 2, verses 1 to 21.
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 where they were sitting.
And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now, there 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?
And how is it that we hear each of us in his own native language?
Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia,
Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene,
and visitors from Rome,
both Jews and proselytes,
Cretans and Arabians.
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?
But others, 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 is what was uttered through the prophet Joel.
And 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 vapor of 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,
that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
Many of us in this room have seen
undeniable demonstrations of God's power.
Whether it's supernatural healing,
or a compelling prophecy,
casting out of demons,
or something else.
And all of these are enabled by the Holy Spirit,
who is the third person of the Trinity,
the one who manifests or makes apparent God's presence.
And this passage teaches us that the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ
sends the Holy Spirit to indwell God's people,
and empower them to be His witnesses among the nations.
We're going to see first the Spirit,
the Spirit of power,
verses 1 to 13,
and the Spirit of prophecy,
verses 14 to 21.
So let's look at verses 1 to 13 first.
It begins in verse 1.
When the day of Pentecost arrived,
they were all together in one place.
So day is a reference to the 120 disciples mentioned in chapter 1, verse 15,
who were all gathered together in the selection of the 12th apostle.
And this group included the 12 apostles, of course,
but other disciples as well.
And it says it was the day of Pentecost.
Literally, Pentecost means the 50th part.
And it refers to the Feast of Harvest that Exodus 23 talks about.
Because the Feast of Harvest was celebrated 50 days after Passover,
it also came to be known as Pentecost, 50th part.
It's also called the Feast of Weeks in the Old Testament
because it marks a week of weeks,
seven weeks,
seven complete 49 days.
So that culminates with the celebration on the 50th day,
which is the Pentecost.
And it's appropriate that the Holy Spirit fell upon the church at Pentecost
because now the harvest of the saints
begins in earnest
with the power of the Holy Spirit.
And moreover, because after having been delivered from their slavery in Egypt
at the time of the Passover,
Israel arrived at Mount Sinai about on the third month,
it says in Exodus chapter 19.
So after a week of weeks.
Because of that,
the festival Pentecost eventually came to be associated
not only with the harvest,
but also with the covenant,
the making of the covenant
and the giving of the law on Mount Sinai
at the time of Moses.
And so this is,
the coming of the Holy Spirit
is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Jeremiah 31, 33,
where it says,
For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days,
declares the Lord.
I will put my law within them
and I will write it on their hearts
and I will be their God
and they shall be my people.
So in the same way God made a covenant with Israel
on Mount Sinai and gave his law,
he's making a new covenant with God's people
at Pentecost
and giving not a law on a tablet of stone,
but on the tablet of our hearts.
He's writing,
he's engraving his law by the Spirit.
Verses 2 to 4 describe what happened.
It says,
And suddenly there came from heaven
a sound like a mighty rushing wind
and it filled the entire house
where they were sitting.
And divided tongues as a fire
appeared to them
and rested on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other tongues
as the Spirit gave them utterance.
So Luke notes three things here.
He notes sound, sight, and speech.
First thing is sound.
A sound like a mighty rushing wind.
Imagine like a whirlwind filling this place.
Grab everybody's attention.
Second, there is sight.
Divided tongues as a fire
appeared to them
and rested on each of them.
It says it's like fire.
So it may not be literal fire.
However, it's something
with the appearance of fire.
It looks like tongues of fire
that's resting on each believer.
You see that.
And then third, there is speech.
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other tongues
as the Spirit gave them utterance.
So three things.
Both the mighty rushing wind and fire
often appear throughout Scripture
to represent the powerful presence of God.
2 Kings 2, verse 11,
God takes Elijah up into heaven
by a whirlwind
in the midst of chariots and horses of fire.
In Ezekiel 1, verse 4,
when God appears,
it says,
Behold, a stormy wind came out of the north
and a great cloud with brightness around it
and fire flashing forth continually.
And in the midst of the fire,
as it were, a gleaming metal.
Gleaming metal.
So this is a fulfillment
of John the Baptist's prophecy
in Luke 3, verse 16,
when it says that the Messiah
would baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and fire.
It's the fulfillment of Jesus' promise
in Luke 24, verse 49,
in Acts 1-8,
that,
Behold, I am sending the promise
of my Father upon you,
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power
from on high.
Jesus had said it in John 16, verse 7,
only after His ascension
can He send the Holy Spirit to us.
And now He keeps that promise
as the risen and ascended Lord.
He sends the Spirit
to indwell God's people
and empower them
to be His witnesses
among the nations.
We saw in Acts 1-11
that Jesus ascended into heaven,
and now we see the Spirit
in Acts 2-2
coming down from heaven.
Sorry, I'm just going to put this down
because I'm short
and I can't see the other faces.
I'm like in the way.
I think it's important
to ask ourselves at this point,
do we associate the Spirit of God
with power
as we see in this passage?
Look at the dramatic entrance, right?
It's unmistakable.
The mighty rushing wind
tongues as a fire.
Is that how you think
of the Holy Spirit?
Or do you tend to think
of the Holy Spirit
as kind of a wallflower?
The quiet type.
Maybe even silent.
That imperceptible,
unnoticeable person
of the Trinity
who stays out of our way.
In our Western world,
we are impressed by
and make much of
physical power,
military power,
political power,
rhetorical power,
rational power even.
But have we uncritically accepted
a materialistic worldview
that underestimates
or ignores spiritual power?
Power from the unseen realms.
Isaiah chapter 31,
verses 1 to 3,
contrasts spiritual power
from physical power.
It says,
Woe to those who go down to Egypt
for help and rely on horses,
who trust in chariots
because they are many,
and in horsemen
because they are very strong.
But do not look
to the Holy One of Israel
or consult the Lord.
The Egyptians are man
and not God,
and their horses are flesh
and not spirit.
When the Lord
stretches out His hand,
the helper will stumble
and he who is helped
will fall
and they will all perish together.
It's the spirit,
not the flesh,
that is more real
and more powerful
and more dependable,
according to Scripture.
Scripture.
And yet,
too often,
we rely on our own
fleshly strength
related on the Spirit's power
because we are walking
by sight
and not by faith.
So we've seen here
the Spirit's manifestation
in sound and sight,
and the final phenomenon
that Luke notes
is speech.
They were all filled
with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak
in other tongues
as the Spirit
gave them utterance.
So the divided tongues
as of fire
that rested on each believer
is connected
to their speaking
in other tongues.
It's the same word.
Tongues of fire
and speaking other tongues.
So the Greek word
for tongue
is the same
as the word for language.
So then it's
the Spirit of God
resting on them
like a tongue of fire.
That is what enables them
to speak,
to diversify speech
in other languages.
The miracle here
is that believers
are enabled
by the Holy Spirit
to speak foreign languages
that they have never learned.
And that's enabled
by the tongue of fire
that's resting on them.
Now it says in verse 5,
There 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.
A sudden sound
like a mighty rushing wind
of course
would attract the crowd
and it does.
And sure enough,
when they gather,
they are surprised
by yet another sound.
So Pentecost was
the second
of the three major festivals
that the ancient Jews
celebrated
and some scholars
estimate that
close to a million people,
a million pilgrims
visited Jerusalem
for Pentecost.
So this could be
a very sizable crowd.
They're gathered
because of the rushing wind
and the sound
that they hear
and then they hear
these people
praising God
in their own languages
even though they've come
from all these
different nations.
This is a reference
to the Jewish diaspora
who live outside
of historic territories
of Israel
and it says
that they were bewildered
by these sounds
of Galileans
who did not have
a reputation
for being learned
and knowing many languages
speaking in fluently
in these languages
they have never learned.
Let me digress
for a moment
just to explain
the difference
between the tongues
mentioned here
in Acts 2
and the gift of tongues
mentioned in other parts
of the Bible
especially 1 Corinthians 14.
Paul tells us
in 1 Corinthians 14
verse 2
that the gift
of tongues
enables believers
to utter mysteries
in the spirit
and that no one
but God
understands them.
So in 1 Corinthians 13
he calls it
the tongue of angels
tongues of angels
and so for that reason
in order to understand
the gift of tongues
1 Corinthians 14
13 tells us
that we need to pray
that we may interpret.
We need what
1 Corinthians 12
10 and 30
calls the interpretation
of tongues
which is a spiritual gift.
In summary then
the gift of tongues
is praise to God
uttered in a heavenly
angelic language
which requires
not a translator
but a spiritual gift
of interpretation.
This is very different
from what's going on
here in Acts chapter 2.
In Acts chapter 2
verse 4
it says that
they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak
in other tongues
languages
as the Spirit
gave them utterance.
And the fact
that this is a reference
to other human languages
is confirmed
by the Jews' response
in Acts 2
7 to 8
are not all these
who are speaking Galileans?
And how is it
that we hear each of us
in his own native language?
The word used
for language there
is not the same word
as the word tongue.
It's the word
that can only refer
to a human language.
And so these Jews
from various nations
heard their own
native human language
being spoken
by these believers.
believers.
And the fact
that they were able
to understand
what they were saying
without the gift
of interpretation
also confirms
that this is not
the gift of tongues.
And this is why
some theologians
make a technical
distinction.
They call the gift
of tongues
glossolalia
and they call
this ability
to speak in
other human languages
xenolalia.
But that raises
the question
if what's happening
in Acts 2
is not the spiritual
gift of tongues
what is it?
Why is it happening
at all?
And in order
to understand
Acts 2
we need to understand
Genesis 10 to 12.
In Genesis 10
we find what is called
the table
of the nations.
After the flood
it lists the genealogies
of Noah's three sons
Shem, Ham, and Japheth
and then concludes
in Genesis 10.32
that these are the clans
of the sons of Noah
according to their genealogies
in their nations
and from these
the nations
spread abroad
on the earth
after the flood.
So in the ancient
Greek translation
of the Old Testament
that the New Testament
believers use
the word nation
there's the same word
that's used here
in Acts 2 verse 5
when it says
now there were dwelling
in Jerusalem Jews
devout men
from every nation
under heaven.
And then Luke
lists the nations
that were there
represented in Jerusalem
from east to west
in verses 9 to 11
his Parthians
and Medes
and Elamites
and residents
of Mesopotamia
Judea
and Tappadocia
Pontus
and Asia
Phrygia
and Temphylia
Egypt
and the parts
of Libya
belong to Cyrene
and visitors
from Rome
both Jews
and proselytes
Cretans
and Arabians
now because
Luke uses
contemporary terms
of his day
the names
of the nations
are not exactly
the same
as the nations
listed in the
table of nations
in Genesis chapter 10
but if you put them
on the map
they refer to
the exact same nations
in the same
geographic area
so this first map
I hope you guys
can make it out
is the nations
that Luke lists
in chapter 2
of Acts
so he kind of
describes them
from east to west
starting in Parthia
and ending in Rome
but if you look
at the second map
there
this is the map
of the table
of the nations
in Genesis 10
exact same
geographic area
and the description
there
goes in roughly
kind of
counterclockwise
order
from the
northeast
so they're
the nations
from
that form
kind of
the farthest
reaches
of the known
world
at the time
from the
perspective
of an ancient
Jew
and the fact
that Luke
had the table
of the nations
in mind
is confirmed
by what he says
in Luke chapter 10
verse 1
where he tells us
that Jesus chose
and sent out
72 disciples
there's exactly
72 descendants
of Noah
in the table
of nations
in Genesis 10
so Luke's
telling us
that God's people
are called
to be missionaries
to all the nations
of the earth
and so he has
that in mind
as he's writing
this
the one notable
difference
is that while
the table
of the nations
goes as far
west as Tarshish
which is modern
day Spain
Luke's list
only goes
as far as
Rome
and that's
because
the book
of Acts
only tracks
Paul's journey
to Rome
that's where
it ends
that's all
that he had
access to
but
interestingly
enough
Paul mentions
twice
in Romans 15
of his intention
to go to Spain
which is modern
which is
what the ancient
city of Tarshish
was
and church
tradition holds
that Paul did
after he's released
from prison
in Rome
go there
so then Luke
is presenting
to us here
in Acts 2
the initial
impetus
of the movement
of the gospel
going forward
to every nation
on earth
and there's
still more
connections
between Acts 2
and Genesis 10
to 12
with the table
of the nations
in Genesis 10
it looks like
human beings
are obeying
their God-given
mandate
to be fruitful
and multiply
and fill the earth
and subdue it
so humans
were created
to reproduce
and spread out
filling the earth
with the image
of God
but God's plan
meets resistance
in Genesis 11
in the land
of Shinar
in the city
of Babel
which is a brazen
name
in Akkadian
means
the gate
of the God
people decide
to settle down
instead of
spreading out
and filling the earth
as God
commanded them
to do
and they say
to each other
in Genesis 11
verse 4
come let us
build ourselves
a city
and a tower
with its top
in the heavens
and let us
make a name
for ourselves
lest we be
dispersed
over the face
of the whole earth
but God
will have none
of this human
hubris
so it says
the Lord
came down
and confused
their language
so that they
may not
understand
one another's
speech
and he
dispersed
them from
there over
the face
of the earth
and then
there's a word
play on the
name Babel
which in
Hebrew
sounds like
the word
that means
confused
so the
famed
gate of
the God
is reduced
a city
of confused
babblers
recalling
this Babel
incident
Deuteronomy 32
8-9
says this
when the
Most High
gave to
the nations
their inheritance
when he
divided
mankind
he fixed
the borders
of the peoples
according to
the number
of the sons
of God
but the
Lord's
portion
is his
people
Jacob
his
allotted
heritage
sons of
God
does not
mean
that God
has other
sons
besides
Jesus
the Lord
Yehovah
is called
the Most High
God
who is like
no other
God
he's the
Lord of
Lords
and God
of Gods
and he
exists
in three
persons
Father
Son
and Holy
Spirit
he is
the one
true
God
the
son
is
described
as
his
only
begotten
son
in
John
3-16
Jesus
is called
his
only
son
in
1 John
chapter
4
verse
9
Jesus
is
unique
but
the
phrase
sons
of
something
in
Hebrew
is
an
idiom
that
doesn't
necessarily
refer
to
paternity
Psalm
89
22
for
example
calls
a
wicked
person
a son
of
wickedness
Proverbs
31
5
describes
those
who
are
afflicted
as
sons
of
affliction
so
these
sons
of
God
then
are
not
literal
sons
of
God
but
they
are
like
God
like
beings
they
are
spiritual
beings
who
are
members
of
the
divine
council
which
you
see
in
1
Kings
22
and
Job
chapter
1
and
2
God
divided
up
the
created
world
into
nations
ethnic
people
groups
and
within
their
respective
borders
according
to the
number
of the
sons
of
God
meaning
there's
a
spiritual
being
that
rules
over
each
nation
Israel
however
is the
portion
of
Yahweh
the
Yehovah
the
most
high
God
but
then
in
Psalm
82
God
rebukes
these
sons
of
God
for
governing
these
nations
with
injustice
and
wickedness
and
he
declares
that
he
will
demote
them
and
destroy
them
in
the
future
it
says
in
Psalm
82
verses
6
to
8
I
said
you
are
God
sons
of
the
most
high
all
of
you
nevertheless
like
men
you
shall
die
and
fall
like
any
prince
arise
oh
God
judge
the
earth
for
you
shall
inherit
all
the
nations
Asaph
who
is
the
author
of
this
psalm
prophesies
of a
time
when
the
Lord
will
dethrone
and
destroy
these
so-called
gods
of the
nations
and
then
inherit
all
the
nations
for
himself
so
all
of
this
forms
the
background
that
helps
us
to
make
sense
of
what's
happening
here
at
Pentecost
the
word
divided
in
divided
tongues
used
in
Acts
2
is
the
same
word
used
in
Deuteronomy
32
8
to
refer
to
the
divided
mankind
according
to
the
number
of
the
sons
of
God
and
the
expression
other
languages
and
the
bewilderment
that is
caused
by those
speaking
in
other
languages
is
the
same
word
that
is
translated
as
confused
in
the
account
of
Babel
in
Genesis
11
so
what's
happening
here
in
Jerusalem
is
not
a
mere
local
event
it's
a
cosmic
event
it's
nothing
less
than
the
reversal
of
Babel
at
Babel
people
sought
to
exalt
their
own
names
and
God
came
down
and
confused
their
language
so
that
they
could
not
understand
one
another
speech
and
God
dispersed
the
people
over
the
face
of
the
earth
but
at
Pentecost
God
comes
down
again
but
this
time
he
gathers
all
the
nations
to
himself
and
enables
them
to
understand
each
other's
diverse
languages
and
people
are
now
confused
that
they
can't
understand
each
other
and
they
are
not
trying
to
promote
their
own
names
but
they
are
instead
praising
the
name
of
Christ
and
the
wondrous
things
that
God
has
done
through
him
at
Pentecost
the
spirit
of
God
puts
the
wicked
sons
of
God
on
notice
the
only
begotten
son
of
God
has
begun
the
process
of
dispossessing
these
sons
of
God
remember
the way
Jesus
described
his
conflict
with
demons
in
Luke
chapter
11
verses
21
and
22
when
a
strong
man
fully
armed
guards
his
own
palace
his
goods
are
safe
but
when
one
stronger
than
he
attacks
him
and
overcomes
him
he
takes
away
his
armor
in
which
he
trusted
and
divides
his
spoil
Jesus
is
the
stronger
man
who
overcomes
the
strong
man
binds
the
and
then
despoils
them
he
is
the
one
that's
despoiling
the
nations
rescuing
them
saving
them
at
Babel
the
Gentiles
were
disinherited
but
starting
in
Pentecost
the
nations
are
now
reclaimed
the
Gentiles
are
now
re-inherited
by
God
and
we
are
called
as
emissaries
of
that
kingdom
to
announce
the
arrival
of
Christ
the
king
so
that
the
nations
that
have
suffered
under
the
unjust
and
wicked
and
cosmic
powers
over
this
present
darkness
these
nations
who due
to their
slavery
to sin
were bound
to these
hostile
spiritual
forces
of evil
might be
absolved
of their
sins
and
redeemed
rescued
from
their
tyranny
and brought
under the
gracious
and just
reign
of
Christ
the
king
this
is
why
in
Peter's
sermon
ensuing
sermon
he
explains
Pentecost
as proof
of the
lordship
of
Christ
he
explains
Pentecost
in terms
of
Christ's
lordship
I hope
this is
exciting
for you
guys
this is
an epic
mission
we're
part of
a cosmic
warfare
this is
why
spiritual
warfare
is real
this is
why
we feel
it here
this is
why
if you
go to
mission
fields
the
frontier
where
these
so
called
gods
rule
the
battle
is
much
more
intense
and
you
see
a
very
vivid
and
undeniable
conflict
because
there are
spiritual
forces
who have
had a
stranglehold
over these
nations
in the
past
that are
now
opposing
us
fighting
against
us
one
one of
my
one of
my
favorite
songs
facing
a
task
unfinished
and
the
verse
and
chorus
of
the
psalm
captures
this
this is
where
other
lords
beside
thee
hold
their
unhindered
sway
where
forces
that
defy
thee
defy
thee
still
today
with
none
to
heed
their
crying
for
life
and
love
and
light
unnumbered
souls
are dying
and pass
into
the
night
we
go
to
all
the
world
with
kingdom
hope
unfurled
no
other
name
has
power
to
save
but
Jesus
Christ
the
Lord
but
in
order
to be
effective
witnesses
of
Jesus
Christ
we
must
be
empowered
by
the
Holy
Spirit
it
says
in
verses
12
to
13
and
all
were
amazed
and
perplexed
saying
to
one
another
what
does
this
mean
but
others
mocking
said
they
are
filled
with
new
wine
when
we
come
under
the
influence
and
power
of
the
Holy
Spirit
some
people
will
mock
us
and
say
that
we
are
filled
with
new
wine
that
they're
crazy
this
contrast
between
being
filled
with
wine
and
being
filled
with
Holy
Spirit
occurs
again
in
Ephesians
chapter
5
18
which
says
do
not
get
drunk
with
wine
for
that
is
debauchery
but
be
filled
with
the
Spirit
even
though
as
we
Holy
Spirit
this
doesn't
mean
that
every
believer
is
full
of
the
Holy
Spirit
this
is
why
throughout
Acts
Luke
describes
certain
people
as
being
full
of
the
Holy
Spirit
which
implies
that
some
others
are
not
full
of
the
Holy
Spirit
for
example
in
Acts
chapter
6
verse
3
the
apostles
instruct
the
brothers
to
pick
up
from
among
them
seven
men
of
good
repute
full
of
the
spirit
of
wisdom
and
they
pick
among
others
Stephen
who
is
described
as
a
man
full
of
faith
and
of
the
Holy
Spirit
similarly
Barnabas
in
chapter
11
verse
24
is
described
as
a
good
man
full
of
the
Holy
Spirit
and
of
faith
so
even
though
the
indwelling
of
the
Holy
Spirit
among
believers
is
a
permanent
and
once
and
for
all
reality
we
are
still
supposed
to
seek
continually
the
infilling
of
the
Holy
Spirit
and
this
is
why
the
contrast
between
being
filled
with
new
wine
and
being
filled
with
the
Holy
Spirit
is
helpful
many
linguists
speculate
that
the
word
alcohol
is
derived
from
the
Arabic
word
which
means
spirit
ancient
Arabic
speakers
may have
believed
that a
drunkard
was
possessed
by a
spirit
that
produced
intoxication
whether
that
etymology
is true
or not
it
highlights
that
useful
contrast
between
being
filled
and
controlled
with
wine
and
being
filled
and
controlled
by
the
spirit
in
both
cases
you
are
ceding
your
lordship
and
your
possession
of
yourself
I've
shared
this
story
with
some
of
you
before
but
there's
a
homeless
man
that
I've
come
to
know
in
East
Cambridge
and
one
time
when
I
was
talking
to
him
at
Dunkin
Donuts
in
a
rare
and
remarkable
moment
of
sobriety
and
what
controls
me
the
saddest
thing
you can
hear
from
an
alcoholic
what
controls
you
we
call
drunk
driving
DUI
driving
under
the
influence
it's
illegal
because
when
you're
drunk
you
are
not
actually
in
control
to
be
filled
with
the
spirit
means
to
be
immersed
in
the
spirit
submerged
in
the
spirit
to
be
overcome
by
the
spirit
to
be
controlled
by
the
spirit
to
come
under
the
influence
of
the
spirit
to
become
a
Christian
is
to
be
possessed
by
a
spirit
not
by
evil
unclean
spirits
who
steal
kill
and
destroy
but
by
the
holy
spirit
who
gives
life
who
brings
assurance
of
faith
and
abundance
of
hope
and
abiding
love
and
it
should
be
our
aspiration
to
be
controlled
by
the
spirit
of
God
to
come
more
and
more
under
his
influence
to
conform
ourselves
more
and
more
to
his
will
to
find
our
mind
in
his
word
which
was
inspired
by
the
spirit
of
God
to
pray
to
seek
him
to
surrender
ourselves
to the
will
of
God
wherever
he
may
lead
us
God
to
God
that
God
intends
for
us
and
then
in
verses
14
to
21
Peter
addresses
the
onlookers
and
explains
what
is
happening
at
Pentecost
and
his
main
point
is
that
the
miraculous
sound
and
sight
and
speech
can
be
explained
by
the
outpouring
of
the
spirit
of
prophecy
he
says
in
verses
14
to
16
but
Peter
standing
with
the
eleven
lifted
up
his
voice
and
addressed
them
man
of
Judea
and
all
who
dwell
in
Jerusalem
let
this
be
known
to
you
give
ear
to
my
words
for
these
people
are
not
drunk
as
you
suppose
since
it
is
only
the
third
hour
of
the
day
that
would
be
nine
o'clock
in
the
morning
in
our
rendering
but
this
is
what
was
uttered
through
the
prophet
Joel
and
then
he
cites
the
prophecy
of
Joel
in
Joel
2
chapter
2
verses
28
to
32
here
in
verses
17
to
18
and
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
according to
Peter
what Joel
prophesied
would happen
in the
last
days
is
happening
already
so
then
from
a
New
Testament
perspective
every
age
since
the
age
of
Christ
is
the
end
times
it's
the
last
days
the
final
countdown
has
begun
the
hourglass
has
been
turned
that
means
we
are
end
time
people
presently
living
in
that
age
and
one
of
the
main
signs
of
the
end
time
is
the
outpouring
of
the
Holy
Spirit
on
all
flesh
in
the
Old
Testament
period
the
Holy
Spirit
was
still
there
of
course
his
eternal
third
person
of
the
Trinity
but
he
empowered
select
individuals
for
particular
God
given
tasks
in
all
to
the
church
is
the
construction
of
the
temple
or
the
tabernacle
prophethood
priesthood
judgeship
kingship
the
Spirit
of God
came upon
a
select
group
of
people
temporarily
to
help
them
fulfill
specific
charges
but
in
the
New
Testament
age
the
Spirit
of
power
comes
upon
all
flesh
without
discrimination
of course it's only for those who repent and are baptized in the name of jesus christ for the
forgiveness of sins as peter will qualify in verse 38 but the holy spirit indwells all true
christians whether they are male or female young or old slave or free
and this great privilege that was once the prerogative of kings and prophets and priests
of old is now ours every member of the church
prophecy in a narrow sense is relaying what god reveals to us in the form of speech
words phrases sentences that sometimes god speaks audibly or other times just plants into our minds
spontaneously visions are what god reveals to us in the form of sounds and pictures audio visually
while we are while we are awake dreams are similar except it's what happens when we are sleeping
but all of these can be put under the general category of prophecy as peter does in verse 18
because they're all forms of divine revelation now every believer can hear the voice of god
now this doesn't mean that all believers are prophets
throughout the book of acts luke refers to certain individuals with the title prophet which implies
that not every believer is a prophet for example he calls barnabas simeon lucius and manan prophets in
acts 13 verse 1 he calls judas and silas prophets in acts 15 verse 32 he calls agabus a prophet in acts 21
verse 10 so not all are prophets and that's confirmed by first corinthians 12 28 to 29 as well where paul
asks the rhetorical question are all prophets assuming that the answer is no because god created the church
to be an interdependent body with diverse gifts not everyone has not one person has all the gifts
because god designed this so that every member of the church is interdependent on each other
so not all are prophets however according to acts 2 17 to 18 every christian has access to the spirit of prophecy
the holy spirit who according to first corinthians 1 searches the depths of god
and comprehends the thoughts of god we all of us have access to this holy spirit
and so in that sense it's not inappropriate to say to speak of the prophethood of all believers
in the same way we speak of the priesthood of all believers
while as a pastor i do represent christ and his authority to the local church i am not a mediator
between you and god
you need no other human mediator
because there is one god and there is one mediator between god and man the man christ jesus
the god who hears me and speaks to me is the same god who hears you and speaks to you
the very spirit of the living god dwells within you
are you living today like you have this kind of privileged access
sometimes christians live like people who are wandering around the outskirts of a concert venue
trying to peek in to see what's going on inside
wondering if the ticket that they have is even legitimate whether the security guards will kick them out or not
when in reality
the ticket they have is vip access with full access backstage
if only you draw near to him
if only you would incline your ears to him
you would hear him speak to you
the spirit of the living god dwells within you
his power
is yours
that prophecy in joel
cited here in verses 17 to 18 have already been fulfilled
on the other hand verses 90 to 20 predict future events that have not yet been fulfilled
this and i will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below blood and fire and vapor of 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
notice that in verse 17 it says the last days in the plural
but then
in verse 20 it speaks of the last day in the singular
the last days begin with the birth of christ with the coming of christ his first coming
but the last day singular comes when christ returns his second coming
so the joel's prophecy here
spans that whole gap
that whole range
so the first part of the events the coming outpouring of the holy spirit has already been fulfilled
it's part of the last days
but these events that precipitate
the return of christ are not yet
it waits to be fulfilled before the last day in the singular
but joel quotes the full passage because he wants to get to joel 2 verse 32
which he quotes in verse 21
and he shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the lord
shall be saved
this is the pivot point in peter's sermon
this is when he starts getting evangelistic
the lord's name represents his authority
his person his power
and to call upon the name of the lord
is to entrust ourselves to his saving work
but who exactly is this lord
in joel's prophecy this lord is
the lord god jehovah
but as we will see in the following passage next week
peter tells us more specifically that we need to call that this lord
is the lord jesus christ
who died and was raised and ascended to the right hand of the father
this is an incredible statement
he's identifying the man jesus christ
the son of god
with the lord god of all creation
because it's the risen and ascended lord jesus
who sends the gift of his spirit
to empower his people
many people in the world are spiritually seeking
they seek spiritual highs
through a hodgepodge of different practices
longing for salvation
longing for some experience of transcendence
but if you want a relationship
with the god of the universe
if you want a fellowship
intimacy
with the triune god
if you want to receive the gift of the holy spirit
that peter's been speaking of here
that we see here at pentecost
the only way is by repenting of your sinful ways
and believing in jesus and calling upon his name
that is the only way
for there is no other name under heaven
given to mankind by which
we must be saved
our sinful pride and rebellion against god
our refusal to acknowledge him
and live for him
we must renounce those things
we must renounce ourselves
and pledge our allegiance to jesus
and believe in his
atoning death
that he paid for our sins
on the cross for us
that's the only way
in ezekiel chapter 10
prophet ezekiel describes
a sad picture of the spirit of god
the glory of god
departing the temple in jerusalem
and then later he prophesies
in ezekiel chapter 36
of how the spirit of god
will return
he will gather
his people from among the nations
cleanse them
sprinkle clean water on them
he will give them a new heart
and a new spirit
he will put within them
he will remove the heart of stone
from your flesh
and give you a heart of flesh
and he will put my spirit within you
and cause you to walk in my statutes
and be careful to obey my rules
that's what we're seeing
here in pentecost
in acts chapter 2
the spirit of god
and 1 corinthians 6
describes
believers
christians
as a temple of the holy spirit
if you want to be a temple
of the holy spirit
if you want the spirit of god
to dwell within you
the spirit is not coming
when you are still
alienated from god
and defiled by your sins
he is a holy spirit
and this is why
you must turn to jesus
entrust yourself to him
be reconciled to god the father
through jesus
and then he will sprinkle
his clean water on you
then he will give you
a new heart
and he will come
and dwell within you
then
you will taste
this power
of the spirit of god
let's pray together
heavenly father
we pray for all those
who are
watching
or listening
and all those who are here
who do not yet know you
that they might give their lives
to jesus
that even now
they might
they might give them
their lives over to you
in prayer
entrust themselves to you
and be filled
with the spirit
we pray
for those of us
who already have
the indwelling spirit
but who have not
been engaging him
who have not been accessing him
his power
who have not been
turning to him
listening to him
oh lord
help us to draw near
fill us more and more
with your spirit
empower us
speak to us
in jesus name we pray
amen