...And There's More! (2)

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If you remember, last week we followed Jesus, at the beginning of Acts, from His resurrection…40 days showing people in Jerusalem that He really was alive…to the Mount of Olives where Luke records He gave His disciples more instructions…go to Jerusalem soon and don’t leave until…until you receive what I’ve promised.

Then the great commission…you’ll receive the spirit in power…so that you can be my witnesses here and to the ends of the earth…and so they go and they pray continually until the day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:1–13 NIV

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

The fulfillment of Christ’s promise of the Holy Spirit appropriately takes place during a Jewish harvest festival, Pentecost (v. 1). This term (derived from the Gk., pentecoste , fiftieth) comes from the fact that the festival is celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Passover.

1 It was one of the three Jewish pilgrimage festivals, when individuals were to appear before the Lord with gifts and offerings (Ex. 23:14– 17); it celebrated the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest.

2 It is appropriate that the event that was going to propel the gospel to the ends of the earth took place at a time when people from the ends of the earth were in Jerusalem.

Now…remember our reference point. When sin entered the world and a separation formed between God and mankind. In fact, God said that Adam and Eve needed to leave the garden…His sanctuary on the planet. They needed to leave His presence.

And then all through scripture we have account after account of how God has been working out a plan…to bring us back to Him.

We’ve watched through history how the God, through His spirit, has been getting closer and closer to our hearts…closing the separation. Through the Abraham’s family…God’s spirit in the tabernacle, the temple…then Jesus, full of the spirit, walked among us…then He died and rose and then He promised the Holy Spirit to all people who would believe and follow.

What we see is this…through the accounts in scripture.

The curse of humanity needing to leave the garden is being reversed.

Here, in our specific text for today, we are seeing a reversal to another major event.

In Genesis 11 we have the account of people trying to reach back to God on their own…building a tower…on their own. Not filling the earth with God’s image, but staying put in one location and doing things their way…not God’s. At this point God moves people away from there, it seems in some miraculous fashion, all over the earth…nations are now in lots of different places. Nations with their own languages.

And now, again in our text for the day…we see people from all nations returning to God (in reality returning to His city and His temple…people from all languages…returning to Him. (Pentecost…but more soon)

The affects of Babel are being reversed.

God is beginning something huge. The first couple chapters of Acts have been for a long time considered the birth of the church…and I think that is partly true. But this account is so much larger than that.

God is in now in the stages of recreation. His spirit…back with His people.

We have a few a miracles happening.

Loud wind from Heaven...

Tongues of fire separating and resting on each person. Then the miracle of language..

Why is this big? Well, Luke tells us…they are telling of the wonders of God to all nations. Word of God is now going back out…God is reaching out to the world…going to where they are…their own language.

The miracle wasn’t that each person could understand Greek. The miracle is that God is going to each people group…in their context…its personal. God meeting people where they are.

And…immediately …push back. They’re drunk. We see this today when God is referenced. And not only here but all over the world. Does this stop us? Does this even surprise us? No…it shouldn’t. Jesus said these type of things would happen. Is it sad when it does? Do we wish people would see truth? Yes...

Our goal isn’t to battle people…our goal is the somehow influence them to see truth (witnesses…with the power of the Holy Spirit)…but in that, truth might be misconstrued or pushed down.

We referenced the sources the disciples could go back to to verify what is happening. Last week we looked at Joel and Ezekiel where God, through His prophets, said that one day He would be with His people…putting His spirit in them.

God with us…again…closer to what it was like in the beginning. God beginning to reverse the curse of sin.

They would have remembered Jesus’ words…just days before…when He said the spirit of power would be with them…so that...

So that the message that God is moving…that God sent Jesus in order to make the way back to Him. And now the spirit is being sent…they would have remembered that God is now with them…each one of them…to help them Be instruments in God’s plan to let the world know the truth about all of life.

And here they are experiencing that very spirit…His Spirit…arriving to be with, live with them. Empower them, teach them, give them security and hope and courage.

For a long time…through history. They were on the outs…separated…but now they full plan of God…to be included in His family forever is coming into view.

Peter preaches

Acts 2:14–36 (NIV)

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.

15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!

16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. .....And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

25 David said about him:... you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.

..29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.

30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.

31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.

32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

.....

36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

What’s Peter saying?

God is on the move…God is moving. Through Jesus the way was opened back up for God to be with us. The Holy Spirit, promised from long ago, is making His way back to us!

Then all the people responded! What should we do????

Renzos shoes. So last week at one track practice we had one our our guys forget his running shoes at home. So I looked at him and asked what size he wore. He said 10. So I looked at my shoes…I had my older running shoes on…and I said…here change out with me for the day…it’s an easier day and these will be ok for the run.

We changed out shoes. He had a pair of tan shoes with color splashes on them and white soles.

I’m just saying…I had more compliments …hey coach Ed…those are cool shoes. Wow …nice shoes…

When you get those shoes…nicee....

For about 20 minutes I was cool.

I asked one of them if I was hip…He said don’t ever say that word again.

So the workout finished and I went back to my old man running shoes....uncool. Not the “in” shoes.

After Peter’s message the crowd there realized something…they were outside of God’s new plan…His new covenant. As the dots connected for them, with Peter’s information. With the miracle they were witnessing…along with simply the power of the Holy Spirit to impress the message on their hearts...

They were desperately wanting to know how to be back in. Not just to experience something cool...

But to be involved in this new move (the new covenant) to be back with God…looking both back at what was lost and forward to future promises they now were beginning to have full hope in.

Acts 2:37–41 CSB

37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!” 41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.

Here we see the launch of Jesus’s word to all nations. Each one of the Gospels, as well as Acts, record what we call the great commission. To take the news of what Jesus has done to all nations…to the ends of the earth.

Here in Acts 2 we see the launching of the message. Not only are the disciples…and very soon Paul as well, going to take the message out…but these people…most of whom are from others nations from around world are taking this news back with them.

It has begun.

God is coming back to us.

Let’s take a minute to think about it from a different perspective.

Through the eyes of God...

John 3:16 NIV

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God so loved....

Can you imaging the emotion in the Garden after sin entered?

We read of how God addressed Adam and Even and even Satan.

Then then Adam and Eve needed to leave.

Can you imagine being God watching them walk away?

You can kind of get an idea here when He talks to Satan...

“One day…one day…one of Eve’s descendants will take care of this. You’ll have your fight with Him…but He will take care of what you have done.”

And then God began to work the plan.

Getting closer and closer to us…to you.

Knowing that one day He will have the chance to be with you forever.

For God so loved the world…He gave His son for you…so that one day, He can walk with you in the Garden.

Believe....repent (meaning realize that Jesus died for something…your sin…your personal sin). Jesus did that for you. fully knowing what you would do against Him…against God. He still died.

And here in this text we see that next step taking place. God’s spirit…a little closer to the original idea.

That idea?…the possibility of a personal relationship with each and every person who would believe and follow.

God is…has been longing…desiring…looking forward to this restored relationship.

We…also have been looking for this connection to God.

Unfortunately, we sometimes…do all we can to make this “good life” happen ourselves. We listen to message around us about how to make this “good life” happen…and we follow.

There are all sorts of messages around us about how to have this “good life.” Many might be partly right…but they miss the main goal. Eternal life with God…living in His purposes for us.

We go around and around …using Holy Spirit substitutes…to be happy in this life. Building our own identity…softening the effects of our sins…they’re not so bad. But in reality, we push away God’s spirit.

He did this for you.

A quote from CS Lewis that I used a few weeks ago...

If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.

We were made for so much more. Don’t give in to the lies this world and Satan can give…leading us away from God and His perfect purpose for us.