The Arrival of the Spirit

Intro

Open with story of debate between cricket and football with my landscaping foreman from New Zealand

Lots of time standing around in football

In between plays they will huddle up and get ready for what is next

Call the play, encourage each other, talk about dinner plans… etc.

As we pick up the story in Acts, the apostles are in a holy huddle

Calling the next play, encouraging each other, and probably even discussing dinner plans (and eating together)

They were preparing for what was next, but even they could never have imagined what was about to happen

The Story

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles hunker down in Jerusalem for 10 days

Jesus had told them to wait for the Holy Spirit, which is exactly what they are doing

They used this time productively; prayerfully selecting Matthias to replace Judas as one of the 12 apostles

On the day of Pentecost, everything changed

Pentecost = Jewish festival called the “Feast of Weeks;” literally means “50th;” celebrated 50 days after the passover

Jesus was crucified the day before Passover; appeared resurrected for 40 days; now 50 days later, which means the apostles waited 10 days(ish)

Because there was an important Jewish festival, Jews from all over the known world had gathered in Jerusalem (becomes important)

Suddenly, the Holy Spirit arrives

Sounding like a mighty rushing wind from heaven

Wind is used in some theophanies (like Job)

pneuma = wind, breath, spirit

Looking like divided tongues of fire

Fire also used in some theophanies (burning bush)

Connected to John the Baptist’s claim in Luke 3:16 “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Not only does the Holy Spirit come, but He fills the apostles

As a result they are spiritually enabled to speak about the mighty works of God in other languages… not a “heavenly language” of tongues

Remember, Jews from all over the known world were gathered in Jerusalem for the festival

Listed by Luke in verses 9 - 11

They were all amazed that these uneducated Galileans were speaking in their native tongues

Not Koine Greek, or Aramaic, but their heart language

Remind about Cassidy and Gideon’s ministry

The skeptics tried to explain this away by saying that the apostles were drunk

Either that or something unexplainable was happening; “What does this mean?” (v. 12)

In the midst of the chaos, Peter lifts his voice and gives a truly inspired sermon

He starts by debunking the myth that the apostles were drunk

His reason? It’s only 9 in the morning! *It’s 6 PM somewhere!*

More importantly, he gives a positive explanation of what is happening: Fulfillment of prophecy

Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32 (read verses 17-21)

The pouring out of God’s Spirit is a sign of the last days

Still awaiting the final day (Day of the Lord)

Already but not yet

Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved

A reference to Yahweh for Joel; now a reference to Jesus (as we will see)

Peter then goes on to make the convincing argument that Jesus is both the Messiah (Christ) and Lord (speaking to a specifically Jewish audience):

He points to the resurrection of Jesus as a fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy given by David in Psalm 16:8 - 11 (read v. 25 - 28)

David couln’t be talking about himself because he died and remains buried

Instead, David foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is alive

And all the apostles are Spirit-filled witnesses

Not only has Jesus conquered death, but He ascended into heaven, which is a fulfillment of Psalm 110:1 (read v. 34 - 35)

Jesus is now exalted at the right hand of God

Absent but present

Because he is risen and ascended, Jesus is both Lord and Christ

All foretold through David

Jesus is the descendant of David that God promised would sit on the throne...

…and the people crucified him. The promised Messiah and the Lord who saves was put to death by His own people

And the gathered Jews listening were “cut to the heart” (v. 37)

They were convicted! The Spirit enabled Peter to make the truth about Jesus clear, and many of the listeners were rightly convicted

Their response was one of humility: “What shall we do?”

Read Acts 2:38 “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Repent = Confession of sins and turning towards God

Be baptized = Outward profession of an inward reality

In the name of Jesus = Those who call upon the name of the Lord [Jesus] will be saved [forgiveness of sins]

Receive the Holy Spirit = A gift given to true believers in Christ

Not just the apostles; not even just those intiallity listening and responding to the Good News, but “the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (Acts 2:39)

Notice the similarities between this verse and the Great Commision (expanding circles/ranges)

The Good News of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit are to go to the farthest ends of the earth

On that immediate day, 3,000 souls believed and were baptized

This is a pastor’s dream! It is an amazing start to the Spirit empowered church of Jesus Christ

I can’t wait to continue to explore what happens next! But where do we go from here?

The Good News of Jesus is For You

Peter made an incredibly winsome argument for Jesus to his Jewish brothers and sisters

Quoted Scripture, pointed to fulfilled prophecy, drilled down on the expected King from the line of David, etc.

At this point, Peter is not even considering Gentiles in the church of Jesus (that revelation and lesson comes later for him)

There are still compelling arguments to be made for believing in Jesus today in our own context

Start with brokenness (guilt, shame, pain and evil)

So many people trying so many different ways to overcome brokenness (success, substances, sex, family, etc.)

These things may help for a little while, but none can fix the root of the problem (sin)

Sin is the root cause of our brokenness, and it is unfixable in our own power

We are shackled by sin; unable to set ourselves free

We don’t have the power to overcome sin and brokenness and neither does the world around us

The ONLY permanent solution to this problem is Jesus

Why does He succeed where we all fail? Because He was perfect and sinless

How does this impact us? Because when Jesus died on the cross He didn’t pay the penalty for His sins, but for our sins (the sins of the world)

On the cross, the root cause of brokenness was perfectly dealt with. Our sins are forgiven. You are forgiven!

To escape brokenness is to trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, and to live in the freedom that He brings

We are no longer shackled by sin, we are free

The goal is to use this freedom to go and sin no more, leaving sin and brokenness behind

Do you believe? Does this argument for Jesus sound compelling? Familiar?

It is modern words on the same message from Peter: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38)

The Gift of the Holy Spirit is For You

When you place your trust and belief in the name of Jesus, He gifts you with His Spirit

True for the apostles and all those who believed on the day of Pentecost

True for all who repent and believe today… this for you!

From that day foward the Holy Spirit dwells within you; nothing can take that away

The way Luke explains this is through the language of “pouring” and “filling”

The Spirit is “poured out” in Joel 2, and on the apostles in v. 33

The apostles are “filled” with the Holy Spirit in v. 4

God does the pouring, and we are filled (like a vessel with water)

While it is true that we receive the Spirit when we believe in Jesus (event), there is a true sense of being continually filled (process) as we live our lives

Cf. Ephesians 5:18.

Both Acts 2 and Ephesians 5 contrast the filling of wine vs. filling of Spirit

Greek = present imperative = continual filling of the Spirit

Christians are to keep their lives open to be filled constantly and repeatedly by the divine Spirit. So NEB ‘let the Holy Spirit fill you’.

Use closed, full and empty pitcher to make this point

Are you open to the Spirit? Are you empty of other distractions and influences? Believe and be filled today

Pray