Luke & Acts: From Bethleham to the World (2)

Good morning. Today we are continuing our series on Luke-Acts. We are in our 7th week, which is a record for me…so, yeah! Over the past month and a half we have covered the

Week 1: Introductions to Luke and Acts. Written The Most Honorable Theophilus.

Week 2: Luke Ch. 1 & 2; Acts 13. Angel delivers the good news about John the Baptist and the birth of Christ. Paul delivers the good news in the Synagogue. We bear the Good News

Week 3: Luke 6:43-49. We are called to have obedient hearts. The difference between obedience and performance.

Week 4: Luke 22:14-24. Communion. Look towards the past, present, and future.

Week 5: Luke 23: 32-43. The two criminals that were crucified with Jesus. One put this faith in Christ, the other did not.

Week 6: Acts 2:1-4. The sound, sight, and speech of the day of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit fell on Jesus’ followers.

Today we are moving forward in Acts Chapter 2, looking at verses 5-12

and continue our look at the topic of tongues in the church. Let’s go ahead and pray.

Last week we advanced in Acts chapter two up to the point where the people in the upper room had an encounter with the Holy Spirit. Remember, Jesus had told them to wait together in Jerusalem, as he was going to send the comforter. So, that is exactly what they did. Then, as the Jewish Pentecost feast began, the followers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. According to best estimates, roughly 120 people were in the upper room that day.

Acts 2:4 “Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.”

After the events in verses 1-4, Peter eventually gets up and begins to preach a sermon to the crowd that had gathered. Before that happens though, Luke gives us some details about what type of tongues the people in the upper room that day were speaking, and we gain some insight into how the public reacted to such a strange ruckus.

I’m going to break our passages up into 3 sections: Verses 5-7, 8-11, and then 12-13.

Acts 2:5–7 (CSB) Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?

As we talked about a couple of weeks ago, the events in Acts Chapter 2 take place during the Jewish feast of Pentecost. This feast happened 50 days after the passover. It was intended to celebrate God’s provision. In verse 5, Luke says that there were Jews, from other parts of the region staying in the city of Jerusalem. Luke uses the term: every nation under heaven. This is a good example of a biblical author using hyperbole.

Hyperbole: exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

John 4:39 “Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.””

All great literature and every great writer uses various figures of speech....the Bible is no different. Luke is trying to make the point that many Jews had traveled from various regions, probably mainly in (what we call) Europe and the Middle East.

Acts 2:8–11 (CSB) How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.”

Acts 2:12–13 “They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.””

What was the purpose of the day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts Chapter 2?

So, we’ve discussed what happened. A number of supernatural miracles happening all at once…a mighty sound, tongues of fire, and people speaking in languages they did not learn. All three of these are significant and impact-full. It was one of the rare situations where heaven and earth intersect in a mighty way, changing the course of human history.

To fulfill a promise; 2. To unite the early church; 3. To give the early believers the ability and courage to spread the gospel. 4. To empower believers to live holy lives.

I once wrote a paper about how the day of Pentecost can be looked at as a reversal of the Tower of Babel…In one instance, God scattered the people, using language, in the other, God brought people together and united them, through language. I bring that up because I believe it is one of the main purposes behind the events in Acts chapter 2.