Pentecost

Random Question

If you could learn a language by the press of a button, which language would you choose? And why?

Introduction

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Illustration: Chart on dispensations.

Up to this point, the Church hasn’t started yet, God was still working with His people through the Mosaic Law (Prophets, priests, temple, tabernacles, etc.). But Jesus died, fulfilling the Law. Up to this point of Acts, the Apostles were in this weird, in-between phase. Jesus came, died, and rose again, but the Church hadn’t started yet. Now we get to jump into the start of the Church, which is here in Acts 2 at Pentecost. I’ve been pumped to jump into this part of our study, God does some awesome things in the world, and we have the huge privelege to study this today.

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I. The Spirit’s Arrival - Acts 2:1-3

A. Pentecost - vs. 1

Acts 2:1 KJV 1900

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Q: What OT verses are cross referenced for vs. 1 in your Bible?

(Have someone read Deuteronomy 16:10)

Q: What’s the name of the feast?

The feast of weeks, this is Pentecost.

One of the three major festivals in the Jewish calendar (Passover, Feast of Tabernacles, Pentecost)

If all us guys were Jews back in the 1st century, we’d all have to travel to Jerusalem at the temple to attend this festival, no matter where we’re from. Imagine the crowds this would’ve brought; attendance would’ve been up to 200 000 Jewish males.

Illustration: Uptown Sparkle has nothing compared to this event. Streets clogged and the temple mound would’ve been packed.

Celebrated 50 days after Passover (May/June)

Vs. 1 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come”

Q: Why not just say “Pentecost was come”? Why do you think fully might be important?

(Someone read John 15:26)

Q: What did God promise to give the disciples?

The Comforter/Holy Spirit

Here in vs. 1, we’re being shown that it was God’s plan the whole time that Pentecost would be the day His promise would be fulfilled. When Pentecost finally came, it was “go-time”.

B. Upper Room vs. 2-3

They had been patiently praying as they waited for the Holy Spirit to arrive as Jesus promised them.

Acts 2:2 KJV 1900

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Q: Raise your hand if you’ve been outside during a tropical storm.

Illustration: Chairs falling into my pool.

Q: Is this a good spot to have a conversation? Why not?

It’s insanely loud. Now imagine that noise in your own house, crazy. Some of you are thinking, “finally I won’t hear my sister.”

Q: Looking at vs. 2, do you think this is actual wind? Or just the sound?

It’s just the sound. “a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind”

Q: For what reason is the Spirit revealing itself like this?

(Wait for answers)

Q: If you’re Peter or John, or anyone else in that room, is there any doubt in your mind who just came in the house?

Absolutely not! “This is it! He’s here!” This is so clearly God moving and fulfilling His promise.

Acts 2:3 KJV 1900

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

Q: Can anyone with another translation or study Bible tell me what cloven means?

Divided, seperated, distribute.

“tongues as of fire”

Q: Do you think there were literal fire tongues “lalala” in that room?

It happens often in Scripture when God is revealing Himself, people have a hard time describing what they’re seeing, God’s glory and awesomeness is just too great for our vocabulary to describe. So, Luke’s doing his best to describe it using metaphores. “It came in with a loud noise like a big storm, and then it seperated into what looked like tongues of fire.”

Q: Think of the burning bush for a minute. When Moses saw the burning bush, what did the fire represent?

God’s presence.

Q: Where do these tongues of fire end up going?

On each of them (120 believers in the room). Interesting, huh?

Q: Where did God’s presence live in the OT?

The Temple

Q: Where does it live now?

In the believers. Now, every believer has the Holy Spirit living in us.

So, where’s the temple now?

You, and you, and you. And no, I’m not talking about your physique; boys thinking, “Yeah, my body’s a temple” (flexing muscles)

This was a totally new concept. The Holy Spirit, God’s presence, living in people. This was mind blowing!!! But this is God’s way in the Church age.

Q: Can we access Jesus physically and talk to Him face to face for advice? No.

We don’t have what the disciples did in Jesus’ time on earth, but we get an upgrade from that, God now lives in us! So, anywhere we go, we can talk to the Lord, and we know He will guide us no matter where we are at.

Now, moving to verse 4, we’re going to see how the Holy Spirit empowered those saints...

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II. The Saints Empowered - Acts 2:4-8

A. Filled With the Spirit - vs. 4a

Acts 2:4 KJV 1900

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Two things happened here.

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Q: (Acts 1:5) What did Jesus say the Holy Ghost would do?

Baptize them. Although we’re not specifically told it happens here, we know they were baptized with the Holy Spirit since Jesus promised it to happen.

Q: What does ch. 2:4 say happened?

Filled with the Holy Ghost.

Q: What do you think? Is the baptism and filling the same? Or different? If different, what’s the difference?

Baptism: Everyone turn to 1 Corinthians 12:13.

Q: What is the “body”?

The Church

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Illustration: Pastor Cochran illustration.

- The word “baptize” means immerse; so, baptism of the Holy Spirit has to do when you and I were immersed/place into the body of Christ/the Church.

- We believe in Christ, and we’re placed into His body

- This is what it means to be “in Christ”

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Filling of the Holy Spirit

The filling of the Holy Spirit on the other hand, is not about salvation, it’s about Christian life.

Have 3 People read verses.

- Acts 4:8: Did Peter get re-saved?

- Acts 7:55: Stephen’s Stoning; did he get saved at this moment?

- Acts 13:9: Paul’s first missionary journey, talking to Elymas the sorcerer. Did Paul get re-saved in this moment?

No! We’re baptized by the Holy Spirit at salvation, but being filled means something else.

(Everyone turn to Ephesians 5:18, someone read it)

Q: What’s the comparison in this verse?

Being drunk vs. being Spirit filled

Illustration: Figurine influenced

Alcohol

Q: When a person drinks alcohol, would you say they have more or less control over their body?

- You lose control over it, more and more of your body is being influenced by the substance you are drinking. It affects the way you think, the way you talk (mumbles), and the actions you take.

- If you’re filled with wine/strong drink, it controls the way you act.

Holy Spirit

Then Paul talks about the Spirit.

Q: As believers, can we get more of the Holy Spirit?

No

Q: But can the Holy Spirit get more of us?

Absolutely

Q: Any ideas what the filling of the Spirit is now?

- Instead of giving yourself/yielding yourself over to alcohol, we’re told to yield ourselves more to the Holy Spirit.

Q: Now, if we allow the Spirit to get more and more of us, do you think we’ll accomplish more or less things for His glory?

YES! And that’s the point! When we allow the Spirit of God to take over all the areas of our lives, He will have more room to use us the way He intended to. When you’re filled with the Spirit, you allow God to have full control of your life, boy we better watch out, God’s going to accomplish awesome things through you.

B. Speaking in Tongues - vs. 4b-9

Back to vs. 4

Acts 2:4 KJV 1900

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Q: What are the believers able to do since they’re filled with the Spirit?

Speak in tongues.

We talked about this topic with Pastor Andy last Wednesday, but we’re going to jump right back into the topic because it’s right in the heart of our story here.

Q: What is speaking in tongues?

Defenition: A God given ability to immediately speak in a known language without previously knowing it.

Although I think this explanation of tongues is super clear, especially here in this text, you’ll meet people that will tell you you’re wrong for believing this. They’ll tell you speaking in tongues is a heavenly language still spoken today.

Illustration: My Pentecostal church in Moncton; teaching congregation how to speak in tongues. Bunch of mumble talk.

Q: Is tongues still around today?

Pastor Andy helped us see this much,

They’ve ceased, gone, bye bye.

Two reasons why tongues was actual languages according to Acts 2:

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Dialektos

Acts 2:6 KJV 1900

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

Acts 2:8 KJV 1900

8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

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2) The People’s reaction

Q: Vs. 5, Where were the Jews present in Jerusalem coming from?

“out of every nation under heaven”

Acts 2:6 KJV 1900

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

Noise of the believers speaking in tongues captured people’s attention.

The people present at Pentecost were from all over the Middle East (talk more later); you would’ve had some Hebrew speakers, some Aramaic, early Iranian, Greek, Persian, Latin, Coptic, Akkadian (Mesopotamia). And all these people understood exactly what the believers were saying in their own language. For these two reasons, we can conclude that tongues was clearly an ability to speak a known language you didn’t know before.

Q: If you were somewhere like Vietnam or China, how would you react if you heard someone speak in perfect English? (Head turns quick)

They’ve got your attention immediately. The Jews at Pentecost heard their own language and they want to know more.

Acts 2:7 KJV 1900

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

Q: Why are they amazed in vs. 7?

The believers weren’t only speaking in their tongues, they were Galileans. Galileans were the rough fishermen and women, uneducated and kind of roudy. I guess you could call them the hillbillys of the New Testament. Everybody knows who’s the hillbilly in the room; they pop out like a sore thumb. Same thing for the Galileans.

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Illustration: This hillbilly speaking in perfect Mandarin.

Pretty incredible miracle!

So, they say...

Acts 2:8 KJV 1900

8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

III. The Crowd’s Reaction - Acts 2:9-13

A. The Crowd - vs. 9-11a

If you’re asking, where were these people from? Luke says, “Ask no more, here it is.” and gives us a list of all the people groups involved that day.

Illustration: Map of people groups

- Parthia: Possibly located where Iran is now. Warrior society, not the sharpest tools in the toolbox.

- Media: 150 000 square miles.

- Elam: Old place! Founded by Elam, son of Shem (Gen. 10:22)

- Mesopotamia: Area located between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; roughly where modern Iraq is, Abraham’s original home.

- Judea: Probably the vast central section of Israel

- Capadocia: Central Turkey

- Pontus: Northern Turkey

- Asia: East Turkey (Church of Philadelphia)

- Phrygia

- Pamphylia

- Cyrene: Lybian city in North Africa, remember Simon of Syrene; carried Jesus’ cross.

- Strangers of Rome: Estimated that there were 40 000 - 60 000 Jewish residents of Rome in 60 A.D.

All these locations had a substantial number of Jews as residents.

B. The Reaction - vs. 11b-13

Q: In vs. 12-13, what ways are the people reacting to what they saw?

Astonishment

Doubt

Confusion

Mocking

Q: Will everyone be receptive to God’s work?

No, there will always be those that will reject the truth and oppose us as we’re serving God. But that doesn’t change what they heard.

Q: Jump back to vs. 11, what are the people saying?

“the wonderful works of God.”

Q: Were these Christians able to do this work on their own strength? What did they need?

The Holy Spirit to use them

Conclusion

This is what I want to end off with today. We can look at this passage and get carried away with tongues and that whole debate there. But the key is this, if we want to be used by God in His work, like these believers, we need to by filled with the Holy Spirit. Allowing it to take full control of our lives so that He can do great things through us.