Acts 2:1-13

Acts 2:1–13 NASB95

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? “And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”

A Picture of the New Kingdom

The Day of Pentecost.

The Jewish people celebrated three major festivals. Passover.

Feast of Weeks (Harvest)

Feast of Tabernacles (Booths)

Lev 23

Passover - Celebrating the night God executed the 10th and final plague upon Egypt, His spirit passed over Egypt killing all of the first born children unless they had...blood on the lentils and doorposts. This event signifies their release from Egyptian captivity.

The Feast of Weeks, was exactly 50 days after Passover. (hence the name Pentecost - Pentecost meaning 50)

The Feast of Booths, 5 days after the Day of Atonement

Jesus was crucified during the celebration of Passover. When God saved the nation of Israel. He fulfilled the Passover and became our Passover lamb.

During Pentecost (The harvest festival), His Spirit would come to bring about the Harvest of the church. Sinners both Jews and Gentiles would be harvested into the kingdom of God.

v1. So when Jesus told them in Chapter 1 to stay in Jerusalem. He wanted them to stay for a Pentecost. Not because they had any offering to give...but because he was about to do something supernatural. The birth of his church.

V2-3 Wind and fire.

Acts 2:2 NASB95

And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

We know that the Spirit is NOT wind. Not Fire, but a person.

But we also know that God used wind and fire to demonstrate the supernatural.

Exodus 14:21 NASB95

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.

Ezekiel 13:13 NASB95

Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “I will make a violent wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and hailstones to consume it in wrath.

Psalm 135:7 NASB95

He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who abrings forth the wind from His treasuries.

Psalm 148:8 NASB95

Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

Ezekiel 37:9 NASB95

Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.” ’ ”

Acts 2:3 NASB95

And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.

Fire

Exodus 3:2–3 NASB95

The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.”

Exodus 13:21–22 NASB95

The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

So we see here that God uses the Natural elements (wind and fire) to orchastrate the Supernatural.

The wind that they could and feel. The fire that they could see.

And now He was about to give them something they could hear.

Acts 2:4 NASB95

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

The five senses: Smell, Taste, Touch, Sight, Hear

This was something tangible. They felt the wind, they saw the fire, They heard the tongues.

Acts 2:5–8 NASB95

Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? “And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?

Let s pause a minute here and talk about tongues. In this passage. There was an specific intentional reason for tongues. So that God would be glorified.

In this passage...It is not a private prayer language. In this passage it is nothing more than people hearing the gospel in their own language.

I read a fairly new commentary on this and the example he gave was, “imagine uncle Si from Duck Dynasty preaching the gospel to a bunch of Chinese people and them hearing him in perfect Manderin. (This humored me for a couple of reasons...first, I pictured uncle Si doing this. And that was funny. Secondly, I read commentaries and books that are hundreds of years old. Spurgeon, Luther, Calvin, and it tickled me to think that if this world lasts another 100 years...people will read that commentary and ask the question...who is this theologian Uncle Si? And the subsequent exploration of Duck Dynasty. That made me laugh just thinking about that.

Anyway,

That’s what tongues were for. To glorify God and to make HIm known.

Acts 2:9–13 NASB95

“Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”

Here is an important point. The gospel is for the nations. Its for everyone.