Acts 2

V.1-4

A young missionary, Herbert Jackson, was given a car to help him in his work. The car was a major asset, but it had one difficulty—it would not start without a push or a jump-start. Jackson devised a system to cope with the car’s inability to start. When he was ready to leave his home, he went to a nearby school and asked permission to bring some of the children out of class to help him push-start his car.

Throughout the day, he was careful to always park on a hill or to leave his engine running when he stopped for short visits. For two years the young missionary used what he believed was an ingenious method to enable him to use the car.

When poor health forced the Jackson family to leave the field, a new missionary arrived to lead the mission. When Jackson explained to the new missionary his methods for starting the car, the young man opened the hood and began inspecting. “Why, Dr. Jackson,” he interrupted, “I believe the only trouble is the loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, pushed the switch, and the engine roared to life.

For two years, Dr. Jackson had used his own devices and endured needless trouble. The power to start the car was there all the time—it only needed to be connected.

Source: Living Beyond Your Capacity, Paul Chappell

Submitted by the homiletics class of West Coast Baptist College

Today we are going to be talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit as we go through Acts chapter 2…

Remember that both in Luke 24 and Acts 1:4 that this day was prophesied and necessary for the believers…

Luke 24:49 ““Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.””

Acts 1:4 “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;”

Last time that we were together …

We mentioned 5 ways the Holy Spirit works:

He works as our Helper

He works as our fellowshipper

He Equips the saints

Seals us for the day of redemption

He Sanctifies us

He teaches us

He draws us

I want to draw our attention to a question that I think is very important for believers today…

How do I know if this is God?

How do we determine if what we are experiencing is the Holy Spirit?

There will eventually come a situation in all our lives when something supernatural seems to be happening…

And our question should be…

how do I know this is God?

1 John 4:2–3 “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”

A central and unchanging aspect to the Holy Spirit is that he bears witness of Jesus, and that He edify’s the Church.

If it is not glorifying Jesus or building up the church then it is not of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes you see in more charismatic or pentecostal circles people…

running around with flags, paint, jumping up and down, falling on the ground, getting pushed over (slayed in the spirit)…

You see chaos

but this is not from God because does not bring glory to Jesus or testify of who he is….

And it does not strengthen the church but rather bring confusion…

1 Corinthians 14:26 “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.”

1 Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

You know what is of the Holy Spirit…

What we see here…

People talking in other languages about the wonderful works of God…

so that people glorify God…

and are brought the gospel…

Or the church being equipped and enabled by the Holy Spirit to work together to grow and preach the gospel…

that brings glory to Jesus and edify’s the church.

So if you want to be used by the Holy Spirit make sure that your goal is not to bring glory to yourself but rather to God! And to build up the Church.

V.1-4

As we look at this passage we are going to see the first time the Holy Spirit moves in the believers after the resurrection…

also known as the baptism of the Holy Spirit…

starting in v.1

See the feast of Pentecost mentioned:

the word pente means 5

So the festival of pentacost was a celebration of 50 days after Passover…

it is known by another name in the OT as the Feast of the firstfruits of the grain harvest…

where jews would offer up to God an offering of the first fruits of the harvest…

They would take the wheat they harvested

sift it

grind it very fine

and they would baked with leaven

now this was one of the very few times and offering was offered with yeast or leaven.

because leaven represented sin…

but…

This is beautiful picture because in this chapter we will see 3000 people come to faith in Jesus Christ…

Sinful people, people with filled with leaven

But now for one of the first times we see the acceptance of sinful people into the arms and family of God

to be forgiven and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, by grace through faith.

We can be forgiven and cleansed…

If you are here today and you feel full of sin, you can come, you don’t have to clean yourself up first…

just believe and come and let him forgive you, like the 3000 here in this passage…

He will forgive you and change your life….

and so, we see these 3000 are the firstfruits of the work of the Holy Spirit in the church.

They are the offering of pentecost…

With many more to come…

continuing on in v.1 you will notice…

All of the people in the upper room were of “one accord, in one place”

These believers were gathered together in oneness and unity before the coming of the H.S.…

It is important and necessary for us, as well, to gather together as believers

why?

because together we are able to burn brighter, keep each other hot, and complete a greater work for Christ.

A young fellow who was fed up with church went to see this wise old Christian in his cabin to get some advice. He told him all the things that were bothering him about church, and how he felt that he would be better off without the company of other Christians. As he was speaking, the old man silently took the fire tongs and removed a red-hot glowing coal from the middle of the fire and set it on the hearth. The coal glowed for a while, but eventually dimmed and turned black. He let it sit there a while and then took the tongs and places the coal back in the middle of the fire. Within seconds the coal was glowing red hot once again. The young man took the wordless lesson and left determined to stay with church. Just as coals soon burn out when they are removed from the company of other coals, we will struggle in the faith if we are removed from true fellowship.

Us, together, in this body, this youth group…

our goal when we get together is to stoke each other up for Jesus…

to strengthen, to encourage, to pick up, and to set on fire for the Lord…

So are we doing that?

Seniors…

as you move out of Youth into YA and the greater body of the church, make sure that is you, make sure your staying in fellowship and getting stoked up, make sure that you are stoking other people up.

v.2 we see…

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

Wind often associated with the Holy Spirit

the word Spirit in greek also the word for breath or wind.

Like the wind, the spirit is invisible and yet powerful.

The work He does is constant and unending and like the wind all across the globe, His forces are at work all the time.

It says in v.2 that this wind fills the house

This reminds me of a passage in Ezekiel 37 that shines some light on the ministry and power of the Holy Spirit…

Ezekiel 37:1–10 NKJV

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also 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 may live.” ’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

This breath, this wind, that Ezekiel prophesies about… brought these man to life…

likewise it is the Spirit working in the lives of his people…

that opens eyes, regenerates hearts, fills with passion for God, and brings us life!

Before I was a Christian I was devoid of life, depressed, empty, meaningless, and now I am filled with life!

Do you have that life? by the Holy Spirit?

Maybe you do but over time the bones became dry again…

and the passion and life that you once had for Jesus has stopped burning…

“Father would you fill us again with your Spirit!”

V.3-4

Acts 2:3–4 “Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

John the baptist if you remember back in Matthew 3 told his audience this…

Matthew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

This is a fulfillment of that prophesy…

As we see these tongues of fire sit upon each person in the upper room…

We’ll end with this…

Baptism describes the death of the person metaphorically, and a raising of that same person into a new life…

And baptism of the H.S. is defined as…

the Spirit’s initial work in a believer’s life, beginning the relationship, and- like water baptism- is not a repeated act.

The baptism of the Spirit is what ever believer experiences upon conversion…

that unexplainable desire for Jesus, that equipping with the gifts, that joy, those fruit of the spirit…

It is the work of the spirit to baptise us at conversion, but it is our responsibility to constantly be refilled…

And so be refilled!

Ephesians 5:18 “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,”

Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

If you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, then let faith (trust for God) fill your heart, then lay aside sin in your life that would quench the spirit, and ask him to fill you as you completely surrender your life to the will of God.

Faith

Repent

Ask

Surrender

Seniors, this is your last Sunday with us and so my exhortation is to go, go out in the power of the Holy Spirit and allow him to change the world through you because he will!

Pray.