THIS IS THAT!

Series

Filled: The Power of a Spirit-Filled Church

Week Three

This Is That

Text

Acts 2:14–21 ESV

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Big Idea

The Holy Spirit does not lead the church away from Scripture. He opens the Word so we can understand what God is doing and respond before the day of the Lord.

Series Arc

Week One: When the Spirit Fills the House — Acts 2:1-4

Week Two: What Does This Mean? — Acts 2:5-13

Week Three: This Is That — Acts 2:14-21

Week Four: Cut to the Heart — Acts 2:22-41

Opening

Last week, the crowd asked the question: “What does this mean?”

This week, Peter gives the answer: “This is that.”

That phrase may sound simple,

but it is one of the most powerful moves in the book of Acts.

Peter is standing in the middle of a moment nobody had ever seen before.

The sound had gathered the crowd.

The languages had bewildered them.

Some were amazed.

Some were confused.

Some mocked.

And Peter does not explain the moment by saying,

“Let me tell you what I feel.”

He does not say,

“Let me tell you my opinion.”

He does not say,

“Let me defend our church.”

Peter reaches into Scripture and says,

“This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.”

Here is the word for us today: WRITE THIS DOWN

Spirit-filled people must be Scripture-anchored people.

The Spirit gives power,

but the Word gives interpretation.

OH COME ON SOMEBODY....

The Spirit creates wonder,

but the Word gives understanding.

The Spirit may interrupt the room,

but Scripture teaches us how to name what God is doing.

So today I want TO TITLE MY SERMON: This Is That.

OPEN IN PRAYER.......

THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THIS....

The Word Explains the Wonder

Acts 2:14 says, “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them.”

Acts 2:14 ESV

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.

There is something beautiful in that first word: “But.”

Some mocked and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

But Peter stood up.

OH COME ON SOMEBODY....

Mockery did not get the last word.

Confusion did not get the last word.

A Spirit-filled witness stood up...... and opened the Scriptures.

Peter does not ignore what happened.

He interprets it.

That matters because experiences need interpretation.

OH I’M ABOUT TO CORRECT SOME IDEOLOGIES IN THIS ROOM....

Not every emotional moment is spiritual.

Not every unusual moment is God.

Not every loud moment is anointed.

But when God is moving, we need more than excitement. We need discernment.

The safest place to bring spiritual experience is....

under the authority of Scripture.

OH COME ON.....

Peter did not use the experience to correct the Bible.

He used the Bible to explain the experience.

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT for a Spirit-filled church TO UNDERSTAND.

We do not have to choose between the Spirit and the Word.

The Spirit inspired the Word,

fulfills the Word,

illuminates the Word, and never contradicts the Word.

If a movement claims to be spiritual but resists Scripture,

something is wrong.

If a church claims to love the Bible...

but has no hunger for the Spirit, something is missing.

We need both the fire of God and the foundation of God’s Word.

OH COME ON SOMEBODY....

We need rooms where people encounter God and....

pulpits where the Word of God explains what is happening.

This is how Peter leads.

The crowd says, “What does this mean?”

Peter answers, “It means God is keeping His promise.”

The Spirit Gives More Than Noise

Here is the one original-language moment THAT....

I want us to see because it opens the passage.

In Acts 2:4, the disciples spoke “as the Spirit gave them utterance.” IN ACTS 2:14....

Acts 2:4 ESV

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

In Acts 2:14, when Peter “addressed” the crowd, Luke uses the same Greek word family: apophthengomai, (APO-THNANG-OMI) which means to speak forth or declare with clarity and weight.

Acts 2:14 NIV

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.

LISTEN TO ME.....

the same Spirit-given utterance that enabled the believers to speak in languages...

also enabled Peter to stand up and explain Scripture.

THIS IS POWERFUL.....

The Spirit.....not only GAVE them a sound.

He gave them a sermon.

The Spirit not only CREATED amazement.

He created understanding.

OH COME ON....DOES THIS MAKE SINCE???

The Spirit did not bypass...

Peter’s mind,

Peter’s Bible,

or Peter’s responsibility.

He FILLED Peter and then brought the Word through him with clarity.

That means Spirit-filled speech is not just volume.

IT’S not just passion.

IT’S not just saying spiritual things loudly.

Spirit-filled speech is speech surrendered to God, shaped by Scripture,

and ANNOINTED TO PREACH THE GOSPEL IN WAYS THAT SOMETIMES YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YOU KNEW.

WITH CLARITY, WITH PASSION, WITH UNDERSTANDING

Some of us think boldness means being loud.

But Peter shows us boldness is clarity under pressure.

THINK ABOUT IT....

He is standing before mockers.

He is standing before religious pilgrims.

He is standing before people who do not yet understand Jesus......And he does not shrink back.

He says, “Let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.”

That is not arrogance. That is Spirit-given clarity.

THAT IS HOLY BOLDNESS

OH COME ON CHURCH....

There are moments when the church needs to stop mumbling.

STOP yelling. STOP attacking. STOP performing.

WE NEED CHRISTIANS WHO WILL STAND UP AND speaking with holy clarity:

“This is what God said. This is what God promised. This is what God is doing. This is who Jesus is.”

SO PETER STANDS UP AND BEGINS TALKING AND EXPLAINING.....

The Promise Is Bigger Than They Thought

Peter says in ACTS 2:16, “This is what was uttered through the prophet Joel.”

Acts 2:16 ESV

16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

Then he quotes Joel:

Acts 2:17 ESV

17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

Peter is saying,

“What you are seeing today is not spiritual chaos. It is prophetic fulfillment.”

Joel had spoken of a day when God would pour out His Spirit,

not only on isolated prophets, kings, judges, or priests.................. but on all flesh.

HE SAID....Sons and daughters. Young men and old men. Male servants and female servants.

That would have been shocking.

BECAUSE..In the Old Testament,

the Spirit certainly moved, but often on particular people for particular assignments.

The Spirit came upon judges, kings, and prophets.

But Joel saw a day when the gift of the Spirit would overflow TO ALL PEOPLE.

Pentecost means the promise got wider.

OH COME ON SOMBEODY.....I SAID....

THE PROMISE GOT WIDER

Not just leaders. BUT Sons and daughters.

Not just one generation. BUT Young and old.

Not just the socially powerful. I’M TALKING ABOUT Servants too.

This does not erase order.

It does not mean everyone has the same role.

But it does mean nobody in the body of Christ is spiritually insignificant.

DID YOU HEAR ME???

I SAID GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE

YOU HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

SOME OF YOU NEED TO GET THAT IN YOUR HEART

STOP PLAYING GAMES AND DABBLING

BECAUSE THE LONGER YOU PROCRASTINATE

THE MORE LIVES ARE AT STAKE FOR ETERNITY IN HELL

GOD WANTS TO USE YOU TO SAVE SOMEONE

LOOK AT YOUR NEIGHBOR AND TELL THEM,

YOUR IMPORTANT TO JESUS

The Spirit of God is not only for the platform.

He is for the teenager fighting temptation,

HE IS FOR the SEASONED saint praying in faith,

HE IS FOR the single mother raising children,

the worker trying to honor God in a hard environment,

HE IS FOR the student carrying Jesus into school

Joel’s promise means...

God does not pour His Spirit only on the obvious people.

He pours His Spirit on sons and daughters.

He pours His Spirit on young and old.

He pours His Spirit on servants.

He pours His Spirit on people other people overlook.

That means the church should stop burying voices God intends to fill.

OH COME ON SOMEBODY.....

Somebody in the room has been thinking, “I am too young.”

But God says, “Your sons and daughters shall prophesy.”

Somebody has been thinking, “I am too old.”

But God says, “Your old men shall dream dreams.”

Somebody has been thinking, “I am not important enough.”

But God says, “Even on my servants I will pour out my Spirit.”

CHURCH....

When God pours, He does not ask human hierarchy for permission.

HE POURS OUT HIS SPIRIT ON THOSE WHO ARE READY AND HUNGRY

ARE YOU READY???

The Last Days Are Not Just....Later

WE ARE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS....RIGHT NOW

Peter begins Joel’s quote with the words, “In the last days.”

That phrase can sound like it only belongs to timelines, and future events.

But Peter uses it to explain what is happening right there at Pentecost.

That means the last days are not only about what will happen someday.

The last days began when the crucified and risen Jesus poured out the Spirit on His people.

We are living in the time of fulfillment. TODAY

OH COME ON....

This should give the church both confidence and urgency.

Confidence, because God is not improvising.....He is fulfilling what He promised.

The same God who promised the Spirit through Joel...

sent the Spirit at Pentecost.

If God kept that promise........He can be trusted with every promise THAT IS TO COME.

IT SHOULD GIVE US Urgency, because Joel’s prophecy does not only speak of outpouring.

It also speaks of the day of the Lord.

Peter quotes the part about wonders in the heavens, signs on the earth, darkness, blood, and the great and magnificent day of the Lord.

That may sound intense because it is.

The Spirit is poured out in a world headed toward accountability.

Mercy is available, but history is moving somewhere.

The same prophecy that announces empowerment also announces urgency.

OH MY LORD HELP US.....

CHURCH....

We are not Spirit-filled so we can be spiritually entertained...

while the world drifts toward judgment.

We are Spirit-filled so we can bear witness....while there is still time to call on the name of the Lord.

..........WORSHIP TEAM COME..............

WE’RE LIVING IN The last days mean....

the church cannot afford sleepy Christianity.

If the Spirit has been poured out..........then the church should be awake.

If the day of the Lord is coming..........then our witness matters.

If everyone who calls can be saved....... then someone must tell them who to call on.

OH COME ON....WE DON’T GET TO CHOOSE WHO TO TELL

The Invitation Is for Everyone

Peter ends the Joel quotation with ACTS 2:21:

Acts 2:21 ESV

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

This is where the prophecy lands.

Not in spiritual spectacle.

Not in prophetic fascination.

Not EVEN IN end-time fear.

IT LANDS IN AN INVITATION

Everyone who calls shall be saved.

That word “everyone” is the mercy of God opening the door wide.

OH COME ON SOMEBODY.....

The religious can call.

The broken can call.

The ashamed can call.

The skeptic can call.

The addict can call.

The one who failed can call.

The one who wandered AWAY can call.

The one who has been sitting in church but STILL SO far from God can call.

OH COME ON SOMEBODY....

IS THERE ANYBODY THANKFUL THAT GOD HASN’T SHUT THE DOOR

THAT HE IS STILL WILLING TO ANSWER IF WE WILL CALL

OH MY LORD.....DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS???

IT MEANS IT’S NOT TOO LATE

SCRIPTURE IS STILL RELEVANT FOR TODAY

ANYONE....WHO CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED

Peter will soon make clear that the Lord they must call on is Jesus.

Jesus is the crucified and risen One.

Jesus is the exalted One.

Jesus is the One who pours out the Spirit.

Jesus is the One who saves.

JESUS IS LORD

ON THAT DAY.... the sermon that begins with explanation ends with invitation.

That is the pattern we need.

We DON’T teach Scripture merely to increase information.

We teach Scripture so people can see Jesus and THEN respond.

The Word explains the wonder,

but the explanation leads to a call.

PASTOR CHRIS......What should we do with........ “This is that”?

We should trust God’s Word.

We should receive the Spirit’s fullness.

We should believe that God can use every generation.

We should live awake in the last days.

And we should call on the name of the Lord.

AMEN????

.....................STAND TO YOUR FEET...................

Call to Action

EVERY HEAD BOWED ALL OVER THIS PLACE

RIGHT NOW BEGIIN TO POSTURE YOUR HEART TOWARD HIM

BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT HIM RIGHT NOW

BEGIN TO DESIRE HIM AND THE HOLY SPIRIT RIGHT NOW

Today, I believe God is calling us to be a church...

of both flame and foundation,

both power and Scripture,

hunger and discernment.

Some of us need to come back to the Word.

We have been living on emotion, opinion, or spiritual memory,

but we need Scripture to interpret our lives again.

Some of us need to receive the promise personally.

You have believed the Holy Spirit is for somebody else.

OH THATS FOR THEM NOT ME....THERE’S NOT WAY I COULD RECIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

But Joel says sons, daughters, young, old, servants.

Do not disqualify yourself from what God promised.

Some of us need to wake up to the hour WE ARE LIVING IN.

We have been living casually in urgent times.

The day of the Lord is coming, and people still need to know Jesus.

And some of us need to call on the name of the Lord today.

OH COME ON.....

NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO JUST call on THE church.

NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO call on religion.

NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO call on your own goodness.

WE NEED TO Call on Jesus.

OH COME ON SOMEBODY....

If you need forgiveness, call on Jesus.

If you need salvation, call on Jesus.

If you need to come home, call on Jesus.

If you need the Spirit to fill you and make you a witness, call on Jesus.

[ Slow down. ]

The promise is not,

“Everyone who understands everything shall be saved.”

The promise is not,

“Everyone who has a perfect past shall be saved.”

The promise is,

“Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

So call on Him.

THESE ALTARS ARE OPEN....WOULD YOU COME AND CALL ON JESUS TODAY.......

LET’S WORSHIP

Closing Prayer

Father, in the name of Jesus,

thank You for Your Word.

Thank You that You do not leave us to confusion, opinion, or hype.

LORD, You speak, You promise, and You fulfill what You have spoken.

FATHER Make us a Scripture-anchored, Spirit-filled people.

LORD WOULD YOU Give us hunger for Your presence

LORD GIVE US submission to Your Word.

Teach us to test every experience by Scripture

TEACH US to expect Scripture to come alive by the Spirit.

FATHER, I Thank You that the promise is wider than human categories.

LORD, Pour out Your Spirit on sons and daughters,

young and old,

seen and unseen,

leaders and servants.

Awaken every person who has believed they are too young,

AWAKEN THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CRIPPLED BY....I’M too old, OR too broken, or too ordinary to be used by You.

FATHER, Wake us up to the hour we are living in.

Give us urgency without fear, URGENCY WITHOUT pride,

and clarity without harshness.

HELP US SPEAK WHAT NEEDS TO BE SPOKEN

HOLY SPIRIT GUIDE US IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS

FATHER.....today, we call on the name of Jesus.

Save US, restore US, fill US, and send us.

In Jesus’ name, amen.