the church is born. ACTS 2

Good morning everyone.

Let me ask you a question.

Have you ever had a moment that completely changed everything?

Maybe it was getting married.

Maybe it was the birth of a child.

Maybe it was getting a phone call that changed the direction of your life.

There are moments in history where everything changes after that point.

Acts 2 is one of those moments.

Up to this point, Jesus has lived, died, risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven. The disciples are waiting just as Jesus commanded them. They don't know exactly how God is going to work, but they know He promised to send the Holy Spirit.

Then Acts 2 happens.

The Holy Spirit comes.

The gospel is preached.

Thousands of people are saved.

And the church is born.

In many ways, Acts 2 is the beginning of everything we know as the church today.

As we walk through this chapter, we're going to see four simple movements:

The Spirit comes.

Christ is proclaimed.

People respond.

And the church is born.

And my prayer this morning is that we won't just learn what happened in Acts 2, but that we'll see what God is still doing today through the same gospel and the same Holy Spirit.

So if you have your Bible, turn with me to Acts chapter 2.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

1 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4

ok that was a lot. lets break this down.

The word Pentecost means "fiftieth." It was celebrated fifty days after Passover. This means Acts 2 takes place about fifty days after Jesus' crucifixion and just ten days after His ascension into heaven.

But Pentecost was much more than just a date on the calendar. It was one of the three major Jewish feasts when people from all over the known world would travel to Jerusalem to worship God. That's why, just a few verses later, Luke lists people from so many different nations. Jerusalem was packed with pilgrims who had come to celebrate this feast.

Originally, Pentecost was a harvest festival. The people would bring the firstfruits of their wheat harvest and thank God for His provision. It was a celebration of God's faithfulness in providing for His people.

Isn't it amazing that God chose this feast to pour out His Spirit? During a festival celebrating the firstfruits of the harvest, God begins a completely different kind of harvest. Instead of gathering wheat into a barn, He begins gathering people into His kingdom. Before the day is over, about three thousand people will come to faith in Christ. This wasn't an accident. God's timing was perfect.

Think about it. If this had happened on an ordinary day, only the people living in Jerusalem would have witnessed it. But because it happened during Pentecost, Jews from many different nations heard the gospel in their own languages. Many of them would later return home carrying the message of Jesus with them. From the very beginning, God was showing that the gospel wasn't meant for one city or one nation. It was meant for the whole world.

then we move to the next verses

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. 6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.” 12 They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.”

Now, who here has been to another country?

Okay, who here can speak the language of that country?

See, I've lived in both Japan and Italy. Back then, my Japanese and Italian were a lot better than they are now. One thing was always true. Whenever I spoke to someone in their language, they were surprised. Even if it wasn't perfect, people were often shocked that I could speak their language at all.

If my broken Japanese and Italian could surprise people, imagine what this crowd experienced in Acts 2. Jews from all over the known world had gathered in Jerusalem, and suddenly these Galilean disciples were speaking in languages they had never learned. Each person was hearing the mighty works of God in their own native tongue.

Can you imagine that? You're standing in Jerusalem, and all of a sudden someone who has never been to your country is speaking your language perfectly and telling you about the greatness of God. That would be shocking.

This wasn't a language class. This wasn't natural talent. This was clearly a work of God.

Yet even after witnessing this miracle, some still refused to believe. Instead, they mocked and said, "They are filled with new wine" (Acts 2:13).

Why? Because the issue was never a lack of evidence. The issue was the condition of their hearts. Sometimes people can stand right in front of God's work and still find a way to explain it away because they do not want to submit to what God is showing them

we se this take place all the time in today! medicals are still be preformed. Gods wonders are still visible with clear explanations. and everyone still says they need more evidence to believe. i have 66 books of pure evidence. 63,779 cross references as evidence. but some will still deny

And not to get into this Sunday's sermon too much, but the issue was never an intellectual issue. It was a moral issue. It wasn't that they didn't have enough evidence. It was that they didn't want to surrender to the truth that was standing right in front of them.

And that's exactly where Peter steps in. He stands before the crowd and explains what is really happening. This is not drunkenness. This is the fulfillment of God's promises and the work of the risen Christ.

then it goes on to say.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

14 Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning. 16 On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

17 And it will be in the last days, says God,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all people;

then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

and your old men will dream dreams.

18 I will even pour out my Spirit

on my servants in those days, both men and women

and they will prophesy.

19 I will display wonders in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below:

blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.

20 The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

21 Then everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved.,

Peter wastes no time at all.

He stands up and says, "Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words!" (Acts 2:14).

In other words, "Everybody listen up! I need to explain what's really going on here."

Then Peter immediately addresses the accusation.

"These people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it's only nine in the morning!" (Acts 2:15).

Now, I know some people make questionable decisions, but Peter's point is that this explanation doesn't even make sense. It's 9:00 AM! The coffee hasn't even kicked in yet!

Peter says, "You've got this all wrong."

On the contrary, this is exactly what God said would happen.

This is the fulfillment of the prophecy given through the prophet Joel hundreds of years earlier. God had promised that a day was coming when He would pour out His Spirit on all people. Sons and daughters would prophesy. Young men would see visions. Old men would dream dreams.

But have you ever wondered why Peter immediately goes back to the book of Joel? Why not just keep talking about the miracle everyone had just witnessed? Because Peter wants them to understand that what they're seeing isn't random. This isn't something the disciples made up. This isn't an emotional experience or a strange event that happened by chance. This is God doing exactly what He promised He would do hundreds of years earlier.

Joel had prophesied that a day was coming when God would pour out His Spirit on His people. For generations, God's people had been waiting for that promise to be fulfilled. Now Peter stands before them and says, "That day has arrived."

Peter isn't asking the crowd to blindly believe him. He's pointing them back to Scripture. He's saying, "Open your Bibles. God already told us this would happen." That's an important reminder for us today. Our faith isn't built on feelings or experiences alone. It's built on the trustworthy Word of God. And every fulfilled prophecy reminds us that when God makes a promise, He always keeps it.

What the crowd was witnessing was not the result of too much wine. It was the result of God's promise being fulfilled.

The Spirit had come. A new era had begun. God was doing exactly what He said He would do.

And one thing we see throughout Acts 2 is that God always keeps His promises.

Joel promised the Spirit would come.

David pointed to the coming Messiah.

Jesus promised His followers they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them.

And now in Acts 2, every one of those promises is being fulfilled.

Church, if God kept His promises then, we can trust Him to keep His promises now.

When God says He will never leave us, He means it.

When God says He forgives those who come to Him, He means it.

When God says He is working all things together for good, He means it.

Our circumstances change.

Our feelings change.

But God's promises never fail.

then we go on

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. 23 Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. 24 God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death. 25 For David says of him:

I saw the Lord ever before me;

because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

26 Therefore my heart is glad

and my tongue rejoices.

Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope,

27 because you will not abandon me in Hades

or allow your holy one to see decay.

28 You have revealed the paths of life to me;

you will fill me with gladness

in your presence.,

29 “Brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He was not abandoned in Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay.,

32 “God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this. 33 Therefore, since he has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says:

The Lord declared to my Lord,

‘Sit at my right hand

35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’,

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

After explaining the coming of the Spirit, Peter turns the crowd's attention to Jesus.

Peter's sermon is centered on one person: Jesus Christ.

First, he talks about Jesus' life. Peter reminds them that Jesus was a man accredited by God through miracles, wonders, and signs. God had publicly testified to who Jesus was. His miracles weren't done in secret. Many of the people listening had likely seen them with their own eyes.

Then Peter moves to Jesus' death. He doesn't sugarcoat it. He tells them, "You crucified and killed Him." But Peter is careful to point out that this was not an accident. Jesus was delivered up according to God's predetermined plan. What looked like defeat was actually God's plan of redemption unfolding.

Next comes Jesus' resurrection. Peter declares that death could not hold Him. The grave was not the end of the story. Jesus rose from the dead exactly as God had promised. Peter even points to David's writings to show that the resurrection was prophesied long before it happened.

Peter's argument here is actually brilliant, and I don't want us to miss it. He's quoting Psalm 16, a passage written by King David about a thousand years before Jesus was born. At first glance, someone might think David is talking about himself. But Peter says that can't be true.

Why? Because everyone knew what happened to David. David died. David was buried. In fact, Peter says his tomb was still there for everyone to see. His body experienced decay just like every other human being.

So if Psalm 16 says that God's Holy One would not be abandoned to the grave or experience decay, then David had to be speaking about someone greater than himself. As a prophet, David was looking ahead to the coming Messiah.

Peter's conclusion is clear. Jesus is the One David was talking about. Jesus died, but unlike David, death couldn't hold Him. Three days later He rose from the grave exactly as God had promised. Peter isn't asking the crowd to believe a new story. He's showing them that the resurrection had been God's plan all along, written into Scripture centuries before it ever happened.

Finally, Peter speaks of Jesus' exaltation. Jesus did not simply rise from the dead. He ascended to the right hand of the Father and now reigns as Lord. The Spirit that had just been poured out on the disciples was evidence that the risen Christ was ruling from heaven.

And Peter drives it all home in verse 36:

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."

Peter's message is simple: Jesus lived, Jesus died, Jesus rose, and Jesus reigns. And that changes everything.

Now Let's see their response to this.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!”

Y'all, this is evangelism 101.

Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus rose. Jesus reigns.

That's Peter's sermon.

He doesn't give them twelve steps to a better life. He doesn't give them self-help advice. He gives them Jesus.

And now we're about to see how the crowd responds.

Listen to verse 37:

"When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brothers, what should we do?'"

Think about the transformation that just took place.

A few moments earlier, some of these same people were mocking the disciples and saying, "They're drunk!"

Now they're cut to the heart.

Now they're convicted.

Now they're asking, "What do we do?"

Why? Because when the gospel is preached and the Holy Spirit is at work, hearts change.

Notice they don't ask, "Can you prove it one more time?"

They don't ask, "Can we have another miracle?"

They don't ask, "Can we see some more evidence?"

They ask, "What should we do?"

They've moved from arguing to surrendering.

And Peter's answer is simple: "Repent and be baptized."

Now let's slow down for a second because this word "repent" is one of the most important words in the entire Bible, and it's also one of the most misunderstood.

Repentance is more than simply feeling bad about your sin. A lot of people feel guilty after they've done something wrong, but guilt by itself doesn't change anyone. Judas felt remorse after betraying Jesus, but he never turned back to Christ. Repentance goes much deeper than emotion.

The word literally means to change your mind. It means you begin seeing your sin the way God sees it, and you begin seeing Jesus for who He truly is. And when your mind changes, your life begins to change too. Your direction changes. Instead of running toward sin, you begin running toward Christ.

Peter isn't telling this crowd, "Go fix your life, then come back." He's telling them to surrender to the very Jesus they had rejected only weeks earlier. Salvation has always begun with turning away from sin and placing your faith in Jesus Christ.

That's still God's call today. Every single one of us must come to the place where we stop trusting ourselves and start trusting Christ. That's what repentance looks like.

Turn from your sin. Turn to Christ. Publicly identify with the Jesus you once rejected.

And what happens?

About three thousand people accept the message and are baptized that very day.

Think about that. Peter goes from preaching to a crowd that is mocking God's work to seeing three thousand people saved in a single day.

That's the power of the gospel.

The same crowd that was accusing God's people of being drunk is now joining God's people through faith in Jesus Christ.

lets read the last few verses.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

this is Matthew 28:20 “teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

And in many ways, they fulfilled Jesus' command almost perfectly.

Jesus told His followers to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to observe everything He had commanded them.

And that's exactly what we see happening.

Peter preaches Christ.

People repent and believe.

They are baptized.

And now they begin living as disciples of Jesus.

And finally, we get to see the beauty of what the gospel can do.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

This isn't just a crowd anymore.

This is a church.

Everyone was filled with awe as God continued to work through the apostles.

The believers were together.

They cared for one another.

They shared with one another.

When someone had a need, others stepped in to help.

They weren't asking, "What's mine?"

They were asking, "How can I serve?"

They worshiped together.

They prayed together.

They ate together.

They spent time together.

They had joyful and sincere hearts.

And notice something important.

The gospel didn't just change where they would spend eternity.

It changed how they lived today.

The gospel transformed their relationships.

It transformed their priorities.

It transformed their generosity.

It transformed their community.

This is what happens when the Holy Spirit changes people from the inside out.

And as they lived out their faith, the world took notice.

They praised God.

They enjoyed favor with the people.

And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Don't miss that.

The church grew not because they had a perfect building.

Not because they had the best programs.

Not because they had the most resources.

The church grew because God was at work in a people who had been transformed by the gospel.

Church, Acts 2 shows us what happens when the Spirit comes, Christ is proclaimed, people repent, and disciples live like Jesus.

The result is a church that is devoted, generous, joyful, and growing.

And the same gospel that built the church in Acts 2 is the same gospel that is still building Christ's church today.

So what does that mean for us today?

First, it reminds us that God's timing is always perfect. The disciples had been waiting, praying, and wondering when God was going to act. Then, at exactly the right moment, God fulfilled His promise. Maybe you're waiting on God right now. Maybe you're praying for an answer, a job, healing, or for someone you love to come to Christ. Acts 2 reminds us that just because God hasn't acted yet doesn't mean He has forgotten you. He is always working according to His perfect timing.

Second, it reminds us that the gospel is for everyone. God didn't pour out His Spirit when only one group of people was gathered. He chose a day when people from many different nations were present because His desire has always been to reach the world. That means there is no person at your school, your workplace, your neighborhood, or even in your own family who is beyond the reach of God's grace.

Finally, it reminds us that God wants us to be part of His harvest. Just as those pilgrims carried the message of Jesus back to their homes, we are called to take the gospel wherever God has placed us. We may not travel across the world, but every one of us has people we can pray for, love, serve, and share Christ with. God is still building His church today, and He invites us to be part of what He's doing.