Earth, Wind, & Fire: Part 3
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
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Presence, People, Praise
Presence, People, Praise
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now there were
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.
1. THE CHURCH IS SURROUNDED BY THE LOST
THE CHURCH IS SURROUNDED BY THE LOST
Two gatherings of Jews
One small (120) one big (many thousands)
120 were Palestinian Jews and the others were from everywhere
Both were practicing their religion. The 120 were obeying Jesus who told them to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from on high. And the others were obeying the Levitical law which commanded them to assemble to celebrate Passover and then Pentecost.
All of the devout men on the outside are going to hell. Later on in chapter 4, Peter will say of Jesus — there is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved. These are devout men. But their devotion is leading to damnation. You know people like this. People who are kinder than you, more successful than you, more self-controlled than you. They are devoted to all kinds of good things and they are going to hell.
Jesus is moved by this. Jesus cares about this. Jesus weeps over this. Nobody is more reformed in his soteriology than Jesus. And he weeps over the lost.
2. INWARD FLOWS OUTWARD
Evangelism happens when the spirit’s inner work spills over on to the streets. Anti-evangelism happens the same way. When the work of the flesh spills over into the streets.
Speak to believers with boldness?
Express concern over their souls?
Are you connecting their sin with the savior?
Do you know how to help a person measure their behavior against God’s law so that grace brings joy?
Afraid to ask our children what’s happening physically in their relationships.
Afraid to pray with our wives.
Go to church with someone for years who’s marriage is pretty obviously unbalanced.
With someone who’s pretty obviously a flake.
Who’s pretty obviously anti-authority.
Who thinks it is appropriate to leave a church without offering any reason.
These are your friends. You went to church with these people for years. Did you help them with their sin?
Learning to cross the threshold from small talk to soul talk.
Learning to initiate a hard conversation without being invited.
3. MUCH OF THE INTERNAL WORK OF THE SPIRIT ONLY MAKES SENSE WHEN IT IS SHARED
3. MUCH OF THE INTERNAL WORK OF THE SPIRIT ONLY MAKES SENSE WHEN IT IS SHARED
Tongues here are probably not the ecstatic tongues of . Explain. They are speaking actual human languages. Don’t think it is likely that the Holy Spirit is giving the lost people in the crowd the spiritual gift of interpretation.
So they’re speaking these languages in this upper room. They’d recognize the languages. Maybe knew a few words. Maybe not. There’s a lot of weird things going on. Fire. Wind.
When it overflows to the streets, it makes sense. Friends, there are many things that God is doing in your life and in our church that would make so much more sense when it gets shared out there...
4. IF THE WORLD ISN’T CONFUSED, WE’RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT
Acts 2:
And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
5. IF YOU AREN’T BEING CRITICIZED, YOU’RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT
Acts 2:
And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
6. YOU MUST BECOME A PROPHET
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.
For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
Acts 2:
“ ‘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;
even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Prophets are confusing. They are often criticized. And persecuted. Maybe you’ve read
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
and wondered, am I being persecuted? The only way some of us can really say this verse is true of us is to really really dilute the definition of prosecution. But look at the context:
You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,
2 Timothy 3:1
my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
Paul is using the term ‘godly life’ as short hand for a missional life. A prophetic life.
As a whole, the church is lacking in prophetic functioning. And some of you who are the most afraid of doing this would be the best at it. And some of you who are like, “amen preacher! I’ma prophet” are going to make the biggest mess of it.
CONCLUSION: NUMBERS 11