Sermon Tone Analysis

The Holy Spirit interrupts...

Winning the lost at any cost pt.

4

The Holy Spirit interrupts…

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.

And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God.

Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Then they asked him to remain for some days.

For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God.

Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Let us pray…

This is the last of our four part series in chapter 10 of the book of Acts.

We have shown in the Scripture where Peter build a foundation for the teaching of the Gospel and prayed to prepare the hearts of those who would hear it.

God the Holy Spirit also gave a vision to both men, first to Cornelius and then to Peter.

Then in second part of the series we are given the information needed to accept God’s conclusion, to accept those whom God had also given the Gospel and to accepted the consequences of the vision of a true church both Jew and Gentile.

Last week we spoke about the proclamation of the Gospel to those who fear God and need Jesus, to those who need to know who Jesus is and to those who need to understand what Jesus has done for us.

Now this morning we find ourselves at a place of exoneration for all the claims we have put forth, a place of substantiation because all the words of God the Holy Spirit now show themselves as being true, and a place of vindication, where our ultimate defense is proved by the interruption of God the Holy Spirit in the middle of Peter’s sermonic presentation.

Peter was just getting started in his message when his congregation believed and the Holy Spirit interrupted the meeting.

As the Holy Spirit fell on these people just as He fell upon the Jews at Pentecost, it is not usual for God to interrupt.

Interruption seems to me a trinitarian prerogative, look at the following instances.

God the Father interrupted Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration,

, “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here.

If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.”

And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

God the Son interrupted Peter concerning the matter of the temple tax,

, “When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?”

He said, “Yes.”

And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon?

From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax?

From their sons or from others?”

And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.

However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.

Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Now, in our text this morning God the Holy Spirit, interrupts Peter and he is never able to finish his sermon for the God the Holy Spirit finishes it for him.

O” that, God the Holy Spirit would interrupt our service to morning and finish it for us, O’ that God the Holy Spirit would show up and show out this morning, O’ that the God the Holy Spirit would fell afresh upon this morning and continue to fill us with His presents.

The Bible never teaches we should pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but that we are continually filled and filled with Holy Spirit constantly.

The Holy Spirit interrupts… to grant vindication

, “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.

And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed…”

Our text tells us that while Peter was still speaking the words of his sermon, he was stunned, because suddenly, surprisingly, and dramatically he was interrupted by the very Spirit of God.

The text here infers without making it implicit, that the people whom Peter was speaking to, had heard the words of God’s forgiveness.

God’s forgiveness that was instantly available through His Son Jesus Christ and they had believed, immediately through faith in Christ.

They had responded to the irresistible call of Christ, they had responded to the effectual call of Christ, as the Bible teaches, faith comes by hearing and hearing the words of Christ.

And because of their newly found faith, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.

Saving faith results in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit,

,You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

Everyone who is a Christian has the Holy Spirit dwelling within them; to be devoid of the Spirit characterizes one as an unbeliever.

, “But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”

It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”

It is true that the Spirit’s coming to the Samaritans was delayed, they were saved through Philip’s preaching, yet they had to wait until the arrival of Peter.

But as seen in .

, “Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Apparently in this unique case, where the gospel was first moving beyond the bounds of Judaism, the Lord sovereignly waited to give any manifestation of the full power of the Holy Spirit (cf.

vv.

15–16) until some of the apostles themselves could be present (Philip was not an apostle), and therefore there would be α question if the Samaritans had received the new covenant empowering of the Holy Spirit in the same way that the Jewish Christians had if an apostle was not present.

This why God send Peter and John to officiate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them.

This would show that the Samaritans should be counted full members of the one true church, the new covenant community of God’s people, founded and based at that time in Jerusalem.

It would also guarantee that the Samaritans, who for many generations had been hostile toward the Jews, would not establish a separate Christian church or be excluded from the church by Jewish believers.

The Spirit was given only at the hands of the apostles, to show convincingly to Samaritan and other later, non-Jewish leaders of the church that both Jews and non-Jews who believed in Jesus now had full membership status among God’s people.

No such delay was needed here, since the apostle Peter was already present.

So listen to me, this clearly shows that does not establish the norm for receiving the Spirit.

Think about it, If believers were always to be saved and then later receive the Spirit, why did Cornelius and the other Gentiles receive the Spirit the moment they were saved?

The view of some that they were already saved and merely received the Spirit really runs afoul of , “he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.”

Furthermore, if they were already saved and this was simply the occasion of their receiving the Spirit, why did Peter preach the gospel to them?

Why did he not instead give them teaching on how to receive the Spirit?

It just does not make any sense at all biblically,

Receiving the Holy Spirit requires no petition, no confession, no water baptism, and no laying of on hands.

If you are a Christian then you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you.

These people came, they listen, they believed and they were saved!

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

This is clearly stated as well in , “If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?”

When they heard these things they fell silent.

And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

There can be no such thing as a Christian without the Holy Spirit, since He is essential to the Christian life.

The Holy Spirit grants power to witness and to pray.

Through His ministry comes the assurance of salvation, , “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba!

Father!”

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”