Wind, Tongues as of Fire, and the Meaning of It All

Introduction

I. The Event of Pentecost (v.1-13)

What is Pentecost?

The day of Pentecost marked one of the three major feasts on Israel’s annual calendar.

The name comes from its occurrence on the fiftieth day after Passover.

Pentecost means “the fiftieth.

Jesus had the disciples waiting in Jerusalem for this event.

The feast had two meanings

one agricultural and the other historical

Originally it was the middle of the three annual festivals and was called the Feast of Harvest

But it also developed into an anniversary of the giving of the law at Mount Sinai because this was thought to have happened fifty days after the Exodus.

So two things going on here,

First at Pentecost we see that there is a great harvest of souls, v.41

But I also believe that what we see is the New Covenant version of the giving of the law with the coming of the Spirit.

You say what do you mean?

Notice and we will talk about this more later but here at Pentecost we have

wind, fire, and voices

Mount Sinai and the giving of the law you have storms, thunder and lightening, you have fire, you have God speaking to Moses

You have wind, fire, and voices

Sinai God gives the law to His Old Testament people, to Israel, but he law is written on what?

On tablets of stone.

What we have at Pentecost is God coming and not writing the law on tablets of Stone but filling His people with His Spirit and writing His law on their hearts

Jeremiah 31:33 ESV

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Ezekiel 36:27 ESV

And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

In Paul contrasts the Old and the New covenant and in doing so contrasts the giving of the law (God writing on tablets of stone) and the giving the of the Spirit (God writing on tablets of human hearts).

So a lot going on even as we think about God pouring out His Spirit on His church at Pentecost and the significance of that.

But let’s notice the three major phenomena and consider each of them.

God gives the church some miraculous signs here.

Sound

Lets’ consider what they heard. (v.2)

Notice it was a sound like a mighty rushing wind, the noise was not wind but it sounded like it.

A lot we could say here, begin by remembering that the hebrew word ruach and the greek word pneuma can be translated as wind, breath, or spirit.

Think of

John 3:6–8 ESV

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Think also of where the power of the Spirit is like God breathing life into dead corpses.

This sound of a mighty rushing wind was a gracious sign from God that the Spirit was coming upon His people.

Sight

Divided tongues as of fire is what they saw.

Again this is a gracious sign of the presence of God with His people.

Think in the OT

God’s presence before Moses is what, a burning bush

In the wilderness wanderings of Israel God’s presence is manifest at night by a pillar of fire

Think of the giving of the law

Exodus 19:18 ESV

Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.

Think of the dedication of the temple in the OT

2 Chronicles 7:1–3 ESV

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Just as the presence and the glory of the Lord filled the temple in the OT and there is a manifestation of prayer so now fire resting on each believer is a sign that as believers we are temples of the Lord and His presence abides within us.

1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

Speech

Speech

v.4

So we see that as they are filled with the Holy Spirit the result is that they speak in tongues.

This is a miraculous gift as they are filled with the Holy Spirit they speak in other tongues.

As we read on we see that this miracle is recognized by others who had gathered for Pentecost

Some have said that at Pentecost what you have is a miraculous hearing and not miraculous speaking but that is not what Peter says, v.4 tells us that they were speaking in other tongues.

You see the amazement of the crowd in v.7

They are Galileans, in other words they were uneducated backwoods country people, how can they be speaking in other languages.

As one commentator put it, this would be like Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty going to a group of Chinese officials and entering the room and speaking the glory of God in Christ to them in Mandarin Chinese.

But what is the significance of this? What is going on here? We will look at that when we look at Peter’s sermon in just a moment but I want to point out something that isn’t covered explicitly in v.14-36

The obvious point is that the gospel is for the Nations, right? Salvation in Christ Jesus is for the world and not just for Israel.

God loved the world (that is the nations and not just Israel) in this way, He sent His Son so that all who believe in Him not matter what country they are from, what language they speak will not perish but have everlasting life.

It symbolizes that acts of God are to be spoken of in all languages, and that the people of God would be made up of all races, all nationalities.

Luke emphasizes the the diversity of the crowd

Notice the expression, “devout men from every nation under heaven”

All though we do not see all nations of the world represented literally they were representatively.

Luke includes in his list descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Noah’s three sons from whom all the nations of the world come).

gives us a Table of Nations comparable to .

What Luke is teaching us is that on the Day of Pentecost the whole world was there in the representatives of the various nations.

What this is teaching us is that the Kingdom of Christ is multi-racial, multi-national, multi-lingual.

What we see is that the blessing of Pentecost is a dramatic reversal of the Tower of Babel.

Tower of Babel human languages were confused and the nations were scattered,

In Jerusalem the language barrier was supernaturally overcome as a sign that the nations would now be gathered together in Christ, prefiguring the great day when the redeemed company will be drawn from every nation, tribe, people, and language.

Listen to the contrast

At Babel earth proudly tried to ascend to heaven, whereas in Jerusalem heaven humbly descended to earth.

But we see that the crowd does not understand all that is going on v.12 and so Peter explains

II. The Explanation of Pentecost (v.14-36)

We shouldn’t imagine that what we have before us is all that Peter said in his sermon,

This is what Luke has been inspired by the Holy Spirit to share with us from that sermon, but we know there was more because of v.40, and with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them

We are going to divide Peter’s sermon up into two major sections, his quote of Joel and his testimony to Jesus

Peter’s quote of Joel (v.14-21)

v.16 Peter says, this is that. In other words what you are seeing and hearing today is the fulfillment of Prophecy.

So first Peter is clear that what Joel prophesied would happen is what has happened.

Joel foretold this mighty downpour of the Spirit on the Israelites and how the blessings would flow to people from every nation and tribe.

Peter also teaches us that Pentecost means that the Last Days have dawned (v.17)

And in these last days

Christ has come, He has ascended, Pentecost has come, and now we are we are waiting the Second Coming of Christ when He will consummate His Kingdom,

Christ has come, He has ascended, He has poured out His Spirit, and now we are we are waiting the Second Coming of Christ when He will consummate His Kingdom

“And in the last days

We looked at this in our study through 1 Peter not long ago

1 Peter 4:7 ESV

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

Pentecost also means that everyone can know God intimately and should make Him known faithfully.

v.21

And every believer is not a preacher or a teacher but every believer knows God and is commissioned to faithfully share the gospel with the world around them man, woman, old, young

As the prophets of old, we must declare God’s Word to the world.

There is debate about what is being talked about in v.19-21

The events of AD 70 and the fall of Jerusalem when God’s wrath was poured out upon Jerusalem or is this talking about the second coming of Christ and events around His coming.

I think ultimately it is speaking of the second coming but AD 70 is a type or shadow of that so i don’t see where it would be a problem with seeing both here.

The point is that God would have His people filled with His Spirit who would proclaim His gospel to the nations before the Day of the Lord when God will judge the nations and all who hear this gospel proclamation and call upon the name of the Lord will be saved from the wrath that is to come.

Peter’s testimony to Jesus (v.22-36)

Here Peter makes it clear that the Lord of the previous verse is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, in other words, Peter is clear that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ are those who are saved.

Four things here:

Jesus’ life and ministry (v.22)

Jesus was a man approved by God.

We see God’s approval of Him by the mighty works and wonders and signs God did through Him

Powerful works, God’s power was put on display through Him

wonders, astonishing things

signs, miracles that pointed to greater spiritual truths or realities

The power, the glory, the beauty, the grace, the mercy, the compassion, the wrath, the sovereignty of God these things and more were put on display through the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus’ death (v.23)

This Jesus was killed by the hands of lawless men, but we also see that His death was according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God

So two things, Jesus was approved by God and now Jesus is put to death according to the plan of God.

We don’t have a full doctrine of atonement here in this passage but what we do have is a clear understanding that the death of Jesus Christ was according to the eternal plan of God.

We see that Jesus was not put to death because God disapproved of Him, no that was not the case, instead as we understand as we continue to study the Bible God put Him death for our sins, He was crushed for our iniquities and not His own.

Notice again we see the tension between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.

This was God’s definite plan

Yet at the same time Peter says to the crowd you crucified and filled Him by the hands of lawless men (they are responsible for this horrific act of wickedness)

Jesus’ resurrection (v.24-32)

Again we see that God was pleased with Him, God raised Him up

Peter again says points to fulfilled prophecy in v.25-32

Jesus is the promised one of Psalm 16

Jesus’ exaltation (v.33-36)

Not only did the OT teach us of the resurrection of the Messiah, but it also teaches us of the exaltation of the Messiah so quoting Peter sees Christ as the fulfillment of that text.

Peter’s point is that the events that you have seen today are the result of the fact that Jesus Christ is the promised and resurrected and exalted Messiah

These events prove that Jesus is both Lord and the Anointed of the Lord that the OT points us to.

He is the Lord of

He is the Righteous King of

He is the Anointed Son of God from

Listen to what Peter says to these men you have crucified the Lord of Glory, you have put to death the Anointed One of the Lord

You are His enemies and you will be made His footstool

You may have bruised His heel but He will crush your head

This was not a feel good about yourself sermon.

This was not a self esteem sermon.

Peter was not trying to exalt man and make them feel better about themselves, instead as he was filled with Spirit he was being used to show these men their wickedness and their desperate need for salvation.

(It is unfortunate but if you were to listen so some so called Christian preaching you may leave wandering why you were in need of a Savior, but that is not the case with Peter)

III. The Evangelistic Harvest at Pentecost (v.37-41)

So what happens?

We see that the Holy Spirit works powerfully through Peter so that these men are cut to the heart.

There is conviction, there is brokenness, there is an awareness of their sin and their need for salvation

Praise God, this is a work of the Holy Spirit

Praise God, this is a work of the Holy Spirit

Praise God, this is a work of the Holy Spirit

Peter calls them to repentance and a public declaration of their faith in Christ

Praise God, this is a work of the Holy Spirit

Praise God for the harvest seen in v.41

Two things that I will point out here as we again see the tension that the Bible presents us.

We see that Salvation is a work of the Lord

The promise is for everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself

We are reminded of the effectual call of the Holy Spirit

Peter preached the gospel but we also see that Peter knows that only God can make the gospel call effectual so that one responds to the invitation to repent and believe

Acts 13:48 ESV

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

This is God’s work

This is God’s work

2. We see that this does not negate human responsiblity

Peter is pleading with them to repent and believe

Peter did not say, well I am going to let God save who He saves, not He is pleading with men and women and boys and girls to be saved,

save yourself from this wicked generation that is turn from sin and turn to Christ

Brothers and sisters, we must be faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ as Peter was

We must also know that as we witness the Lord alone can call people to Himself, we must humbly look to God to use us, we must cry out to God to make the word effective as we share the gospel with those around us