Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Big Idea- The Holy Spirit enables the Church to reach the nations.

Jesus Christ has ascended to heaven.

He has left a group of twelve apostles and 120 believers in total with the task of taking the Gospel to the nations.

Christ died for the world and He has left this group of less than 200 people to tell them.

There is non plan b.

How would this people possible?

In our text this morning we see that it was possible because they were not left to do it in their own strength.

The book of Acts covers roughly 30 years of Church history.

It explains how the began and grew so rapidly.

Our reading starts with the beginning of the Church as we know it today.

fulfils the promise of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ keeps His promises.

God’s promises in him are yes and amen.

- You will receive power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you - We see this fulfilled v.1-4- The Holy Spirit is sent.

Believers were born of the Spirit.

And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.-

We see this fulfilled v.5-13- The Holy Spirit sends.

Believers were enabled by the Spirit to witness.

The same responsibility of the church then, is still upon the Church today.

Be witnesses to Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

This means; tell your boss about Christ, share the Gospel with your next door neighbour, and reach the unreached in our world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

How is it possible?

We learn why it is certainly possible in our passage.

We see the Holy Spirit was sent and we see the Holy Spirit sends.

Firstly, we see the Holy Spirit was sent.

I.

The Holy Spirit was sent v.1-4

Believers were born of the Spirit

In this first section v.1-4 we see the sending of the Holy Spirit.

There are two facts about the sending of the Holy Spirit that stand out.

First He came at the appointed time.

Second He came to every believer.

a)The Holy Spirit came at the appointed time

The Holy Spirit came at the appointed time.

Look with me at V.1 “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

As we have seen already the Holy Spirit was promised to the Church many times by Christ.

In , , , .

Also in the first chapter of Acts.

says “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Again in “ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The disciples were told to wait for the Holy Spirit to come.

When the day of Pentecost had arrived He came.

This was the fulfilment of the promise.

Why did God choose the day of Pentecost?

Pentecost was one of the three major Jewish festivals and it was celebrated fifty days after the passover, the word pentecost is greek for fifty.

It was also known as the feast of weeks or the feast of harvest.

It was an agricultural celebration, it was a time of giving thanks to God for the harvest.

It celebrated the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest.

It was a very popular festival and Jewish people would travel from all over the known world to be at Jerusalem for this feast, we see this from the long list of nations represented in v.9-11.

It was predicted that up to 200,000 people could travel to Jerusalem for this feast.

Knowing these facts about Pentecost it becomes obvious that God in His perfect wisdom chose to Send the Holy Spirit on Pentecost so that all these different people from different nations could witness his work in the church and hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit came at the appointed time.

App-

One application here is that we can trust God’s timing to be perfect.

We can patiently wait for God to do His work in His own time and trust that He knows best.

The Church was waiting for the sending of the Holy Spirit and He came at the perfect time.

The Holy Spirit came at the appointed time.

The next fact we see is that the Holy Spirit came to every believer

b) The Holy Spirit came to every believer

In this account of what happened at Pentecost there were things that took place that were unrepeatable, these are the outward experiences that happened.

They were on off events that marked the initial sending of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church as we know it.

There were also other things that took place that are repeatable and still happen today, these are the inward experiences that took place.

As we look at the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost it is important to keep this in mind.

Unrepeatable

First then we will look at what happened that day that were unrepeatable, they were on off events.

These are the outward experiences and there were three.

The first one we see in verse 2 “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.”

As the 120 believers were gathered in an upper room there came a sound like a tornado that swept through the house.

Its worth noticing that it wasn’t actual wind but it was a sound like wind.

This sound of a mighty rushing wind represented the Holy Spirit.

Again and again through out the Bible the Spirit of God was likened to the wind.

In fact in Hebrew and Greek the word for wind and spirit are the same word.

In the prophet is told to prophesy to the wind to enter the dry bones and God likens this to His Spirit that he will give to his people.

In the Lord Jesus likens the Holy Spirit to the wind.

Again through out the Scripture a mighty rushing wind is often symbolic of the powerful presence of God.

We see this with the prophet Elijah on mount Horeb in .

The noise of a mighty rushing wind was a one off event that took place to mark this momentous event that took place in the history of the Church.

The Second one off event that took place is found in the next verse.

Look with me at verse 3 “And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.”

Here Luke records that the Spirit not only came with a noise of a mighty rushing wind but He also came as fire.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Fire through out the Bible is again symbolic of the presence of God.

In God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and again in when the LORD descended upon Mt.

Sinai he did so in fire.

Again it must be noted that it wasn’t actual fire but Luke is using symbolic language he says as of fire.

The Spirit of God came as tongues of fire and rested upon each one of the believers.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The third one off even that took place is found in verse 4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The Final unrepeatable event that took place on the day of Pentecost was that all the believers the moment they received the Holy Spirit began to speak in other languages that they had not learned.

This was an unrepeatable event that took place.