Turning the World Upside Down: The Holy Spirit Comes: Acts 2:1-13

I. The Day the Holy Spirit Arrived vs. 1a

A. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. Pentecost was the festival of weeks, or first fruits as described in Lev. 23:17.

Leviticus 23:17 NASB95

‘You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord.

B. It celebrated the giving of the law, by a special offering of 2 baked loaves of bread made by freshly gathered wheat. This is fitting considering that the Holy Spirit saved 3,000 souls that day, who recieved the bread of life.

C. This day was significant because of the contrast between law and grace.

Romans 3:19–20 NASB95

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

II. The Attitude the Holy Spirit Produces vs. 1b-3

A. They were together physically and spiritually.

John 17:21 NASB95

that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

B. The wind is a picture of the Holy Spirit breathing new life. (Eze. 37:1-14).

C. The tongues of fire was a picture of being baptized by fire. And the fact that is rested over everyone’s head was a picture of the Holy Spirit indwelling the individual.

Matthew 3:11 NASB95

“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

III. The Miracle the Holy Spirit Produced vs. 4-13

A. They were filled the Holy Spirit, it is a continual process.

Ephesians 5:18–21 NASB95

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

B. Speaking in tongues was a sign of judgment for the Jews.

1 Corinthians 14:21–22 NASB95

In the Law it is written, “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the Lord. So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe.

Isaiah 28:11–12 NASB95

Indeed, He will speak to this people Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, He who said to them, “Here is rest, give rest to the weary,” And, “Here is repose,” but they would not listen.

C. This gift has ceased.

1 Corinthians 13:8–10 NASB95

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.

Hebrews 2:3–4 NASB95

how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

D. Everyone understood what they were saying, in spite of the fact they were Galileans, who had a country accent, they couldn’t enunciate the guttural Hebrews words.

E. Some thought they were drunk. But as we will see Peter answer them, they had something far better than alcohol.