Looking Back and Moving Forward Part II
Acts Looking back, moving forward • Sermon • Submitted
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Moving Forward
Moving Forward
Open in prayer asking for our hearts to be soft and open to what the Holy Spirit has for us this morning.
Last week we looked at Acts chapter 1 and Jesus had told the disciples to go back and wait and pray until the Holy Spirit came to them. This week Sunday arrives, again!
Acts 2:1–4 (ESV)
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
This feast of pentecost happened on the first day of the week, which was an additional honour put on that day, and a confirmation of it to be the Christian sabbath, the day which the Lord hath made, to be a standing memorial in his church of those two great blessings—the resurrection of Christ, and the pouring out of the Spirit, both on that day of the week.
I’ll be sharing some from Acts by Kenneth Gangel as well
If you remember, while they were still with Jesus, several times it is recorded that there was some strife between the disciples as to who was the greatest among them. But if you notice after their time of prayer together these 40 days and the filling of the Holy Spirit, in the KJV it says they were of one accord, they were dwelling together in unity.
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Let us all be of one accord, let us agree to love one another, to have the bond of unity, for that is what the Bible says the world should know us by, our love for one another.
Often in the Old Testament, we see God coming down in a cloud, as in when He settled on the tabernacle and when Jesus ascended into heaven. But notice, that is not how the Holy Spirit came, He came with an audible summons, to awaken their expectations, and the change that was happening, He didn’t come gradually but suddenly with a mighty wind, some recon it to be like a tornado inside a room!
Following this the divided tongues like fire settled upon each of them. John the Baptist for told this when he said “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire. Take note that the fire rested on each one, pointing to Holy Spirit coming and staying with us, unlike in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came and stayed sparingly. One of the out pourings of the Holy Spirit was the ability to speak other languages, not like we would in learning a new language but speak it fluently so that those of other languages to hear and understand well what was being said. Jesus spoke of this while he was still with them.
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
Christ himself did not speak with other tongues, nor did he enable his disciples to do so while he was with them: but it was the first effect of the pouring out of the Spirit upon them.
It would appear that there were more people than usual in Jerusalem at this time, God’s timing is always perfect, having them wait until His timing. The effect and outreach would not have been the same and been as widespread if the coming of the Holy Spirit would have been at a different time. There were men there from all over that was hearing the gospel in their own language, thus allowing the gospel to spread rapidly. They were all amazed as likely we would as well, this was establishing that it was coming from God. Like today, not everyone agreed with amazement, some tried to accuse them of being drunk, but Peter quickly addresses this issue saying it was only 9 AM and they would not be drinking then! He then quotes from Joel.
Joel 2:28–32 (ESV)
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved...
What does it mean to be saved? Certainly for Peter the “Lord” in the Joel passage is Jesus Christ. The spokesman for the twelve and all the other believers called all who would listen to turn to the Savior, God’s Messiah, and in doing so, find life through his name.
And it was not by Peter’s preaching only, but that of all, or most, of the rest of the hundred and twenty, that three thousand souls were that day converted, and added to the church; but Peter’s sermon only is recorded, to be an evidence for him that he was thoroughly recovered from his fall, and thoroughly restored to the divine favour. He that had sneakingly denied Christ now as courageously confesses him.
If you remember, not many days before this Peter was acting a little unsteady. If you remember while they were still in the garden and Judas was betraying Jesus, Peter was going to take on the whole legion when he drew his sword and cut off the servants ear. Then just hours later, he denies that he even knew Jesus, not once but three times. And now he is speaking out and calling all to be called to repentance and follow Jesus. That should give each of us hope, I’m sure we have all had times when we should have spoken up for Christ and didn’t, I know I have numerous times, but Jesus forgave him and He does us as well. May we have boldness to speak out as the Lord is leading us.
Peter didn’t make up something new, he quoted from the old Testament, pointing those that doubted back to God’s word and prophecies.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Acts 2:14–36)
But now the Spirit shall be poured out, not only upon the Jews, but upon all flesh, Gentiles as well as Jews, though yet Peter himself did not understand it so, as appears, ch. 11:17. Or, upon all flesh, The Jewish doctors taught that the Spirit came only upon wise and rich men, and such as were of the seed of Israel; but God does not abide himself to their rules.
This is the coming of the Spirit upon all flesh which should come, and we are to look for no other, no more than we are to look for another Messiah; for as our Messiah ever lives in heaven, reigning and interceding for his church on earth, so our Advocate, or Comforter, that was given, according to the promise, will, according to the same promise, continue with the church on earth to the end, and will work all His works in it and for it, and every member of it, ordinary and extraordinary, by means of the scriptures and the ministry.
This is the gift that Christ gave when He left this earth, as long as He remained the Holy Spirit would not come in the power that He came in after Jesus ascended to heaven. We have that same Holy Spirit within us when we trust in Jesus for our salvation.
this chapter contain four evidences of the resurrection: David’s tomb, the witnesses that physically seen Jesus walking around, that very day, the Day of Pentecost, and the ascension witnessed by the eleven disciples. God may have handed Jesus over for crucifixion, but he also raised him from the dead. As strange as it might seem to our minds, Messiah’s death was God’s will.
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne,
Peter is bringing yet another old Testament prophecy which points to Jesus being the Messiah, one of David’s descendants.
We see here a major key to understanding Scripture, namely—Christ is the unifying link between Old and New Testaments. Luke had already concluded his first report to Theophilus on precisely this point:
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
for the Holy Ghost was to be given when Jesus was glorified, and not before
39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Peter continues
You see and hear us speak with tongues that we never learned; probably there was an observable change in the air of the way they conducted themselves, which the people saw, as well as heard the change of their voice and language; now this is from the Holy Ghost, whose coming is an evidence that Jesus is exalted, and he has received this gift from the Father, to give it to the church, which plainly shows him to be the Mediator, or middle person between God and the church. The gift of the Holy Ghost was, First, A performance of divine promises already made; here it is called the promise of the Holy Ghost; many exceedingly great and precious promises of the divine power has given to them, but this is the promise that includes all the rest; hence God’s giving the Holy Spirit to those that ask him
13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
This is his giving them all good things, again in Matthew
11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Christ received the promise of the Holy Ghost, that is, the promised gift of the Holy Ghost, and has given it to us; Secondly, It was a pledge of all divine favours things to come; what you now see and hear is but a beginning of greater things.
He is one Lord to the Gentiles, who had had many lords ; and to the Jews he is the Messiah.
33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Peter wanted to proclaim the whole gospel, so he could not stop at the crucifixion and resurrection. In these verses he moves on to the exaltation and the coming of the Holy Spirit, bringing his listeners right up to the moment. The one you think dead is your living Lord, Master, and Messiah!
It put them in pain: They were pricked in their hearts. We read of those that were cut to the heart with indignation at the preacher (ch. 7:54), but these were pricked to the heart at themselves for having been accessory to the death of Christ. Peter, charged it upon them, awakened their consciences, touched them to their hearts, and as they reflected now it was as a sword in their bones, it pierced them just as they had pierced Christ. Just as Sinners, when their eyes are opened, cannot but be pricked to the heart for their sin, they cannot ignore the inward uneasiness; this is having the heart rent
13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.
a broken and contrite heart, is spoken of in Ps. 51:17.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Those that are truly sorry for their sins, and ashamed of them, and afraid of the consequences of them, are pricked to the heart. A prick in the heart is mortal, and under that Paul says, I died,
9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.
“All my good opinion of myself and confidence in myself failed me.”
The combination of Scripture and God’s Spirit working through God’s servant had the intended effect. From their initial question What does this mean? (2:12), the people now progressed to a specific response—Brothers, what shall we do? The phrase cut to the heart The New Testament uses this word to describe the work of the Holy Spirit by which we see ourselves as we are in God’s sight.
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Peter didn’t hesitate here, not for a moment, for the answer to their question, he called for repentance and baptism and the offering of forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Repentance is not a new theme in the New Testament, as it appeared in the ministry of John the Baptist
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
and in the preaching of Jesus
3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
The context shows baptism here refers to water, not the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, water baptism became the uniform of the Lord’s people. Today we call it “believers’ baptism,” the conscious identification with Jesus on the part of those who have trusted him for salvation. The gift of the Holy Spirit then became the seal of salvation. To whom is this available? For all whom the Lord our God will call.
That day God added three thousand people to the small number of believers already serving as Christ’s witnesses. But hold on. Don’t miss the importance of what Luke does not say. This time there was no rushing wind, no flame, and no foreign language. These people received the Holy Spirit because that’s what Peter promised in Jesus’ name. Pentecost was a one-time event, with only a mild echo or two appearing elsewhere during the first century.
In the space of just a few verses, we see what happens when people trust Christ for salvation. First, they must recognize their need; then, they must receive God’s gift; and finally, they must obey the message and repent.
They did believe in the Father and the Holy Ghost speaking by the prophets; but they must also believe in the name of Jesus, that he is the Christ, the Messiah promised to the fathers. That is also what all must do today. The message of the gospel.
Luke gives summary reports of how the church is doing. Here we have the first. Here he describes what a biblical church really looks like, not only in the first century, but in every century from the Lord’s ascension until his second coming.
A biblical church is marked by teaching. Furthermore, the new Christians engaged in fellowship. Here the believers fulfilled the words the Lord gave his disciples just before the crucifixion:
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Then the believers joined in breaking bread—Luke’s term for what Paul calls “the Lord’s Supper.”
Their worship also included prayer, in our text literally, “the prayers.” New prayers and old. Probably public and private. In addition to their worship, these believers became actively involved in the work of the Lord.
Their witness included a demonstration of hospitality. No home would be large enough to house even a small group of believers for a short time, so they literally went house to house. Luke wants us to see how good it was—they enjoyed favor with the people. Not the Sanhedrin, but common folks all around the city. Witnessing may be the main theme in Acts, but praising certainly represents a secondary strain common in Luke’s writings. What happens to believers who worship, work, and witness for their Lord? The Lord grows the church. Let’s not miss the order—first godly relationships with each other, then growth.
What an awesome chapter and a closer look at the early church! Instead of a humble and subdued group of Christians praying quietly in an upper room, we now have over three thousand people all over the city praising, praying, and witnessing for Jesus. The early church was a healthy church, a model of what any congregation can be today when they take seriously the biblical qualifications of what it means to be the church.
So, how does this apply to us, to our church? As we look at the early church, it grew rapidly. So in review
Acts Principles
• The controlling power of God’s Holy Spirit is available to all believers.
• The gospel calls for repentance and faith.
• Both historical facts and Bible prophecy affirm that Jesus is God’s Messiah.
• Every believer has the Holy Spirit within them.
• Healthy churches pay careful attention to teaching, fellowship, prayer, and witness.
Acts (Applications)
• Trust God’s Spirit for the power to serve him
.• Proclaim Jesus’ resurrection at every opportunity.
• Understand how the Old Testament and New Testament fit together.
• Participate with other believers in biblical behavior.
• Enjoy your Christian faith.
I will end with this story
The Clever Monk
I once heard a wonderful story about a young monk who was called on to preach his first sermon at the monastery. Frightened and intimidated, he opened with a question: “How many of you know what I am about to say?” When no one raised a hand, he timidly admitted, “Well I don’t either” and dismissed the assembly with the traditional Dominus vobiscum, “the Lord be with you.”
Of course, his superiors would not let him off the hook with that kind of behavior, so a week later he was back on the same platform. To everyone’s surprise, he asked the same question: “How many of you know what I am about to say?” This time the brothers determined to teach him a lesson, so everyone present raised a hand. Courageously, the young monk smiled and said, “Well, since you already know, you don’t need to hear the sermon. Dominus vobiscum.”
After a severe reprimand he slowly ascended the stairs of the platform yet a third time. Slowly, but deliberately, he astonished the audience with his now traditional question: “How many of you know what I am about to say?” To completely unbalance this clever amateur, half the brothers raised a hand, the other half did not. “Well,” said the young monk, “those of you who know tell those who don’t know. Dominus vobiscum.” And he dismissed the group.
We may feel like that young monk. We may think we don’t know enough to preach to others or that we are not mature enough to present ourselves as prime examples of the Christian faith. We can all share with others the experiences we have had in our lives up to this point. If we are new Christians, we can at least tell others that we know Jesus and can help others know him. We don’t need to be trained theologians. We can simply tell others what our own experience has been.“We are witnesses,” said Peter. Luke makes that theme the banner of his book. Like the early Christians, witnesses are simply people who know, telling people who don’t know, what God has made possible through the death, resurrection, and exaltation of his Son, Jesus Christ. We do not need to be brilliant theologians to fulfill that mission, but we do need to be biblical Christians.
The last part of our chapter forces us to examine our own congregations and our individual roles in those congregations.
God understands all our shortcomings, our failures, and our problems. Yet he has no other plan for sharing the good news with the world than the proclamation of his people. When we truly believe the power of Peter’s message and truly behave like these early believers, some day a future historian may write of our churches, And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts (VIII. Issues for Discussion)
How would you explain who Jesus is to an unbeliever?
If you don’t know, you probably never will answer that question.
Lets pray