Pentecost and the Holy Spirit

Scripture Reading

Acts 2:1–13 (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.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Main Point

The event we’ve come to know as Pentecost was a huge moment in redemptive history, and we should rejoice to know that God is now with us.

Message

1) What Happened?

The Structure of the Text

God’s Promise Manifest (v1-13)

v1-4 – God (Father and Son) sent His Holy Spirit, and the disciples were all filled with/by the Spirit of God!

v5-13 – Jews from “every nation” were in Jerusalem, they heard the “works of God” in their own language, and they variously responded to what they heard.

God’s Promise Explained (v14-47)

v14-36 – Peter explained what happened in the form of a sermon.

v37-41 – Some of the Jews responded to the sermon with repentance and faith.

v42-47 – Those new disciples joined the existing congregation; and all these Spirit-filled Christians shared fellowship, material goods, and the gospel of Christ.

We’re going to focus on v1-13 today

v1-4 – God’s Holy Spirit came!

It was the day of “Pentecost,” and “all” 120 disciples (Acts 1:15) were gathered “together” (v1).

There was a loud “sound,” like that of “a mighty rushing wind,” and “fire” that spread out among all who were gathered… and these both “came from heaven” (v2).

The promised Holy Spirit “filled” every single one of the disciples, and they all “began to speak in other tongues [or languages]” (v4).

v5-13 – Jews in Jerusalem variously responded.

There were “devout” or “God-fearing” Jews “from every nation under heaven” gathered in Jerusalem (v5).

Many might have lived in Jerusalem, but there were certainly many who had traveled to be there for the Passover and Pentecost days.

Luke notes several nationalities in v9-10 – “Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome…”

Every man heard the disciples speaking “in his own language,” even though the disciples were all from Galilea (v6-7), and the disciples were “telling… the mighty works of God” (v11).

Though Jewish in ancestry, these men were now living in “every nation,” and they spoke various “languages” or “dialects” known in their homelands.

All the Jews around the disciples’ house were “bewildered,” “confused,” “amazed,” “astonished,” and “perplexed” (v6-7, 12).

Some “mocked,” saying the disciples were drunk (v13).

Many wondered, “What does this mean?”

What does this mean?

Four implications of Pentecost:

The “day of the LORD” has come… and it will come.

God now dwells with His people, the new Temple/Tabernacle.

God is reversing the curse.

The Holy Spirit is God with us.

2) The Day of the LORD has come & it will come

Peter ANNOUNCED “the Day of the LORD is HERE”

v14-21 – This is the fulfillment of what the prophet Joel had said at least 600 years earlier.[1]

Peter quoted a particular prophecy of Joel, one concerning the coming “day of the LORD” (Acts 2:20). Joel spoke of God’s judgment (both upon the world and upon Israel), and he also spoke of God’s salvation for His people… and both (according to Joel) would occur at the “day of the LORD” (Joel 2:31; cf. 1:15, 2:1-2).

Peter said, “This (Pentecost) is that (the day of the LORD)!”

v22-36 – Jesus of Nazareth was/is indeed the Messiah or Christ of God!

Jesus was “attested” by God Himself (Acts 2:22) and was supremely validated in/by His resurrection (Acts 2:24).

Jesus was “exalted at the right hand of God,” and is the rightful Davidic King (Acts 2:32; cf. 2:25-28).

The “pouring out” of the “Holy Spirit” is evidence that Jesus is reigning/ruling from heaven now, and that God is “making [His] enemies [His] footstool” (v33-35; cf. Ps. 110:1).

The Messiah/Christ is the one who ushers in God’s judgment and salvation in the “day of the LORD” (Ps. 2; cf. Ps. 110)… and that’s why:

the believing Jews responded, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).

Peter warned everyone: “Save [themselves] from this crooked generation” (v40).

But the Day of the LORD is Not Yet Fully Here

The Already and Not Yet in the New Testament

It’s clear that the earliest Christians thought they would be alive to see God’s final judgment for the world and God’s restoration/salvation for His people (Rom. 13:13; Phil. 4:5; Heb. 1:2, 10:25; James 5:8; 1 Pet. 4:7).

AND it is also clear in the NT that the “day of the LORD” had not yet come… at least in some sense (2 Thess. 2:1-4; 2 Pet. 3:10).

The Already and Not Yet Today

Christ has come, the gospel has spread, and Christianity has impacted the world for both temporal and eternal good in numerous ways.

And yet, evidence of the curse is all around us… One example is that the wicked seem to prosper.

With the Psalmist, we too can still say, “I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment… They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth… Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches” (Ps. 73:4–12).

The Apostle Peter said in his day that scoffers would say, “Where is the promise of [Christ’s] coming? For ever since the [ancient times], all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4)

But let us remember:

Peter also said that those who scoff… those who deny or forget that Christ is indeed returning to bring both judgment and salvation… they “deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:5–7).

Then Peter warns Christians, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief [i.e., when you don’t expect], and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:8–10).

Then Peter admonished Christians, “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be…” (2 Peter 3:11). We are to live “lives of holiness” (v12), to “be diligent to be found in [Christ] without spot or blemish” (v14), and to be “at peace” (v14).

3) God Now Dwells with His People

Necessary Biblical Backdrop

One commentator says of this passage, "This visionary experience is best understood against the background of passages like Exodus 3:2–5; 19:18; 24:17; 40:38, where fire symbolizes the presence of the Holy One to communicate with his people and guide them."[2]

Fortunately for many of us, we have Exodus fresh in our minds![3]

We may remember that God first met with Moses in the manifestation of “fire” that did not “consume” (Ex. 3:2).

We may remember that God that God later met with all Israel in the manifestation of a “very loud” noise and a “fire” which “descended” on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:16, 18).

We may also remember that the “glory of the LORD” was described “like a devouring fire” in the sight of the people of Israel when God completed His covenant-making ceremony with Israel (Ex. 24:17).

And we may best remember that last experience recorded in Exodus, when God’s presence finally came to dwell among His people in the tabernacle. We read, in Exodus 40:34, “Then the cloud [another notable sign of God’s presence] covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle”!

Jesus Is/was Immanuel

In his Gospel, John tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was In the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made… And the Word became flesh and dwelt (έσκηνωσεν) among us” (Jn. 1:1-3, 14).

And, the rest of the NT speaks of Christians as “united” with Christ (Rom. 6:5), “joined” together “in” Christ (Rom. 8:1; Eph. 2:21), and the “body” of Christ (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:27).

Christians are collectively and Individually Indwelt by God

There are other occasions in the book of Acts where Christians are “filled” with the Holy Spirit, but only at Pentecost did they experience the full array of signs: “tongues,” a noise “like a mighty rushing wind,” and “fire” (v1-4).[4]Therefore, Acts 2 is THE historic moment, and all others are reverberations.

One of the main points of Acts 2 is that God now dwells with His people!

Individually:

God “has given [the Holy Spirit] to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32).

The Holy Spirit “fell on all who heard the word…” as evidenced by their believing (Acts 10:44).

To Christians, the Bible says, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us [i.e., Christians]” (Rom. 5:5).

And again, to Christians, “You… 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” (Rom. 8:9).

Collectively:

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19–22).

Some Application Questions

Are you hoping for some higher spiritual experience that will bring you closer to God? If so, why? Doesn’t God Himself already dwell in you?

Do you sometimes “invite” God’s Spirit to “come near” to you? Why?

4) God is Reversing the Curse: “Tongues”

Some Christians today believe that “tongues” (as well as other Apostolic gifts or sign gifts) are something we should expect to see or experience today.

The Pentecostals or Charismatics

While there are some examples in Church history of those who expected to have the same (or at least similar) experiences of those Christians in Acts (even as early as the mid 100s AD[5]), the modern-day charismatic movement is something that began in the early 1900s.[6]

Pentecostalism came from an earlier development, often called “Holiness” because of the belief that a Christian could become perfectly holy or sinless in this life once he/she experienced the “second baptism” of the Holy Spirit.

In 1898, a man named Charles Parham opened a Bible school (in Topeka, Kansas), emphasizing this “second baptism,” as evidenced (he taught) by “speaking in tongues.” And, in 1901, one of his students is said to have had just such an experience.

Other early leaders and promoters of the Pentecostal movement were William Seymour, T.B. Barrett, G.B. Cashwell, and A.J. Tomlinson.

Parham never started a denomination, but several denominations share Parham as the “Father” of their movement: The Assemblies of God, the Foursquare Gospel denomination, the Church of God, the United Pentecostal Church, and the Pentecostal Holiness Church (just to name some).

Baptists (and Other Denominations)

Historically, Baptists have not shared the Pentecostal view of the Apostolic gifts, including “speaking in tongues.” The main Baptist confessions of faith don’t mention it, and the vast majority of Baptists have been “cessationist.”

Every church has to decide whether or not “speaking in tongues” is a welcome practice during their public gatherings, but each Christian must be convinced in his/her own mind about what to expect/practice personally.

I think Christians can disagree about this and still be loving/committed church members together… so long as no one makes it a point of division, and so long as there’s no undermining pastoral authority.

One can hold many views that may differ from his/her pastors and fellow church members, but at the end of the day, the pastors are responsible for leading… And submission to godly leadership benefits everyone (Heb. 13:7, 17).

Acts 2 and “Tongues” are Bigger than a Mere ecstatic EXPERIENCE

In the book of Acts, “tongues” is an obvious and outward sign that the gospel and the kingdom of Christ is spreading, just like Jesus said.

“Jerusalem” (Acts 2); “Judaea and Samaria” (Acts 8); and “The end of the earth” (Acts 10-11).

In the Bible’s storyline, Acts 2 is the reversal of Genesis 11.

In Genesis 11, God commanded humanity to “fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1).

But instead, man decided to “make a name” for himself and to “build… a city and a tower with its top in the heavens” (Gen. 11:4). At that time “the whole earth had one language and the same words” (Gen. 11:1), but God sent His judgment upon them in the form of “confusing their languages” (Gen. 11:9).

But, in Acts 2, God’s judgment is utterly reversed!

As one commentator said, "For one brief moment of time, the divisions in humanity expressed through language difference were overcome. These divisions are presented in Genesis as the judgment of God. What happened on the day of Pentecost suggests that God’s curse had been removed. God was expressing his ultimate intention to unite people ‘from every tribe and language and people and nation’ (Rev. 5:9–10; 7:9) under the rule of his Son (Eph. 1:9–10), providing reconciliation through him and ‘access to the Father by one Spirit’ (Eph. 2:14–18)."[7]

5) The Holy Spirit is God with Us… So, How Should We think about the Holy Spirit today?

The Holy Spirit Is God

While the Holy Spirit is “from” both the Father and the Son (Jn. 15:26), He is Himself God, as is true of both the Father and the Son as well.

Louis Berkhof lists 4 points to support this idea:[8]

The Bible gives divine names to the Holy Spirit, such as “the LORD” (Ex. 17:7; comp. Heb. 3:7–9) and “God” (Acts 5:3, 4; 1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Tim. 3:16; comp. 2 Pet. 1:21).

The Holy Spirit possesses attributes that only God can have, such as omnipresence (Ps. 139:7–10), omniscience (Isa. 40:13, 14; comp. Rom. 11:34; 1 Cor. 2:10, 11), omnipotence (1 Cor. 12:11; Rom. 15:19), and eternality (Heb. 9:14).

The Holy Spirit performs works that only God can do, such as creation (Gen. 1:2; Job. 26:13; 33:4), regeneration (John 3:5, 6; Tit. 3:5), and the resurrection of the dead (Rom. 8:11).

The Bible gives the Holy Spirit divine honor, such as when Jesus listed the Holy Spirit alongside the Father and the Son as names into which new converts should be baptized (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 9:1; 2 Cor. 13:13).

The Holy Spirit Is a Special Gift to Christians

Jesus said, “the world cannot receive [the Spirit], because It neither sees him or knows him. [But] you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (Jn. 14:17).

The Holy Spirit applies God’s salvation to us.

After listing several kinds of sinners, the Bible says, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11).

The Holy Spirit enables us to war against our sinful desires.

“If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13).

The Holy Spirit assures us that we are Christians.

“The Spirit himself bears with ness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16).

The Holy Spirit helps us understand God’s truth.

“Now we have received… the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12).

The Holy Spirit grants us spiritual gifts to serve one another.

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit… To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:4, 7).

The Holy Spirit empowers us to not lose hope.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Rom. 15:13).

The Holy Spirit will raise Christians from death to life evermore.

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead [i.e., the Father] 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” (Rom. 8:11).

My Prayers

May God help us to honor Him as the triune God of the Bible.

May God help us to rejoice in the fact that God has come to dwell among us, in the person of His Holy Spirit.

May God help us to rely on His Spirit, and may the Holy Spirit bear much fruit in and through us.

And may we grow ever increasingly in hope, until that day when God’s Spirit shall bring us all the way to glory.

Endnotes

[1] Joel prophesied to Judah sometime prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. See Reformation Study Bible and ESV Study Bible notes. [2]Peterson, 133. [3] I just finished an 18 month preaching series through the book of Exodus about a month ago. For the interested person(s), you can probably get most of the audio at www.fbcdiana.org and you can always ask me for my preaching notes. [4] See Peterson’s emphasis on “audible” and “visible” signs on page 132 of his commentary. [5] See this brief article on Montanus and the pneumatakoi at Ligonier.org https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/montanism/ [6] Here is a great timeline of the basic development and history of the Pentecostal movement: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/pentecostalism-history-timeline [7]Peterson, 135. [8] See Louis Berkhof’s Systematic Theology, especially his description of the deity of the Holy Spirit on page 97.