The Power of Pentecost

Introduction

We are Pentecostal…What does that mean?

What does it truly mean to be Pentecostal?

Is it all about tongues?

Is it all about having a good service where we can shout?

Or is it only a name? What does it mean to be Pentecostal?

If you dont know, then your children dont know

If you dont know, how can you tell anyone else?

To understand Pentecost, we need to go back to the day of Pentecost.

Summary of Acts 2:1-13

Acts 2:14–47 (NASB95)

14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.

15 “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day;

16 but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,

‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind;

And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

And your young men shall see visions,

And your old men shall dream dreams;

18 Even on My bondslaves, both men and women,

I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit

And they shall prophesy.

19 ‘And I will grant wonders in the sky above

And signs on the earth below,

Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke.

20 ‘The sun will be turned into darkness

And the moon into blood,

Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come.

21 ‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—

23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

25 “For David says of Him,

‘I saw the Lord always in my presence;

For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.

26 ‘Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted;

27 Moreover my flesh also will live in hope;

28 Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades,

Nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

28 ‘You have made known to me the ways of life;

You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’

29 “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

30 “And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne,

31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay.

32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.

33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

34 “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

35 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” ’

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”

38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized 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 your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;

45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

1. Explanation

What is going on here?

First, We have the awaited day of Pentecost. The Promise of the Father. (1-13)

Second, we have Peter’s sermon. (14-36)

We have the results of the sermon. (37-47)

The meaning of Joel 2:28-32

The intention was not to preach from the text of Joel.

Peter quoted this to give a connection point to Judaism

God promised to pour out his spirit in Joel 2:28. And he did.

Those who are anointed with the outpouring would prophecy (2:28)

Signs and wonders would mark these days (2:32)

Finally, he finishes with “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” Joel 2:32a

This begs the questions.

WHAT is the NAME they should call upon?

How will they be saved?

He faced an issue speaking with the Jews

YHWH is Lord and lord alone.

To them Jesus was not.

The Sermon

The Main point of the sermon is: Jesus is both Lord and Christ.

The sermon itself is answering the question of how Jesus is Lord and Christ

Peter’s Concluding Statement

Acts 2:36 NASB95

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

1. He was Raised (2:25-28)

Acts 2:25–28 NASB95

“For David says of Him, ‘I saw the Lord always in my presence; For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. ‘Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; Moreover my flesh also will live in hope; Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, Nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. ‘You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’

2. He is David’s Heir (2:30)

Acts 2:30 NASB95

“And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne,

3. He is David’s Lord (2:34)

Acts 2:34 NASB95

“For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,

2. Interpretation

Interpreting the Sermon

Notice that the main point of the sermon is not about tongues.

In fact tongues takes the back seat during this sermon

The whole focus is on Christ’s Resurrection and Lordship

He COULD have preached on tongues, but instead he preached a whole sermon on Christ and the Resurrection

Let me PROCLAIM to you this day that there is no Power in Pentecost without the Resurrection of Christ.

EVERYTHING is about the Resurrection

SO if Pentecost is not about tongues…what is it about?

Interpreting the Events (37-47)

What is the Power of Pentecost?

Witness

Jesus said that the power of Pentecost would be that they could be witnesses for him.

Acts 1:8 NASB95

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

You were not baptized with the Spirit to shout and sit on a pew, you were baptized to be a witness for Jesus Christ

Witnessing is part of a Pentecostal identity

Missions

missions and evangelism

Acts 2:5 NASB95

Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.

Acts 2:9–11 NASB95

“Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”

Resurrection

Acts 2:24 NASB95

“But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

Acts 2:33 NASB95

“Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

Repentance

Acts 2:37 NASB95

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”

Holiness

Acts 2:40 NASB95

And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

Doctrine

Acts 2:42 NASB95

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Community

Acts 2:42–47 NASB95

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

3. Application

What are we supposed to do with this information?

If all being Pentecostal has ever ment to you is that we are louder than the baptists.

If Pentecost only means to you that we speak in tongues

You are missing the heart of Pentecost

I hope i have explained to you the heart of Pentecost.

I pray that you will change your perspective and your actions