Expect The Lord To Move Powerfully • Acts 2:1-13
1:07:46 Teaching begins
Notes
INTRO:
-So go ahead and turn to Acts 2 in your bibles
-As we.continue our verse by verse study through the Book of Acts
-This book again being a record of the early spread of the gospel
-As Jesus’ disciples share it throughout Jerusalem and Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the Mediterranean area
-This book also giving us the principles the early church was founded on
-Which are meant to be an example to follow
-As God continues to spread His Good News and build His church through us
RECAP ACTS 1:12-26:
-So last week we saw the disciples remain in Jerusalem as Jesus told them to do
-Waiting to be baptized with the Holy Spirit
-And it tells us that they were devoting themselves to prayer as they waited
-Which is the best thing we can do as Christians
-When we are seeking for God to lead us
-And we saw them specifically seeking God’s direction in replacing Judas
-Who was one of the original 12 apostles chosen by Jesus
-There being 3 principles that they applied that Rob pointed out to us last week
-That I would recommend any believer follow when they are looking to the Lord to lead them:
-1.) Prayed
-2.) Looked to God’s word for guidance
-3.) They were submitted to God’s will over their own
-So the principles they applied were solid
-But the method they used in casting lots
-Is what people have different opinions about
-On whether it lead to them making right or wrong decision in choosing Matthias
-But I want you to note that it tells us in Acts 1:14 that the believers were devoted to praying together
-As that is what leads to what we are going to see happen today
-As they are baptized with the Holy Spirit
-Prayer being the catalyst to God moving powerfully in our lives
-Because it means we humbly understand our need for His help
-When we choose depend on Him rather than on other things or ourselves through prayer
-(APP; A doctor can’t help me when I am sick
-Unless I realize I need their help and go to them
-And the same goes for prayer
-It is the way we go to God when we realize we need His help
-And He is more that willing to help His children when we ask
-Just as we are more than willing to help our own kids when they come to us for help)
READ ACTS 2:1-13:
2 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
-So Pentecost was one of the Jewish feasts that celebrated God’s provision at the culmination of the winter wheat harvest
-It first being established by God in Lev. 23:15-22
-In it the people brought the first fruits (or the first and best portion) of the harvest to the Lord as an offering
-As acknowledgment that the entire harvest was His and to thank Him for His provision
-This being why it was also called “the day of the first fruits” (Num. 28:26)
-Jewish tradition also teaching that Pentecost marks the day that the law (or Torah) was given to Israel
-And as part of their offering during this celebration
-The Jewish people would bring 2 loaves of bread
-Which were said to represent the 2 stone tablets the law was written on
-Now if you remember
-The day the law was given under the old covenant
-3,000 people died in their rebellion against the Lord in worshipping a golden calf (Ex. 32:28)
-The law bringing death as Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 3:7 as nobody can perfectly follow it
-And therefore all are guilty of breaking it
-And deserving of judgment from God
-But here in Acts 2 we will see that under the New Covenant
-Pentecost will be the day the fullness of the Holy Spirit is given to God’s people
-God’s law not be given on stone tablets here but rather being written on people’s hearts through the Holy Spirit
-Fulfilling the prophecy given my God in Jeremiah 31:33
-And 3,000 people are going to get saved (Acts 2:41)
-As the New Covenant that came through Jesus brings life
-He did what we could never do in living a perfectly right life
-So that He could take the just penalty of death our sin deserved upon Himself on the cross
-So that we could be forgiven
-And be made righteous before God
-And receive eternal life to be spent with Him
-Pentecost being held 50 days after the Passover
-So this is about 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection
-And 10 days after His ascension to Heaven
-Which is when He had told His disciples to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit
-And this leads to 1st of 4 attributes that we learn about the Holy Spirit here in Acts 2:
-1.) The Holy Spirit MOVES in God’s timing
-The disciples had to wait 10 days for this to happen
-Which I would guess was probably longer than they would have wanted to wait
-But even though they had no control over God’s timing
-They did have complete control over how they waited
-And what we see here is that they were all gathered together (about 120 of them according to Acts 1)
-Waiting in obedience to Jesus’ command or following God’s word
-And in doing so
-Showing humility
-In understanding that they couldn’t do what they were called to do
-That being to be Jesus’ witnesses
-Apart from the power of God
-(APP: Something I have already mentioned as being key to being filled with God’s Spirit
-Is understanding our need for His help in all aspects of our life
-Otherwise we won’t ask for it)
-Now what we see in God’s word is that His timing is always perfect
-And this most certainly is an example of that
-As tons of people would have been in Jerusalem for Pentecost
-Which was one of the better attended Jewish feasts because it happened in early Spring
-When weather conditions were more favorable for travel
-And a bunch of these people end up getting saved as we are going to see
-And eventually go back to their own towns to preach the Good News to others
-So it goes on to tell us in:
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
-So we see the event happen here that Jesus told His disciples to wait for back in Acts 1
-In Acts 1:5 He called it being baptized with the Holy Spirit
-Or the coming upon of the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:8
-But here it is called being “filled with the Holy Spirit”
-Which must mean that these terms are interchangeable and referencing the same thing
-And Jesus’ disciples hear what sounds “LIKE a mighty rushing wind”
-Coming down “from heaven” or the sky
-And this isn’t the first time we see the Holy Spirit referred to with the example of Him moving like air:
-1.) In Gen. 1:2, we see the Spirit of God “hovering” or moving over the surface of the earth’s water
-2.) In Gen. 2:7 we see God breath life or His Spirit into man
-3.) Eze. 37:9-10 also talking about the breath or wind of God giving the dry bones of Israel life
-Actually, in both Hebrew and Greek
-The word used for Spirit in God’s word
-Is the same word used for breath or wind
-And as this house is being filled with this wind
-What looked like tongues of fire appeared in the room
-And divided or split to rest on each of the disciples
-Fire in the Bible often being associated with the idea of purification
-Just like fire is used to burn away impurities in precious metals like gold
-God’s word teaching us that being filled with the Holy Spirit
-Is not just so we have power to do stuff for the Lord
-But also to help us live pure lives as unto the Lord
-And VS4 goes on to tell us that the disciples were all filled with the Spirit
-And this leads to the 2nd attribute of the Holy Spirit that we see here in Acts 2:
-2.) The Holy Spirit is REAL
-As in this instance evidence of Him was both heard and seen
-And whereas it would be wrong for us to EXPECT that being filled with the Holy Spirit
-Should always result in experiencing the exact same mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire
-Because we see other instances of being filled with the Holy Spirit in God’s word where this doesn’t happen
-We can ask in faith and receive the Holy Spirit
-And should expect to see tangible evidence of Him working in and through us
-In ways that can only be explained by the Holy Spirt being the reason for them
-(APP: And I think it is significant to note that the SOUND OF THE WIND
-Came before the SIGHT OF THE FIRE
-Because the example we often see in scripture
-Is that WORD OF THE LORD precedes the WORK OF THE LORD
-And we want to be careful not to get this order mixed up
-As my flesh wants “to see to believe”
-But God says “Believe and then you will see!”
-Or that we are to live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7)
-You see we are to believe His word and in faith live in out in our lives
-And then we will see the evidence of Him moving
-Just as we see the believers do here
-As they listened to Jesus’ command to wait for the Holy Spirit
-And God kept His promise to send Him to fill them)
-And it goes on to tell us that the believers:
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?
-So in response to being filled with the Holy Spirit
-Jesus’ disciples start speaking in tongues
-Or in other languages or dialects that were not their own native language
-As the Spirit lead and supernaturally enabled them to
-And the people that are visiting Jerusalem for Pentecost
-Hear this group of people speaking in their native languages
-Despite not being of the same descent
-These people recognizing Jesus’ disciples as being from Galilee according to VS7
-Which would have made this event all the more remarkable to them
-As people from Galilee had a reputation of being uneducated
-So they definitely would not have been thought to be the type of people schooled in other languages
-And this leads to the 3rd attribute of the Holy Spirit that we learn here in Acts 2:
-3.) The Holy Spirit comes in POWER
-These Christians were empowered to do something here
-That there was no way they could have done on their own
(-APP: Which is the reason why we need to be open to whatever the Lord might want to do in our lives
-And not limit Him based off of our own understanding
-So often we let our insufficiency dictate our obedience to the Lord
-But it is our insufficiency that qualifies us to be used by God in the first place
-EX: A lot of the stuff the Lord has asked me to do in my 25 years of following Him
-Is stuff that I didn’t think I could ever do or was qualified for
-But I have heard it said before God DOESN’T CALL THE QUALIFIED HE QUALIFIES THE CALLED
-And that is what I have experienced over and over again in my life
-My understanding would have said that there is no way we would be in London serving Jesus
-2.5 years ago when Rob asked me
-But here we are because the impossible doesn’t exist with God
-What we consider mountains He moves with ease
-As Jesus tells us in:
-Matt. 19:26 (NLT) - Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
-And because of this truth
-The only right answer when God wants to do something in our lives is “YES”
-No matter how impossible it might seem to us in our own understanding
-And the more we see this prove to be true in our lives
-The more our confidence will shift from our abilities and understanding
-To being on God and His calling
-Which is a great place to live in
-Because whereas I can never be totally confident in my own understanding and abilities
-I can have 100% absolute confidence in my God
-EX: Teaching God’s word)
-Now I want to take a moment
-To look at what God’s word has to say about this phenomenon we see here of speaking in tongues
-Which if you have been a Christian for any sizable amount of time
-And been around church
-You know has caused some controversy
-Now there is no disagreement among bible scholars and theologians
-That at one time God gave the gift of tongues to the church
-Much of the disagreement rather centering around:
-1.) What the specific purpose of this gift is
-2.) And is it still applicable for today
-So as with anything else
-We want to go to God’s word to see what He has to say about it
-To answer our questions
-Paul telling us in:
-1 Cor. 14:21-22 (NLT) - 21 It is written in the Scriptures:
“I will speak to my own people through strange languages and through the lips of foreigners.
But even then, they will not listen to me,” says the Lord. (Isa. 28:11-12) 22 So you see that speaking in tongues is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers.
1.) Now some take this passage to mean that the gift of tongues was given primarily as a sign to unbelievers
-That allowed for the gospel to be miraculously communicated to people in their native languages
-Referencing this section of scripture as an example
-And they no longer see the need for this sign
-Because we have so many other ways to communicate the good news now
-And therefore believe the gift is no longer present in the church today
-But one issue I see with that argument regarding this specific instance
-Is that the gospel isn’t what is being communicated to people in tongues here
-But rather VS11 says the disciples were declaring “the mighty works of God”
-Or they were praising and worshipping God basically
-And the people that were around just overheard them doing this
-The crowd here was certainly diverse
-But they did have a common language of Greek
-And Peter actually uses that language that they all understood and not tongues
-To preach the gospel to them in the following verses
-This type of thinking often falling within a theology called cessationalism
-Which teaches that certain miraculous spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, and healing
-Ceased to exist after the death of the apostles
-And while these brothers and sisters do not deny that God can still perform miracles
-They believe that the Holy Spirit no longer gives individuals the "miraculous gifts" to perform signs and wonders today
2.) Now the contrasting view is a theology that is referred as continuationism
-Which teaches that all spiritual gifts mentioned in scripture -Continue to be available to Christians today
-This being what I personally believe God’s word teaches
-So while I would agree that tongues is primarily a sign to unbelievers as 1 Cor. 14 says
-When used in a corporate type setting
-I believe scripture teaches us that it also still exists today
-As a gift of personal communication or prayer between God and us
-Where the Holy Spirit empowers a believer to communicate with God beyond their own understanding
-For personal edification and encouragement
-Paul telling us this in:
-1 Cor. 14:2 (ESV) - For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
-1 Cor. 14:4 (NLT) - A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally…
-1 Cor. 14:13-15 (NLT) - 13 So anyone who speaks in tongues should pray also for the ability to interpret what has been said. 14 For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying. 15 Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand.
-And I believe this scene from Acts 2 lines up with this line of thinking well
-Because as previously mentioned
-These believers were just simply declaring “the mighty works of God” or praising the Lord in tongues
-Basically it would appear to be a personal conversation between them and God
-In which others just overheard them
-And understood the language they were speaking in because it was their native language
-Whereas it doesn’t say the disciples understood what they were saying (1 Cor. 14:14)
-Now I don’t believe that tongues has to be in a KNOWN language necessarily
-Because Paul also says in:
-1 Cor. 13:1 (ESV) - If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
-So it would appear the possibility of speaking in a language unknown here on earth but known in heaven exists
-Although here in Acts 2 I believe the majority of the people were speaking in tongues of known languages
-Because it says so
-And it was used as a sign to the unbelievers to get their attention
-So they would listen to Peter give the Gospel as we are going to see next week in the following verses
-Now having said that, I don’t believe tongues is a gift given to everybody
-As Paul tells us in:
-1 Cor. 12:30 (NLT) - Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not!
-And whereas I do think tongues has a place personally in a believer’s life
-I personally don’t think it is a gift meant to be widely exercised in a corporate church setting
-As Paul tells us in:
-1 Cor. 14:18-19 (NLT) - 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you. 19 But in a church meeting I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language.
-1 Cor. 14:23 (NLT) - Even so, if unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy.
-And when it is a gift that is exercised in a corporate setting
-The guidelines given in God’s word should be followed regarding:
-1.) It being limited
-2.) And it not being done without an interpretation
-Paul giving us this guidance in:
-1 Cor. 14:27-28 (NLT) - 27 No more than two or three should speak in tongues. They must speak one at a time, and someone must interpret what they say. 28 But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately.
-(APP: And honestly not following these guidelines as some churches have done
-Is why I think there is this hesitancy toward the use of this gift
-Or a lot of confusion about it
-Because you have the super conservative churches erring on the side of being “decent and in order”
-And not allowing the gift to be exercised at all
-And you have the super charismatic churches
-That are all about ensuring that the gift is being “done”
-To the extent that it is being exercised beyond what God’s word says it is intended to be
-Whereas the Lord simply just wants it exercised but in order
-As Paul tells us in:
-1 Cor. 14:40 (ESV) - But all things should be done decently and in order.
-EX: Now before I was saved my only exposure to tongues
-Was in a crazy and out of order atmosphere (EXPLAIN)
-And then I was saved in a more conservative denomination
-That mainly believed some of the gifts had ceased for the believer
-So it wasn’t until I started attending a Calvary Chapel -And was actually taught what God’s word said about it
-That I really started understanding God’s intent for this gift in His church
-And in response I started asking the Lord for it
-As I want anything the Lord offers me that will edify and build me up
-And Paul says we should desire the special abilities the Spirit gives in 1 Cor. 14
-And one day at a conference during a time of response -I supernaturally received the gift to pray in tongues
-Just between me and the Lord
-And was super encouraged
-And sure enough as is often the case with things the Lord tells me to do in my life
-That I obey Him in
-Satan was right there to discourage me in it
-Saying “That wasn’t real” or “You imagined that” or “Way to go you idiot you just said absolutely nothing”
-Just like the serpent said to Eve in Gen. 3:1 “Did God really say that?”
-And like her
-And like with anything else in my life that I am doing for the Lord
-I had to decide whether to listen to God’s word or the enemy’s voice
-And I decided to listen to God
-And now it happens often
-In my personal prayer and worship with the Lord
-As my faith in God’s word has replaced my doubt
-And last year during our churches annual week of prayer and fasting
-The Holy Spirit lead and empowered me to do something I had never done before
-In operating in the gift of tongues in a public setting (EXPLAIN - didn’t have to make it happen)
-Now one thing I definitely don’t believe
-Is that speaking in tongues is in itself
-An indicator of somebody being filled with the Holy Spirit
-As there are multiple examples of people being filled with the Spirit
-And not speaking in tongues in scripture (Acts. 4:8; Acts 4:31; Acts 7:55; Acts 9:17; Act 13:9)
-Also, I would encourage you to never not believe something about God just because you don’t understand it
-As there are lots of things about God that are incomprehensible in our own understanding?
-(EX: Jesus’ death and resurrection; the Holy Trinity; etc
-APP: I say this because we can have a tendency
-To be skeptical about the Holy Spirit manifesting Himself in people’s lives
-Because we simply don’t understand how this works completely
-And this can leave us in a place of not being open to things God wants to be doing in and through us
-And missing out because of our unbelief or lack of faith
-And I think of how it says in:
-Matthew 13:58 (NLT) - And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.
-Or that Jesus was limited in what He wanted to do in His hometown of Nazareth
-Because of their unbelief
-Let not the same be said about us)
-It going on to say in:
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.”
-And the fourth and final attribute of the Holy Spirit that we see here that I want you to take note of is:
-4.) The Holy Spirit comes upon us so we can GLORIFY God
-The first thing these disciples do in speaking in tongues as the Holy Spirit comes upon them
-Is to proclaim or basically praise the mighty works of
God (VS11)
-Or they are filled with thankfulness to Him
-And God uses it as a witness to the unbelievers around them
-(EX: Again, the Holy Spirit is given to us to lead us into and empower us to accomplish God’s will
-Not to do our own will
-One reason being so that He is glorified or people see Him through us
-So we can be a witness for Him to them
-And we must remember this
-Because our constant submission to God’s will
-Is what will allow us to be continually filled with His Spirit
-So we don’t miss out on anything He wants to do in and through us)
-And while a lot of the people there were intrigued by the disciples speaking in their native tongues
-Some disregarded the obvious miracle
-Saying the disciples must have been drunk as VS13 tells us
-(APP: This unfortunately not being being very different from the response we can still get today
-When speaking in tongues is brought up
-Even in God’s church
-Either people are intrigued and want to know more
-Or they think you are crazy
-But may be those that look to what God says in His word
-And believe what we believe based off of that rather -1.) Than our experiences
-2.) Or what we understand or don’t understand
-So we don’t miss out on any of the miraculous things He wants to do in our lives)
**CLOSING**
-We see God’s church set an example for us here in this Chapter
-Of how we should approach every gathering we have as believers
-Where we:
-1.) Humbly understand our need for His guidance and help
-2.) And are seeking and surrendered to God’s will being done
-And if we do that just as they were here in Acts 2
-We have every reason to confidently believe
-God will fill us with His Holy Spirit
-And move in power just as we see Him do here
-It might not look exactly the same
-But every time we gather together we know that Jesus is there
-And wants to answer our prayers to move powerfully
-As Jesus Himself tells us in Matt. 18:19-20
-We aren’t here to just fill our heads with knowledge
-But meet with our Father in Heaven
-And experience His power in our lives
-And that should make us look forward to every opportunity we have to gather
-(APP: I always feel like I am missing out whenever I miss an opportunity to gather with my church family)
**PRAY**