Acts 2

Acts 2:1-13 –Holy Spirit at Pentecost

The meaning of Pentecost is the number 50 and the Pentecost Festival is 50 days after the annual Passover.  On that first Pentecost day the Holy Spirit came to all believers in the form of 2 outward signs:  1. A sound like blowing of a violent wind and 2. What seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  Then each began to speak in a language that everyone understood in their own language. 

Who is the Holy Spirit?  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus (Rom. 8:9).  Jesus gave the disciples His very breath of life and their part was simply to receive Him.  The Holy Spirit is a person who comes to dwell within the Christian.  He pours out God’s love, counsels, directs and guides the believer (Acts 13:2, 16:7).  He teaches, gives understanding and pours out emotions of love, joy, and peace (John 14:26-27).  He empowers for a task, comforts in bereavement and trouble (2 Cor. 12:9; John 14:16).  When a person chooses to believe in Jesus as Lord, he receives the Holy Spirit.  He is then sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption, the resurrection of the body (Eph. 1:13-14).  The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and is God in every way.  Jesus calls Him the Comforter.  The Holy Spirit empowers, purifies, and unifies all believers. 

The Holy Spirit came to people before Pentecost, but only for a limited period of time for special work.  At Pentecost the Holy Spirit came to all who believed.  Now the Holy Spirit come when you first accept Jesus and become a believer. 

This was not the first time the Holy Spirit came in such a miraculous way.  In Genesis 11 the Holy Spirit came and confused the peoples’ language so they were not able to understand each other.  In Acts 2 it was the opposite.  The Holy Spirit rested on them in their own language so they would understand each other.  This shows the power of the Holy Spirit and that He can do anything.  I think this gave the disciples much confidence for their mission to come.

The miracle of the people speaking in different languages was a special miracle to demonstrate God’s purpose in taking the gospel to all the nations.  It enabled the church to be launched in all of these places when these men returned to their homes.  God’s good news is for all the nations.  Jesus purchased for God with His blood men from every tribe and every nation.

Jesus sent us His Holy Spirit whose power is beyond human abilities and guides us toward God.  The Spirit helps us understand the Word, know the heart of God, empowers us for ministry, comforts us, makes us holy and seals us in Christ guarantying us that we are His.  We grieve the Holy Spirit when we sin and ignore the truth He shows us.  The deepest longing of the Spirit is to glorify Jesus Christ.  What is your deepest longing?

When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are emptied of self and now submit to God.  Now God is in control of your life.  Now you know your suffering has a purpose.  We can’t rely on our own righteousness, but on His perfect righteousness.

Principle:  God gives the Holy Spirit to all who believe in Jesus.

Acts 2:14-41 – Peter’s Sermon

Peter was impulsive, ambitious, fearful and experienced brokenness.  Before Jesus’ arrest he was afraid and denied that he knew Jesus.  Now Peter was a changed man.  He began to preach in a bold way preaching unity of faith as he stood up with the 11 disciples and addressed the crowd proclaiming the gospel and the resurrection.  There’s strength in numbers.  By standing together this made them stronger and more courageous.   When we stand together against evil and stand up for God’s truth, we too are stronger.

All the apostles stood together with Peter as Peter spoke to the crowd about “the last days” as described by the prophet Joel.  He said we are now in the last days before Jesus returns.  He will pour out His spirit on all believers – they will prophesy, see visions and dreams, he will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below.  Before the coming of the great and glorious “day of the Lord”, the sun will turn to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord (17-20). 

The phrase "the day of the Lord," refers to the end of time, when Jesus returns at Armageddon to bring justice to the world and defeat evil once and for all.

Peter didn’t know how soon God’s judgments would take place nor do we.  He is saying that these things would proceed the “day of the Lord”.  The prophecy had begun with the evidence by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the rest will come to pass in God’s timing. 

We see God’s great mercy in Acts 2:21.  He offers to those who deserve His judgment a means of escape.  “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  

Peter described the life of Jesus on earth as a man accredited by God to do miraculous wonders and signs.  He described the death of Jesus as being handed over to the people by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge and put to death by nailing Him to the cross.  He described Jesus’ resurrection as God raising Him freeing Him from the agony of death because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him. 

He held the crowd responsible because they rejected and betrayed Jesus.  He said “you nailed Him to the cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.”  God used evil men to accomplish His purpose, but those evil men were responsible for their crime and can’t blame God for their sin.  The real point of the sermon – God sent His messiah, but Israel rejected Him.

Peter told them God raised Jesus to life and they were witnesses of the fact.  Now He sits on right hand of God and God will make His enemies His footstool for His feet.

When the people heard all Peter had to say, they asked, “What shall we do”, because they had guilt and sorrow for what they had done.  The Holy Spirit stabbed them with conviction of their terrible sin.  Peter said to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  There was only 1 relief and that was to repent.  They were to change their lives and turn to God and accept the Holy Spirit.  They were convicted by the Holy Spirit and about 3,000 accepted his message, believed, and were baptized. 

Peter was not only speaking to the crowd, but speaking to us.  Repentance is not an option for salvation.  To repent is to change direction in your life.  It’s turning away from a sinful and a godless way life.  Repentance and faith go hand in hand.  Salvation is a personal choice.  Everyone must decide for themselves.

There are 3 steps to repentance.

            Conviction of sin

            Sorry for the sin

            Conversion – turn away from sin and turn to God.

Being baptized is the dipping or immersing in water.  It doesn’t provide forgiveness of sin.  Only repentance brings forgiveness.  Baptism is an outward sign and application of a new life in Jesus Christ.  It identifies us with Christ and is a witness to others.

Principle:  Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Have you repented?

Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?

How are you allowing the Holy Spirit to use you to bring others to Jesus?

Acts 2:42-47 – Unity of Believers

All those that believed devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.  They met daily together in the temple, they sold possession and gave to anyone who had a need, they ate in each other’s homes and praised God.  They prayed and broke bread together which today is called Holy Communion or the Lord Supper.

These believers were Spirit filled and participated in a devoted community to Christ.  This is the example of a healthy church.  No church is perfect this side of heaven.  But God will use us to glorify Himself as we continually devote ourselves to Him through His Word and as we devote ourselves to the fellowship of His people and to His work in the world. 

Are you maturing in the Christian life as the early believers did?

How does devotion to Him compare to your job, hobby, family, etc.?

Principle:  A healthy church is marked by continual devotion to His work and to His people.

Join me here next week for our next study of the book of Acts.  --  I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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