The Holy Spirit
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
The Concert
I went to a concert once. Man, it was amazing. The crowds were huge. The energy in the venue was just flowing. The buzz of voices filled the arena and then it began. The lights went out . . . the crowd hushed . . . and the wail of a guitar pierced the silence and chills ran up my spine. Then the drums joined in beckoning me to join in the fervor of emotion, energy, and sound! Blam! The lights exploded onto the stage and the concert was here! All the anticipation . . . all the waiting was over. That was a great concert.
Was my story complete? What question are you left with? Right . . . the question of Who? Who was performing? We are continuing our series in the book of Acts today. If you have your Bibles, you can turn to Acts chapter 2. This chapter records one of the most profound events in human history. But like my story, when people talk about this passage, they get so sidetracked by everything that goes on that they forget to focus on the who. This morning we are going to talk about the who. Not the band . . . but the central character of these events. Let’s pray and dive into the text together.
Pray
Read
Acts 2:1–13 (ESV)
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.
And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?
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,
both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
What is Pentacost?
There is a feast that follows the Passover called the feast of first fruits or the feast of weeks. It last 7 weeks and on the 50th day there was a special offering to the Lord. The feast became known as Pentacost because of the Greek word for 50. The name of the feast is not as significant as the fact that many Jews would have traveled to Jerusalem to participate in the annual celebration and worship.
Who are the “they”?
· The 120
· Only the 12
o They are Galileans
o Acts 2:14 refers to Peter standing up amongst the 11
· It is not definitive
The Holy Spirit comes?
· From Heaven
· Sound of rushing wind
o It filled the house
o Others heard it
· Something that looked like divided tongues of fire
o Appeared to them
o Rested on them
o They were filled with the Holy Spirit
o They spoke in tongues
§ Enabled by the Spirit (v4)
§ Understood by onlookers (v6)
§ Known languages (v6)
· This is a sign that the message of the Gospel will go into all the world
· Is this a look back to the time before the tower of Babel
Genesis 11:1–9 (ESV)
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.
And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.
And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.
Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.
Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
But who is the main Who?
All these amazing things should point us to the Holy Spirit. Often, we get bogged down in discussions of what tongues are and how they function in the church. Or we focus on the amazing ability of the Apostles, or we talk about the ignorance of the crowd. These are all present, but the real focus of this moment is that the Holy Spirit has come in power and he is announcing the change in how God is going to be working in human history.
Based on this short passage we learn a few things about the Holy Spirit.
1. He is personal
a. He rested on each one
2. He is purposeful
a. He filled each one
3. He is powerful
a. Appears as fire
b. Draws the crowds with the sound of rushing wind
c. Enables the apostles to speak languages they don’t know
Broken Barriers
This passage is a fulfillment of Jesus promise:
Acts 1:4–5 (ESV)
And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:8 (ESV)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
In the fulfillment of this promise, everything changed. The message was for all people. The good news was to go to the nations and the Holy Spirit empowers us to carry that message.
If God started the church by removing barriers to the Gospel . . . Are we living by faith, as if there are no barriers that can stop the Gospel? Are there barriers that stop you from sharing your faith? One of the themes that runs through The book of Acts is how God removes barriers that would stop the Gospel.
Romans 8:31–39 (ESV)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What do we see? Will any of these stop us:
· Accusations – no because we are justified
· Tribulation
· Distress
· Persecution
· Famine
· Nakedness
· Danger
· Sword
No! Because none of it can separate us from the love of God.
What is holding you back today?
Will you allow the Holy Spirit to fill you and use you? Will you allow Him to break down the barriers that stop you from sharing the Gospel?