The Promise Fulfilled
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Introduction
Introduction
If you are new to our church or missed last week we began a new series here on Sunday Morning.
For the next few weeks leading up to the Easter season, we will be going to discover the book of Acts.
Last week we discovered that the book of Acts is about the moving of God through the lives of the early church.
A beginning of a movement
We discovered that the promise of the Holy Spirit was about to come and they were going to experience something like they haven’t experienced before.
Before we dive into the passage I want to give you a bit of background information as we look at these texts.
When studying the Bible, it is important to determine whether the verse or passage at hand is descriptive or prescriptive. The difference is this: a passage is descriptive if it is simply describing something that happened, while a passage is prescriptive if it is specifically teaching that something should happen. Simply put, is it a description or a command? Is the passage describing something (it happened) or is it prescribing something (it should happen)? The difference is important. When a biblical passage is only describing something but is interpreted as prescribing something, it can lead to errant thinking and behavior.
Take the story of David and Goliath, for example. Goliath was blaspheming the God of Israel and mocking God’s people, and David fought him with a sling and a stone, killed him, and cut off his head (1 Samuel 17). If we take this passage as descriptive (which it is), then there are many things we can learn from the history, such as the value of trusting God. However, if we take 1 Samuel 17 as prescriptive (which it’s not), then we might make the error of slinging rocks at blasphemers everywhere. The Bible relates the account of David’s victory for our edification, but the Bible never commands us to follow his actions on the battlefield.
- taken from https://www.gotquestions.org/descriptive-vs-prescriptive.html
So as we begin to look through the book of Acts it is critical that we keep that thought in the back of our mind. A thought that should be examined as we look at the Movement of God in the lives of the early church.
Why,
You see some events in scripture, if we were attempting to take this as a prescriptive action for our lives we run the risk of miss understanding what God has called us to be and to live. It may only be in scripture to lead us and guide us in our lives and to apply the principles from that event.
However, the same is true if we don’t use passages that ARE to be prescriptive and dismiss them because they seem too hard to handle or work out in our lives.
Our Christian walk can quickly become self pleasing and lacking the very power of God in our lives.
Now let’s turn to today’s passage found in the second chapter of the book of Acts.
We are going to see this morning three parts of our Christian walk as we observe an event in the lives of the early church.
In our walk with God there are times of Waiting, Watching, Witnessing.
We will discover there is a process we go through as we see the miracle of God working in our lives. It begins with Unknown to a known to a outward action.
turn with me to Acts 2 and let’s begin reading at verse one
For something special today and the importance of the passage, I have asked Thomas, a willing partner to read today’s scripture
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.
Thank you,
What did you think when you heard the message of God spoken in a different language?
This is truly a descriptive passage, If I was able to read so precisely that Thomas read so clearly in his first language, it would be a fine example of what had happened in this part of the story.
Now before we examine God’s Word, let’s pray
Waiting for the Unknown Promise
Waiting for the Unknown Promise
As we learned last Sunday, the previous passages went into detail of the waiting of the promise.
The Promise that God would give them God’s Power.
Waiting.
Waiting for God to act.
The disciples found themselves in a holding pattern once again.
I can’t image how they felt in the holding pattern between Good Friday and Easter Morning,
The uncertainty of waiting for what you hope is good, but the wait seems like forever.
You see waiting for God’s plan to be revealed requires us to wait
How much of our lives are waiting upon God.
We truly believe that God is always in our midst, moving in our lives, but you must admit, there are times that we are to wait for His timing.
That waiting can be hard
Waiting to hear the results of your recent test at the doctor.
Waiting to hear from your accountant on the viability of you retiring.
Waiting to hear from your new perspective employer to see if you are getting the job.
What I want you to notice in this passage about the disciples, who were soon to be Apostles, were waiting but while they waited they were also living out their lives. They were gathered together and they were praying and seeking out God’s Direction.
Waiting can be hard, but it doesn’t mean that we are stopped sitting around till God moves.
When it come to waiting for God, there needs to be a moving along in our lives with a continually trust in God that His plan is in motion.
Chapter two begins with the Disciples doing that very thing. They were waiting in Jerusalem as prescribed by Christ, but they were part of a bigger movement.
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
When the day arrived. If you are really reading scripture to understand what it means for you life, you should ask this.
What Day.
We have the luxury of knowing the story and we sometimes overlook this quick waiting time.
The Day of Pentecost was a time in the Jewish calendar that was established many years before that day.
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Pentecost)
PENTECOST One of three major Jewish feasts also called the Feast of Weeks. The name “Pentecost” is derived from the Greek word meaning “fifty.” Pentecost occurs in the month of Sivan (May/June), 50 days after Passover, and celebrates the end of the grain harvest.
This was a major celebration in the lives of the people of God.
Folks,
In our time of waiting for God to act in our lives, there is routine of our Christian walk.
Sunday Morning, the gathering of the believers is one of those times that need to be a part of our waiting for the unknown promises of God.
Gathering together to celebrate our God is a part of and should be a part of the life of a believer, not in a ritualistic sense, but that of the daily breadth of our spiritual life.
The three main celebrations were,
Passover, Pentecost, and Atonement.
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Festivals
Feast of Weeks The second of the three annual festivals was Pentecost, also called the feast of weeks (Exod. 34:22; Deut. 16:10, 16; 2 Chron. 8:13), the feast of harvest (Exod. 23:16), and the day of firstfruits (Num. 28:26; cp. Exod. 23:16; 34:22; Lev. 23:17). It was celebrated seven complete weeks, or 50 days, after Passover (Lev. 23:15–16; Deut. 16:9); therefore, it was given the name Pentecost.
Essentially a harvest celebration, the term “weeks” was used of the period of grain harvest from the barley harvest to the wheat harvest, a period of about seven weeks. At this time the Lord was credited as the source of rain and fertility (Jer. 5:24). It was called “day of firstfruits” (Num. 28:26) because it marked the beginning of the time in which people were to bring offerings of firstfruits. It was celebrated as a sabbath with rest from ordinary labors and the calling of a holy convocation (Lev. 23:21; Num. 28:26). It was a feast of joy and thanksgiving for the completion of the harvest season. The able-bodied men were to be present at the sanctuary, and a special sacrifice was offered (Lev. 23:15–22; Num. 28:26–31). According to Lev. 23:10–11, 16–17, two large loaves were waved before the Lord by the anointed priests. These were made of fine flour from the new wheat and baked with leaven. They were a “wave offering” for the people. They could not be eaten until after this ceremony (Lev. 23:14; Josh. 5:10–11), and none of this bread was placed on the altar because of the leaven content. Also two lambs were offered. The feast was concluded by the eating of communal meals to which the poor, the stranger, and the Levites were invited.
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
They were all together in one place. Waiting, yet living out their lives as was their custom.
Have you ever thought of what you want to get out of life?
If we were asked to write down the answer to that questions, what would our response be?
One person wrote,
The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 28: Acts Waiting on the Edge of a Miracle
The greatest longing in the church today, stated both directly and indirectly, is the quest for something more than dull religion. People are in need of the intimacy, inspiration, and impelling power of the Holy Spirit. Answering that cry is the key to church renewal and prophetic preaching and teaching. It is impossible to live the Christian life without the indwelling Spirit.
The life of the early church was about to change.
The movement of God changed their understanding of God’s direction for their lives as they sat there waiting once again to move in a miraculous way.
They had met the incarnate, now they were about to meet the God indwelling.
The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 28: Acts Waiting on the Edge of a Miracle
What Jesus incarnated and promised was given to His followers.
Watching the Promise Unfold
Watching the Promise Unfold
Verse two begins with the watching of the promise unfold before their lives.
Suddenly,
Have you ever been startled before?
Has something happened in your life that was suddenly.
I know the flood was one of those times, but are their other times in your Christian walk where God has come into your lives in a suddenly moment?
For some of you, it may have been that time that your recognized the need for a saviour.
God’s richest blessing of Salvation suddenly poured into your life and you sat watching the promise unfold.
You began to realize the Grace that God has that He would send His son to the world to redeem you and me.
There is nothing we can do, but freely accept this gift from God.
Maybe it was a miracle of God that suddenly came into your life.
When I was in the my teens, God suddenly made a impact in my life by answering a simple prayer. It was sitting down in a ravine full of brush where I had lost my glasses, and in desperation a prayer was offered to help us find them. Upon opening my eyes from prayer, I suddenly looked straight at the place were they were laying.
There are times when God moves Suddenly but they often follow times of waiting.
So, do we spend our waiting time looking forward to those times of watching for God’s miraculous movement in our lives.
Look at verse 2,
God came suddenly and it involved two of their senses.
the Sense of hearing
A Sound, produced by that of rushing wind. Wind is something that you can’t see, but you see the effects it has on things we can.
Imagine being there with the disciples.
They have gathered to celebrate the first fruits of their blessings from God when out of nowhere a sound that for most of us bring thoughts of terror.
Rushing wind.
What is the fastest wind that you have experienced.
I was driving home one day across the prairies when out of nowhere, the wind picked up. IT was blowing so hard, the I had to pull my car over and face the direction of the wind.
You see, on the top of my car were the two Kayaks and I was very much afraid of what might happen to these vessels in the wind. I couldn’t see the wind, but I could fully understand the results of the wind on my car.
The effects of wind, has consequences and for the disciples that day, there was a positive result.
Folks,
Sometimes when we approach the topic of the Holy Spirit, a part of the triune God, for some of us, that brings up feeling like that of the unknown results of rushing wind.
When you hear of God moving in a powerful and miraculous way in the lives of people and it hasn’t happened to you you begin to wonder why do you miss that.
Or maybe the power is too much to handle so you attempt to stay away from the spectacular of God.
This thing that we cannot see has a great effect on the lives of the things we can see.
God’s Spirit in and among us will and continue to have an effect on our lives.
Sometimes, like this passage they are spectacular, sometimes like the small answer to prayer they seem small, but
ALL
Have the power of an Almighty God coming to be with His chosen people.
The reason that we do not need to fear, is that this Spirit that was there at the beginning of Creation, now has come to dwell with in us.
To speak to us, renew us, strengthen us.
For me the biggest challenge I Have in my life is taking the time to listen to the Spirit speak and to turn off my own thoughts and desires.
When I have listened to the Spirit, I get to enjoy and be a spectator in the glorious works of God.
I get to witness my life and those around as God moves in a miraculous way in and around our lives.
God chooses me and you to work out His plan and that is exciting.
For the Disciples in this story, notice what comes next.
What comes next, God moves form the sense of hearing to the sense of sight.
acts 2:3 “3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.”
It is no wonder some people are frightened when you bring up the topic of the power of God and the Spirit.
Not sure how comfortable you would feel when a fire appears on your head.
Early on in my ministry experience before there was PowerPoint, an overhead projector was added along side the hymnal for the church singing portion of the services.
It was Christmas time and I thought it would be special if I brought about a creative display of the words.
I used a slide projector to throw the words for singing on the screen.
Photocopying the words smaller and smaller so that they fit on a slide.
I then added a different slide projector showing backgrounds and there was the first PowerPoint in our church.
The easy part of this project was that the church had already owned slides of stories from the Bible.
I searched through the slides to find Christmas scene as we sang Christmas carols projected on the screen.
It was delightful until I mistakenly put the slide from Acts 2 on the screen.
We went from the Baby Jesus to a group of guys with fire on their heads.
Let’s say, I learned that day to preview in big screen what you will be showing.
This story in Acts 2 is an event showing God’s Power.
God’s Power in this case was a great miracle that His presence was similar to that of Moses.
When Moses approached the burning bush he was intreged in the fact that the bush was on fire but not being consumed.
God was in the midst of fire and was considered holy ground.
God now moved from a bush, to an incarnate man who dwelt amount them to a God that moved in us.
God’s filling in us allows us the power to do great and mighty things for God.
Watching the promise unfold would have been marvelous for each of the disciples as they saw the manifestation of God move from hearing to seeing to living in them.
It moved from hearing, to Seeing to action upon the part of the participant and spectators.
When we wait for God to make an appearance in our lives we then move to seeing God move and it will make us an active participant
In this passage having God’s filling of the spirit in the life of a believer is a descriptive passage.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is one of the gifts of salvation by which God’s very presence, in the person of the Spirit, indwells the church corporately and Christians individually, drawing them into the life of the triune God.
When we receive Christ as our saviour and accept his free gift of Salvation, God then comes and indwells our lives as we give our lives over to him.
It is an action of the head understanding and the heart accepting God’s Gift.
The Gift is the indwelling of God moving from God with us to God within us.
Witness to the Deliverance of the Promise
Witness to the Deliverance of the Promise
Like us, who have received Christ, and the disciples who experienced the Filling of the Spirit, we then move from Waiting to Watching to Witnessing the work of the Spirit within our lives.
Acts 2:5–13 (ESV)
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?
.........
9we 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.”
God’s power transformed the people’s lives and they began to make an impact on the lives of people around them.
Who were these people?
Luke describes them as
Devote
from Every nation under heaven
They were Jews that have adopted the lifestyle of a belief in a God, following His commandments and living the life of what their faith held onto.
God came to them men with a witness from the Apostles into the Might works of God.
Sometimes we miss the reason behind the spectacular.
Often we spend our time describing what has happened and forget to give the reason why.
The spectacular in this story was the ability to speak a foreign language that was clear and understandable.
I have heard of stories where this has happened to people and they were able to share the gospel to a people group in a strong and powerful way.
God’s ability to do anything is limitless.
God can do the unimaginable.
God can do the unexpected.
When God does, it is important not to dwell on the spectacular, but the one who was able to do this.
The might Acts of God lead us to a deeper understanding and relationship with the one who is
We become witnesses to the power of God that is within us.
What about us. What can we take from this story.
Are you praying for the spectacular works of God in your life?
Is there an expectation that God only works when we see the spectacular?
Think of this,
rom 8:11
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead 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.
God’s work is already in us, God is dwelling inside of you, that is the spectacular.
We know this to be true because of the fruits of the Spirit working within us.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
In Summary
In Summary
As the worship team comes forward to lead us in a response to God’s Word, let me remind you of this.
Are you waiting for God’s Promises in your life?
Are you watching the promises unfold in your life,
Today, we need to go out like the disciples who were filled as we are with God’s Spirit and be the witnesses to the Power of God in our lives.
Continue to Wait upon God,
Continue to Watch God’s grace in our lives,
Continue to be a witness the the many acts of God in our lives.
Response to Worship
Response to Worship
Benediction
Benediction
2 pet 3:18
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.