Ascended, but STILL not finished yet...
How many people have ever been in a tornado? I have been in a couple myself. One time was when I was in 7th Grade. We were rehearsing for a play called “Phantom of the Junior High”…the art teacher and music director and theatre person got together and adapted the “Phantom of the Opera” for our school. We were about to head to the gym where the stage was when we heard the wind pick up like we’d never heard before. We all looked at each other wondering what was really going on. Sirens then went off and we all ran down the hall to take cover. I was at a position where I could see outside…like usual…and I will never forget the scene I saw. Trees literally bent over in half. Debris all over the place. I had a hard time grasping the reality of what the wind could really do up until I saw it that day. Nature is a very powerful thing.
This week, we are going to look at Acts 2:1-21; which is the passage of Pentecost…where the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles like a “violent wind”. Kinda like a tornado. Let’s read the passage to see what is going on.
Here is Acts 2:1-21
2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.
The day of Pentecost. What exactly does that mean? Well, I did a little research and found this. According to Walvoord and Zuck in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, The day of Pentecost was an annual feast that followed the Feast of Firstfruits by a week of weeks (i.e., seven weeks, or 49 days) and therefore also was called the Feast of Weeks (cf. Lev. 23:15-22). The name “Pentecost,” of Greek derivation, means 50 because it was the 50th day after the Firstfruits feast (Lev. 23:16).
What amazed me was the fact that not only did God plan out our salvation through Christ before he even created the world, but he also had “feasts” and “celebrations” in place on the days…EXACT DAYS of these events. Christ was crucified on the Passover Feast, was Resurrected on the Feast of Firstfruits and on the Day of Pentecost, which was already in place 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits, was when the Holy Spirit first descended on the apostles. I have a hard time planning a trip to Florida to see my mom, let alone entire history that just so happens to all work together in this perfect puzzle that God has weaved. Amazing, totally mind-blowing…
Imagine yourself in the shoes of the Apostles. They heard a sound that the text says was “like” a violent wind. It didn’t say that it was, but it was like the sound of what we would compare to a tornado. and this wind filled the house where they were sitting. Likewise, in the very next verse, we see a very similar word there. they saw what “seemed” to be tongues of fire. This is a very similar word to compare what they saw and heard to something we can understand and relate to. The Spirit is very often compared to a wind several times in the Bible. The Greek word used there for Spirit also means breath or wind. The presence of God is often compared to a fire. In the OT, many places God is seen in the form of Fire…when Moses was at the Red Sea and it was parted by God…he was there in a pillar of fire. At Mt. Sinai, at the tabernacle, when Elijah was taken up into Heaven, Elisha said he saw a chariot of fire and horses of fire…and many other examples.
This is significant that it was described as wind and fire because this is how God has been described throughout Scripture and further testifies that the Bible is indeed the Word of God, and is consistent throughout…Holy, inspired and inerrant.
The promise we talked about last week finally came true for the apostles. That wonderful, miraculous promise came true, and yet, Christ is still not finished yet. You see, There is much more work to be done. The apostles at this point are all filled with the Holy Spirit…they’ve had their Baptism with the Holy Spirit, because this was the point that they truly believed and understood what the whole story had been about. They understood what Jesus had said prior to his crucifixion. They understood the miracles, parables and all that Jesus had done while he was here on Earth. They understood that it was necessary for him to die on the cross, be resurrected 3 days later, and ascend to Heaven 40 days later, and now, the day of Pentecost, which the promise of the Great Counselor had been fulfilled. It all made sense. Not only had they been baptized into the Holy Spirit, they had been filled with the Holy Spirit to the point of overflow.
The word for filled there is particularly interesting. The Greek word used here is eplesthesan. I try not to throw too many Greek words out there, but this one seems to me to be very important, so I put it in. The word eplesthesan means to fill or fill completely or what we’re going to call the word of the day, to satiate. Say that again!?!? To satiate? What in the world does that mean?! I had never heard this word before in my life. I HAD to look this one up. This is what I found: satiate means to gratify desire: to satisfy hunger or another appetite completely; to glut somebody: to provide somebody with too much of something desirable, to the point of overindulgence. When I read this definition, it’s like everything clicked into place and I understood what was really happening. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are filled with something desirable to the point that it is too much. When it got to be too much, the apostles began to speak in tongues.
Now I know this is a controversial subject, but the instance here is simply other languages. According to the context here in verses 5-12, it says that Jews had gathered from all around and they could hear them talking in their languages. Regardless of whether or not I think this can happen today, I believe it happened then because it is plainly stated here.
I got to reading this and couldn’t believe that some thought they were drunk! Of all the things, they thought they had drank too much wine and were babbling beyond recognition…but if you’re like me, you’ve been drunk at least once in your life. Once was it for me…no more after that…with this being said and quickly forgotten into the past again, drunks are NOT coherent…little alone being able to talk fluently in another language to the point that people are understanding and comprehending what you’re saying…um…yeah. You know, I have a brother who is in the Air Force and I found some actual maintenance complaints submitted by US Air Force pilots and the replies from the maintenance crews.
Problem: "Left inside main tire almost needs replacement." Solution: "Almost replaced left inside main tire."
Problem: "Test flight OK, except autoland very rough." Solution: "Autoland not installed on this aircraft."
Problem: "Something loose in cockpit." Solution: "Something tightened in cockpit."
Problem: "Evidence of hydraulic leak on right main landing gear." Solution: "Evidence removed."
Problem: "Number three engine missing." Solution: "Engine found on right wing after brief search."
Problem: "DME volume unbelievably loud." Solution: "Volume set to more believable level."
Problem: IFF inoperative. Solution: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
You see, where there is a lack of clarity there is always confusion and the potential for misunderstanding. But, you hafta think, they hadn’t experienced anyone with the Holy Spirit before, this was very new to them.
So…what did Peter do? He got up and preached. He clarified what was happening. What he did do was, arguably, the first Christian Sermon, other than Jesus himself. Jesus preached sermons himself, the Sermon on the Mount as well as others. But the point is, this is the day in which the Christian Church started, as a whole. The reason I say this is because of the day of Pentecost. This is the day the Apostles were baptized, not with water, but with the Holy Spirit. Christ is the head of the church, the Holy Spirit guides the church, this is where Christ’s church is began.
So, what is the first thing Peter says in his sermon? He rebukes those saying they’re drunk…and instead of striking them down in criticism, Peter quotes the prophet Joel. In this passage, he does many things. He starts off by saying “In the last days”. So, what are the Last Days? Well, according to what in mentioned here, they are now. When the church started, also, apparently, began the Last Days in which Christ’s Church will be established. Read 17-18 again. It says that God will pour His Spirit out on those servants and they will prophesy. Going on, 19-20 says, …these are direct quotes of what will happen as signs toward the end of the age. Obviously, there is more to the End of Days than just this, it is a whole big sermon series…and, being a new preacher, tackling Revelations first off is not something that seems wise…but did you hear the last sentence there? Before the Lord Jesus Christ comes again…then finally, verse 21. Therein that last sentence is where our salvation lies…the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Copper wire can be used for a lot of different purposes, you can use it for a close line, you can bend it and manipulate it around your gate to keep the cows from getting out or whatever but it has much more potential than that. Inside of that copper wire is protons and electrons and when that wire is connected to a power source all those protons and electrons will get in formation and create what is called electric current. Before that piece of wire was bent , manipulated and twisted into all kinds of things, but now let me tell you, you better have respect for that thing because when it is connected to a power source it has full potential and if you touch it, it will knock you on your seat.
That’s the way we need to be. We need to be little copper wires, yes bent and manipulated, but still whole, and while connected to the power source, God…we have the potential to knock the world for one huge uppercut. That is why it is sooo important to stay in a church no matter where you are at. Staying connected to that power source, the Holy Spirit, can enable us to do things that we have never seen the likes of before. Whether it be preach a sermon Sunday morning, talk to your neighbor about Christ every day and show them why they should believe…not just telling them, but showing them. It can enable you to do your work day in and day out in a job you hate, but are able to support your family well in, and yes, it can even help in the darkest of dark times…when it seems like no one cares or even bothers, that power is there to sustain you through the night into daylight.
Have you been swept up in the tornado yet? Have you let the Spirit blow over you and satiate you? Let me tell you friends. Jesus Christ is STILL not finished, yet, even in today’s world. There is much more to tackle, much more to do before He comes again.
In the movie “The Rock” with two of my favorite actors, Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery, they are sitting in the wings listening to a conversation between some Marines when the situation gets a little rough…in fact, it turns to mutiny. As the scene unfolds, Marines are turning on each other, some are backing up General Hummel, who is leading this “tyranny” and others are backing up the guys who are trying to overthrow him. The line there that I love, is a great line. The lead guy trying to overthrow Gen. Hummel tells Hummel’s best friend “Major Baxter, you’re either with us, or you’re against us.” The statement is so….to the point. Isn’t it?
In a nutshell and maybe not with these exact words, we need to be posing the question to the rest of the world. Either you’re with Christ, or you’re against him…it really is their choice. Our responsibility is to inform them of the options, let the Holy Spirit work through us. To let the Holy Spirit guide them to the crossroads…are you with Christ, or against Him?
Let’s help facilitate the tornado of the Holy Spirit sweep over the Earth…help take up the charge.
This week, we are going to look at Acts 2:1-21; which is the passage of Pentecost…where the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles like a “violent wind”. Kinda like a tornado. Let’s read the passage to see what is going on.
Here is Acts 2:1-21
2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.
The day of Pentecost. What exactly does that mean? Well, I did a little research and found this. According to Walvoord and Zuck in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, The day of Pentecost was an annual feast that followed the Feast of Firstfruits by a week of weeks (i.e., seven weeks, or 49 days) and therefore also was called the Feast of Weeks (cf. Lev. 23:15-22). The name “Pentecost,” of Greek derivation, means 50 because it was the 50th day after the Firstfruits feast (Lev. 23:16).
What amazed me was the fact that not only did God plan out our salvation through Christ before he even created the world, but he also had “feasts” and “celebrations” in place on the days…EXACT DAYS of these events. Christ was crucified on the Passover Feast, was Resurrected on the Feast of Firstfruits and on the Day of Pentecost, which was already in place 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits, was when the Holy Spirit first descended on the apostles. I have a hard time planning a trip to Florida to see my mom, let alone entire history that just so happens to all work together in this perfect puzzle that God has weaved. Amazing, totally mind-blowing…
Imagine yourself in the shoes of the Apostles. They heard a sound that the text says was “like” a violent wind. It didn’t say that it was, but it was like the sound of what we would compare to a tornado. and this wind filled the house where they were sitting. Likewise, in the very next verse, we see a very similar word there. they saw what “seemed” to be tongues of fire. This is a very similar word to compare what they saw and heard to something we can understand and relate to. The Spirit is very often compared to a wind several times in the Bible. The Greek word used there for Spirit also means breath or wind. The presence of God is often compared to a fire. In the OT, many places God is seen in the form of Fire…when Moses was at the Red Sea and it was parted by God…he was there in a pillar of fire. At Mt. Sinai, at the tabernacle, when Elijah was taken up into Heaven, Elisha said he saw a chariot of fire and horses of fire…and many other examples.
This is significant that it was described as wind and fire because this is how God has been described throughout Scripture and further testifies that the Bible is indeed the Word of God, and is consistent throughout…Holy, inspired and inerrant.
The promise we talked about last week finally came true for the apostles. That wonderful, miraculous promise came true, and yet, Christ is still not finished yet. You see, There is much more work to be done. The apostles at this point are all filled with the Holy Spirit…they’ve had their Baptism with the Holy Spirit, because this was the point that they truly believed and understood what the whole story had been about. They understood what Jesus had said prior to his crucifixion. They understood the miracles, parables and all that Jesus had done while he was here on Earth. They understood that it was necessary for him to die on the cross, be resurrected 3 days later, and ascend to Heaven 40 days later, and now, the day of Pentecost, which the promise of the Great Counselor had been fulfilled. It all made sense. Not only had they been baptized into the Holy Spirit, they had been filled with the Holy Spirit to the point of overflow.
The word for filled there is particularly interesting. The Greek word used here is eplesthesan. I try not to throw too many Greek words out there, but this one seems to me to be very important, so I put it in. The word eplesthesan means to fill or fill completely or what we’re going to call the word of the day, to satiate. Say that again!?!? To satiate? What in the world does that mean?! I had never heard this word before in my life. I HAD to look this one up. This is what I found: satiate means to gratify desire: to satisfy hunger or another appetite completely; to glut somebody: to provide somebody with too much of something desirable, to the point of overindulgence. When I read this definition, it’s like everything clicked into place and I understood what was really happening. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are filled with something desirable to the point that it is too much. When it got to be too much, the apostles began to speak in tongues.
Now I know this is a controversial subject, but the instance here is simply other languages. According to the context here in verses 5-12, it says that Jews had gathered from all around and they could hear them talking in their languages. Regardless of whether or not I think this can happen today, I believe it happened then because it is plainly stated here.
I got to reading this and couldn’t believe that some thought they were drunk! Of all the things, they thought they had drank too much wine and were babbling beyond recognition…but if you’re like me, you’ve been drunk at least once in your life. Once was it for me…no more after that…with this being said and quickly forgotten into the past again, drunks are NOT coherent…little alone being able to talk fluently in another language to the point that people are understanding and comprehending what you’re saying…um…yeah. You know, I have a brother who is in the Air Force and I found some actual maintenance complaints submitted by US Air Force pilots and the replies from the maintenance crews.
Problem: "Left inside main tire almost needs replacement." Solution: "Almost replaced left inside main tire."
Problem: "Test flight OK, except autoland very rough." Solution: "Autoland not installed on this aircraft."
Problem: "Something loose in cockpit." Solution: "Something tightened in cockpit."
Problem: "Evidence of hydraulic leak on right main landing gear." Solution: "Evidence removed."
Problem: "Number three engine missing." Solution: "Engine found on right wing after brief search."
Problem: "DME volume unbelievably loud." Solution: "Volume set to more believable level."
Problem: IFF inoperative. Solution: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
You see, where there is a lack of clarity there is always confusion and the potential for misunderstanding. But, you hafta think, they hadn’t experienced anyone with the Holy Spirit before, this was very new to them.
So…what did Peter do? He got up and preached. He clarified what was happening. What he did do was, arguably, the first Christian Sermon, other than Jesus himself. Jesus preached sermons himself, the Sermon on the Mount as well as others. But the point is, this is the day in which the Christian Church started, as a whole. The reason I say this is because of the day of Pentecost. This is the day the Apostles were baptized, not with water, but with the Holy Spirit. Christ is the head of the church, the Holy Spirit guides the church, this is where Christ’s church is began.
So, what is the first thing Peter says in his sermon? He rebukes those saying they’re drunk…and instead of striking them down in criticism, Peter quotes the prophet Joel. In this passage, he does many things. He starts off by saying “In the last days”. So, what are the Last Days? Well, according to what in mentioned here, they are now. When the church started, also, apparently, began the Last Days in which Christ’s Church will be established. Read 17-18 again. It says that God will pour His Spirit out on those servants and they will prophesy. Going on, 19-20 says, …these are direct quotes of what will happen as signs toward the end of the age. Obviously, there is more to the End of Days than just this, it is a whole big sermon series…and, being a new preacher, tackling Revelations first off is not something that seems wise…but did you hear the last sentence there? Before the Lord Jesus Christ comes again…then finally, verse 21. Therein that last sentence is where our salvation lies…the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Copper wire can be used for a lot of different purposes, you can use it for a close line, you can bend it and manipulate it around your gate to keep the cows from getting out or whatever but it has much more potential than that. Inside of that copper wire is protons and electrons and when that wire is connected to a power source all those protons and electrons will get in formation and create what is called electric current. Before that piece of wire was bent , manipulated and twisted into all kinds of things, but now let me tell you, you better have respect for that thing because when it is connected to a power source it has full potential and if you touch it, it will knock you on your seat.
That’s the way we need to be. We need to be little copper wires, yes bent and manipulated, but still whole, and while connected to the power source, God…we have the potential to knock the world for one huge uppercut. That is why it is sooo important to stay in a church no matter where you are at. Staying connected to that power source, the Holy Spirit, can enable us to do things that we have never seen the likes of before. Whether it be preach a sermon Sunday morning, talk to your neighbor about Christ every day and show them why they should believe…not just telling them, but showing them. It can enable you to do your work day in and day out in a job you hate, but are able to support your family well in, and yes, it can even help in the darkest of dark times…when it seems like no one cares or even bothers, that power is there to sustain you through the night into daylight.
Have you been swept up in the tornado yet? Have you let the Spirit blow over you and satiate you? Let me tell you friends. Jesus Christ is STILL not finished, yet, even in today’s world. There is much more to tackle, much more to do before He comes again.
In the movie “The Rock” with two of my favorite actors, Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery, they are sitting in the wings listening to a conversation between some Marines when the situation gets a little rough…in fact, it turns to mutiny. As the scene unfolds, Marines are turning on each other, some are backing up General Hummel, who is leading this “tyranny” and others are backing up the guys who are trying to overthrow him. The line there that I love, is a great line. The lead guy trying to overthrow Gen. Hummel tells Hummel’s best friend “Major Baxter, you’re either with us, or you’re against us.” The statement is so….to the point. Isn’t it?
In a nutshell and maybe not with these exact words, we need to be posing the question to the rest of the world. Either you’re with Christ, or you’re against him…it really is their choice. Our responsibility is to inform them of the options, let the Holy Spirit work through us. To let the Holy Spirit guide them to the crossroads…are you with Christ, or against Him?
Let’s help facilitate the tornado of the Holy Spirit sweep over the Earth…help take up the charge.
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