The Mighty Works of God (Acts 2:1-21)
God has promised to bring restoration to the kingdom of Israel. When will this happen? How will this happen? Jesus spoke to his disciples for forty days about the kingdom's coming with the Holy Spirit. He told them to wait in Jerusalem. They will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. He said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." Then, something amazing happened. They listened and submitted. Now all that's left is the fulfillment.
Chapter 2 is about the fulfillment of the promise of the Father. I said this in the first Acts lesson, and I will repeat it. This text discusses the most significant event in history. This is where all of God's promises find their fulfillment in Christ. It starts with a miraculous event. Then, we will see people gather and Peter explaining what this means. In the second half of this chapter (next week), we see Peter preach Christ to the people, and the people will respond.
Today we will learn about how the Holy Spirit comes to help the disciples usher in a new kingdom. Jesus said they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (1:8). What does that look like, and how will they become his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the earth's end?
Pentecost
Acts 2:1--4 (ESV) --- 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.
Forty-nine days after the Passover, another feast is celebrated by the Jews. Pentecost is the day of the first wheat harvest when all of Israel would bring the first fruits of their wheat harvest to God. It is an appropriate time for Jesus to bring the promise. While he was still alive, he said that the fields were white for harvest, referring to the people who were ready for the kingdom.
The disciples, either the 120 from Chapter 1 or the 12, were all together in one place. They had been devoting themselves to prayer. Then, the text says, "suddenly there came from heaven a sound." Imagine the sound of a mighty rushing wind. If you have ever sat out a hurricane, you know that sound. The entire house where they were staying was filled with that sound. What could this be? Is there a storm outside? Is someone playing a trick on them with speakers? They didn't have speakers.
Then, we read that divided tongues as of fire appeared and rested on each one of them. This is like something out of a sci-fi movie. We do not see tongues of fire resting on people. We don't hear a sound like that without a recognizable source. Why would God send this sound and these tongues of fire? What does all of this mean?
Verse 4 says, "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." The wind represents the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit filled them, they received the power to speak in other tongues. What would it mean to speak in tongues? Keep reading...
The Mighty Works of God
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? 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.”
When this sound happened, people flocked to it. They knew that something bizarre was happening. When they arrived at the sound, they heard the 12 or the 120 speaking in their language. That's what speaking in tongues means. It's not a bunch of random syllables that sound like a particular language. Can you imagine if it was the 120? How could 120 people be trained to speak all of these languages? On that day, it would be impossible. Then, someone points out that these aren't men and women from some upper-class schools. These are people in a very uneducated region, Galilee. Galilee is not a place people go to for higher education. Jesus also lived near Galilee, and the religious leaders had a hard time believing he could be the Messiah because nothing good came out of Galilee, especially the suburb of Nazareth.
Verse 11 hints at what they were talking about. They were describing "the mighty works of God." They were using this to explain what God has done in Jesus. Then, in their amazement, they ask, "What does this mean?" Then someone said, "They are filled with new wine." How could new wine give anyone the ability to speak different languages?
An Explanation
Acts 2:14--21 (ESV) --- 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Now, Peter stands with the eleven, and he begins to explain what this means. He says they are not drunk since it is the third hour of the day. That would be ridiculous because they would have had to wake up early and make a conscious effort to get drunk by that time in those days. No. Peter says this is precisely what God promised in the prophet Joel.
We have studied back in Chapter 1 how the baptism of the Holy Spirit was related to an Old Testament concept. We looked at passages in Isaiah and Ezekiel, but we could have gone to Jeremiah and others. Do you remember what always happens when the Spirit is poured out? It's like water on the thirsty land. There is a restoration, renewal, and rejuvenation of the kingdom of Israel. Here, Peter brings up Joel. Why would he choose Joel? Listen to Joel's words.
"In the last days, it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh." The promises of the Spirit are being poured out "on all flesh." Peter doesn't choose Joel because he best explains what the pouring out of the Spirit means. If he wanted to do that, he would have turned to Isaiah and Ezekiel as we did in Chapter 1. I think those texts would be well known among the Jews. I believe he chooses Joel for three reasons.
Signs
The first is because this prophet explains what signs will accompany the Spirit being poured out.
Acts 2:17--18 (ESV) --- 17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
Do you see how these verses explain the signs? Men and women will prophesy. It doesn't matter if they are young or old, rich or poor. All flesh will be allowed to receive the blessings of the Spirit, and God will make that evident through spreading the ability to prophesy. These men and women (the 120) speak in tongues, but they speak prophetic words. Throughout the Old Testament, miracles would sometimes accompany a new prophetic message. The miracles were a way of God stamping the prophet with his approval. It didn't happen all the time, but it did happen. Peter says this event is what Joel was talking about. These are the last days, the Spirit has been poured out, and multiple ordinary people speak in tongues to prove that their message is from God.
Judgment
There is a second reason Peter chose Joel.
Acts 2:19--21 (ESV) --- 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Peter included the second half of Joel's prophecy because it's crucial to understand the negative side of the Spirit being poured out. Remember what John said, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." The words in verses 19-20 refer to a day of judgment that is terrifying. If you go back and read Joel's prophesy, you will see more about that. An army is coming like a swarm of locusts to destroy the land and those who are wicked in it. That's the baptism with fire that John was talking about. Imagine how terrifying that would be to hear if you have a guilty conscience over the murder of Jesus.
Salvation
The third reason Peter chose Joel is that God's Spirit being poured out is offering an opportunity to find forgiveness and salvation from that judgment. If they will "call on the name of the Lord," they can be saved. What does that mean? Do we call out, "Lord, save me!" That's part of it. Calling for God to save you like this is a statement of submission. But Joel calls for people to "rend your hearts" or tear your hearts.
Joel 2:12--13 (ESV) --- 12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.
The people had a habit of acting like they were repenting. God wanted them to repent and change genuinely. The submissive heart can find forgiveness in the Spirit poured out, but they must be immersed in it. That's where baptism comes in.
In verse 37, they ask what they need to do to be saved from judgment, and the disciples don't tell them to call on the name of the Lord through prayer. They tell them to call on the name of the Lord through repenting (tearing your heart) and being baptized.
Acts 22:16 (ESV) --- 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
We will talk more about that next time.
Today Is The Day
Before we wrap up our study of this half of Acts 2, I want us to think deeply about what is going on. Notice the Spirit is being poured out, and the disciples were filled with the Spirit, then they spoke. The sound they heard was the sound of the wind. Peter says that was the Spirit being poured out. The word Spirit means breath. The Spirit being poured out is the Spirit of God filling a relative few, who revealed the prophetic word to others by speaking it (breath). This reminds me of what Jesus said in John 7.
John 7:37--39 (ESV) --- 37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
These disciples have come to Jesus, been filled with the Spirit, and become wells of living water for all others.
The dots start connecting in everyone's minds in light of this explanation. These events do match up well with the prophecy of Joel. They have been waiting for the pouring out of the Spirit and the kingdom's restoration. After fifty days of thinking about Jesus and considering the evil of having Jesus crucified, they might be excited to hear some good news. That's what Peter is about to reveal to them fully. God has poured out the Spirit, and he is providing them with everything they need to be saved from judgment.
Now, if they have not torn their hearts in submission to God and humbled themselves before him, this message would terrify them. But the last words should give hope. They can call on the name of the Lord and find salvation.
Have You Called On His Name?
The rest of Peter's sermon will explain this good news further, and we will look at that next week. But this week's lesson has given us enough information to chew on.
We can see the importance of this event. The Holy Spirit has been poured out on ordinary people so that they might proclaim the gospel to all mankind. Aren't we grateful to know about this day in history? This was the day when God provided the Holy Spirit to help mankind enjoy every spiritual blessing. Through the apostles and prophets of the New Testament, we can read and understand God's will for us. Now, we, too, can call on the name of Jesus and find forgiveness for our sins.
Throughout our lives, we all have important days. I remember the day Jenna decided to call me and ask me to go to a gospel meeting with her. I didn't obey the gospel and fully submit to Christ that night, but the process had begun. My life would never be the same after that. You might have a day like that where someone reached out and offered you an opportunity to learn the truth and become a child of God. The origin of that is found right here in Acts 2. God so loved the world that he gave us his son. His son provided the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit shared the excellent news with signs and wonders so that all might believe.
Do you believe it? Are you unsure about what will happen to you on the judgment day? Jesus poured out his Spirit so that you can receive the blessing of a relationship with God. What hinders you from repenting and calling on the name of Jesus in baptism?