BIG IDEA:
The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ
and to empower His Body to do the same.
The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ
and to empower His Body to do the same.
I. PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT by JESUS
II. POURING OUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
III. PETER’S PREACHING
A. EXPLANATION OF ACTIONS (2.14-21)
Not drunk
Joel’s prophecy
B. CHRIST CRUCIFIED (2.22-28)
Attested
God raised up Psalm 16:8-11
C. CHRIST RAISED AND EXALTED (2.29-36)
David: Dead and Buried
Christ Raised
exalted to the right hand of God
received from the Father the promise
poured out
Not David Psalm 110.1
Jesus made Lord and Christ
D. APPLICATION (2.37-39)
Q: “What shall we do?”
A: Repent and be baptized
You shall receive the Holy Spirit
R: Received the Word, were baptized
IV. PRACTICES OF THE SPIRIT FILLED CHURCH (2.40-47)
A. Apostle’s Doctrine &
B. Meals and Prayers
C. Things in Common
D. Daily in the Temple
E. Praising God
F. The Lord Added
I. PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT by JESUS
A. WAITING
ACTS 1:4
and being assembled… cf. Luke 24.49-53 esp 49
wait for the Promise… cf. John 7:37-39;
ACT 1:5
You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit…
· Note the passive voice.
· Note unusual position of the verb βαπτισθησεσθε [baptisthēsesthe] (future passive indicative) between πνευματι [pneumati] and ἁγιῳ [hagiōi].
· There is a so-called instrumental use of ἐν [en] where we in English have to say “with” (Rev. 13:10 ἐν μαχαιρῃ [en machairēi], like μαχαιρῃ [machairēi], Acts 12:2). That is to say ἐν [en] with the locative presents the act as located in a certain instrument like a sword (Robertson, Grammar, pp. 589f.).[1]
· This baptism of the Holy Spirit was predicted by John (Matt. 3:11) as the characteristic of the Messiah’s work. Now the Messiah himself in his last message before his Ascension proclaims that in a few days the fulfillment of that prophecy will come to pass.[2]
· Note that the Apostles had already performed miracles without the benefit of being baptized with the Holy Spirit.
B. WITNESSES
ACTS 1:6-7
The Apostles ask a question about restoring the kingdom to Israel that Jesus does not answer.
ACTS 1:8
shall (or will) receive power…
· Strong's G1411 - δύναμις - doo'-nam-is; force (literally or figuratively); especially, miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself)
will be witnesses…
· Strong's G3144 - μάρτυς - martyrs: witness,
1. The proper sphere of μάρτυς is the legal, where it denotes one who can and does speak from personal experience about actions in which he took part and which happened to him, or about persons and relations known to him. He may be a witness at a trial, or, in legal transactions of different kinds…--TDNT
2. The historical sense as one who sees something. --Thayer's Greek Lexicon
3. In an ethical sense of those who have proved the strength and genuineness of their faith in Christ by undergoing a violent death. --Thayer's Greek Lexicon
· Note that it is used as a noun, not a verb, something they will be, not something they do.
II. POURING OUT
ACTS 2.2
a sound…filled the whole house…
Strong's G4137 – plēroō: to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full
πληρόωa: (derivative of πλήρηςa ‘full,’ 59.35) to cause something to become full—‘to fill.’ --Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon
A Sign
there appeared tongues divided, as of fire…
ACTS 2.4
And they were filled with the Holy Spirit…
(1) of things; boats, with fish, Luke 5:7; a sponge, with vinegar, Mat 27:48 (some mss. have this verb in John 19:29); a city, with confusion, Act 19:29; a wedding, with guests, Mat 22:10;
(2) of persons (only in Luke's writings):
(a) with the Holy Spirit, Luke 1:15, 41, 67; Act 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9;
(b) with emotions: wrath, fear, etc…
ACTS 2.11
the wonderful works of God…
This is what they heard them speaking about.
ACTS 2.12
amazed…
Strong's G1839 - existēmi: to throw out of position, displace
“astounded to the point of being beside themselves” --Wuest
perplexed…
Strong's G2296 - thaumazō : to wonder, wonder at, marvel
Whatever could this mean?
They understood what was being said, but did not understand the circumstances of the tongues speaking.
ACTS 2.13
Others mocking…
III. PETER'S PREACHING
A. JOEL'S PROPHECY
ACTS 2.16
the prophet Joel…2:28-32a
Meaning: Jehovah is his God
One of the “Minor Prophets.” May have ministered during the time of King Joash.
The roots of this promise are in Numbers 11:29, God … told [Moses] to select seventy of the elders of Israel and bring them with him to the Tent of Meeting. God promised, “I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you…” --James Boice in The Minor Prophets Vol. 1
Numbers 11 Moses chose the 70 to help him judge Israel
26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”
ACTS 2.17
In the last days…
1. Some commentators believe that Peter was claiming that all of what Joel prophesied happened that day. –Thomas Constable’s Notes
2. Other scholars believe God fulfilled Joel’s prophecy only partially. Some of these, for example, believed that He fulfilled verses 17-18 on the day of Pentecost, but He will yet fulfill verses 19-21 in the future. –Thomas Constable’s Notes
3. Some scholars do not see a fulfillment of a prophecy but believe that Peter uses the passage to describe the nature of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring. (Ironside, Feinberg)
I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh (people, mankind)…
“Joel’s emphasis is on the universal nature of this gift, for he shows that it is for “all people” as opposed to being for some only as it had been previously. ”
“This is truly a momentous thing, for it is a way of saying that in the church age, which the coming of the Holy Spirit would inaugurate, all would be ministers of God, not merely a special corps of workers.” --James Boice in The Minor Prophets Vol. 1
B. CHRIST! CHRIST! CHRIST!
NOTE: The content of Peter’s sermon.
· He quoted 5 verses from Joel to explain the nature of what the crowd was observing.
· In all 15 of the verses in the rest of his sermon Christ is mentioned or alluded to. It was all about Christ!!
ACTS 2.22
attested to you by God…
ἀποδείκνυμιa: to cause something to be known as genuine
ACTS 2.23
delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge…
taken by lawless hands…
ACTS 2.30
God had sworn…
He foreseeing this spoke…
2 Samuel 7:12 (ESV)
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
Psalm 89:4 (ESV)
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’”
and build your throne for all generations.’”
ACTS 2.32
God raised up…
we are all witnesses…
ACTS 2.33
being exalted…
received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit…
He poured out this which you now see…
ACTS 2.34-35
Psalm 110.1
ACTS 2.36
this Jesus … both Lord and Christ…
ACTS 2.38
repent…
Peter’s answer was forthright. First, they were to repent. This verb (metanoēsate) means “change your outlook,” or “have a change of heart; reverse the direction of your life.” This obviously results in a change of conduct, but the emphasis is on the mind or outlook.[3]
Repentance vs. fruits of repentance
be baptized…
It is unfortunate that the translation of Acts 2:38 in the King James Version suggests that people must be baptized in order to be saved because this is not what the Bible teaches. The Greek word eis (which is translated “for” in the phrase “for the remission of sins”) can mean “on account of” or “on the basis of.” In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist baptized on the basis that people had repented. Acts 2:38 should not be used to teach salvation by baptism. If baptism is essential for salvation, it seems strange that Peter said nothing about baptism in his other sermons (Acts 3:12–26; 5:29–32; 10:34–43). In fact, the people in the home of Cornelius received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized! (Acts 10:44–48)
1. We are just as responsible for Christ’s crucifixion.
2. We must believe the Gospel about Christ.
3. We must turn from our sin and confidence in human efforts to faith in Christ alone.
APPLICATION:
What is your response to Christ who was crucified, raised, and exalted?
IV. PRACTICES OF THE SPIRIT FILLED CHURCH
A. APOSTLE'S DOCTRINE
ACTS 2.42 continued steadfastly
in the Apostles doctrine Luke makes three points.
(1) The apostles regarded teaching as one of their main responsibilities (cf. 6:1–6).
(2) The believers continuously listened to the apostles.
You cannot be impacted by something you never hear!
(3) The believers practiced what they heard the apostles teach [4]
The Bible wasn’t written for reading, it was written for doing.
- TBC offers two preaching services with the AM services being online. There is teaching in the flocks, men's and women's Bible studies. We have Sunday school, AWANA, etc. for the youth and children.
- TBC members and attenders should be consistently reading their Bibles and memorizing and meditating.
B. THINGS IN COMMON
and fellowship
ACTS 2.44
together, and all things in common…
- Deacon’s Fund at TBC: If any of you have a rent-house you want to sell and donate the money to our Deacon's Fund, we will put it to good use helping the saints at TBC who have financial difficulties. We should all be giving toward that.
The fellowship of the Jerusalem believers was anything but shallow. They were willing to use their material possessions for the needs of their fellow believers. This goes way beyond the Hellenistic theme of friendship[5]
C. MEALS AND PRAYERS
breaking bread…
· “Breaking of bread” probably refers to their regular meals, but at the close of each meal, they probably paused to remember the Lord by observing what we call “the Lord’s Supper.”
- Application: When is the last time you have attending a Connection group or had a meal with someone from church.
- The assignment this month: Get together for a meal with another family or another person at TBC.
prayers…
The fourth characteristic of the church is the “prayers” (προσευχαί) of the believers. The plural implies regular prayer practices of the Christian believers,789 …
. Luke does not clarify whether private or communal prayers are in view, but 1:24 and 4:23–31 indicate that the latter is certainly included.
. Luke does not clarify whether private or communal prayers are in view, but 1:24 and 4:23–31 indicate that the latter is certainly included.
The paucity of [scarce] evidence makes the inclusion of “prayers” as one of the essential activities of the Christians even more remarkable, especially if a reference is made to communal prayers.
- Pray corps each Sunday morning during the service, Mondays @ 8:30 AM, and Tuesdays at 2 PM.
- Flock prayer lists and TBC Today prayer requests.
D. DAILY IN THE TEMPLE
ACTS 2.46
daily…in the Temple…
· The Christians you meet in the Book of Acts were not content to meet once a week for “services as usual.” They met daily (Acts 2:46), cared daily (Acts 6:1), won souls daily (Acts 2:47), searched the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11), and increased in number daily (Acts 16:5). Their Christian faith was a day-to-day reality, not a once-a-week routine.
· The statement does not necessarily mean that every believer met every single day. Luke could simply say that every day there were meetings of believers in Solomon’s Portico on the Temple Mount.
E. PRAISING GOD
ACTS 2.47
praising God…
They glorified God in their prayers, and when they spoke about God’s blessings through Jesus, Israel’s Messiah and Lord, they cheered God’s wisdom in approval and thus recommended him to unbelievers who might be present.
- Praising God should be a regular part of our daily conversations. How many people know your football team, but not that you are a Christian?
F. FAVOR / THE LORD ADDED
having favor with all the people…
The Christians of Jerusalem “enjoyed the respect” (ἔχοντες χάριν) of all the Jewish people (λαός) living in Jerusalem. The phrase also shows that the followers of Jesus were recognized as a specific group early on.
When Christians live in the Spirit, the world takes notice.
- When the Holy Spirit is working in his body, these things will happen. The world will note and respect what God is doing. How do we expect anybody to have an interest in Christ when these things are not happening? When the Holy Spirit is doing His work in our body, the lost will come to the Lord.
BIG IDEA:
The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ
and to empower His Body to do the same.
[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Ac 1:5.
[2] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Ac 1:5.
789 Cf. Acts 1:14–15; 3:1; 4:24–30; 12:12.
