WWUTT 2546 The Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4)

The Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles like a mighty rushing wind, with tongues of fire distributing themselves upon them. We may not receive the Holy Spirit in the same way, but we do have the Holy Spirit when we understand the text.

This is When We Understand the Text, a daily study in the Word of Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness. Find all our videos and other ministry resources at www .utt .com.

Here once again is Pastor Gabe.

Acts 2 and the Day of Pentecost

Thank you, Becky. In our study of the book of Acts, we have come to Acts 2. This is the Pentecost chapter. When the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples, they go into Jerusalem and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let me begin by reading Acts 2, verses 1 -13. And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

And there appeared to them tongues like fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together and were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.

So they were astounded and marveling, saying, Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the district of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs.

We hear them in our own tongues, speaking of the mighty deeds of God. And they all continued in astonishment and great perplexity, saying to one another, What does this mean? But others, mocking, were saying, They are full of new wine.

And we'll get at least that far today. As we open up this second chapter, we'll get to Peter's sermon at Pentecost. After we consider this introduction to the gifting of the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the gospel to all the world, fulfilling what Jesus had said in Acts 1 -8, You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

That even serves as kind of an outline of the book of Acts. And so here we come to that first part with the disciples preaching in Jerusalem. So back up to verse 1, And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all together in one place.

Now, fully come seems to indicate that this was the day of Pentecost specifically. There was probably a lot of other festival that was going on before and after, but this was that day. This was the day that Jesus was telling his disciples to go back into Jerusalem and wait.

For.

Now, he didn't say it was going to be on Pentecost, but he simply said, wait for the Holy Spirit is going to come to you. And we're seeing this sort of this redefining or repurposing of those holidays, those holy days that God had set apart for the Jews to celebrate according to the law.

So at Passover, Jesus was with his disciples and partaking in the Lord's table. And he took the Passover meal and repurposed it for something else. The bread that they ate was now going to represent the body of Christ.

This is my body, which is given for you, is what he said to them. And then the cup that they drank as part of that meal, Jesus specified as being his blood. This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins and passed it among them and said, do this in remembrance of me.

So now Passover has a new meaning for them. And here we are at Pentecost, the next holiday, 50 days after Passover or 50 days after the wave offering is given at Passover, specifically because Passover was more than just one day.

So it's right after the wave offering, 50 days after the wave offering is Pentecost. Now in the Old Testament, this holiday was referred to as the Feast of Weeks. Pentecost is the Greek name for this particular festival.

If you remember from Leviticus 23, you shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering there at Passover. So then after seven full weeks, then that's the day of Pentecost.

You shall count seven weeks, begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. So of course, seven weeks is 49 days, but being 50 after Passover is where the name Pentecost has come from.

Penta meaning five and coupled with cost, the word literally means 50. So it's at 50 days after the wave offering or after Passover at this particular time, and it celebrated the end of the grain harvest.

So this was when the Jews came together and they celebrated all that God had provided.

Them with.

And remember the way that Israel received blessing in the Old Testament was through the land. God blessed them through the land. So what they harvested, what they brought in from the harvest was evidence of the blessing of God upon them.

So they would gather together for this festival and give offering and praise unto the Lord. Now you will know as we go through Acts chapter two, that what is happening here is a fulfillment of what was prophesied in Joel chapter two.

And this is, uh, this is even talked about as Peter says to the people is what we get to next with Peter preaching the sermon at Pentecost. He says in verse 17, all of this was spoken through the prophet Joel.

It shall be in the last days that I will pour out my spirit on all mankind. And that's what the people are witnessing, the fulfillment of that prophecy that was made in Joel two, where, well, it's even said there in Joel two before that.

That, uh, that Yahweh will say to his people, this is Joel two verse 19, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied in full with them. And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.

Now that seems to indicate that all of this would happen at Pentecost. So even part of the prophecy was connected with the people bringing in the grain and celebrating God for the bountiful harvest. So it seems to indicate there, even in Joel, even in this prophecy concerning the gift of the Holy Spirit, that this would happen at Pentecost.

So this is the fulfillment of that which had been prophesied in the old Testament. When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all together in one place. And this is reminding us that they've been gathered together in that upper room since the first chapter.

Well, they've been there since Passover, obviously. So it's the same place that they were gathered together for the last supper with Jesus. After Jesus was crucified, they hid in that place. After Jesus ascended from them, which we read about in chapter one, they came back to that place and that was where the church gathered and they dedicated themselves to prayer.

And they talked about those things that Jesus taught them concerning how he was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. And they just remained there waiting for when the Holy Spirit would be poured upon them, as Jesus said it would be.

And they would know. They would know when it happens. And this is a pretty good indication that the Holy Spirit has come. There's no question that something miraculous has taken place here. It is even observed by the people in Jerusalem that there is a miracle happening.

The Sound of the Spirit Like a Violent Rushing Wind

So now verse two, and suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Now that does not mean that there was a violent wind. This is the sound that's like a violent rushing wind that comes from heaven.

So it's the sound of a wind with no wind. And that certainly catches people's attention. Why would anybody be terribly startled by a wind unless it was a very violent wind that starts blowing things apart?

That certainly would get your attention. But here it's just the sound of a rushing wind. And that's significant because here in a moment as we're going to read, it's the sound of the wind that brings the multitude together and they witnessed the disciples there speaking in other languages.

So this noise comes from heaven. It appears to come from above. Not all around, but it is actually something born from heaven. And it fills the whole house is what it said in verse two. The sound of the wind, I suppose, fills the whole house where they were sitting.

And there appeared to them tongues like fire distributing themselves. So if there's ever been anybody that has depicted this in a movie or a TV show or something like this, and they've demonstrated it as a wind blowing about in the room, well, that would have been inaccurate because it wasn't a wind rushing the room.

It was the sound, the noise of that's like a violent rushing wind, kind of like when if you've ever heard of people describe the sound of a tornado, that it sounds like a freight train. I've been close enough to one to know what that sounds like.

It's not a freight train. A tornado is an afraid train. The sounds are not identical, but it does sound like it. It sounds like a giant train going by the rumble and bumble of box cars that just go on and on and on these massive moving vehicles.

And here you have a tornado that's spinning around and around and around. There's not really any weight to it because it's just air moving, but the air is moving with such force that it generates a sound that sounds like a freight train.

So this would have been that same kind of a thing. This is not the moving of wind, but whatever is happening here is generating a sound. God is causing a sound that is coming from heaven. When you read about the Israelites gathered at Mount Sinai in Exodus, Chapter 19, before the Lord speaks from the mountain and gives them the Ten Commandments, it says that there were peals of thunder and there was a sound that was like trumpets.

It wasn't literally trumpet blasts, but it had the sound of the roar of of mighty waters and of a chorus of trumpets. The Apostle John also brings out in Revelation, Chapter one, that when he has a vision of the glorified Christ, that he spoke with the sound of mighty rushing water.

So it isn't the sound of waves, literally waves that he's hearing. But the blast of his voice is so intense. It's like the roar of the sea when it gets violent and the and the waves begin to roll. So that that appears to be the description here.

It's not a wind itself, but a sound like a violent rushing wind. And we know from Scripture that wind is often connected to a mighty work that God does. If you think about the the plagues on Egypt, there was an occasion in which Moses stretched out his staff and an east wind comes upon the land and it brought locusts with it.

Or when the Israelites came to the Red Sea and they had nowhere to go with Egypt pursuing them from behind, Moses lifted his staff and a wind came, a wind rushed upon the sea. And as it blew, it separated the waters.

Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as being like a wind or he makes a comparison anyway. This is when he was talking with Nicodemus in John, Chapter three. And he said regarding the work of the Holy Spirit, the wind blows where it wishes and you hear it sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.

So it is with everyone who is born of the spirit. So giving an analogy of the Holy Spirit to Nicodemus, he makes a comparison with the wind when the Lord breathed the breath of life into Adam. In Genesis two, seven, it says that he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living creature.

Well, the Hebrew word for breath is the same word for wind. It can be used both ways, just depends on the context. So you see these, these occasional comparisons with the wind, the movement of the Holy Spirit or the work of God being compared with wind.

Fire, Tongues, and the Gift of Speaking in Tongues

And likewise, the work of God is described as being like fire. When Moses found the bush that was burning but was not consumed or incinerated, the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush as the bush was burning yet not consumed.

That's Exodus three, two. When the Lord descends upon Mount Sinai, the mountain pours out smoke that goes up in the air, burning as though like a kiln. It says Isaiah 10, 17, the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy one a flame and it will burn and devour his thorns and briars in one day.

In the book of Hebrews, it says the Lord is a consuming fire. So you have all these references to fire that the Lord's wrath even burns like fire. And here the Holy Spirit comes as fire, but it's not a fire of judgment.

It is just the appearance of fire, which is probably very much like the appearance of God in the burning bush when speaking to Moses. So it's descriptive of God being a consuming fire and that judgment will even come upon the people with fire.

But this fire, as it descends upon the disciples, it being like fire is bringing to them the Holy Spirit who fills them and gives them this amazing power manifested in speaking in tongues, speaking in different languages.

And they go into Jerusalem speaking these languages. So again, with, uh, with verse three, there appeared to them tongues like fire distributing themselves and they rested on each one of them. Just like with the noise of the violent rushing wind, we can only imagine what this would have been like.

But I think some of those paintings that depict this, which shows the fire is like, you know, kind of bulbous at the bottom and a, and a lick of fire that goes up almost like the flame on a candle wick, but expanded, made larger.

I think that's probably accurate that that may have been what these tongues of fire looked like, especially describing them like that tongues of fire. So what typically do you think of when somebody mentions tongues of fire, it's those licks of flame at the top of a fire, right?

It's not the whole fire itself, but the, those licks that dance off the top, those are tongues of fire. So something like this, but not having a fire source, there's not something burning. It's just fire that's descending and it distributes themselves.

So the, so these different tongues rest upon each one of the apostles is what is what appears to be described here. And this is filling them with the Holy Spirit. Verse four, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the spirit was giving them utterance.

Now we'll consider this a little bit further tomorrow where they go into Jerusalem and they actually proclaim the gospel in these other tongues. What would this have been like? And the text gives us a pretty clear indication.

I think our questions about what speaking in tongues may be, they are answered for us here in Acts two. It's answered in Acts two verses one through 13, exactly what the New Testament is referring to or even the book of Acts is referring to when it comes to speaking in tongues.

And I believe first Corinthians as well. When, when we read about speaking in tongues in the New Testament, it occurs first here in Acts chapter two. So you have to read from here onward, not try to read your own meaning and interpretation into tongues wherever else it's mentioned in the New Testament.

Anyway, we're, we'll discuss that tomorrow, but still sticking with this, this description of the Holy Spirit coming upon them. It's not that the Holy Spirit is the flame itself, but this is just the way that the Lord has chosen to demonstrate the coming of this power on the disciples.

And remember, there are many witnesses that are there in the upper room. It's not just the 12. So they're all observing this and seeing this happen. Now, if you've ever seen the paintings, the artwork of this, if a Roman Catholic had painted a depiction of this scene, they often put Mary in the middle.

She's right there in the middle because remember she's mentioned in chapter one. It's the last time in the entire Bible that she is mentioned the mother of Jesus, but, but they really take that and run with it.

So they put Mary at the center and she's always elevated a little bit higher than the rest of the disciples. And the, and the tongues of fire kind of come upon the disciples in her presence and somehow in reverence and awe of her, even though nothing in the text indicates that whatsoever.

So that's, that's not the way it would have looked, but she may have been there. She and the half brothers of Jesus and everybody else that was described for us in chapter one are all there when the Holy Spirit is given.

And this would have included Matthias. I'll talk about this later. We'll, I'll wait though till we get to chapter nine when the apostle Paul is called. But there are some that make the argument that Matthias actually wasn't the 12th apostle and that it should have been Paul.

So the disciples were actually hasty in assigning a 12th apostle, but I don't think that's the case at all. And especially when it comes to the gifting of the Holy Spirit here, it's not like 11 tongues of fire would have come upon the 11 apostles and they're all looking at Matthias going, why didn't you get one?

Those apostles that are going to go out into Jerusalem, preaching the gospel, all receive the Holy Spirit and begin to speak with other tongues and the languages that are represented or that are spoken of in verses nine through 11, that's 12 languages.

So you have 12 apostles, 12 languages that are speaking these different languages, though they did not previously know those languages. And this is a demonstration. It's clearly miraculous, a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit that has been given to the apostles exactly as Jesus said.

The Holy Spirit in Every Christian and a Life of Holiness

Now we are not going to receive the Holy Spirit in this way. Those churches that will claim to be able to manifest these glory clouds that'll either be a fog machine that has made it or they dump glitter from the ceiling or whatever gimmick they go about doing, claiming that this is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

It's a trick. And this is not the way the Holy Spirit comes to us. But every single one of us who are Christians do have the Holy Spirit. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have been regenerated by his spirit.

As Titus three, five says, your heart has been made new. You have the spirit of God dwelling within you. As the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter eight, that he is interceding for us with groanings that are too deep for words.

Even when we don't know what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf. And as the apostle Paul says, also in first Corinthians chapter six, your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you and has been given from God.

So every one of us has the spirit with us. If you are a follower of Christ, so don't grieve the spirit by devoting yourself and your bodies to sinful things. If you are a temple of God who dwells within you, then you should live your life in such a way that is worthy of God dwelling within you.

As Paul will say in Romans 12, one in view of God's mercies, present your bodies as living sacrifices unto the Lord, holy and acceptable to him. And this is your spiritual act of worship. We would live out as a living testimony to the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, doing the righteousness of God.

So depart from sin, walk in the righteousness that you have been given, and especially do not sin in such a way that desecrates this temple of God that he dwells in. You have the spirit dwelling within you.

Rejoice in God and honor him with your body. Heavenly Father, as we finish this up for today, I thank you for what we have read. And as you guide us into all truth, teach us what this means to know that the Holy Spirit is dwelling within us and how this should change our lives and our conduct.

As said in Ezekiel 36, the Lord promising to give his spirit who will cause us to walk in your statutes and be careful to obey your rules. And so may your spirit convict our hearts when we go astray and guide us in paths of righteousness for your name's sake.

It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Thank you for listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. If you'd like to support this ministry, visit our website www .wutt .com and click on the Give tab in the top right corner of the page.

Join us again tomorrow as we continue our Bible study when we understand the text.