Sunday 02/13/22
Message – The Spirit within, the Spirit upon
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The Spirit within, the Spirit upon
As you will remember, last week we started looking at the book of Acts.
Also, remember that the “Book” of Acts is actually the acts of the Holy Spirit in and through the church and the way that account is laid out in this letter is as a literal and formal, systematic treatment of those events. The book of letters of Acts is therefore to the New Testament, what the books of Chronicles is to the Old Testament.
As such, according to it’s author Luke, it is an account of “all that Jesus BEGAN to do and teach”.
So what we are looking for as we read and study, are examples of this cooperation between the Holy Spirit and the church in continuing Jesus’ ministry of the work of the Kingdom.
Now, many people call this letter the ‘Acts of the Apostles’, and while they do play a major & vital role, the “ACTS” are not restricted to them alone. The difference between the number of times the Apostles are mentioned in key roles as compared to the church as large is only about 10 additional times in this letter.
Acts 2:1-47,
“(1) Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.”
Remember, I taught you a few weeks ago when we covered the book of Joel in our lessons ‘Thru the Bible’, that this day we now call Pentecost was, at the time, called the beginning of the Feast of Weeks, which always occurred 50 days after the beginning of First Fruits.
Who can recount for me what transpired during those 50 days following Jesus’ resurrection?
History & significance of First fruits & the Feast of weeks
You may remember how in the wilderness God spoke to Moses and told him to tell Israel that ONCE they had settled in the promised land they were to observe The Feast of Firstfruits which of course they could not observe until they had settled in the Promised Land and had their first harvest of barley.
This feast was a rehearsal for the day when the first fruit harvest of souls under the New Covenant would take place immediately following the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
The disciples and the women who followed Jesus were the first born again believers and thereby represented the first fruits of the kingdom of God. Following this feast was the Feast of Weeks.
For this festival, they were to count 50 days from the Feast of Firstfruits (or 7 sabbaths) to the end of the wheat harvest and then celebrate the bringing in of the new grain offering for the Lord.
We have the advantage of knowing part of what this was “rehearsing” due to this account we will read this morning here in Act’s the 2nd chapter. The day of Pentecost is the day to which this feast corresponds. Peter tells us as much in a few verses.
Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for POWER from on High.
God had set up Israel to be largely in Jerusalem in mass on this day so that when His Spirit was poured out, the great majority of the men of each family in Israel would all be present.
“(2) Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting. (3) And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them. (4) All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.”
This is a clear shout back to Jesus’ teaching on being lights of the world which itself was quite possibly a shout back to the cities of refuge under the Old Covenant mentioned in Numbers 35.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” ~Matthew 5:14
In ancient times, cities were often built on a hill, and some evidence suggests that this was especially true regarding Israel’s six cities of refuge. At least three of the original cities can be confirmed to have been situated atop a mountain.
They were strategically located, throughout the promised land, so that no one in Israel was more than a day’s journey from one of them. You may remember that these were designated as havens for those who had committed involuntary manslaughter, “that the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood“ ~Joshua 20:3.
The specific three I am mentioning were located in
- Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali
- Shechem in mount Ephraim and
- Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
The other three were also likely upon mountains of high hills. They were
- Ramoth which was on Mount Gilead,
- Golan on the Golan Heights east of the Sea of Galilee, and
- Bezer possibly on the high tablelands east of the Dead Sea.
So it is most likely true and would be in keeping with God’s intended goal that these cities could be seen from a great distance, even at night, by its watch fires.
These cities served spiritually as a type and foreshadowing of Christ, to Whom we have “fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us“ according to Hebrews 6:18. Not to mention that Jesus Himself said that as long as He was in the world, He was it’s light.
Later He also said that we who are His are the lights of the world.
Matthew 5:13-16,
“13 You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people. 14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.”
Acts 2…
“(5) Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven residing in Jerusalem. (6) When this sound occurred, a crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.”
“(7) Completely baffled, they said, “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? (8) And how is it that each one of us hears them in our own native language? (9) Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and the province of Asia, (10) Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, (11) both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs – we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great deeds God has done!”
Notice several things here…
The miracle was NOT the “speaking in tongues” which was to take place as we continue through the book of Acts when people would “receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit” subsequent to salvation, which tongue, Paul refers to as praying in the Spirit [Acts 19:2-6]. That “tongue” we are not even supposed to understand but it builds us up in our faith [1Cor. 14:17; Jude 1:20] and is nothing less than our spirits praying directly to the Father BY the Holy Spirit [Rom. 8:26,27]. Nor is it the same ‘tongues” which operates IN the church as a spiritual gift, since that “tongue” has to be interpreted so that all may learn and all be edified [1Cor. 14:26-28].
No this “tongue” was one which was NOT prayer to God, was not to build up the faith of those in the upper room and it did not need to be interpreted. Notice what it says here, “…how is it that each one of us hears them in our own native language?… we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great deeds God has done!” – Acts 2:7-11.
“(12) All were astounded and greatly confused, saying to one another,
“What does this mean?”
(13) But others jeered at the speakers, saying, “They are drunk on new wine!”
(14) But Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them:”
Notice that Peter stood up WITH THE ELEVEN – this is significant, because it offers us yet one more testament to the fact that Matthias was indeed picked by God to fill the shoes and fulfill the portion of the ministry given initially to Judas who committed treason against the Lord.
“You men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this and listen carefully to what I say. (15) In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
(16) But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel:
(17) ‘And in the last days it will be,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out My Spirit on all people, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and 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) And I will perform wonders in the sky above and miraculous signs on the earth below, blood and fire and clouds of smoke. (20) The sun will be changed to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. (21) And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ”
Notice that all of this is to advance God’s agenda on the earth (the Day of the Lord) and the final establishment of His Kingdom in the hearts of His people and on the earth.
“(22) Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you through Him, just as you yourselves know – (23) this man, Who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing Him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles.
(24) But God raised Him up, having released Him from the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held in its power.
(25) For David says about Him, ‘I saw the Lord always in front of me, for He is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken. (26) Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body also will live in hope, (27) because you will not leave My soul in Hades, nor permit Your Holy One to experience decay. (28) You have made known to Me the paths of life; you will make Me full of joy with Your presence.’
(29) “Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about our forefather David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. (30) So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, (31) David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His body experience decay.
(32) This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it. (33) So then, exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out what you both SEE and HEAR.
“(34) For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at My right hand (35) until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’
(36) Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus Whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.”
Saved from…saved to…
“(37) Now when they heard this, they were acutely distressed and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?”
(38) Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (39) For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
(40) With many other words he testified and exhorted them saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse generation!”
(41) So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added.
(42) They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
(43) Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles.”
Notice what it says here – wonders and miraculous signs came about BY the apostles. Earlier it, when Peter was quoting David, God said He Himself would “(19) And I will perform wonders in the sky above and miraculous signs on the earth below, blood and fire and clouds of smoke. (20) The sun will be changed to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. (21) And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Acts 2…
“(44) All who believed were together and held everything in common, (45) and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need.
(46) Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts,(47) praising God and having the good will of all the people.
And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.”
Many translations use the word “Church” here instead of “to their number”, but that is misleading. The word here is the word ekklēsía, by CAN mean a local assembly of Believers, but even then it NEVER carried the meaning of church as it does today – meaning a group of Christians who all ATTEND Christian meetings in a religiously sanctioned building to which they hold memberships under the leadership of a single pastor.
The term ekklēsía actually denoted the NT community of the redeemed in two manifestations.
First, all who were called by and to Christ in the fellowship of His salvation, the church worldwide of all times, and only secondarily to a city church comprised of Christians who gathered house to house for fellowship, instruction and training for ministry around the word under the oversight of local elders and who sometimes may assemble all in one place if and when that was even possible.
Blessings!
