Dwell in the Word: Acts 2:14-21

Contemplate these questions as you dwell in Acts 2:14-21:

1. How does Peter's sermon in Acts address the misconception that the disciples were drunk during the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? What key message does Peter convey from the prophecy of Joel regarding the pouring out of the Spirit?

2. What does the phrase "pour out my spirit on all flesh" signify in Peter's sermon? How does this concept signify a departure from the exclusivity of the Hebrew people as God's chosen, and what broader implication does it hold for the spread of the gospel?

3. How does Peter emphasize the inclusivity of salvation in his message? What is the central criterion for salvation according to Peter's preaching, and how does this reflect the fundamental message of the gospel? Additionally, what application does Peter provide for those who have called on the name of the Lord?

Transcript:

 So, we have here the beginning of Peter's sermon. He is addressing what these people had said when they heard these people, or when they heard the apostles speaking in other languages. He's saying they had said, um, ah, they're drunk, but Peter's saying, no, they're not. Uh, they, it's only the third hour of the day that they're, they're not going to be, uh,  Drunk just yet and so instead Peter is explaining this and this is the beginning of this amazing sermon of Peter's He says in the last days it shall be God declares that will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters Shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams the idea here Is that peter is quoting from the prophet Joel and he's letting us know that this is what was promised to happen And so what is going on this this idea that the spirit will be poured out on all flesh What does that mean?

Does that mean every single person receives the holy spirit? No, that's not what it's saying the idea of all flesh is that All people, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of their background, you know, who their parents are, they are able to receive the Holy Spirit because this isn't just a Hebrew thing anymore.

This isn't just the Hebrew people are the people of God and that's it.  The, the spirit is being poured out on all flesh, and the idea here is that with all these languages that now the gospel will go out into the world, it won't be contained to this region and this region's language, the gospel goes out to the whole world, as I said on Friday.

The idea here is that, is that the curse of babble is undone. The Word of the Lord is going out to all the people groups. And what else do we see here? We see that sons and daughters will prophesy. It doesn't matter if you're male or female. Uh, you will have the Spirit. Young men shall see visions. Yep, the young, but also the old men.

And on the male servants and female servants, they also shall have the Spirit and prophesy. And the idea here is that it doesn't matter if you're male or female, young or old, poor or rich.  It doesn't matter. What matters is, is that you are in Christ. And so, then Paul, or Peter, goes about letting us know some other stuff.

And he continues to read the prophecies, the prophecy from Joel. I will show wonders in the heavens above, signs in the earth below, the sun shall return to darkness, moon to blood. You know, we've heard all this.  There's more that can be talked about, uh, with this passage than we have time to look at. We're not going to look at the ramifications of this great and magnificent day of the Lord.

What we want to look at today is what is happening here and what is, what is Peter saying? Well, the idea in this prophecy is that there is an upheaval. That, that, that things are changing, that, that, that, that, that which was now on the bottom is on the top and that which is on the top is on the bottom.

There is an upheaval. Things have been changed that now the gospel is going out into the whole world. This is a great and good thing. And so how does Peter end this little portion that we've read here today? And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. In other words, how we are saved.

It's not by the things that we merit, but by having faith, by calling on the name of the Lord, by saying that I trust in Christ. I don't trust in myself. I'm not going to work my way to heaven. Instead, I'm going to call on the name of the Lord and say, save me, oh God.  And so that is the important thing for us today.

Have we called upon the name of the Lord? Have we trusted in Christ as our only salvation? Because that is what matters in these last days, this time where the Spirit is poured out on the people. We can know that we have the Spirit because we have called on the name of the Lord. And the application for us is that because we have called upon the name of the Lord, and this is our application so often, we should be proclaiming the name of the Lord.

We should be proclaiming the gospel that others can hear and believe because the Spirit has come to all flesh. It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, who your parents are, young, old, male, female, rich, poor. Call on the name of the Lord and you'll be saved. That's the criteria. And so may we proclaim the gospel that all of those people, rich, poor, young, old, male, female, may hear and believe the good news.