May 19 Sermon: From Prophecy to Reality

We consider the significance of Pentecost in this week’s message on Acts 2:1-21. Discover how the Holy Spirit transcends language barriers, fulfills God's promises, and unites diverse peoples under one faith. Join us as we explore the miraculous event that marked the birth of the Church and the urgency of spreading the gospel to every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Consider these questions as you listen to the message:

1. How does the event of Pentecost serve as a fulfillment of God's promises made throughout Scripture?

2. In what ways does the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost challenge our understanding of community and unity within the Church?

3. What are the practical implications for believers today in understanding that the gospel message is urgent and meant for all people globally?

Transcript:

I'm guessing that most of us have been in a situation where language barriers have made communication rather difficult for us. You know, we live in a multicultural world where travel is very easy, where moving around is pretty simple, so you get to be around these things. And chances are, you've maybe been in an environment where you were the only one who spoke the language that you speak, and you didn't understand anything that was being said, or maybe even what was going on around you. This is really the case, of course, if you're in another country with a group of people who are from that country. This past January, when I went to Ethiopia, there were several times where I was the only person who didn't speak the native language. There was no native language there. Now, nearly everyone around me could speak English, so I never had times where I didn't feel like I couldn't communicate with people. But when I was with the group of people, it was much easier for them to communicate in their native language about something that was important to them and didn't pertain to me than it was for them to stumble over their English when it didn't matter to me, right? So there were many times where we would be in vehicles, and we would be in a car, and we would be in a car, and we would be in a car, traveling together, and I would be sitting there for long periods of time where I didn't hear a word that I understood. I didn't know if they were talking about how wonderful the scenery was, something pertaining to the ministry, or how funny looking I was. I had no idea. I was completely lost. But then suddenly, words that were familiar to me would be spoken, and I was very quickly aware that I was speaking the native language. I was speaking the native language, and I was addressing me. They didn't even have to speak my name, right? As soon as words that I understood came into that vehicle, I knew that my input was requested, or I needed to have some information about what was going on, because they switched to speaking words that I could understand. Well, this Sunday, we are 50 days after Easter, and so it's time for us to remember the event that took place. On Pentecost. Now, on that day, the people in the crowds took notice of what the apostles were saying, because it was in their own language. What should have been impossible for them to understand quickly became plain, because of the work of the Holy Spirit on that day. It got their attention, because they could understand. So, as we come to this passage from the book of Acts, we're going to see that this is significant, not just because it was a miraculous event, but because it was the fulfillment of prophecy, and was a way in which God was taking the message of Christ crucified, resurrected, and ascended out into the entire world. So, let's take a look at three points for us as we look through these 21 verses, and then we'll dig into the text a little bit this morning. The first thing I want us to see and focus on is how this is the fulfillment of the promise of God. Last week, when we were considering the ascension, I mentioned that this wasn't the backup plan. The ascension was plan A. And in the same way, this coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, it is not a reaction to what happened to Jesus, but instead, it was the way in which God ordained and had planned to make a people for his own possession. Second, we need to understand the unity that this event creates. You know, at the Tower of Babel, not only were languages confused, but people groups were created and scattered. From there, God used the Hebrew people to bring about his Messiah, but the end goal was to end that separation caused by the event and bring people from every tribe, every tongue, and nation to himself. And then finally, we're reminded that the gospel is a message of urgency. It's vital that we hear it and we believe it because it is the means by which God reconciles us to himself and he brings us salvation. So let's get into this with these opening verses here from Acts chapter 2. And as I said, our first point for today is that this is a fulfillment of the promise of God. And we will get into what Peter says in his sermon about this, but I want to remember that this is also the fulfillment of a more recent promise, not just the promises of the Old Testament. Prior to the ascension, Jesus had told his disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait, and that the Spirit would come upon them there. And we see here that the disciples were being obedient to the command that God had given them. And so, we're going to that Jesus had gave them. And on the day of Pentecost, it comes to pass, just as Jesus had said. The promise, the short-term one here, is fulfilled. And it's important that we remember that Pentecost was not a special occasion, or that Pentecost was a special occasion before any of this happened. Pentecost was also known as the Feast of Weeks, and it was another one of the Jewish feasts that the people would travel to Jerusalem to observe. Now, my initial reaction to this feast, being just a few weeks after Passover, is to wonder, why did God put all these so close together? Why did I have to travel all the way to Jerusalem, and then 50 days later, go back again? Well, then my brain kicked in, and I realized that we observe two feasts very close together. Less than 50 days. We'll travel a long ways for Thanksgiving, right? And then we get right back in the car again to feast one more time on Christmas. Many of these people in this time would make their way to Jerusalem for both feasts. It was a lot more difficult for them. They didn't just pack another suitcase and fuel up the Suburban. And we'll get to the significance of this event being on the Feast of Pentecost as we get further down into the text. But before we move on, it is of necessity that we see what it is that happens here. We read that from heaven, a sound of mighty rushing wind and divided tongues as of fire appeared, and they rest on each of them, and they began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now, I'm sure, much like me, you've tried to imagine what this looked like. And for me, I'm just never happy with how my brain tries to put this story together. As many times as I've imagined it, I'm not happy with any of the ways in which I've formulated in my head. It would be amazing to have witnessed this. But in all of this, the most astounding thing here isn't actually the imagery that we try to imagine, but what is happening, right? Rushing wind and tongues of fire are amazing visuals, hard for us to imagine, but isn't the greatest thing that we can imagine? This miracle here, that they're speaking in these other languages. And it's important that we remember that this was them speaking in actual languages. This was not them babbling. It was these disciples of Jesus able to communicate with words that they shouldn't know otherwise. That is the real miracle, because you can't fake this. You can't just babble and sound like you're talking in another language. You cannot fake this. Even with something like Google Translate nowadays, I can't fake actually knowing the language for very long. I can say a few phrases in some languages, but I can't fake actually knowing it and being able to communicate with meaning for very long at all. And it's important that we remember why it is that this event is needed. Why did God fulfill the promises? Why did God fulfill the promises of bringing his people together in this way? Think back to the book of Genesis and to the Tower of Babel. Prior to that event, there was one language. And so there was one people group. And the rebellion of humanity against the clear command of God to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth after the flood caused God to judge them and confuse their languages. And so this created these different people groups all over the world. Now think back even further in Genesis to help us out here. Go back to the garden and to the promise of God after the fall. Our first parents rebelled against God and all of humanity fell into sin. And then a promise was made in Genesis 3.15 that one would come who would crush the head of the serpent. Remember, that promise was made to one people group because there was only one people group. The people who were the posterior of Adam and Eve were all the ones affected by sin and they all needed a savior. The promise of a savior was to everyone who would come after Adam. But after the Tower of Babel, we actually see the story of scripture narrow, right? It focuses on one particular people group, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Hebrews, the Jews, they were the ones whose line was going to lead to the people. They were the ones who were going to promise Messiah. But we have to remember the work of the Messiah from the beginning is promised for all people. It's a promise for everyone. So after the Lord Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection, he ascended to the right hand of the Father and he is now king over all the people of the earth. And so here at Pentecost, we see that Babel is undone. The message is no longer an exclusive word to one particular people, one particular tribe and language. Instead, this message of salvation by grace through faith is to go to all people everywhere because our ascended king is Lord over all. So that is why it's important that we understand that this isn't nonsense babbling happening here at Pentecost. This shows us that God is keeping his promise to all people. And remember, this was a theme throughout the Old Testament. Yes, the Hebrews are God's people, but we always got a sense in the Old Testament that there is a day coming where all nations will be considered part of the people of God. And so we have seen that this was the plan all along. This isn't plan B of how to spread out the message of plan B. This is the fulfillment of the message of God. This is the fulfillment of the promises of God. But as we move on to the next section of this passage, we're going to see our second point of unity and why this event on this day was so important. This is happening on this day instead of a random Tuesday for a specific reason. And that reason isn't because this day has some sort of significant number code embedded in it or something like that. Look at verse 5. There were devout Jews from every nation under heaven in the city. People had come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks. They were devout Jews, and so they would travel great distances to observe these rituals and rites that God had commanded his people to do. And as I opened up, I mentioned the trigger that hearing something in our own language can be for us. When you're surrounded by words you don't understand and you hear something that you don't understand, you're surrounded by words you hear words that make sense to you, it gets your attention. It causes your ears to perk up. Imagine how this event turned the heads of these people who had come from remote regions of the Roman Empire. Remember, through the history of the Old Testament, we can see different times when the people of God were taken into exile for their disobedience and their idolatry. And so due to this, there were Jewish folk all over the world. And they were taken into exile for their disobedience and their idolatry. Over the place. And they would have been generation upon generation upon generation deep embedded in those communities, in those nations. And to do so, you know the language. It's probably the only language you really can speak. You only know that local dialect of where you had been landed in when you were sent into exile. Well, when your descendants were sent in, or when your ancestors were sent into exile. In fact, it's likely that some of them would probably travel a really great distance to get to Jerusalem. And they may not speak to someone who spoke the same dialect as them at all on all their travels going to Jerusalem. And now here they are, standing in the middle of Jerusalem, and suddenly these Galileans are talking, and they are hearing this rare dialect from their region of the world. And they're talking to someone who spoke the same dialect as them at all on all their travels going to Jerusalem. And so this is why Luke tells us that they were amazed and astonished. Nobody around them probably knew this dialect. And here it is coming from Galileans of all people. Legitimately, this is amazing. This is astonishing. But again, we have to make sure we get why this is happening. The purpose isn't to have a spectacular event to talk about. The purpose here is that the message of the gospel can now go to Jerusalem. And so this is why Luke tells us that they were amazed and astonished. out to the farthest regions of the known world. These people will hear the gospel from here, believe by faith, and take it out to where that dialect is spoken. The message of the gospel is going out here. It will advance the message of Jesus, this message that brings people into the family of God, so that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation can believe. And this would have caused this to happen at a spectacular rate. There are historical indications that this is exactly what happened. Before the temple was destroyed in the year 70, so roughly 40 years after Pentecost, there is evidence that the Christian faith had gone as far as modern-day England. Let that sink in, okay? There was no text messaging, no YouTube, no satellites, no airline travel, no cars, no railroads. And believe it or not, kids, they didn't even have landline telephones. Yet the message of the gospel had gone out into every corner of the Roman Empire within a generation, just as Jesus said it would in Matthew 24. And again, the significance of this event is not only in the miraculous sign, but it's in the fact that it accomplishes the purpose of bringing unity where there was once separation. Though they were spread by distance, by language, by ethnicity, those who came to faith by the proclamation of the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, they now became a people unified by their union to Christ. This is what was promised, and it's what comes to be reality by the spreading of the gospel to the farthest reaches of the empire. And as Peter responds, we see our first point, or our third point, third point regarding the urgency of this message of salvation. Because what happens here confuses people. It would confuse you too as well. This is such a strange event that people are actually accusing these people of being drunk. And so this causes Peter to get up and speak to the truth of what is actually happening. The truth of this being prophetic and the truth that this is uniting people everywhere. There's an urgency. There's an urgency here to this message because Peter is letting them know that the time that has been promised, the time that was promised to unify the people of God is now here. It had been spoken of previously, but now the time is. And his response is that it's not that these people are drunk. It's still pretty early in the day. They haven't been drinking at all, Peter tells us. And I think I mention this every year on Pentecost. This comment is so interesting to me because my response would have been, look, inebriated people don't speak in other languages. That's not what they do, right? But Peter has actually a better statement to make because he says it's early in the day. Now you might be thinking, why is that a better statement? People can drink early in the day. But these were faithful Jewish people. They didn't drink early in the day. They didn't drink early in the day. They were fasting. They hadn't had anything to eat. They hadn't had anything to drink. They weren't allowed to eat or drink until the fourth hour of the day. And Peter says it's just the third. So they're still an hour shy of having consumed anything at all, much less wine. But this statement and Peter's defense of these people has given him the opportunity to let them know what this is all about. And he takes that opportunity. And he quotes the prophet Joel. He had been given a word from God that told them about what they were seeing. He says that in the last days, it shall be that the spirit of God will be poured out on all flesh. So it's important that we understand how the word last days are used here. See, in Hebrew, they don't really have words that we would translate as the phrase in the future. And so the phrase in the last days here are understood to be the prophet saying this is going to happen in the time that is promised, in the time that is to come. That's what in the last days means here. In fact, in the English Standard Version of the translation of Joel, this phrase actually says it will come to pass afterwards. That's a good translation of the idea here. And so, the idea here is not that this is a sign that shows that the final few days of history are upon you. But instead, it's the idea that in the future, these things will take place signaling to you that a new time of God's pouring out of the spirit has come. And once again, this idea of this pouring out of the spirit bringing unity is present in what Peter has to say. This passage says that,

And we've seen this language so many times before in our journey through Scripture together. The idea is that instead of just one people group, just the Hebrews, just the Jews being the people of God, there will be Gentiles who are brought into the kingdom of God as well. And the idea behind what Peter says in his sermon here on Pentecost is that this is not something distant or far off. Instead, it is here now. And so, this brings with it an urgency that they should hear, that they should believe this message of salvation in Jesus Christ. And there are signs and wonders. And the day of the Lord is coming. We read this in Joel. We read that it will be a great and magnificent day. And what drives home the urgency for us is this final statement, that it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And we have all heard about a significant event. And it's been on the horizon, right? There's something significant coming up. Put it on your calendars, people will tell us. But we might not give much thought to it because it seems to be so far off. Well, then suddenly the time is here, right? And we understand that it's something that we have to do now because the time is here. A time had been promised where this thing would come to pass. It was hoped for. It was longed for. But now that time's here. So, we have to do something about it because that event is happening. And here, Peter gives us this urgency. He's telling us that this time that had been promised, this time that will be unity to the people of God. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's here. It's now. And so, this message is of the utmost urgency. The story of salvation to those from every tribe, tongue, and nation must be proclaimed so that the people of God can hear and come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And because those who heard this message that day on Pentecost understood that it was the promise of God and that it brings salvation to people everywhere and that there is an urgency to this message, that message went out to the ends of the earth from this day. And that's the reason that message comes to you here today, right? Because these people heard and believed. So, I want to go back to my opening illustration one more time as we close up. When you're with people, and you can't understand them, hearing someone speak in your own language is a jolt that gets your attention. It wakes you up, right? And as we sojourn in this world, there is so much noise around us. And this noise can cause us to be distracted, to lose our focus and our attention. It can lead us astray. And much of it, while enticing to our flesh, there is something with it. There is something within us that knows that the noise of the world leads us to death. And in the midst of that noise, the clear word of the gospel comes to us. And because the spirit that was awake and active at Pentecost is active in us through the work of God, we hear that word of the gospel. The words of the world are a foreign language, but that word of the gospel, because the spirit has given us faith, it wakes us up. And we, understand, in the midst of that noise, the gospel gets our attention. It wakes us up. And as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we understand that we have been united to Christ. We have been united to one another. And we know that this was the promise of God for his people. And now we are his people. And because we understand this, may we feel the urgency of the message of the gospel. That our children, our family, our friends, hear and believe that they might be built up in faith by this reminder of the promise of the gospel. May we hear it and understand, and may we be daily called to turn from our sin and repentance because we understand the urgency of the truth. Peter told the audience that day that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And they not only heard and believed, but they also left from there. And they took that message out into the world. And as I just said, that's why we're here. Because people heard and believed, and throughout the generations, they have brought the language of the gospel into a world filled with noise and gobbledygook that we don't understand. And that's why we are here today. So may we continue that legacy of speaking the truth. May we, as the people of God, gathered here, do the same thing that they did on Pentecost. That the Spirit might use our proclamation to call others to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. So as the people left from Pentecost that day, may we leave here from day, from here today, with that truth of the gospel in our hearts, and on our minds, and on our lips. Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for the gift of your word, but we thank you most of all that we have the same gift of the Spirit that they had that day. That the word of your truth came to us, and you helped us to understand.

You gave us this gift of faith, and you regenerate us. You gave us new life. And so, like the people on Pentecost, empower us to depart from here today, proclaiming that good news that others might hear and believe the truth of your salvation. For we know that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.