The Church Afire (Acts 2:1-13)

Where: College Baptist Church

When: April 22, 2001

Why: To show that our greatest need is God, when we are faithful and obedient to Him, prayerfully expecting Him to fulfill His promise to us, He will step into our world, as the Holy Spirit powerfully filling us, bringing glory to His name by giving us all we need to do and be what He wants us to do and be.

Text: Acts 2:1-13

Introduction

One of the great times of the year is the Fourth of July Independence Day holiday. It's a time when many childhood memories are established. The family gatherings. The picnics. Frisbee. The fair grounds. The rides. The cotton candy. The music. The fireworks.

Have you ever been to the Fourth of July fireworks celebration with children? It's almost more fun watching their faces than the fireworks, isn't it. The wide-eyed wonder. The glowing reflection of bursting, sparkling lights on innocent, awe-filled faces.

It may have been something like that for the disciples. When Jesus ascended into heaven, I mean. There are some who speculate that He didn't just float up into the clouds. It's reasonable to that the shekinah glory of God, the cloud that led the children of Israel in the wilderness, the cloud on the top of Mt. Sinai, the glorious presence on the Mt. of Transfiguration- that this is what enveloped Jesus and carried Him into heaven. And it may have been that way. And as the followers of Christ, gazed with wonder, God's glory still reflecting on their faces, two angels in radiant white appeared to them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" (1:11).

Jesus had told the disciples that He wanted them to be witnesses, testifiers to others everywhere of His reality, of His life. It is a mandate from which we have not been released. They needed to be Christ's witnesses. And they needed the power to do it. Jesus promised that in just a few days they would receive the power. That power that was the very essence of His omnipotence because He Himself would come on them as the Holy Spirit to fill them and enable them to do and be what He wanted them to do and be.

We have a universal need, a need that is common to all who claim Christ: We need Jesus and all that He promises through the filling power of the Holy Spirit. If He were still dead, we would be like the disciples had been. We would fearful followers who go into hiding, deny Him, trust in our own resources and relegate ourselves to the mundane of self-preservation. Without Him, our best efforts tend to fall flat. We work for ourselves and are never satisfied. We are inhibited and unsuccessful at Christian living.

When we understand that our greatest need is God, when we are faithful and obedient to Him, prayerfully expecting Him to fulfill His promise to us, He will step into our world, as the Holy Spirit, powerfully filling us, bringing glory to His name by giving us all we need to do and be what He wants us to do and be.

What did the disciples need? They needed to be witnesses, they needed power, and they needed Jesus' promise. Faithfully obedient, they waited in expectant prayer for 10 days for the promise to be fulfilled. God stepped into their world, powerfully filling them, bringing glory to His name by giving them all they needed to do and be what He wanted them to do and be.

Transition

"We do not know exactly why and how the Holy Spirit works, but we have been told what we must do to enjoy the fullness of the Spirit. Our situation is like that of the little boy who asked his grandfather, 'Grandpa, what is the wind?' 'I cannot explain the wind to you,' the old fisherman replied, 'but I can teach you to raise the sails!'

"The book of Acts shows us how to have the wind of the Holy Spirit in our sails. The attitude that makes way for the fullness of the Holy Spirit is the same attitude seen in Christ's followers just before the Holy Spirit was given on the Day of Pentecost." [Hughes, R. Kent, Preaching the Word: Acts- The Church Afire, (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books) 1998, c1996.]

This morning as we look at the account of the Holy Spirit coming at Pentecost, we will note what happened to the disciples, in the disciples, and through the disciples.

What happened to the disciples

1. It was a fitting time for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The disciples knew their need. They were nothing without Christ and His promises. And He had promised them the Holy Spirit and power. And they needed to be witnesses. They wanted, more than that, as His followers they needed, to do and be what Jesus wanted them to do and be. They were ready. Expectant. Praying.
2. It was fitting that He come at Pentecost. God's timing was perfect.

1. Pentecost means fiftieth. It was fifty days after Passover. It was a week of weeks (hence, also called the "Feast of Weeks"), or seven weeks after Passover.
2. Passover occurred in mid-April, by our calendar. Pentecost occurred early in June. This year, Pentecost Sunday will be on June 3.
3. It was the best time of year for travel in Palestine, so this was the Jewish feast that had the biggest crowds. We noted that Passover probably had around two and a half million people. [ Barclay, William, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Matthew - Volume 2 Chapters 11-28 (Revised Edition), (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press) 2000, c1975.]
4. The crowds in Jerusalem were at least as large, perhaps larger.
5. "A divinely arranged appropriateness in the feast of Pentecost provides the background for the giving of the Holy Spirit. Originally regarded as the 'feast of the firstfruits,' it was emphasized by a special offering of two baked loaves made from freshly gathered wheat, designated in Leviticus 23:17 as 'firstfruits to the Lord.' As the day of the firstfruits, Pentecost was eminently appropriate for the bestowal of the Holy Spirit and the conversion of 3,000 souls- firstfruits of an even greater harvest." [ Hughes, R. Kent, Preaching the Word: Acts- The Church Afire, (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books) 1998, c1996.]
6. "It was also fitting because by the time of Christ Pentecost was considered the anniversary of the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, and thus it provided a perfect opportunity to contrast the giving of the Law with the giving of the Spirit. 'The Spirit's coming is in continuity of God's purpose in giving the law and yet… the Spirit's coming signals the essential difference between the Jewish faith and commitment to Jesus… the former is Torah-centered and Torah-directed, the latter is Christ-centered and Spirit-directed' [quoting Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 9, John-Acts (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1981), p. 269]. Pentecost occurred by divine arrangement." [Hughes, R. Kent, Preaching the Word: Acts- The Church Afire, (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books) 1998, c1996.]

2. The setting was right. The disciples knew their need. They were expectant. They were a "house of prayer." What happened next?
1. 2:1-4. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

1. There was a "sound like" a violent wind.

1. This was something of God. It was something from heaven. Luke records in the most descriptive terms he can come up with from human understanding what happened. It "sounded like" a sudden, violent wind and it filled the whole house.
2. It reminds us of what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3. ⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
3. There may be a play on words that made the experience at Pentecost potent and unquestionably from God. The word used for Spirit is also the word for wind and breathe. It's as if this baptism of the Spirit for which the disciples were waiting and the accompanying sound of wind is very breathe of God blowing on them.
4. ILLUSTRATION: It may have been like the wind on Maundy Thursday. Remember how strong the wind was a week ago Thursday? In the afternoon, I felt a real need to pray. So I went down by the lake and walked and prayed. As I pleaded with God for an outpouring of His Spirit on my life, my family, and our church, I suddenly noticed the roaring of the wind through the leafless branches of the trees. My jacket whipped violently at my chest. I raised my voice and could hardly hear myself. It came to me that perhaps this is what it was like at Pentecost. The sound of a violent wind. Oh, God! Fill my soul! Fill my sails!

1. Then there was fire.
1. Fire symbolizes God's presence in Scripture. God is the fire of the burning bush, the pillar of fire that led the children of Israel at night, the consuming fire on Mt. Sinai. Deuteronomy 4:24 and Hebrews 12:29 declares, "Our God is a consuming fire."
2. The fire symbolizing the presence of God entered the room in a great flame, then separated into smaller flames and scattered throughout the room, coming to rest on each one of the 120 disciples who were gathered there. God Himself, was with them, on them, in them! They were submersed in Him, baptized in Him!

2. What happened next? 2:4-13. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. ⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs- we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" ¹³ Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."
1. 2:4 states it clearly. "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. . ." All the 120 followers of Jesus experienced this outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
2. People heard the commotion and came running to see what was going on.
3. The disciples began to communicate. They communicated in the most amazing way. The words that came from their mouths were theirs, yet not theirs. They spoke in other languages about the wonders of God- and people from all over the world understood. I don't think we are certain that the languages they spoke were all different, or if the people miraculously heard the disciples in their own languages.
4. But there is no question: It was a miracle! God had everyone's attention!

What happened in the disciples

What happened in the disciples?

1. They received power.

1. Jesus has promised power. Here it was. High octane.
2. There was clear evidence where the power came from. It was the very power of God!
3. Things started happening. They had been sitting, waiting, praying- and were obedient in doing so. Now they were speaking- still in obedience.

1. They had humility.
1. Vessels, filled with God. It was Him.
2. Scripture gives us the imagery of God's children being like clay vessels. It is when the earthen vessel is filled up that it becomes useful in the hands of it's owner. I think they all knew that this was God. Not themselves. They were empty. Ready, waiting, obedient. And God fulfilled His promise to baptize them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
2. They were united. They changed. It is not directly stated here but we see as we continue in Acts that they were united. Before they had been competitive. Divisive. Who will be first in the Kingdom? That all changed.

What happened through the disciples

God spoke to people. His purposes were fulfilled. The followers of Christ had needs- they needed to be witnesses and they needed power. The Holy Spirit gave the words and the Holy Spirit gave the understanding. They were the witnesses, but it was the work of the Holy Spirit.

As we study Acts, this work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church- what He does in and through His followers- will continue to unfold.

Thoughts and observations

As I studied this passage and prepared this message, I realized that there may be questions that come to some people's minds that would not be answered in this short message. There may be questions about how the Holy Spirit does things in and through us, about where the baptism of the Holy Spirit fits into our Christian experience in relation to the filling of the Holy Spirit, and about these languages, commonly referred to as "speaking in tongues." I believe that in due time the Lord will give us opportunity to further uncover what His Word teaches about the nature and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

As we consider this portion of Scripture, I have been struck with these thoughts and observations:

1. Christ's followers had a mandate, a mission to fulfill- something which was clearly God's will for those who would claim His name. Jesus told them to wait for the promise of His Father- the Holy Spirit and His power. He fulfilled the promise and gave them what they needed to begin fulfilling the mandate- to be His witnesses.
2. I am also struck with the thought that the work of the Spirit is clearly His work. The discerning heart recognizes the work of the Spirit, whether it is quiet or overt and obvious.
3. I am also convinced that the Holy Spirit often shatters our expectations. He works sovereignly.
1. He is not one to whom we dictate how and what should be done. He is one who often works in a way we would never expect. That was certainly true at Pentecost. This was so wildly different than anything ever previously experienced there was no way that anyone could say that they could take responsibility for it.
2. Though He may do the unexpected, the Holy Spirit is to be trusted. God is not one for us to confine to the box of our own comfort zone and expectations. C.S. Lewis' wonderful story of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, comes to mind. In the story Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy are magically transported through a wardrobe to a parallel world called Narnia. There is a cosmic struggle in Narnia between the wicked white witch who controls the land with perpetual winter. There is also the Christ-figure, Aslan, a mighty Lion, through whom the land will be freed from the tyranny of the evil witch. In a scene with Mr. & Mrs. Beaver, the children learn more of the character of Aslan the Lion.

"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he- quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."

"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."

"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." [Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. New York: Collier Books, pp. 75, 76.]

Later, Mrs. Beaver declares that He is a good Lion, but He is not tame Lion.

4. When we prayerfully recognize our need and ask Him to fill us, to work in and through us, and to help us to see how He is, we can be confident that He will answer.
1. On Wednesday, I was walking home from the office and as I walked I earnestly grappled with God about these things. I begged Him to fill me with Himself, to fill our church, to fill my family. I pleaded with Him for a sensitive, responsive heart. I pleaded that I would know His power. I asked Him to show me that He was at work.
2. I don't know what I expected. A roaring wind? Floating flames of fire? I really don't know what I expected. But as I walked past Mauck school, I didn't expect the parked white van to honk at me.
3. I couldn't see who was inside. When the door opened, though she looked familiar, I didn't recognize the woman who smiled at me. "Hi, Pastor. It's me. Don't you recognize me?" Oh, yes. Good to see you again. Lord, I know this face. Who is she again? Oh, yes. A parent from VBS. "Pastor, we're going to Rolling Meadows Baptist Church now. We really like it. I sing in the choir. The pastor got my husband saved. The kids love Sunday School. Oh, and we're studying 'The ABC's of Being a Christian.' Have you used that?"
4. Unexpected. Of the Spirit. Yes, I can see that you are work in so many ways. I have been blind to it. Keep working. Fill me. Teach me. Use me to fulfill your purposes.

Conclusion

Knowing our need so greatly affects our attitudes and actions, doesn't it?

Ellen Juroe had a heart attack on Wednesday, January 10. Just a few days before on her birthday she had remarked to Jim that her mother had lived 11 years more. If she was like her Mom, she had 11 years left. She was determined to make the best of it.

Then suddenly things changed. The unexpected symptoms. Jim's urging to take aspirin and get to the hospital. The rush to the car. Then the emergency room. The lights glaring down. The beeping of the heart monitor. The faithful prayer warriors gathering, coming from prayer meeting. Holding hands around her bed, pleading with God for healing. The helicopter.

Our sense of need, and the urgency of our need deeply affects our attitudes and actions, doesn't it?

The greater our sense of need, the greater the urgency, the greater our dependency on God. The more thirsty a person is, the more eagerly he or she searches for water.

I invite you today to join me in admitting our desperation and our need. We are commanded to bring glory to God by being His representatives, witnesses and ambassadors with Christ-like character to match. There is only one who can meet that need. It is God the Holy Spirit, indwelling us and filling us.

What steps do we need to take to receive God the Spirit and His power? Ask Him. Confess your sin. Be a clean, empty earthen vessel, ready to be filled. Admit your desperate need of absolute dependency on Him. Have faith that He will fulfill His promise to fill you with Himself. Don't be afraid. He is not a tame Lion, but He is a good one.

"Grandpa, what is the wind?" "I cannot explain the wind to you," the old fisherman replied, "but I can teach you to raise the sails!"

Father, we know the wind of your Spirit blows where you sovereignly please. We ask that you will blow on us. Give us a holy dissatisfaction with the status quo of our lives. Show us our need. Admitting our need, we raise the sails of our hearts and lives and ask that you will fill them. Fill our sails and move us, your people and your congregation, as you did your faithful followers so many years ago.