April 18, 2010
Morning Service

Acts 2

 

Review:

1.       Last Wednesday evening we began our study in Acts chapter one.  We mentioned how that Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke.  Written by Luke, around the year AD 61.

2.      In chapter one:

·         we saw Luke explain to one Theophilus, that this was an account of all that Jesus began both to do, and to teach.

·         How that Jesus appeared to the disciples and taught them for 40 days concerning the things of the Kingdom of God.

·         He told them that they would be receiving a baptism of the Holy Ghost, which was promised by the Father and that after this they would be witnesses for Him, even to the ends of the earth.

·         Then He was caught up to the Heavens.

·         The disciples then returned to Jerusalem, and assembled themselves together with one accord in prayers, and supplication.

·         Chapter one ended by the Lord choosing Matthias to replace Judas who had betrayed Him.  They did this by drawing lots.

 

This brings us to chapter two, let’s begin.

 

Act 2:1-47 KJVR  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 

• Pentecost? 

Pen'tecost. Pentecost, that is, the fiftieth day, (from a Greek word, meaning fiftieth), or Harvest Feast, or Feast of Weeks, may be regarded as a supplement to the Passover. It lasted for but one day. From the sixteenth of Nisan, seven weeks were reckoned inclusively, and the next or fiftieth day was the Day of Pentecost, which fell on the sixth of Sivan, (about the end of May). Exo_23:16; Exo_34:22; Lev_23:15; Lev_23:22; Numbers 28. See the Jewish Calendar at the end of this volume.

The Pentecost was the Jewish harvest-home, and the people were especially exhorted to rejoice before Jehovah with their families their servants, the Levite within their gates, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow, in the place chosen by God, for his name, as they brought a free-will offering, of their hand to Jehovah their God. Deu_16:10-11.

The great feature of the celebration was the presentation of the two loaves made from the first-fruits of the wheat harvest. With the loaves, two lambs were offered as a Peace Offering, and all were waved before Jehovah, and given to the priests; the leaves being leavened, could not be offered on the altar.

The other sacrifices were, a Burnt Offering of a young bullock, two rams, and seven lambs, with a meat and drink offering, and a kid for a Sin Offering. Lev_23:18-19. Till the Pentecostal, leaves were offered, the produce of the harvest might not be eaten, nor could any other firstfruits be offered. The whole ceremony was the completion, of that dedication of the harvest, to God as its giver, and to whom both the land, and the people were holy, which was begun by the offering of the wave-sheaf at the Passover. The interval is still regarded as a religious season.

The Pentecost is the only one of the three great feasts, which is not mentioned as the memorial of events, in the history of the Jews; but such a significance has been found in the fact, that the law was given from Sinai, on the fiftieth day after the deliverance from Egypt. Compare Exodus 12 and Exodus 19. In the Exodus, the people were offered to God as living first fruits; at Sinai, their consecration to him as a nation was completed. The typical significance of the Pentecost is made clear, from the events of the day recorded, in the Acts of the Apostles. Acts 2. Just as the appearance of God on Sinai was the birthday of the Jewish nation, so was the Pentecost, the birthday of the Christian Church.

Now notice, the promise of the Father fulfilled:

(2)  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  (3)  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  (4)  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

• 120 people were in this upper room, in one accord, and praying.  They have been here for 10 days waiting on this event to happen.  They didn’t know for sure what was going to happen, just that the Holy Ghost was to come upon them.  And now it has happened.

 

(5)  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.  (6)  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.  (7)  And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?  (8)  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?  (9)  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,  (10)  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,  (11)  Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.  (12)  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?  (13)  Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 

• Because it was a Jewish feast, and if at all possible, all Jews were to try and make this homage to Jerusalem.
• Now notice;  Every man heard them speak in his own language.  Not only was there the miracle of tongues, but also of the hearing.  These people were speaking in languages that could be understood.  The word tongues means languages, or dialects.
• Some thought that they were drunk.   But what does this mean?

(14)  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:  (15)  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.  (16)  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;  (17)  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:  (18)  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:  (19)  And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:  (20)  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:  (21)  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

• Peter again the spokesman of the group, the one who had denied the Lord three times, a short time ago, now filled with the Holy Ghost, tells them of this prophecy from the Prophet Joel.
• The first part of this prophecy pertains to the event that just happened, and second part is for the great and notable day of the Lord. 
• Peter describes it later in one of his letters like this;  2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
• One writer describes the Day of the Lord like this;  This is called the great day of the Lord, because on that day he will be signally manifested, more impressively and strikingly than on other times. The word “notable,” means “signal, illustrious, distinguished.” In Joel the word is “terrible or fearful”; a word applicable to days of calamity, and trial, and judgment. The Greek word here rendered notable is also in the Septuagint frequently used to denote “calamity” or “times of judgment,” Deu_10:21; 2Sa_7:23. This will apply to any day in which God signally manifests himself, but particularly to a day when he shall come forth to punish people, as at the destruction of Jerusalem, or at the day of judgment. The meaning is, that those wonders would take place before that distinguished day should arrive when God would come forth in judgment.

 

The disciples ask Jesus one time what would be the signs of His second coming.  He replied, Matt. 24

• Mat 24:6-8 KJVR  And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  (7)  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  (8)  All these are the beginning of sorrows.
• Mat 24:29-30 KJVR  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  (30)  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

 

The wonderful thing about this prophecy in Joel is the last part;  WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.   AND EVEN THOUGH THE DAY OF THE LORD HASN’T HAPPENED YET, THIS SAYING IS STILL TRUE, “WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”  ARE YOU TRUSTING HIM THIS MORNING FOR SALVATION, AND TO DELIVER YOU FROM THE WRATH THAT IS TO COME?  IF NOT, WHY NOT?