The Day Of Pentecost Series

THE DAY OF PENTECOST

Acts 2:1-4

(Antioch Baptist Church – Sunday March 23rd, 2025)

In his second Epistle, the Apostle Peter wrote that God has given us “exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these (we) may be partakers of the divine nature”. God has given His children many wonderful promises; one of the greatest is the promise that His Holy Spirit indwells all genuine followers of Jesus Christ.

Many wonderful benefits come to those who are filled with the Holy Spirit of God. If you are saved you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit; if you do not have the Holy Spirit within you, then you are not saved. In Romans 8:9 Paul says, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”

The baptism of the Holy Spirit may be defined as that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. After one experiences this “baptism” his (or her) life will never be the same. The assembly that was gathered on the Day of Pentecost experienced a real and lasting transformation as a result of the powerful work that the Holy Spirit performed in their lives.

In Acts Chapter 2 we are given the details surrounding the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. I would like to examine verses 1-4 and consider “The Day Of Pentecost”.

The people that Luke writes about in this passage were the faithful few who had trusted in Christ and believed that He was the Messiah. Many of these people were eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ, and all of them had faith in Jesus. These 120 believers were gathered in one accord, praying, and waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Among this assembly were the 12 Apostles, the women who followed Jesus, Mary (His mother), the half-brothers of Jesus and others.

As these people were gathered together something unprecedented and amazing took place. Let’s begin in verse 1 and consider:

THE SUDDENNESS OF THE SPIRIT’S ARRIVAL

v2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Throughout our study of Acts we have examined in great detail the reality that the Saints had been preparing for a great move of God. In the previous chapter the Disciples were assembled with Jesus and He “commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." (Acts 1:4-5)

Christ’s followers were not given an exact timeframe, but they were instructed to wait in Jerusalem until the promise was received. Verse 1 shows us that they were obedient to the Lord’s command. After Jesus ascended, His followers left the Mount of Olives and returned to the upper room where they were staying. Acts 2:1 says, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place”.

The followers of Christ who were present on the Day of Pentecost were obedient, unified, and they were anticipating a great move of God. They could not have known exactly what would happen when the Spirit arrived, and they did not know exactly when this supernatural event would occur. Regardless, they believed the promise that the Holy Spirit would come upon them. When the Spirit did arrive it was sudden and it was spectacular.

It is important for us to constantly be in preparation for a great move of God. Our Lord has told us everything we need to know about being in a position to experience His power & presence in a mighty way. There is no question that Jesus is among us each and every time we assemble together in His name. However, there are times when He moves in ways that we could never expect. As was the case on the Day of Pentecost, our Savior has a way of appearing suddenly and doing things in the lives of His people and in His church that we never would have imagined. It is my prayer that we will consistently do those things that are necessary for such a move to take place.

The arrival of the Holy Spirit was sudden and the sights & sounds that accompanied His arrival were amazing. Let’s examine verses 2-4 and see:

THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS THAT ACCOMPANIED THE SPIRIT’S ARRIVAL

v2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.