The Significance Of Pentecost Series

Introduction

Luke wrote the book of Acts to tell Theophilus about how Jesus turned the world upside down.

Jesus commissioned his apostles to take the good news of his resurrection to the entire world, beginning “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Before the apostles could begin their mission, however, they had to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:4-5).

Jesus knew that the coming of the Holy Spirit would empower his followers to fulfill the mission that he had given them.

So, ten days after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, on the day of Pentecost, the Father sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles and the other disciples who were waiting in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:1-13 tells us about the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Several unusual phenomena took place with the coming of the Holy Spirit.

There are some people for whom the phenomenon of “tongues” jumps out. Great attention is paid to the tongues that took place with the coming of the Holy Spirit.

However, I think that James Montgomery Boice is right when he says, “That is not the emphasis of the passage itself” (James Montgomery Boice, Acts: An Expositional Commentary [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997], 39).

I am following Boice in this exposition because I think he has rightly captured the emphasis of the passage.

Yes, the apostles and disciples spoke in tongues.

But the Holy Spirit came to them as wind and fire. Tongues must be understood in terms of the phenomena of wind and fire.

Scripture

Let’s read Acts 2:1-13:

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Lesson

Acts 2:1-13 shows us the significance of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s use the following outline:

1. The Phenomenon of Wind

2. The Phenomenon of Fire

I. The Phenomenon of Wind

First, the significance of the coming of the Holy Spirit is seen in the phenomenon of wind.

In the major ancient languages—Hebrew and Greek (in which the Old and New Testaments were written) and even Latin (which was widely spoken at this time)—the word for “spirit” was also used for “wind” or “breath.”

So when Luke tells us that they heard “a sound like a mighty rushing wind” (v. 2), the word “wind” also means “spirit.”

As a result, no one who normally thought in Hebrew, Greek, or even Latin would have missed what Luke meant.

But what did Luke mean?

Let me direct your attention to two Old Testament texts and one New Testament text so that we can understand Luke’s meaning.

In the Old Testament, Genesis 1:1–2 states, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

When we think of God creating the heavens and the earth, we think of the Holy Spirit as a dove hovering over the waters that were covering the earth at that time.

But that is not the idea at all.

Rather, the Holy Spirit of God is portrayed as God’s breath—the creative, moving, dynamic breath of God. This breath—this divine, life-giving wind—is what is blowing across the waters at the beginning.

One chapter later, in Genesis 2:7, God created Adam from the dust of the ground. There we read: “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”