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.
Luke says that this work of the Holy Spirit was like a “rushing mighty wind”; this was no gentle morning breeze, the Spirit descended with great power! One of the consequences of this mighty rushing wind was that it garnered the attention of the multitude gathered in Jerusalem; as a result they came to where the followers of Christ were assembled to see what was happening. There is no way that they could have predicted what would follow.
When the Holy Spirit arrived “divided tongues of fire” sat upon each of the Believers. These “tongues of fire” represent the holy presence of God. This is not a reference to literal flames, but the best description that Luke could give in human terms is that it appeared “as fire”.
Fire is often used in the Old Testament to describe the presence of God. In Exodus 3, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush that was not consumed. During their journeys in the wilderness, God led His people with a pillar of fire by night. In Exodus 19:18 God descended before Israel in fire on Mt. Sinai. On Mt. Carmel, when Elijah had his confrontation with the prophets of Baal, God rained fire down from Heaven to consume his offering (1 Kings 18).
In each of these instances, fire is a representation of God holiness, judgment, and purity; likewise these “tongues of fire” represent the holy presence of God. God’s power and presence would soon be apparent in the lives and words of His people as they proclaimed His mighty works. In other words, these “tongues of fire” served as an outwardly visible manifestation of the inward work that God had performed in the lives of His people.
The followers of Christ heard powerful sounds, they saw supernatural sights, and after the Spirit fell they possessed some amazing abilities. Verse 4 says that the disciples “were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”. The promise that Jesus had made to His followers before His ascension has now been fulfilled, the Holy Spirit filled every believer.
This was not the origination of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit was present and active in the world since the very beginning. However, beginning at Pentecost the Holy Spirit now indwells God’s people. There are many instances in the Old Testament where the Holy Spirit was “with” God’s people, but we have the great privilege of knowing that He is “in” us.
When the Holy Spirt fell on those Believers at Pentecost they began to speak in “other tongues”. The Greek word for “tongues” can be translated “languages” and that is certainly the case in this context. Because it was Pentecost, there were people in Jerusalem from at least 12 different countries. When they heard the sound of that “mighty rushing wind” and then arrived at the place where the Christians were gathered, these Jews were amazed that they could hear the Disciples speaking in their own native languages.
Speaking in other tongues was a miraculous gift provided by the Holy Spirit; verse 4 tells us that “the Spirit gave them utterance.” It is important for us to understand that the gift that they received was not for their own benefit, it was a gift that brought glory to the Father. As they spoke in “other tongues” they praised the Lord for His marvelous works, and in doing so they testified of His greatness in the presence of many unbelievers.
We often take for granted the visible manifestations of God’s Spirit when we gather together. On a weekly basis we see followers of Jesus bow their heads in prayer, raise their hands in worship, and lift their voices in praise. There are times when some will shed a tear of joy or shout Hallelujah. As we join together and sing our songs, pray our prayers, and listen to a message from the Holy Scriptures the Holy Spirit is present and moving in our midst.
These things may be commonplace for us, but many times they are completely foreign to unbelievers who may be in attendance. Like those unbelieving Jews on the Day of Pentecost, they may not know what we know, they may not believe what we believe, they may not feel what we feel, but when the Holy Spirit moves they will know that something supernatural is taking place. The sights and sounds of the Holy Spirit were apparent on the Day of Pentecost, and there should be visible evidence that He is present each time we gather together!
We have seen the suddenness of Pentecost, and the sights & sounds of Pentecost; now I would like for us to take a moment and consider:
THE SIGNIFIGANCE OF THE SPIRIT’S ARRIVAL
The arrival of the Holy Spirit was the fulfilment of Bible prophecy. Many years earlier God had used His prophet Joel to deliver a prophecy concerning the arrival of His Spirit.
(Joel 2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.) This prophecy was partially fulfilled at Pentecost.
When the Holy Spirit arrived on the Day of Pentecost it also served as the fulfillment of a promise and it led to the formation of Christ’s Church. Jesus had spoken about the arrival of the Holy Spirit many times before His death and He reiterated this promise before He ascended to Heaven. (John 14:16 I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.); (John 16:7 nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment); (Acts 1:5 …John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."); (Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.").
The arrival of the Spirit that had been predicted by the prophets and promised by Jesus was now a reality. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the Believers who were gathered in Jerusalem.
“Pentecost” refers to “the Feast of Weeks” that is spoken of in Ex. 34:22-24“…you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the LORD God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year.” This festival is also called “the Feast of Harvest” and it is spoken of in - Leviticus 23:16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD.
The Feast of Weeks was the second of the three annual harvest festivals observed by the Jews. The other two festivals were Passover & the Feast of Tabernacles. Pentecost means “fiftieth” it was celebrated 50 days after Passover. The people of Israel would travel to Jerusalem to observe these three annual feasts. During the festival of Pentecost God’s people brought Him the first gatherings of their harvest. This was an act of thanksgiving and expectation. The idea was that by being faithful to bring God the first fruits of their harvest, He would respond by giving the rest of the harvest as His blessing.
This is a great picture of what God did in His church on the Day of Pentecost, for it was on this day that the firstfruits were offered that the Holy Spirit arrived. This is fitting because there was a great harvest of souls gathered into the church on the Day of Pentecost; these new converts were the “firstfruits” of a full harvest that was to come. The three thousand souls who came to faith in Christ were only the beginning of a great multitude that would come to know Christ and be joined together through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is exciting to know that we are part of this harvest and the Lord is still increasing that number of souls today.
The early Church experienced great growth and success; we have the opportunity to experience the same things today. As Christians, we are indwelt by the same Holy Spirit that we read about in these verses. We have been baptized in the Spirit, we are to be filled with the Spirit, and we are to walk in the Spirit. The verses and chapters that follow show us what God can do with people who are in the Spirit.
I have no doubt that there are some in attendance today who do not belong to Christ, as a result all of this talk about being “filled with the Spirit” is foreign to you. The wonderful news is that this chapter shows you how to be saved and filled with the Spirit.
Some of the Jews who were in Jerusalem heard Peter’s message and were convicted of their sins. They asked him “what shall we do? Peter replied, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” I encourage you to do what 3,000 people did on the day of Pentecost; repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you will do this, the Bible declares that you will be saved and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You can be transformed today just as those in that great multitude on the Day of Pentecost.
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