"Pentecost: A Pouring Out” Acts 2:14-21
OUTLINE:
I. Old Testament Pouring Out
1. Water (1 Sam. 7:6)- turn to God in repentance.
2. Dust or Dirt- (2 Sam 20:15, Isa. 37:33, Jer. 6:6, Ezek 4:2)
3. God’s Wrath: (Isa 42:25)- Points to the bowls in Revelation.
4. Oil- consecrated to God and His Purposes.
5. Blood (Ex 29: 4) Pour out with blood is “to kill”: A sacrifice has been made.
II. Pointed TO the Pouring Out of Christ
1. The violent slaying of the Savior. Lk 22:20, Mk 14:24
2. Granting the Spirit of baptism: cleansing (Titus 3:4-7) and overflowing of God’s Love poured out. (Rom 5:5-6)
III. The Pouring Out of the Spirit upon the Church:
1. Equips to WITNESS to the TRUTH about Jesus Matt. 23:30) 1 John 5:20
2. Equips them with a Warning and the Solution: Another “Day” is coming:
There is a Savior.
We are spending a few weeks witnessing the Power of Pentecost and today we hear part one of Peter’s Pentecost Message in Acts 2:14. He is Preaching and Teaching what God says; This is God’s Word: “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. (All PEOPLE OF THE KINGDOM receive the SPIRIT. It’s a Kingdom promise from the King to God’s Kingdom People.) Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”
The Old Testament “Pouring Out”
Peter, filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, preaches a message directly from the Word of God concerning the main event of THAT Pentecost day in Jerusalem, namely, the filling of the Promised Spirit. He quotes directly from Joel 2:28-32 that this “pouring out” of the Holy Spirit of God was promised, not only by Jesus, but by God through the Prophet Joel some 500 years before. But there’s an enormous amount of REDEMPTIVE history in this word, “POUR OUT”.
For the sake of time, I’ll quickly give you a few examples of the 110 times that this word is used in the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel 7:6 there is one example of WATER being “Poured out”: ”They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day and said there, "We have sinned against the LORD." This symbolized Israel’s spirit of sorrow for their sin, completely pouring out their souls and lives before the Lord: They would repent of their sin and be devoted to Him alone. (That’s a great part of being BAPTIZED isn’t it?) There were many ceremonial washings in the Old Testament where water was poured over priests and worship vessels, symbolizing cleansing and consecration to God.
The second example of “Pouring Out” is that of Dust or DIRT- I have given you several examples of these in your notes. (2 Sam 20:15, Isa. 37:33, Jer. 6:6, Ezek 4:2) The word used in these passages is the pouring out of DIRT, heaping it up in the building of ramps in order to attack cities- the dirt was carried and poured out. The “POURING OUT” or heaping up caused the enemy to be conquered and fall.
WRATH: Look at Isaiah 42: 23: “Who among you will give ear to this? Who will give heed and listen hereafter ? 24 Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned, And in whose ways they were not willing to walk, And whose law they did not obey? 25 So He poured out on him (JACOB/ISRAEL) the heat of His anger and the fierceness of battle; and it set him aflame all around, yet he did not recognize it; and it burned him, but he paid no attention.”
Time and time again Israel was in obstinate disobedience to God, to the point that even when God POURED OUT His WRATH on Israel, they were oblivious to what was happening. Does that sound at all familiar? The Rebellion of Israel was the rebellion of a nation against God. Their sin and rebellion was based in arrogance and pride against God’s Word and His Will. The RESULT was a loss of passion and love for God, disunity among Israel (the divided Kingdom), and a lack of trust and love for each other. And just like of Israel, God continually challenges His people to LOVE HIM above all to avoid disaster, but rebelling AGAINST God is the natural fruit of sinful human nature.
Fearfully, this metaphor of God’s wrath being “poured out”, stands as a clear prophecy of the bowls of God’s wrath to come upon rebellion and sin in Revelation, when those who have NOT accepted God’s gracious invitation to “COME TO JESUS” will experience not GRACE being poured out, but Wrath.
The Pouring out of OIL was used often in the Old Testament. Leviticus 8:30 is just one time: “Moses then took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.” All the things in the tabernacle were considered to be HOLY because God is Holy. The THINGS as well as the Priests who served were to be WHOLLY consecrated to God and His Purposes. The New Testament, in 1 John 2:20, points to the Spirit’s anointing of believers: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One,(the Holy Spirit) and all of you know the truth”.
In the OT, BLOOD is also poured out. Right from the beginning in Genesis 3:21, as soon as man sinned, God, Himself killed an animal in order to provide a covering for the nakedness and sin of Adam and Eve; He provided the picture of Redemption by pouring out the blood of an animal that was KILLED. God commanded Aaron and His sons in Exodus 29: 4 (and Leviticus 4: 18) "You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water (pouring of water)...11 "You shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 12 You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar.”
Coming into God’s Presence requires consecration, cleanliness that we as sinners do not have, and so the shedding of Blood, the blood of a perfect sacrifice must be made. Life was given, blood has been shed, a sacrifice was made. Animals were not perfect sacrifices but pointed to the fact that Jesus’ perfect life WOULD BE given.
The “Pouring Out” of Christ
The Old Testament history continually pointed TO THE POURING OUT of Christ Himself in the violent slaying of the Savior. Jesus predicted His own death several times; in Matthew 20:18, He said: “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
At the last supper Jesus spoke of His own SELF Sacrifice in Luke 22:20: “He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup (the suffering which Jesus endured) which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” And in Mark 14:24 (and Matt. 26:28) He said: "This is My blood of the covenant, which is POURED OUT for many.” (not ALL!) His POURING OUT of His life and blood is the efficient and sufficient sacrifice for all sinners who will place their hope and trust in Him! Look at your Savior and see what He has done for you!
It is because Jesus poured out Himself, DIED, rose again and ascended that HE can grant the SPIRIT of baptism. I’ll let scripture explain it: Acts 2:33: "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.” Here is the evidence of the God/Man Jesus. Who else could promise and fulfill like Jesus Christ?!
Rom 5:5-6 says: “The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” He “Poured Out” his life-blood, the Word of God taking on finite flesh, a body that would be subjected to the pain and death of the cross to demonstrate this vital life giving death, in that (Verse 6) “while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”
Titus 3:4-7: But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” The Spirit of God grants cleansing because, on account of, God’s MERCY. HE WASHES us and then fills US, DISTRIBUTES TO US the life-giving, life-changing Love of God In Christ. OH WHAT LOVE the Father has lavished on us that we would be called the Children of the MOST HIGH God!
The “Pouring Out” of Christ’s Spirit upon the Church
The Old Testament “Pouring Out” pointed TO the POURING OUT of Christ Himself, and to fulfill the Pouring Out of Christ’s Spirit upon the Church. It is the very Spirit of God sent in order to Equip believers to WITNESS to the WHOLE TRUTH about Jesus. When the Holy Spirit is poured out upon believers they Prophecy: The word PROPHESY here means that under the power and prompting of the Holy Spirit, believers will teach, admonish, comfort others SPEAKING FORTH the TRUTH about Jesus.
(Read the Letter of 1 John this week and notice all the times it says WE KNOW!) 1 John 5:20 says: “And WE KNOW that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that WE may KNOW Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” We testify to the true and the genuine of God’s Word, NOT to the fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, or pretended, but only to the authentic. Everything that Jesus is, God is. John 8:14, Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.”
Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 is the very foundation of Christian preaching, teaching and WITNESSING because it supports all that Jesus IS and taught: Believers are saved IN and through CHRIST and are called to be WITNESSES- to prophesy to the Biblical TRUTH of the very person and Life of Jesus Christ, of His Word, no one else’s, and of God the Father, and of the Holy Spirit sent to EVERY BELIEVER to give testimony of our GREAT God and Savior.
IF we are truly serving our Savior, we WILL serve each other. We show people that Jesus IS MOST IMPORTANT in our lives by HOW WE LIVE and interact with others, believers and un-believers. Why is this so important?
Look at Acts 2:19:“I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone (before that time) who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
The Filling of the Spirit of Pentecost arrives with a Warning, “There is another “Day” COMING!” (a day when God’s Wrath will be poured out). This is a part of the message of the Gospel that most people find unpleasant, but it is an essential part of the Message that Jesus included! There is a day of FINAL JUDGMENT coming, a day when the Savior will be Judge to those who have rejected Him, but Eternal Savior, Mediator, and Lord to those who have acknowledge Him as such. Hebrews 9:27 makes it so plain: “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” There is a day coming for each of us, when we will breathe our last breath, a day we will meet Jesus.
With the WARNING, God also provides the SOLUTION: “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” THERE IS A SAVIOR! Heb. 1:1-2 says: 1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” Everyone has the need to be saved and to be saved now and here's how: Through Jesus Christ and Him alone, faith in Him and the grace and mercy of the cross.
Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand—
12 "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." (REPENT) 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. 32 And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.” IS HE CALLING YOU TO HIM TODAY?
Today is the day to be concerned for eternity and to flee to the ONLY refuge set before you: depend on the merits of the SAVIOR, turn to Him in trusting obedience, that you may be found to be in peace, lN CHRIST ALONE."
