Four Signs of the Spirit
Text: Acts 2:1-4
Introduction
1. Illustration: Without Pentecost the Christ even – life, death, and the resurrection of Jesus - remains imprisoned in history as something to remember, think about and reflect on. The Spirit of Jesus comes to dwell within us, so that we can become living Christs here and now. (Henri Nouwen)
2. These 120 disciples had done exactly what Jesus told them to do. They went back to Jerusalem, they waited, and they prayed.
3. Now the day of anticipation comes, and finally, the promise of the Father arrives.
4. On the day of Pentecost, four things happen…
a. Unity
b. Wind
c. Fire
d. Tongues
5. Read Acts 2:1-4
Proposition: Just as the 120 disciples did, we need to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit.
Transition: The first thing we see on the Day of Pentecost is…
I. Unity (1)
A. All The Believers
1. Luke begins his telling of the day of Pentecost with, “On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.”
a. On the day of Pentecost is more literally rendered “when Pentecost was fulfilled.”
b. Pentecost was one of the Jewish festivals that celebrated the harvest.
c. Pentecost means “fifty,” and it came 50 weeks after Passover.
d. But here Luke is talking about more than the coming of the harvest festival. He is saying the wait is over!
e. God was going to fulfill his promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
f. The stage was set for this to be a major occurrence to change history.
2. Luke said that “all the believers were together in one place.”
a. The place where they were gathering was probably the upper room where they had been meeting and praying.
b. By “all the believers,” Luke is talking about the 120 mentioned in the first chapter.
c. And, just like we mentioned in the first chapter, them being together meant more than they were just in one physical place, but it also means they were unified in thought and purpose.
3. In addition to their being unified, it was the perfect setting for the coming of the Spirit.
a. You see, Pentecost was one of the big pilgrimage festivals the Jews help every year.
b. This means that Jews from all over the known world had traveled to Jerusalem.
c. Hundreds of thousands of people would witness for themselves the outpouring of the Spirit from all over the world who spoke many different languages.
d. Stephen Spielberg could not have set the stage any better.
4. But the key here is they were unified in their hearts, purpose, and passion.
B. Unity In the Spirit
1. Illustration: In one of Aesops fables he describes an old man who had several sons, who were always falling out with one another. He had often, but to no purpose, exhorted them to live together in harmony. One day he called them together, and he gathered a bundle of sticks and tied them together and asked each one of them to try to break them. Each one tried as hard as they cold but none of them could break the bundle of sticks. Then the father cut the cord that he tied them together with and told his sons to break them separately. This was done with the greatest ease. “See, my sons,” the old man said, “the power of unity!” Bound together by brotherly love, you may defy almost every mortal danger, but divided, you will fall prey to your enemies. “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” (Eccl.4:12)
2. If we walk together with the Holy Spirit, we will have unity.
a. Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. (Eph. 4:1-3).
b. One of the great benefits of being filled with the Spirit is that He brings unity.
c. You can see churches who claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but their actions show that they are not.
d. The Holy Spirit will not rest on a church that is constantly at one another’s throats.
e. We can see from the early church, that the Holy Spirit brought them together, and even when they had disagreements, He enabled them to eventually come back together.
f. When ever you put people together, you are going to have disagreements, because people are people.
g. But a church that is led by the Holy always will find a way to come back together.
Transition: The next sign we see on the Day of Pentecost is…
II. Wind (2)
A. Roaring of a Mighty Windstorm
1. The second sign of the Spirit was that of sound. The coming of the Spirit would touch the senses as well as the heart.
2. Luke tells us in v. 2, “ Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.”
a. There was a sudden sound like the sound of a violent tornado.
b. I want to point out that Luke says it was “like” the roaring of a mighty windstorm.
c. It wasn’t a wind, but Luke is using a simile. It was his way of describing the mighty but unseen power of the Spirit.
d. Luke here paints a great picture of what happened. He says this mighty windstorm came from heaven.
e. It is not unusual that Luke says this was like a strong wind. One of the words used in the OT for the Holy Spirit is the word ruach, which means...”wind.”
f. In Ezek. 37 it says, “Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’ ” 10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army. 11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ 12 Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the LORD. 14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the LORD has spoken!’ ” (Ezek. 37:9-14).
g. The Greek word for Spirit, pneuma, also means wind or breath.
h. So, Luke is painting us a picture of the Spirit based on both an OT understanding and a NT understanding.
i. It had less to do with the forces of nature, and more to do with the power of the Holy Spirit.
B. Wind of the Spirit
1. Illustration: When Hudson Taylor went to China, he made the voyage on a sailing vessel. As it neared the channel between the southern Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, the missionary heard an urgent knock on his stateroom door. He opened it, and there stood the captain of the ship.
a. "Mr. Taylor," he said, "we have no wind. We are drifting toward an island where the people are heathen, and I fear they are cannibals."
b. "What can I do?" asked Taylor. "I understand that you believe in God. I want you to pray for wind." "All right, Captain, I will, but you must set the sail."
c. "Why that's ridiculous! There's not even the slightest breeze. Besides, the sailors will think I'm crazy." But finally, because of Taylor's insistence, he agreed.
d. Forty-five minutes later he returned and found the missionary still on his knees. "You can stop praying now," said the captain. "We've got more wind than we know what to do with!"
2. Church, we should pray for the wind of the Holy Spirit to blow.
a. “Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’ ” 10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.” (Ezek. 37:9-10)
b. Last week, Tina and I saw the results from a powerful wind. We saw huge trees uprooted like twigs, and saw an Amish buggy picked up and smashed to pieces.
c. It’s time to pray for the wind of the Holy Spirit to blow through this place.
d. It’s time for the wind of the Holy Spirit to bring us to life again.
e. It’s time for the wind of the Holy Spirit to bring us to our knees in repentance.
f. It’s time for the wind of the Holy Spirit to blow and bring people to be saved, sanctified, and transformed into the image of Jesus!
Transition: The nest sign of the Spirit is…
III. Fire (3)
A. Tongues of Fire
1. The next sign of the Spirit was visual. Not only could you hear it, but you could also see it.
2. In v. 3, Luke says, “Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.”
a. It was common in the OT for fire to be representation of God’s presence.
b. “All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently.” (Ex. 19:18)
c. You will notice that these tongues of fire separated and rested on each of them. Just the prophet Joel predicted, the Holy Spirit would no longer be selective as to whom he settled upon, but rather, he would be available to all believers.
d. He falls on men and women, young and old, and even on servants.
e. He would be available to anyone who asks.
B. Consuming Fire
1. Illustration: Most of all, our God has this fire. That is how the bush could burn without being consumed. This is how our lights can burn with our going out. This is how we can have the ‘fire of God’ in our lives and not is consumed. Let us use this fire in our lives.
2. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, he sets our hearts on fire.
a. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire. (Heb. 12:28-29)
b. In addition to empowering us for ministry, the baptism in the Holy Spirit also brings a new sense of God’s holiness in our lives.
c. We live in a world that is obsessed with sin. We live by a phrase made popular in the 70’s, “if it feels good, do it!”
d. We are obsessed with pleasure, sensuality, possessions, and self-centeredness.
e. We are constantly bombarded with on television, media, and entertainment with the pleasures of this world.
f. But God calls his people out of the world to live by his standard of holiness and righteousness.
g. He tells us to come out from them and be separate.
h. He calls us to live in a way that is worthy of our calling.
i. The baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers us to overcome sin, the devil, and the world.
j. He calls us to live in holy fire!
Transition: The fourth sin of the Spirit is…
IV. Tongues (4)
A. They Were All Filled with the Holy Spirit
1. So far, we have seen the orchestration of the Spirit, the sound of the Spirit, and the sight of the Spirit. But the Holy Spirit had not fallen on anyone, and nowhere in Scripture are any of these signs repeated. However, that was about to change.
2. In v. 4, Luke says, “And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.”
a. Now, the time had come, and Luke says that everyone there was filled with the Holy Spirit.
b. This is important for it was not just the 12 as some believe, but rather everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit.
c. And let me remind you, these were all believers who already had the Holy Spirit living inside of them at the time of their conversion.
d. This, however, was that second work of grace that we spoke of a few weeks ago.
e. We should also notice what happened when the Holy Spirit fell on them.
f. Luke tells us that they all began to speak in other languages or tongues as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
g. A few minutes ago, I made the statement that none of the other signs, the wind, or tongues of fire, was ever repeated, but this sign was repeated.
h. “The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. 46 For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God.” (Acts 10:45-46).
i. We should also notice that it says, “they began to speak in other languages.” This indicates that this was something they continued to do.
j. You will also see this sign repeated in Acts 19 with Paul and the disciples of John the Baptist.
k. In my mind, the Scripture is saying that the initial sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in other tongues. Is it the only sign? No, but it is the initial sign.
l. Not only does this belief match up with Scripture, but it is also in keeping with my own experience with the Holy Spirit.
m. I encourage you to search the Scriptures and decide for yourself.
B. Initial Evidence
1. Illustration: So, what was my experience with the Holy Spirit? God has frequently used music in my life. I got saved at a concert, and about a year later, while at another concert, ironically, the group was called The Second Chapter of Acts. There was time of worship during the concert, and my heart was open to whatever God had for me. Suddenly, I began to sing in a language I’d never heard or studied. Like many of you, I’d never heard of this before, and quiet honestly, it was a little overwhelming. But I can assure you that God baptized me with his Holy Spirit that night, and my life has never been the same since.
2. Are your hearts open to whatever God has for you?
a. “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.” (Joel 2:28-29)
b. God wants to pour out his Holy Spirit on you. Are you ready to receive him?
c. I’m sure some of you are saying, “Yeah, but preacher, that tongues thing is just weird!” Is it? Or is it supernatural?
d. If someone came in here this morning that was dying of cancer, and we prayed for them and they were instantly healed, would we think that was weird? Or would we all be shouting “hallelujah!”
e. All I’m saying is, be open to whatever God has for you. Search the Scriptures, and then say, “God your will be done!”
Conclusion
1. On the day of Pentecost, four things happen…
a. Unity
b. Wind
c. Fire
d. Tongues
2. What’s the point preacher? Open your hearts to God and tell him that whatever he wants to give you, you’ll take it.
