“The Uttermost Part”
Acts 2:5-12
As we sift through the Nations mentioned in Acts 2, I would like to ask a simple question; what does God want us to accomplish concerning the Gospel message?
Since we have been saved what have we accomplished as a Child Of God?
Some may say:
I have straightened my life around
I attend Church once a week
I attend all day Sunday
I attend even on Wednesday service
I read my Bible at least once a week
I read my Bible at least 3 times a week.
I read my Bible daily.
I keep my life in line with the Bible as best I can
All this and more is great, but what does God want from us as a New Child of God?
Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
It has been said that less than 3 percent have ever spoken to someone about salvation.
What we are witnessing in these verses is the released power that was given to those who are saved and what they did with it.
Simply put they are reaching the uttermost part of the world and they have yet to leave Jerusalem.
Notice in verse 5 the nations represented.
“Out of every nation under heaven.” There must be a reason why the Jews around the world have descended upon Jerusalem.
The Messiah can only come while Judah is still a nation, (even and occupied nation):
Genesis 49:10 “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”
The promise of a Messiah was clearly given:
Jeremiah 23:5-6 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
This tells us that the Jewish people would always have a desire to return to Jerusalem and the Temple:
Haggai 2:5-7 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. 6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
We find that the Bible has described in detail when the Messiah would come and when HE (Jesus) would be cut off or killed:
Daniel 9:24-26 “Seventy weeks (forty-nine years) are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: (four hundred and thirty-four years) the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, (forty nine years) but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Total of four hundred and eighty three years would pass when the Messiah would be cut off and Jerusalem would decline and be destroyed.
So the people (Jews) knew the time of the Messiah and they desired to be in Jerusalem.
What caused the Jews to be scattered?
As a people, Jews have kept their unique identity; there departure from the promise land was both voluntary and mandatory, through capture and exile.
Even when they were allowed to return home most stayed in the land in which they were born in or established their families.
They have always been a people with little acceptance from host countries.
Let’s now look at our verses:
Acts 2:5 “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.”
Dwelling - can be translated in two ways.
1. They had permanent places to live in
2. They came for a time to visit.
Devout - this is defined as “reverencing God, pious, religious”.
Those that gathered together are those seeking to not offend God and to follow after truth.
“Out of every nation under heaven” - When the Holy Spirit is poured upon His Children, God made it possible to fulfill
Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Acts 2:6 “Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.”
“Now when this was noised abroad” - When the event was made known, there was a crowd that formed.
Confounded - to disturb the mind of one, or bewildered
Why were they confounded?
“Because that every man heard them speak in his own language.” -
Language - the tongue or language peculiar to any people
Announcement – The gift was not in the tongue of the deliverer but of the ear of the hearer.
Acts 2:7 “And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?”
They were struck with surprise
Amazed - throw into wonderment, astounded, to be out of one’s mind, besides one’s self.
Marvelled - have in admiration
They went from: “wait what to Oh wow!”
Acts 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
This is something that has never been recorded before or since the dividing of people and tongues at the tower of Babel.
Genesis 11:6-9 “And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”
Names of the known countries represented; we know that the world nations were present but here are just a few:
Act 2:9-11 “Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.”
We can spend all day discovering theses different people or we can find in verse 11 what it was that they heard.
“The wonderful works of God.” – “Not the works of creation and providence, though these are great and wonderful; but of redemption, pardon, atonement, justification, and salvation, by the Messiah, by his obedience, sufferings, and death, and also of his resurrection from the dead.” John Gill
The preaching of Peter has not yet begun and they are already primed to hear the “Good News.”
Acts 2:12 “And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?”
I submit that the first time a person is confronted with the thought that SIN has condemned us and that we need a Saviour there is doubt.
Were in doubt - to be entirely at loss, to be without resources, to be in straits, to be left wanting, to be embarrassed.”
Conclusion:
Salvation begins when we are confronted with the truth that we are lost and in need of a Saviour.
There is no magic prayer, but there is the Holy Spirit who confirms to each lost person that they need to be saved.
Was there a time when you were confounded and in doubt?
There can be no salvation without conviction!
Do you know if you are saved or are you still hanging on to the hopes of all you have done?
