Understanding Pentecost
Ballard Assembly Pastor Bob Briggs Lesson 6
Acts 2:14-21
I. Christians Need to Respond to False Statements with Biblical Truth.
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who are in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It is only nine o’clock in the morning.
On one extreme, the church has, over the centuries, closed itself off from the world, sequestered behind its doors and not speaking forth the truth it contains for fear of not being seen as politically correct. At the opposite spectrum, in an attempt to appease the crowds, they have bowed down to outside pressure, watering down the Gospel in an attempt to be seen as more culturally relevant. I believe the church needs to be a righteous influence in the world, and should not silence itself from the growing animosity but instead should respond in the manner Peter did here on the day of Pentecost, speaking the truth in love. Peter did not shy away from the statements being made by some, that the language being spoken was that of a drunken slur but instead dived in to offer an explanation.
A. Understand Your Audience.
Have you ever heard a sermon preached, and hopefully not here, walked away and wondered why that message since it had no relevance to the people who had gathered to hear it? When you are going to speak to a group of people, you need to know who they are.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:19-21 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
This is what Peter is doing here, he is targeting a group of people who had gathered at the Upper Room, those who had experienced the overflow of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and he began to speak to them concerning what they had just witnessed, what they had just experienced. Some in the crowd has become bewildered with the multiple languages that had just been spoken, some were in awe at seeing and hearing these Galileans speaking in the native tongues of other nations. Peter knew his audience, and he had a message that could change their lives if they would listen, so he told them as he gathered their attention, to listen carefully to what he was about to say.
B. Draw on their Questions
Some in the crowd has said they were drunk, full of wine, and that was the explanation for their behavior. Peter began to offer an explanation for their question, a launching pad for the Gospel he was preparing to share.
When people ask questions concerning your faith, or you ready to respond to the question which can lead to the next step of a Gospel presentation. The Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15 Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy.
As Christians, we need to look for opportunities to share our faith with people who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Paul said I come to understand them so I can share with them, Peter said we are to be ready to speak to anyone concerning why we live a Christian life. If we listen, people will always open a door, even ever so slight, to allow us to slip in with the truth of Jesus.
The design of our services here at Ballard follows this Biblical format, knowing our audience and drawing from their questions. We explain this in Ballard 101, the different distinctive of our Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday night services. Dealing with the contemporary issues today with the relevant truths of the Scriptures.
Offering an explanation to those who questioned the sobriety of the disciples, Peter said they were not drunk, it was only nine in the morning, or the third hour depending on which version of Scripture you are reading from. We would probably have a problem with that explanation in America since it seems people who desire to drink do so at all hours of the day and night, but in Jerusalem, at the time of Jesus, this would have been found to be outside the cultural norm. Then, even the drunkards were not inebriated that early in the day. This was enough for Peter to refute the claim of drunkenness in that day.
II. Know the Past History.
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. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs in the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:16-21
A. Know what Happened
Peter now goes into an explanation of what was taking place by pointing back to a prophecy the Jews were given in the Old Testament by the prophet Joel, that what they had just witnessed was the outpouring the prophet wrote of in Joel 2:28-32:
And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 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.
Peter is explaining from past history which foretold of this event without adding additional information but allowing the passage to interpret itself. You can notice the comparison from what Peter said and what Joel said.
B. Connect it with Today.
Peter is drawing from the past and now begins to weave together what it means to them right now from the perspective of where he stands. He makes a few points for them, and for us as well.
1. They were experiencing the Outpouring of Joel.
What they were witnessing to that day was what Joel had said one day would take place. Here the infant church was receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He said, this is what was spoken of in Joel. The early church began to experience the rain of the Spirit, and we today continue to draw from that powerful experience as we allow the Holy Spirit to continue to move in our lives.
2. These are the Last Days.
The first coming of Christ ushered in the last days. This is the day of God’s redemptive plans for mankind, the last days of His plan, for there will be no more opportunity past these days. The last days began two thousand years ago and continue today. During this time, God provided a way for Gentiles to receive salvation as well as the Jews. 1 John 2:18 says, Children, it is the last hour. Paul wrote in Hebrews in these last days (God) has spoken to us in His Son. The final fulfillment of this prophesy in Joel is to be completed in the coming of the millennial kingdom. The Day of Pentecost was the beginning of what God has planned for these last days.
3. This validates the return of prophesy to the church
In the last days, extensive prophesizing will take place, your sons and daughters will prophesy. This is the time for the fulfillment of the prophetic words given in the Old Testament, a time for the office of the prophet to be restored.
III. Pentecost Opens the Door for Everyone
A tragic element of the church’s history is that it has often acted as an exclusive social club rather than the body of Christ. In the early days there were those who didn’t want to allow Gentiles into the fellowship. In the Middle Ages, and during the Reformation, Jews were excluded from church membership. In recent generations people of different races have been made to feel unwelcome by the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant church. Of course, the church hasn’t only excluded people on the basis of skin-color. People have been snubbed because of age, gender, and socio-economic status.
When Peter spoke to the crowd on the day of Pentecost, he made it clear that this miraculous event was representative of God’s intention to include everyone and everybody into the fellowship of His church. Whereas in Judaism there were sharp distinctions in the status of Jews and Gentiles, Peter made it clear that in the church of Christ those distinctions would be eliminated. Peter said that in Christ’s church there would be no room for...
A. Race Discrimination
(v. 17) God says, "In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people..."
At the time of Christ, Jews were considered God’s people; Gentiles were considered to be separated from God. Religious Jewish men used to pray, "Lord I thank you that I was born neither a woman or a Gentile." Though Gentiles could convert to Judaism, they could never enjoy the full package of benefits as one who was Jewish by birth--and, really, strict Jews had no use for Gentiles at all. Some even went as far as saying that help should not be given to a Gentile woman in childbirth, because it would only bring another Gentile into the world.
God had promised many times in the Old Testament to eradicate this kind of racism, and this is part of the message of Pentecost: God’s Spirit is available to anyone from any nation.
A Japanese Christian by the name of Toro Matsumoto was scheduled to be ordained for ministry at Marble Collegiate Church just three days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Because of the high emotional reaction of the American people to the Japanese attack, it was suggested by denominational leaders that the service be delayed until things had cooled a bit. Norman Vincent Peale, who was pastor of Marble Collegiate, said that the "affairs of Christianity should not be determined by war hysteria" and recommended the service go on. The police provided protection, and the ordination took place without trouble. Mr. Matsumoto later became a influential Christian leader in his home country.
b. Gender Discrimination
(v. 17) "...Your sons and daughters will prophesy."
This is a sensitive issue among many Bible believing Christians, so please take note: I am not making this up. St. Peter is not making this up, either. He is not speaking his own opinion; his words are a direct quote from the mouth of God, as first recorded in Joel 2:28-32.
In the New Testament, women played a critical role in the establishment of several congregations, and were identified as "fellow workers" by the Apostle Paul. Paul even gave instruction on how women should dress when praying or prophesying in church. (see Acts 16:13; Acts 17:4; Romans 16; 1Corinthians 11:5)
We don’t have time right now to explore this issue thoroughly. It is enough to say that the scriptures make it plain that women are to be actively involved in the ministry of the church, and they are not to be considered second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God.
c. Age Discrimination
(v. 17) ...Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
It is a shame that organizations which are not allowed to discriminate according to race or gender are still allowed to discriminate according to age. Too often talented, experienced (and, therefore, more expensive) workers are quietly ushered out the company’s back door to make way for younger, less costly labor. There are even some denominations that have a mandatory retirement once a minister reaches a certain age. This is unfortunate, because at no point in a person’s life do they lose their ability to make a contribution to the Kingdom of God. We need the wisdom and experience that comes only with age.
We also make the mistake of referring to young people as "the church of tomorrow." Peter is saying that they are the church of today! Today they will see visions! Every member of this congregation--no matter how young or how old--has a role to play, and we need each and every one of you.
4. PROCLAIMS THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION
(v. 21) Then anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Later, Peter finished his message by saying, Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of your sins... and he repeats the promise Christ made earlier: And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
It is crucial, now more than ever before, that the church be faithful to preaching the gospel message. One reason we have lost influence in society is that the church, as a whole, has gotten away from the message of salvation. Some preach against sin--but that is not the same as preaching God’s message of salvation. Some preach a political agenda--but that is not the message of salvation. The message of salvation is the message that the early church proclaimed--and it is the message that we must proclaim today: Jesus Christ is Lord and has the power to change lives. It is this dynamic message that makes believers out of non-believers. Otherwise, we’re just preaching to the choir.
IV. Dreams and Visions
I want to conclude with a illustration written by Paul Bickel and God’s Mission Promise, you might be able to relate. Dreams and Visions for All
"I will pour out my spirit on all people." Acts 2:17
Overburdened. Inadequate. That’s how Nancy felt. So she wrote in her journal: "We have established our mission committee ’To Do List’ for the next year.
1. Begin international student ministry.
2. Help plant a Somalian church in the city.
3. Send 10 people on a short-term mission trip to Panama.
4. Expand mission education in our Sunday school. The list is impressive. And oppressive! I feel such pressure to make these projects succeed. The Lord deserves my best effort, but I feel exhausted before even starting. What if everything flops? What then?"
Do you ever feel like Nancy? I do. I bet you do too. But we don’t usually express our apprehensions. At best, we write them in a journal where no one sees them--except God.
Because He knows how we feel, the Lord led Luke to write a "journal" called "Acts." In Acts 2, the Lord responds to our apprehensions in three ways.
1. He promises us power from on high. After the resurrection Jesus emphasized two messages: (a) "You will be my witnesses before the whole world"; and (b) "Wait for the Holy Spirit to empower you." That was why, in response to God’s promise "they all joined together constantly in prayer" (Acts 1:14). And then they saw the fulfillment on Pentecost: "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them" (2:4). Before we swing into mission action, let’s put one item at the top of our "to do list": to pray for the Spirit’s power from on high.
2. God promises us dreams and visions. Peter quotes a mission promise from the prophet Joel, "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams" (2:17). Throughout Acts, God kept on granting mission vision and direction (see 8:26-40; 11:4-21; 13:1-3; 16:6-10; 18:7-11; 23:11; and 27:21-26). Today the Spirit continues to grant us His divine mission direction. As Nancy and her committee prayerfully seek the Spirit’s direction, He will guide them. He will show them which dreams on their "To Do List" to tackle now, which to set aside and which to pursue later, according to His wise timing.
3. God promises to work through all His children. Even though Peter was the principal speaker in Acts 2, he wasn’t the only one. All 120 believers were "declaring the wonders of God" (2:11) to the multinational audience. After Pentecost, they all participated in the new community of faith, and "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (2:47). Therefore, as we carry out the mission vision God gives us, let’s involve others to help us share the load and share the joy.
Are you overburdened about mission? Are you inadequate for the task? Join the club--the club of believers who trust the Lord to fulfill His mission, even through the likes of us.
