The Day the Fire Fell
Pastor Glenn Newton
May 15, 2005
AC 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
AC 2:5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
This morning I want to answer the Question that the crowd was asking so many years ago as they saw this amazing work of God…. What does this mean? This is a very important question for every believer….. How important is it? Well, that’s why were here this morning… to find out what God’s Word says to us about the Day the Fire Fell…..
There’s at least two things that I want you to take from this message this morning… First, When your filled with the Spirit, It’s a life Changing Event…. Second, When your filled with the Spirit….. It starts in a moment, but it is lived our Everyday.
Let’s look at this passage…. Think with me about what has been going on in the lives of these men and women in the last few weeks….
A. Jesus, their leader was arrested and murdered… put on a Cross.
B. Before the shock could wear off, Jesus raises from the Dead and appears to them. Wow!
C. After 40 days of being encouraged by the Risen Savior, He tells them that He is going to the Father, but that He is sending a helper, the Holy Spirit to empower them.. He tells them to wait for this gift…..
D. They demonstrate their belief in Jesus… they obey what He said to do… They waited in the upper room for days…. Waiting… Don’t you love to wait? Sometimes it’s God’s will to wait… did you know that? These disciples were waiting on God..
E. God fulfills His Promise and pours out the Holy Spirit upon His people… and they are changed…. in an instant God’s power is evident… their lives will never be the same.
A. It’s a life changing event….. V. 3,4
Can you imagine this scene? Let’s put someone we know in this scene… Matt Ming… you don’t know any foreign languages do you? Can you imagine Matt Ming walking down the Courthouse steps… preaching the gospel in Spanish? French? German? Hebrew? The Bible says that there were Jews in Jerusalem from every Nation under heaven…. That includes everywhere right? Why is this significant? God was sending a message… His Message… His Gospel Message…. To every Nation, Every Tongue…and this first demonstration of God’s power symbolized His Desire to reach everyone with the Message of Hope that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings, the promised Messiah.
1. Remember, these me had no formal training, no formal education… God wanted everyone to know that this miracle, came from Him.
A. For these disciples this was a life changing event…. They have been Sanctified Holy through the infilling of the Holy Spirit… they would spend the rest of their lives giving witness to all who would listen, telling others about Jesus Christ.
Have you had this life changing experience? It’s available to those who are ready to totally Surrender…. God will not give this gift to the divided heart… to the double minded… but to those who will surrender…. He will pour out His Spirit upon you and you will know what only God can do in your life…
You may be wondering…. Does this mean I will speak in tongues?
We believe that God gave these men the ability to speak a known language for the purpose of demonstrating His power and sharing the Gospel message to the known world. Speaking in tongues is not a proof of being filled with the Spirit…. Tongues is a gift given to some believers just like the gift of evangelism, service, or teaching….
A. Just remember this… the Gift of the Holy Spirit is about the Life Changing Power that God wants us to have so that we can be His witnesses wherever we go…
Have you seen this life changing event in someone around you?
… people in our own church…. Priorities change, habits are broken, new power for the new man or new women…It’s life changing… it brings boldness and courage that was not there before…. Does this describe you?
How about your life? Have you had your personal Pentecost? It’s more than just an emotional experience… it’s different than asking God to forgive you from your sins…. It’s a specific experience that God wants us to seek, and when we come to that place of complete surrender….. When our heart is right… God performs that Second Work of Grace and Fills us with the Holy Spirit… We are Sanctified through and through.
B. It’s starts with an event…. But it is lived out everyday Acts 1:8….
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8
The Spirit filled life is the God’s desire for all of us. Only when we are living the spirit filled life will God be able to use us to our full potential.
Ex. My computer…. I don’t have a clue how to use it to it’s full potential…. It’s all there.. There’s nothing keeping me from figuring it out except my own unwillingness to learn more… this is similar to how the second work of grace works….
Until we are willing to learn all God wants for us…. Put aside our own agenda, our own selfishness… our potential will go untapped, unused… and really we are the ones who lose.
The truth is we kind of like to live in our own comfort zone don’t we? We become comfortable with what we are familiar with…. Even if it’s way below what’s best for us.
Did anyone do something this week that they have never done before?
There’s a reason not everybody raised their hand… we like what we know and understand.
Let me tell you a secret about God…. He calls us out of our comfort zone.. Why? He wants His people to live by Faith. Is God calling you this morning to surrender to His Will… His Way of Life… Is He calling you to be saved this morning? Maybe you have been saved…. Have you been Sanctified, Filled with His Spirit? Let me warn you… It’s a dangerous kind of life… You will be dangerous for God… because it’s a life of radical obedience to God… and sometimes that is way out of your comfort zone… but I have good news….
The Reward is out of this world…. Seeing your personal life turned upside down and made completely new, plus watching how God uses you to turn others to Christ… there’s no greater joy in the whole world…
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Cor. 3:17-18
How do you want to Live? In Freedom through His Spirit? Or in bondage to the Old Man? You can choose today….
Close.
