Thursday, June 4, 2015

Pentecost Sunday: The Promised and Providing Holy Spirit (Acts 2)


Scripture: Acts 2
Translation: Acts 2.1And when the day of Pentecost arrived, all of them were together at the same place. 2And suddenly a sound came from the sky like the sound a violent wind brings. And if filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3And tongues like fire appeared being distributed to them. And it settled down on each one of them. 4And all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages according to how the Spirit was giving them to speak out.
5And there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, God-fearing men from every ethnic group from all the places under Heaven. 6And when this sound came, the huge number of people gathered together and became confused, because each one of them was hearing them speaking in his own dialect. 7And they were shocked and amazed, saying, “Look, don’t absolutely all of these people speak the Galilean dialect? 8So how is each one of us hearing them in our own dialect that we were born in? 9Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those who live in Mesopotamia, as well as Judea and Cappadocia, Egypt and the parts of Libya that are near Cyrene, and the visiting Romans, 11both Jews and converts, Cretans and Arabs, we are hearing them speaking in our languages the great things of God!” 12And all of them were shocked and dumbfounded, one saying to one another, “What wants this to be?” 13But others who were making fun of them were saying that “They’re really just drunk on new wine!”
14And Peter standing with the Eleven lifted up his voice and spoke boldly to them, “Men, Jews, and all those staying in Jerusalem, Let this be known to you and pay attention to my words. 15You see, it is not as you suggest “these people are drunk,” because it is 9am. 16Instead, this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel. 15“And it will be in the last days, God says, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams! 18And indeed on My male slaves and on My female-slaves in those days I will pour out My Spirit and they will prophesy! 19And I will give omens in the sky above and signs on the earth below: book and fire and billows of smoke. 20The sun will turn into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious Day of the Lord comes. 21And it will be that everyone who will call on the Name of the Lord will be saved!”
22Men, Israelites, listen to these words! Jesus, the Nazarene, a man who really was endorsed by God for you with miracles and omens and signs, which God did through Him in the middle of you just as you yourselves know, 23This Person by the determined plan and foreknowledge of God, who was given over, you killed via the hand of lawless people by nailing Him to a cross, 24Who God raised breaking the pains of death, given that it was not possible that He be held by it. 25You see, David says about Him, “I saw the Lord before me through it all, because He is at my right hand, so that I would not be shaken. 26Because of this, my heart is rejoices and my tongue celebrates, but moreover my flesh settles on hope, 27because You will not abandon my life in Hades, and You won’t allow You Holy One to see decay. 28You make me know the path of life. You fill me with joy with Your Face!” 29Men, brothers, I have to speak to you with boldness about David the Patriarch that he is both dead and buried. And his tomb is among us to this day. 30So, because he really was a prophet and knew that with an oath God promised him someone from the fruit of his loins would sit on his throne, 31looking ahead, he spoke about the resurrection of Christ that he was not abandoned to Hades and His flesh did not see decay. 32God raised this Jesus, which we are all witnesses of.
33So, after being exalted to the right hand of God, and receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He poured This Spirit out, which you both see and hear. 34For David didn’t go up into the heavens, but he says, “The Lord says to My Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand. 35until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet!’” 36So, certainly, all the house of Israel had better know that God made Him Lord and Messiah—this Jesus Who you crucified!”
37And when they heard they stabbed in the heart and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, What should we do, men brothers?” 38And Peter said to them, “Repent and each of you get baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, 39because the promise is for you and your children and all those far into the future, as many as the Lord our God will summon.” 40And with many other words he was warning and urging them saying “Get saved from this warped generation!” 41So, those who accepted his message were baptized and about 3000 lives were added on that day.
42And they were focusing on the teaching of the apostles and on sharing, breaking bread, and prayers. 43And fear came over every life, and many omens and signs were happening through the apostles. 44And all those who believed were at the same place and they held absolutely everything as shared. 45And they were selling their possessions and properties and distributing them to all according to how someone had a need. 46And daily focusing with one mind on being in the Temple, and breaking bread in different homes, they were sharing food with great joy and sincerity of heart, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding the people being saved every day to their group.

Interpretation
1.      Structure
a.       The Coming of the Spirit (vv.1-4)
b.      The Response of those in Jerusalem (vv.5-13)
c.       The Spirit-empower Sermon of Peter (vv.14-36)
                                                              i.      Peter Explains the Languages as a Fulfillment of Joel 2 (vv.14-21)
                                                            ii.      Peter Explains Christ raised from the dead, not David (vv.22-32)
                                                          iii.      Peter Explains Christ poured out the Spirit and is Lord, not David (vv.33-36)
d.      The Response of the People in Jerusalem to Peter’s Sermon (vv.37-41)
e.       The Nature of the Early Church (vv.42-47)
2.      Themes
a.       The Holy Spirit
b.      The death and resurrection of Christ
c.       The killing of Christ by the Jews
d.      Languages/tongues
e.       Prophecies interpreted
f.       Calling on the Name of the Lord
g.      Conversion
h.      Church
3.      Doctrines
a.       The Holy Spirit comes from God via Jesus
b.      The Bible is reliable
c.       The Holy Spirit comes on every Christian at conversion
d.      The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts, boldness, insight, and empowerment
e.       The Holy Spirit transforms the human heart

Applications
1.      Outline
a.       The Promised Holy Spirit
                                                              i.      Promised by Jesus (Acts 1.4-5, 8)
                                                            ii.      Promised in Joel 2 (Joel 2.28-32)
b.      The Providing Holy Spirit
                                                              i.      The Holy Spirit Provides Spiritual Gifts
1.      He provided different languages
2.      He provides other gifts too, like leadership and preaching
                                                            ii.      The Holy Spirit Provides Boldness
1.      Boldness to speak up in general
2.      Boldness to say harsh and even dangerous things
                                                          iii.      The Holy Spirit Provides Words
1.      He will give the words we need when we need them
                                                          iv.      The Holy Spirit Provides Insight
1.      He enabled Peter to correctly apply Joel 2.28-32 to His coming
2.      He enabled Peter to correctly apply Ps. 15.8-11 to the resurrection of Christ and not David
3.      He enabled Peter to correctly apply Ps. 110 to the Lordship of Christ not David and in particular to the sending of the Spirit from God by Christ
                                                            v.      The Holy Spirit Provides Incentive
1.      The Holy Spirit is so awesome and should be such a part of our spiritual lives that He naturally comes up in evangelism as an incentive to convert
2.      The offer of the Holy Spirit can motivate people to come to Christ in faith
                                                          vi.      The Holy Spirit Provides Dedication
1.      Dedication to learning and following God’s Word
2.      Dedication to sharing our stuff generously
3.      Dedication to eating together regularly
4.      Dedication to praying consistently
                                                        vii.      The Holy Spirit Provides Generosity
1.      Through Him we can share our time
2.      Through Him we can share our talents
3.      Through Him we can share our money
4.      Through Him we can share our stuff
                                                      viii.      The Holy Spirit Provides Joy
1.      His joy is sometimes mysterious
2.      His joy is always overwhelming
                                                          ix.      The Holy Spirit Provides Praise
1.      He brings the praise of God out of us naturally
2.      He brings the praise of people to us naturally
                                                            x.      The Holy Spirit Provides Unity
1.      He brings people together from all the different languages
2.      He brings people together from all the different places
3.      He brings people together from all the different cultures
4.      He brings people together from all the different backgrounds
5.      He brings people together from all the different statuses
2.      Discussion Questions
a.       What do you think it would have been like to have the Holy Spirit rush on you with fire over your head and different languages coming out of your mouth?
b.      If you had been on the outside looking in, what would you have said about these Jesus-followers?
c.       Before today, did you know God promised through prophecy to send His Holy Spirit on all His people? Why is sending the Holy Spirit so important to God?
d.      How important is the Holy Spirit to your daily life on a scale of 1-10? Why do you say that number?
e.       What places do you want the Holy Spirit to have on your daily life? What is keeping that from happening?
f.       How can you rely on the Spirit while reading and applying the Bible?

g.      Of the 10 things the Spirit provides mentioned in the sermon today, which 2 things do you want Him to provide to you the most? Why? Which 2 things do you want Him to provide the Universal Church the most? Why? 

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