PBPC Update - Sunday Sermon Available
Sermon – "When the Spirit Shows Up" – Acts 2
September 13, 2020
Chris Coon, PBPC
When I was in college I spent a couple of summers on short-term mission trips to eastern Europe. We had expected to be operating under the radar since it was still the communist era and overt evangelism had not been allowed. But it was 1989 and things were changing; the wall in Germany came down that year, and the eastern bloc countries dramatically opened up and allowed new freedoms. So in Poland, we found ourselves able to preach openly on the street corners and in the parks. And the interesting thing was that people stopped and listened! We often would have people's attention for 20-30 minutes, whereas in the U.S. we might have it for 2 minutes, if at all. And all we had to do was set up an easel with a pad of paper and begin drawing, or have someone play the guitar and start singing, and we would gather a crowd. Of course, as time has gone by, attention spans have certainly gotten much shorter and it has become much more challenging to get somebody's attention or to address a crowd of people on the street.
I don't know what the average attention span was for the people staying in Jerusalem 2000 years ago, but in Acts chapter 2 God does something amazing and perfectly suited to capture the attention of a huge group of people who happen to be present at just the right time.
Acts 2:1-24, 36
1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 'In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
22 "You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— 23 this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. 24 But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.
36 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."
The Story
Pentecost was one of the three major Jewish holy days or festivals; pentecost means fiftieth, signifying that this was observed 50 days after Passover. Jews from the diaspora around the Mediterranean world took this as an opportunity for pilgrimage, to return to Jerusalem to celebrate and worship. So we see in this passage that there are devout Jews from every nation living (or staying) in Jerusalem at this moment.
This is ten days after the ascension of Jesus (in chapter 1), and his disciples (numbering around 120) are all gathered together in one place, probably to celebrate the festival and worship together. Suddenly a sound like rushing wind (from heaven) fills the room, and what appear to be tongues of fire come to rest on each of them; they are each filled with the Holy Spirit, and they begin speaking in foreign languages (or tongues), as the Spirit gives them the ability.
This attracts the attention of the passersby, and a great crowd gathers, because Jews from a whole list of different places are hearing their own native language spoken. They can tell that these people are mostly Galileans – how and why are they speaking all of these languages from far-off lands? For those of you from different countries, it would be as if you heard me suddenly speaking in your own language or dialect. You don't need it – you already understand what I'm saying because we all speak English – but it's grabs your attention. For these Jews from various lands, it made them stop and listen and ask the question: What is going on? Some, however, dismiss this as simply a bunch of people who have been drinking.
This gives Peter the opportunity to stand up and preach to the huge crowd. Remember Peter, who had denied that he even knew Jesus? A change has come over him, and he is both inspired and empowered to speak. This is the first Christian sermon, so it's worth paying attention to.
The Holy Spirit Poured Out
First of all, says Peter, these people are not drunk – it's only 9 am (although we all know that the time of day doesn't necessarily keep people from drinking.) Rather than being under the influence of alcohol, they are under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Peter goes on to quote a passage from the Old Testament prophet Joel, in which God promises that in the last days He will pour out His Spirit on all people. This is what is happening now, says Peter – this prophecy is being fulfilled as God's Spirit is being poured out in the midst of and upon this group of people.
Who or what is the Holy Spirit? Beginning with the creation story in Genesis 1, the Holy Spirit is God's personal presence and power within creation. The Spirit of God enters people, most notably the Old Testament prophets, and enables them to speak and act for God. At his baptism, Jesus was specially equipped by the Spirit for his ministry. The prophecy in Joel is that there will come a time, in the last days, in which God will pour out His Holy Spirit on all flesh, all kinds of people, both young and old, male and female, on both masters and servants. The result will be that they will see visions, dream dreams, and prophecy (which means to speak the word of the Lord.) In other words, all of God's people will do what the prophets did.
It is interesting here that Peter does not focus his attention on the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit is the evidence of what God is doing. And what God is doing is new and revolutionary.
The Last Days
The prophet Joel had said that this outpouring of the Spirit would happen in the "last days," and Peter points out that what is happening on Pentecost is a demonstration that the last days have begun. Things have been set in motion, and the world is changing. We have many ideas about what the last days mean, usually involving destruction, suffering, and the end of the world. But what did the last days mean for the Jews?
We should note that for the Jews, history was linear, not cyclical – there was a beginning and there will be an end. The end of human history, however, is not really the end; rather, it is the consummation of God's good work, and the arrival and fulfillment of God's perfect kingdom. The Jews looked forward to the Day of the Lord, the day on which God would judge the nations and redeem and restore His people – the day on which God would make everything right. The last days, therefore, would be the period of time leading up to the Day of the Lord.
So, a couple of things to note: first of all, the Day of the Lord was considered a good thing for God's people; it was the time when God would set everything right, when justice and righteousness would prevail over sin, evil, and death. It was something that God's people would hope for and long for. So to hear they are in the last days is actually good and exciting news, not bad and scary news.
Second, the first Christians believed this, and thought that they were living in the last days. But we're still here, so what happened? The answer, I believe, is that God does not work on a fixed timeline; there is not a date for the Day of the Lord that keeps being delayed. Rather, the last days are the period in which God has set in motion the revolutionary movement of God's Spirit and God's people to prepare the world for the Day of the Lord. In other words, we are still living in the last days, but our focus should not be upon the timeline, but upon what God is doing in the world.
It's About Jesus
We generally consider that this passage is about the Holy Spirit, but if we listen closely to the story and to Peter's words, we will notice something different. Peter does not stand up and talk to the people about the Spirit – he does not explain to them what the Spirit will do for them or invite them to come and experience the Spirit.
Rather, Peter uses this opportunity to speak to the people about Jesus – that Jesus suffered and died and rose from the dead; that in his resurrection Jesus proved that he was the promised king and savior, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. That God has made Jesus Lord of all, and anybody who calls upon the name of the Lord – that is, Jesus – shall be saved.
It is the resurrection of Jesus that has started the revolution, that has begun the last days. It is Jesus who has received authority from God the Father, and it is Jesus who has poured out the Spirit of God upon his followers. It's all about Jesus. We never move beyond Jesus and what he has done for us. The revolution, the disruptive kingdom of God, the movement of God's Spirit – this is revolutionary in that God is reconciling the world to Himself through Jesus. And it is revolutionary in that it is for all people – in Christ there is no Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free, young or old. The story of Acts is the story of the revolution unfolding.
Conclusion
Let's remember that the story of Acts is not only the story of the early church – it is also our story as followers of Jesus. The revolution that began with the resurrection of Jesus continues – it continues in our lives and in our life together as God's people. We are still living in the last days, and God has given us the continuing gift of His power and presence in the Holy Spirit. It is for us to experience the life-giving power of God, and to realize that through us this life-giving power is available to the entire world. Let the story, and the revolution, continue.