The Holy Spirit (Part 2)

Acts 2

What does the power of the Holy Spirit mean to us? God promises us the enabling of the spirit through His Grace so that we might be the presence of Christ to others.

This is the second part of a sermon on Acts 2. Watch part 1 here.
Series Introduction
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The Holy Spirit has come in miraculous power. There's been the sound of a windstorm from heaven. There's been tongues of fire that have come down and landed on the believers. These believers are speaking in different languages to people who have gathered from different people groups and who speak different languages and who are now hearing the wonders of God, the wonderful works of God in Jesus, being proclaimed through these believers. They are hearing these believers speak in their own languages to them. And Peter gets up to address this large crowd.

What would you expect Peter to say? What would you say? What would you expect Billy Graham to say? What would you expect to hear from some top preacher today? “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Being these were devout Jews Peter was addressing would you expect him to say, “You have your own religion, we have our religion. You're fine and we're fine. It's all the same God.” Would Peter to tell them how God could help their marriages, or their finances? Would he tell them that Jesus loves them and wants to shepherd them? Would he tell them Jesus would make them feel good about themselves? Would he address the social issues of the day?

Luke tells us in acts chapter 2 that Peter actually gave several messages. One of the messages he gave, perhaps the first one, Luke recorded in part.

“Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming…. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:

In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people….
In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy. And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below….

…before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus… by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life….

“God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.”

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

Peter didn’t say the things we would expect. He said hard things: “You crucified Jesus! You are guilty! The judgment of God is coming!” Peter spoke truth, but he also spoke grace (John 1:14,17). “Listen, God is doing a miracle through Jesus! Mercy, grace and forgiveness! All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved! Joel was referring to Jesus whom you crucified, but whom God had prepared from the beginning of time.” Jesus’ death wasn't an accident. It wasn’t a tragedy. The crowd was culpable. They were responsible. Jesus was betrayed. They had conspired to crucify him. But in and through it all God was working his perfect plan for his purposes. Now Jesus is at the right hand of God, exalted. We can be certain that this Jesus, who was crucified God has made both Lord and Messiah. All who call on him will be saved. The day of God’s judgment is quickly coming.

Let's make a few observations about Peter said.

First, Peter was thoughtful. He didn’t rely on the miraculous to just “wow” the crowd. The miraculous things that happened—the sound of a windstorm, flames of fire, speaking many different languages—these were signs from God to be interpreted and responded to. Christianity isn’t a mindless religion as some claim. “It’s for simple, ignorant, superstitious people.” That is far from the truth. Jesus frequently called people to think, to open their eyes, to listen carefully to what he was saying, to seek after the truth. Peter was doing that too. He interpreted for the crowd the Scriptures. He asked them to carefully consider what Joel had written and prophesied. He challenged them to think about what God was doing and what he had done through Jesus.

Second, Peter talked about what was important to God, what was important from God’s perspective. Many times we go to prayer, to the Bible or to church with our agenda, with what’s important to us. We want God to talked to us about what it is we think is important. Peter spoke about what was important to God. He talked about how we might fit into what God is doing, not how God can fit into what we are doing.

Third, Peter talked about Jesus. He didn’t talk about how Jesus was a great moral teacher. He talked about how Jesus can save us from our sins. Jesus came to die. The heart of the message is the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Not his moral teaching. Paul said that he preached Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23; 2:2). Christ came to die, to save us from our sins and reconcile us to God.

Today we live in a culture that denies sin, that denies the judgment of God. Peter and his message don’t fit in today’s world. Peter’s focus was that we are under the judgment of God, all of us. And Jesus is God’s only way for us to escape, to be saved.

Fourth, the people were pierced to the heart. They weren’t “blessed” by Peter’s message. It didn’t make them feel good about themselves. That will not lead us to salvation. They weren’t just moved emotionally. They were pierced in their hearts by the working of the Spirit through Peter’s message and they felt compelled to respond, to do something. They wouldn’t just get up from the message and go on with their lives. “What must we do to be saved?”

Peter responded to their plea. Yes, they must do something. God’s grace was not that they had to do nothing, it was the conviction there was something they must do. Peter said they must repent of their sins and turn to God. Repentance that leads to life is the acknowledgment of our sin before God. It’s not just the acknowledgement of personal moral failures. Sin is wronging God. It is the failure to give God his rightful place as God. It is our failure to give him the place in our lives that he deserves as our creator. Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is this, to love God with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength. That’s what God deserves. That’s what he demands from us. Have you given to God his rightful place? Repentance is acknowledging my guilt. Faith turns to Jesus for forgiveness. Faith is embracing the work of Christ for my sin, for me, to reconcile me to God. I turn to God believing his provision in Christ not only saves me from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin. In Christ I have the power, the life, the Spirit to live a God-pleasing life as his child.

Peter said be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. That means, surrender your whole life to him, identify wholeheartedly with Jesus Christ. When you do, you will receive the assurance of the Holy Spirit. This promise is not just for some, it's not just for the apostles, it's for all believers and it's for you. For you who crucified Jesus!

What does this mean for us? Do you have the enabling of the Holy Spirit? Pray and ask God to give you the Spirit he promised to enable you to be a witness of Jesus Christ. Ask God to give you a real sense of your dependence, of your need. Ask God to give you a passionate desire, a thirst for the power, the presence of the Holy Spirit, so that you may speak God’s word to people. Pray that the Spirit will so fill you that you will be the presence of Christ to people—the fragrance of life to some and the fragrance of death to others. Make it your chief concern to speak the word of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that God may accomplish his purposes, and so that Jesus might be glorified. Ask God to let you speak of the wonders that he has worked in Jesus. Don't be ashamed of Jesus, and don't settle for speaking to people about anything less than the wonderful works of God in Jesus.