Lessons From Acts – Lesson 2
To properly understand Acts Chapter 2 you need to start in John chapter 16 and look at what Jesus taught.
What did Jesus say the job of the Holy Spirit is? This is important. Many groups come up with all kinds of strange things that they say is the job of the Holy Spirit. What they say is not important as far as truth is concerned.
What is important is what the Word of God says. You should always rather believe Jesus.
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
The first thing that Jesus says is the Holy Spirit’s job is given by the name Jesus choses to use here. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter. Using a name to highlight an aspect of God is not unusual. There are many names given for God in the Bible and each of those names highlights some aspect of God and His nature and character.
For example when Moses asked at the burning bush the name God gave him was I Am. This name highlights the fact that God is the eternal preexisting one. The name I Am speaks of Him being the Almighty Creator.
Jesus used this name for Himself when they took Him to be crucified. And when Jesus said I Am they all fell backward.
You could do a whole series of lessons just on the different names used for God in the Bible. Here Jesus uses the name of the Comforter for the Holy Spirit. And that is one of His jobs. The Holy Spirit comforts the believer. He indwells us and guides us and gives us strength and grace to walk in this wicked world.
That is some of what the Holy Spirit does for us. Next Jesus tells what the job of the Holy Spirit is as far as the lost world.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
We often call this bringing conviction. Or taking the scales off of the eyes. The Holy Spirit bears witness of the truth and what is moral and right. And the Holy Spirit bears witness that God will judge. That there is an eternal judgment to come.
The Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin.
Joh 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Very clearly here we see it reinforced that it is lost people Jesus is talking about here. The Holy Spirit’s job is to do this to those who do not believe in Jesus.
Joh 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
The presence of Jesus reproved the world of righteousness. Why? How? Because Jesus was sinless and perfect and always did right. Anyone could just look and see Him and watch Him and listen to Him. It was obvious.
Now Jesus is leaving and the job of reproving the world of righteousness is given to the Holy Spirit.
Joh 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Since the prince of this world is judged, it follows that all of the children of the Devil will also be judged.
So Jesus clearly taught that the Holy Spirit will be a comforter to us but to the lost world His job will be to reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
He will bear witness that there is right and wrong and sin and judgment.
Go to John chapter 15
Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
Joh 15:27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
Verse 26 is of huge importance to be able to understand what the Holy Spirit does. He is the Spirit of truth and therefore bears witness to the truth. And notice the end of verse 26. He (the Holy Spirit) shall testify of me (Jesus).
You will never find in the Bible anywhere where the Holy Spirit’s job is to testify of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not want the attention directed to Himself. He wants the attention directed to Jesus.
If you put all that together, you will understand that when the Holy Spirit is reproving the world of sin at the same time He is also testifying of Jesus. And when the Holy Spirit is reproving the world of righteousness and of judgment at the same time He is testifying of Jesus.
It is all connected.
Jesus taught all of this before He ascended. He wanted this foundation about the Holy Spirit laid down directly from His own lips before the Holy Spirit came. And having this knowledge beforehand really helps understand what happened when the Holy Spirit came in Acts chapter two.
So I thought it was important to take a few min. and remind ourselves of all of that before we read about the Holy Spirit coming in Acts chapter 2.
Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
The feast of Pentecost was 50 days after the Passover. Jesus dies on Passover and rose again 3 days later and taught for 40 days and then ascended. So 50 – 3 – 40 is 7. So 1 week after Jesus ascended the Holy Spirit comes.
And this first coming is going to be accompanied with a very dramatic and visible display. All thru the Old Testament God often taught with object lessons and pictures. And He does that here. This was a onetime inaugural event. We know everyone who gets saved receives the Holy Spirit at that time. And today there are no visible signs of it. What we are about to read was a onetime visible event.
Act 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
The sound from heaven is teaching that what is about to happen is coming from heaven. And that is where the Holy Spirit came from.
Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
What do tongues do? What is your tongue involved in? They speak. We know that is the Holy Spirit’s job. To testify of Jesus. Cloven means parted or divided. So this tongue is split in two.
I don’t think anyone knows for sure why. It might be because the Holy Spirit speaks of two main things at the same time. He testifies of what is sin and also what is right. He testifies of both how Jesus will judge and of how Jesus can save.
While I know that is what the Holy Spirit speaks of I am not sure if that is why the visible sign given here of a tongue is cloven. It just kind of makes sense. And it says like as of fire.
Fire very often in the bible is used as a picture of Judgment. And that would make sense. The Holy Spirit’s job is to speak of judgment to come as in hell.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
That is exactly what Jesus said the Holy Spirit’s job is, to reprove the lost world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment and of Jesus.
So we know basically what the Holy Spirit was saying thru these men.
Act 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Act 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
This is a miracle of God. The Holy Spirit came and was giving these men utterance. So these men started speaking, and every man heard them in his own language.
That is very clear. They were not speaking jibberish. They were not speaking in some unknown language of angels or some other crazy thing some groups say. They were being heard in real languages of real countries that existed at that time.
Act 2:7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Act 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Again very clear. Our own tongue means their own language where they were born.
And then comes a specific list of the countries where people in the crowd where from and each of the people from these places heard the Word of God in their own language.
Act 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Act 2:10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Act 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Act 2:12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
Can you picture the scene in your mind? This got everyone’s attention. It is also teaching something important. God does not worship the Greek language. God Himself was translating His Word into many different languages as He was preaching it thru these men via the Holy Spirit.
God was showing His desire for His precious word to be given to every people group in every nation and in their own language. Some of His children got the point and that is why the first translation of the New Testament into another language was done in the first century.
We have known some pastors who don’t get that they believe that the word of God only exists in the original Greek and can only be truly understood in the Greek. Obviously God disagrees and God taught differently.
God translating His Word as it was spoken was a miracle act of God. The normal activities of the feast of Pentecost all stopped. All attention is directed to this.
And here is a pattern to take notice of. Right after the miracle comes preaching. The purpose of the miracle was to validate the preaching of the message. There is no New Testament scripture yet to validate the message by.
So Peter stands up and preaches. And all eyes and ears are now upon him.
Act 2:13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
Act 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Act 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
This is the first sermon in the New Testament age after the ascension of Jesus. So this is a law of first mention type of event. The sermon itself is teaching some fundamental things about how God wants His word preached.
Peter starts off by using and referring to other scripture from other parts of the Bible. Peter starts by going to the book of Joel.
Act 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of 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:
Act 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Act 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Peter used the Bible to explain the Bible event they were seeing.
And then Peter turns their attention to Jesus.
Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
And now Peter gets to their sin.
Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Many of the people in that crowd were the ones who cried out to Pilot crucify him crucify him and then asked Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus.
Peter did not beat around the bush, he spoke clearly and to the point. And gives them the gospel. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and that they are sinners.
Yes there were some in the crowd who only got to town for the feast, they were not there to cry crucify crucify, but they are still responsible for Jesus going to the cross just like I am today responsible. Why? Because I am a sinner. My sin sent Him there.
Because of His love and because of my sin, He went to the cross. It was the only payment for sin that would satisfy God’s justice.
Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
After this statement Peter then goes to scripture again to prove his point. This time Peter goes to a different part of the Bible and goes back to some of the writings of David.
Act 2:25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
Act 2:26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Act 2:28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
Act 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Act 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Act 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Act 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Act 2:35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Peter used several different scriptures from different parts of the Bible to prove His points. Jesus is the promised savior. Jesus is both Lord and Christ.
Now the entire time that Peter was preaching using the Bible as proof, the Holy Spirit was testifying of sin and righteousness and judgment just like Jesus said. Not audibly. The only voice heard was Peter’s.
But the Holy Spirit was speaking to hearts. He was opening eyes and bringing conviction.
Act 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Act 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Act 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
The Holy Spirit came with a sign that visibly taught what the Holy Spirit’s job is, and it matched exactly what Jesus said the job of the Holy Spirit is.
And then after the miracle we see the Holy Spirit doing His job by testifying to the truth of what Peter preached in the hearts of people.
And 3,000 of them responded. 3,000 people got saved that day. And think it thru a bit. These people were not all from Jerusalem. They were there that day for the feast of Pentecost and many of them got baptized and then went back home with the Word of God fresh in their minds that God translated to them in their own language. And they also went home with the truth of Peter’s sermon.
The word of God about Jesus starts to spread the day the Holy Spirit came. That fits doesn’t it with what Jesus says the Holy Spirit’s job is.