[The fulfillment of the promise of God to send the Holy Spirit of God upon His Church and His people is the heart of this passage of scripture.  God really did send the Holy Spirit to baptize and indwell all born again believers and it all started on this day in history.  We refer to this event as the day of Pentecost.   Of Pentecost we know,]

[Pentecost means "fiftieth." It is the New Testament name for the Feast of Weeks (Ex. 34:22-23), or Harvest (Ex. 23:16), which was celebrated fifty days after Passover. In post-exilic Judaism, it also celebrated the giving of the Law to Moses. The Spirit's coming on that day was linked to the pattern of feasts in the Old Testament.]

[God's redemptive New Testament timetable is pictured in the feasts of Leviticus 23. The first great feast mentioned in that chapter is Passover. The killing of the passover lamb pictured the death of Jesus Christ, the ultimate Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7). A second feast was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, celebrated on the day after Passover. During that feast, an offering of the first fruits of the grain harvest was made. Leviticus 23:15 commands that offering to be made on the day after the sabbath. . . . [1]]

[Hence, we discover the harmony between the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Our Lord Jesus Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit were pictured in the Levitical sacrifices and ceremonies.  The Old Testament enfolds what is revealed in the New Testament. Jesus really did come to fulfill the law, not to destroy it (Matt 5.17).] 

In Our Text We Discover, 

A.    The Prerequisite To The Holy Spirit (vs 1) [– There was absolutely nothing that any human being could do to bring the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit was given by the sovereign will and act of Almighty God.] 

1.      God’s Timing (vs 1; Gal 4.4-5) [– And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, . . . – Knowing God’s will is important, but knowing God’s timing is just as important as knowing God’s will.  From the beginning of time God promised to send a Messiah, the Christ.  For thousands of years God’s people, throughout the Old Testament, wondered when God would keep His promise.  The New Testament reveals,] 

[Galatians 4:4-5 ⁴ But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, ⁵ To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.]

[Why was the day of our Lord’s birth the fullness of time?  Why was the day of our Lord’s death the selected moment?  Why was the sunrise of our Lord’s resurrection the perfect time?   Only Almighty God knows.  But we can know and trust that He really does know exactly what He is doing.] 

[Our Lord, Jesus Christ, had promised to send the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to illuminate and empower the Church.  But who could know when or where the Holy Spirit would come.  The Day of Pentecost was that day, and the Holy Spirit came at the exact moment when He was supposed to come.] 

[Our Lord has promised that a day of Rapture in coming.  On that day every born again child of God will be transformed into a glorious eternity, a wonderful perfection, an everlasting existence and kingdom.  But our Lord also said,] 

[Mark 13:32-33 ³² But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. ³³ Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.]

[The fullness of time will come when our Heavenly Father determines that the time has come.  We must trust Him and obey Him until that moment arrives.]   

[Pentecost was the moment of the giving of the promise of the Holy Spirit of God to all who are born again in this dispensation of Grace.  A completely new work had begun as we will discover as we continue to examine this special day of Pentecost.] 

2.       God’s Terms (vs 1; Psalm 133.1; 1 Pet 3.8-12) [- . . . they were all with one accord in one place. – As we noted earlier, there is nothing anyone could do to bring the Holy Spirit of God, but the text notes their accord or unity when the Holy Spirit came.  If there is anything we need to learn as the Children of our Heavenly Father it is that God does not negotiate with sin bent mortal human beings, even if we think we are the most spiritual individual in the county or nation.  Too many Christians claim God as their Lord while they sit enthroned within their own minds somehow thinking that God will bend to their bidding.  What am I talking about?]   

[When it comes to unity in the Church of our Lord, there is no negotiating on the part of our Lord.  God places a multitude of people within HIS Church body.  They are all different and have different characteristics, purposes, and ministries (1 Cor 12).  Some you will get along with very well, you will find them a joy to talk to and an encouragement to be around.  Some you will find you can hardly stand to be around (in a mortal sense), you will find them difficult to understand and will find it easier to just avoid them.  So who is in the wrong when you find another person or family hard to do God’s kingdom work with?  Of course you will justify yourself and will claim, it’s not you, it must be them.  But I tell you unity is not negotiable with our Heavenly Father.  You had better grow up spiritually and get a grip on your own heart and mind, because you do not get to choose who is in God’s Church, but you are required to be in one accord with them.]  

[One Accord - ὁμοθυμαδὸν (Gk) – adv. from homóthumos (n.f.), unanimous, of one mind, which is from homós (n.f.), one and the same, and thumós (2372), temperament, mind. With one mind, with unanimous consent, in one accord, all together (Acts 1:14; 2:1, 46; 4:24; 5:12; 7:57; 8:6; 12:20; 15:25; 18:12; 19:29; Rom. 15:6;Sept.: Ex. 19:8; Jer. 26:21).^[2] ] 

[These Christians were all together before they received the Holy Spirit.  Why do we have trouble getting our minds together after we have the Holy Spirit in us?  It is all a matter of being submissive to God rather than individual in heart and mind.  If there is anything Americans or human beings are, we are individualistic.  We are our own bosses and no one is going to tell us what to do.  But God calls us to humility and sacrifice, and these are the essential characteristics for unity.

Of unity the Bible declares,] 

[Psalm 133:1 ¹ Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! ]

[1 Peter 3:8-12 ⁸ Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: ⁹ Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. ¹⁰ For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: ¹¹ Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. ¹² For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. ]

[Be careful, my Christian friends, to never underestimate the importance of unity and accord within the Church of our Lord.  It was so important to our Heavenly Father that it is recorded in the eternal record of the Word of God.] 

B.     The Power Of The Holy Spirit (vs 2-4) [– And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³ And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. – The Holy Spirit is not an essence, He is a person, and He is one of the persons of the Godhead.  He is also powerful beyond comprehension, just as our Jehovah God is.  His power is expressed to us in this text through three revelations.]  

1.      The Wind (vs 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. – In our text the Holy Spirit is likened unto a mighty rushing wind or the sound of such wind.  What do we know about the wind and what does this illustrative comparison teach us about the Holy Spirits presence? ] 

a.       The Mystery of the Wind (John 3.3-9; Col 1.26-27) [- And suddenly there came a sound from heaven . . . - The coming of the Holy Spirit is likened unto the sound of the wind.  This does not mean that the sound was the wind, but it sounded sort of like the wind.  Many times when human beings try to express something supernatural the best they can do is explain their experience in mortal terms.  Our lord once spoke of the redeeming, transforming work of the Holy Spirit in salvation in terms of the wind.] 

[John 3:7-9 ⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. ⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. ⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?]

[The work and presence of the Holy Spirit within us is a mystery, yet He is a reality.  Just as you cannot see the wind, but you can certainly see the effects of the wind; so it is with the Holy Spirit of God.  We cannot see Him but the effects of His presence and work within the hearts and lives of people are undeniable.] 

[Of this mystery Paul wrote,] 

[Colossians 1:26-27 ²⁶ Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: ²⁷ To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:]

[The presence of the Holy Spirit is a mystery that confounds mortal minds.  Like the wind He cannot be seen or touched, but His evidence and effects are undeniable.  Once He comes into a born again Christian the metamorphosis is undeniable.] 

b.      The Movement of the Wind [- . . . and it filled all the house. . . – Have you ever tried to seal out the wind.  Perhaps on a cold winters day, when the wind was boisterous outside you had tried to seal the wind out of your home.  While it seems like we can seal the wind out, we must eventually admit that somehow the wind finds a way in.]   

[So it is with the Holy Spirit, when He came He filled all the house.  No one was left out.  So it is with your life, no area of your life is left out when the Holy Spirit comes into your life.  You may try to seal off some secret sin or some worldly desire, but the Holy Spirit permeates absolutely everything in and around our lives.] 

[The point seems clear here.  The Holy Spirit is God and he cannot be controlled by the schemes of men.  He, when invited into your heart and life, permeates absolutely everything, just as the wind touches everything that comes under its mysterious and permeating movement.]  

c.       The Might of the Wind [- . . . as of a rushing mighty wind, . . .]

[Mighty Wind - πνοῆς βιαίας (Gk) – gen. pnoés, fem. noun from pnéō (4154), to breathe, blow. Wind, breath. In Acts 2:2 translated wind, “a rushing mighty wind”; (See also Sept.: Job 37:10). The rushing wind in Acts 2:2 is a natural phenomenon symbolizing the supernatural phenomenon of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring. Thus, pneúma may mean either something material or something purely spiritual such as a spiritual gift or the spirit of man which enables him to communicate with the Spirit of God. Used only in John 3:8 with the meaning of wind. Pnoé  conveys the impression of a lighter, gentler motion of the air than pneúma, spirit. In Acts 17:25 it is “breath,” the air needed for breathing; Sept.: Gen. 2:7; Is. 42:5.^[3]]  

[Few of us need an explanation of the power of a mighty rushing wind.  We have all seen the power of the wind in hurricanes and typhoons.  The power of the wind is undeniable and often unimaginable.  Such is the power of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is Almighty God.  He brings with Him all of the omnipotent power of God.  His power, as in the power of the wind, is the power to change and overpower every imagination and device of this creation, whether spiritual or mortal.  Are you under the power of some created being or device, the Holy Spirit of God is far greater than those devices.] 

2.      The Fire (vs 3) [– And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. – Next we find the Holy Spirit likened to cloven tongues of fire that sat upon each of them.  What do we know about fire?]

a.       Fire Penetrates (Mal 3.2) [– Malachi wrote,] 

[Malachi 3:2-3 ² But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: ³ And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.]

[There isn’t much that can stop fire.  Many things can protect from fire for a time, but almost everything used to protect from fire has a time and temperature rating.  It might protect from a fire for an hour or two hours at a certain temperature, but after that duration is expired the fire is coming in.  The truth here is that fire penetrates.]

[Fire penetrate steal and metal and is used to form metal into a desired form.  Malachi referred to the coming of the Lord as a refiners fire.  It will penetrate and effect your life and character.  Hence, the Holy Spirit coming in cloven tongues of fire is meant to penetrate your life.  He is a counselor who penetrates to the core of your being with the intension of the refiner’s fire, to change your life and being.]

b.      Fire Purifies (Mal 3.2) [– Consider Malachi’s text again,] 

[Malachi 3:2-3 ² But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: ³ And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.]

[The fire of the Holy Spirit within us is meant to have a purifying affect upon our lives.  This is the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  I have had people say, “Preacher, every time I come to Church I come under conviction, and I’m not sure what to do with these convictions.”  That conviction is the purifying influence of the Holy Spirit upon your life.  What should you do?  Yield to the conviction.  Learn from it.  Let it mold your life, for God’s intension is to bring righteousness and glory out of your life through the work of the fiery purifying presence of the Holy Spirit within you.] 

c.       Fire Persuades [– Fire changes things and changes them quickly.  Have you ever seen anyone who was on fire?  If your hand caught on fire what would you do?  Would you stand there and calmly say, “O look, my hand is on fire.”  No, you would immediately call out for help.  You would flap your hands.  You would look for something to put over your hand.  You would put your hand under water.  You would, with great urgency, try to put that fire out.  Fire changes things, and aggressively so.]

[When these cloven tongues of fire came upon this early Church everything changed for them and immediately so.  My friends, when the Holy Spirit comes into your life things will change in your life.  They will change in God’s way for God’s glory.  The fire of the Holy Spirit in your life will have a transforming effect upon your life.]  

3.      The Persuasion (vs 4; Acts 1.8; 1 Cor 9.16-18) [- And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. – Let us go back and look at our Lord’s last words to His disciples before His ascension.  Jesus said,] 

[Acts 1:8 ⁸ But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.]

[Notice the compelling influence of the Holy Spirit here in our text.  They spoke, not so much because they wanted to, but because the Holy Spirit compelled them to speak.  This reminds me of what Paul said,] 

[1 Corinthians 9:16-18 ¹⁶ For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! ¹⁷ For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. ¹⁸ What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.]

[What was Paul saying?  He was saying that he found that he couldn’t help but preach the gospel and be a witness for Christ.  This has often been my experience as well.  I witness and preach not just because I want to, but more because I am compelled to proclaim.  I just can’t help myself and honestly I don’t want to help myself.  I just want God to do whatever God feels he needs to do through me.] 

[There have been times when people close to me have become exasperated because I seem to always want to talk about God and the things of God.  What they don’t seem to understand is that this is the effect of the Holy Spirit upon those that belong to Him.  They are compelled to speak.] 

C.    The Person Of The Holy Spirit (vs 4) [– And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. – We have recently studied the person of the Holy Spirit so I will not spend much time here other than to note that they spoke as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance.  The Holy Spirit is no essence, or emotional feeling.  He is a person, an individual, a thinking being and He is in us and at work in our lives.  We must be in communication with Him.  Talking to Him, listening to Him, and responding to Him.  He is real and at work in our lives.] 

CrossRoads Baptist, Sunday Evening, July 25, 2010

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