The Day of Pentecost
Acts 2:1-4
I. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
A. The day had to fully come.
1. There might be an effort to rush the plan of God ahead of schedule, but God will not allow it.
2. We are waiting on the return of the Lord in the air to take us out of this world for all eternity.
3. That seems so far away and so unreachable for us, but God has made it all possible for us.
B. This is the day they were waiting on, although they might not have known it.
1. This is not the first Pentecost.
2. The first Pentecost was 50 days after the first Passover celebrated as Israel left Egypt.
II. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
A. There was a sound from heaven.
1. It is not a sound from earth.
2. How the disciples could tell the sound came from heaven, I cannot tell, unless the sound came from above them.
B. The sound was as if there was a rushing mighty wind.
1. The Bible did not say there was a wind, but the sound of a rushing mighty wind.
2. The words "as of a rushing mighty wind" explain there was no wind, just the sound of a rushing mighty wind.
C. The Holy Spirit coming on the church did not have to make any sound at all, but he did.
1. In this day, people are looking for the physical "results" of Holy Spirit baptism, but are not looking for the spiritual results.
2. To me, Christ is continuing what he started during his personal ministry when he spoke to the unbelieving multitudes in parables.
a. Matthew 13:10-17 – Christ explains to his disciples that people who do have a melted heart before God can listen to his message, think they understand, and go on their merry way to destruction.
b. The ones who understand the parables are those that are given to know the mysteries of the kingdom.
D. The sound filled all the house.
1. This happened in the upper room, not in the synagogue.
2. This happened to some of the Jews (who were members of the church Jesus Christ organized during his personal ministry), not to all the Jewish nation.
3. All the church was present, but some saved people were not there.
a. Matthew 28:17 declares that some who gathered at Galilee did not believe.
b. If we compare the great multitudes that followed Christ during his personal ministry, to the number of disciples assembled in the upper room (120), it seems there were many who did not believe, or who were afraid to assemble.
E. The disciples were sitting.
1. They were not running around, "praying" with uplifted hands.
2. They were not out of control, but were in one accord, having read the Bible and completed the things they knew to do.
III. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
A. The appearance of cloven tongues like as of fire.
1. The word "cloven" means divided, or parted.
2. The word "tongue" has reference to the tongue in our mouth, which is an organ of the body.
3. These cloven tongues were not fire, but was "like as of fire".
4. The best explanation of this passage is given by Peter in Acts 2:16.
5. It must be noted that neither Peter, nor anybody else, attempted to physically describe or determine physically what these cloven tongues are.
6. They are more interested in the spiritual application, instead of the physical.
B. It sat upon each of them.
1. Notice the plural word "tongues" and the singular word "it".
2. This speaks of unity, not diversity.
3. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is one to the entire church, yet there are individuals who receive, therefore the plural use of the word "tongue".
IV. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
A. All the church – every individual – was filled with the Holy Ghost.
1. I believe women and men alike received the filling of the Holy Ghost because they were in the church Jesus established.
2. Not only did women receive the filling of the Holy Ghost, the apostles and every church member all received the filling of the Holy Ghost.
B. They began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance.
1. The Holy Spirit of God controls the people – they are not out of control.
2. Sometimes people think that everybody started talking at once, and nobody could understand anything but noise prevailed.
C. What is a tongue? See Day of Pentecost.doc
1. A tongue is a known language.
2. Acts 2:6 - they said every man heard them speak in his own language.
3. Acts 2:8 - Every man heard in the language of his birth.
4. Acts 2:7 - Every man that spoke was a Galilaean and wouldn't have had enough education to speak in another language.
5. Acts 2:9-11 - Note the list of languages spoken.
D. What did they hear?
1. Acts 2:11 - The wonderful works of God.
2. This is not like the Pentecostals who speak and nobody can understand what they are saying.
3. Note: In the Bible, there seems to be more emphasis in hearing the language than in speaking the language.
4. Acts 2:14-36 - Peter preached in tongues this message concerning the sin of the people, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
E. Who spoke in tongues?
1. Acts 2:3,4 - each person had a cloven tongue like fire sitting on them.
2. Acts 2:3,4 - each person was filled with the Holy Spirit.
3. Acts 2:4 - The people spoke with other tongues, not all at once, but as the Spirit gave them utterance.
a. I Cor. 14:27 - Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, wrote that if any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two or at the most by three, and that by course, and let one interpret.
b. Only men shall speak in tongues.
c. I Cor. 14:34, Women should be quiet in church services, learning from their husbands.
1) This would strengthen the church and home.
2) It is wrong for a woman to whisper in her husbands ear, then him speak her thoughts.
3) She is supposed to talk to him at home.
4) This shows the manner of church business.
5) Business is not to be conducted hastily, but in such a way that every person has a chance to think about what should be done.
d. Only two or three shall be lead by the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues. Anybody else speaking in tongues is not led by the Spirit of God.
e. "by course" - they shall not all speak at once, but one at a time.
f. If there is no interpreter, then all shall remain silent.
g. Verse 32,33 - The spirit of the prophet, though given by God, is to be controlled by the prophet.
1) God is not the author of confusion.
2) He would not have everybody speaking at once, even though they have been given something to say by Him.
3) If everybody speaks at once, those standing by will say they are mad (verse 23), and God won't be glorified.
h. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was the interpreter.
F. What is the result of speaking in tongues?
1. Acts 2:37 - The lost were pricked in their heart and wanted salvation.
2. I Cor. 14:23 - Paul, by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, said that if an unbeliever came into a church service where all the people spoke in tongues they would say the church was mad (crazy).
3. The modern Pentecostal movement has changed the meaning of speaking in tongues from "preaching the gospel in a foreign language which a person previously didn't know" to "speaking in gibberish which nobody knows". When the person interprets his gibberish, it is called "Word of Prophecy" and is more valuable to the charismatic than the Holy Word of God.
4. The gospel message was proclaimed to those near and to those far off.