Acts 2:14-21
Acts 2:14-21
February 2, 2020
Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and
: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on 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 on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificentday.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved.’
A good story can grab you and pull you in. Characters that are relatable. Adventures that are compelling. Proper wordsmithing by an author help and when the elements come together, you have a best seller, a story worth sharing, a movement that changes things.
addressed them
When a story is that powerful, people see characters as friends, places as homes, and adventures as inviting and fascinating.
There’s something wired into our being, placed there by the Creator, the one whose image we bear, that draws us to such stories.
I was listening to a podcast last week that focuses on church history. In this episode, the theologian spoke of how in literature there are often Christ-characters. These are not biblical stories, but fictional ones that have been told over and over again throughout the ages. In some cases, the characters remind the reader of Christ, without overtly stating they represent him. In some cases, the representation may have not been consciously designed by the author but occurs nonetheless.
In this case, the speaker was referring to the story of Beowulf.
Beowulf is a medieval text, set in Scandinavia. It was written sometime between the 600s and 900s. It is a hero’s tale. It’s a poem of well over 3000 lines long. The hero is Beowulf. The villain is Grendel. Grendel’s mother shows up too and is even more of an issue for the hero. Then, we have another villain – a dragon. The dragon is battling the hero. The hero is locked in battle with the dragon, then the hero receives a fatal blow. Yet, as he’s dying, he also takes out the dragon.
Beyond its role in literature, some consider it having a role in Christianity as Beowulf is a Christ-figure. The story begins with everything well in his land. All is well. All is at peace. Then, all the sudden something goes wrong. Early in the story, one from Cain’s clan comes upon the scene (Grendel.) This is the curse coming to earth and upsetting and distressing all that was good to be sinful and messed up. Thus, we need a hero and Beowulf arrives. When Beowulf wins, he bestows gifts to the people and his warriors. Sadly, after his victory, the “lord was weaving a victory on his war loom. The truth was clear,
almighty God rules over mankind and always has.” This is clear that the main character was not Beowulf, but God.
At the end of the text, Beowulf is joined by a young warrior, but it’s too late. Too little. Beowulf dies.
But, that’s a fictional ancient story. One told and retold and assigned in high schools throughout the ages. Yet, written deeply within this story is a message. A message that many ignore, many miss, and some despise. The message is that ultimately, God is sovereign, and he reigns.
But the story of Beowulf doesn’t change lives. It’s fiction. It’s a reminder, a shadow of a deeper story. One that has been repeated for eons and one that is non-fiction and life-changing. This one has characters not created in the minds of man, but by the hands of God. A story that has a climactic moment in Acts 2 when the ancient is connected to the present and delivered for all.
In this account, the Holy Spirit has arrived in the upper room with the disciples. He has given the gift of his never leaving presence upon God’s children. The security of being sealed with the Holy Spirit, to never lose one’s relationship with God is come. The security of the believer to be saved from the moment of new birth for eternity is here. This is the gift. It is manifest with the gift of languages given to the disciples as they are able to proclaim God’s truths so that all who are close enough to hear may understand. We spoke of this moment last week – the gift of biblical tongues that reached all in their respective heart languages.
And not only was there a message to give, but the gift of the messenger was offered.
This was not a new concept, but God’s plan from eternity past. It has been foreshadowed by others, prophesied in the Old Testament, and desired by God-followers for ages. And now it has happened.
1. Moses longed for this. Moses was exhausted from leading a people that were not always encouraging. He was wearing down, trusting God, but physically weary.
Numbers 11:29 - But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”1
He said this because he had given over some responsibility to others, elders who were appointed to lead. People complained because they wanted Moses to do all the leading and prophesying. Yet, they were killing him with their requests. So, Moses longed for a day when the Lord’s people would all be prophets, for a day when the Spirit would come and dwell within all.
For thousands of years, this day was sought.
2. Joel declared this. Peter quoted the prophet Joel.
17
For centuries they had read of this day. They saw the coming of Messiah to be a one-time event however. They did not know in the OT that Jesus would come, live, die, rise again then come back. They saw the Messianic reign as coming at once. From their perspective it appeared that way. Yet, we know that the coming day of judgment is still in the future. As we now live between the two arrivals of the Messiah, we have the assurance that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, that he lived to die. He did die
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Nu 11:29). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
“ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
and rose again and is alive now. We know he ascended back to heaven awaiting the Father’s go ahead to come again. Then, the judgment and the mighty day of the Lord will commence.
In the meantime, the words of Joel have come true. The sons and daughters, men and women, servants and free all prophesy.
3. Peter fulfilled this.
The fisherman leader of the hidden disciples filled with the Spirit of God fulfilled the calling upon him at this moment during the feast of Pentecost. God called a preacher to preach the Word.
The preacher prophesied, but don’t be confused here. This is not the gift of prophecy referred to in 1 Corinthians 12:10. This is the calling to proclaim. To preach the Word. To boldly state the truth of God’s Word and the message of the Gospel.
It is not that Peter was not bold before, but he was in hiding as Jesus hung on a cross. He did abandon his position, feeling as a failure after the resurrection when he went back to fishing, he was holed up in an upper room with the others, being obedient, but also being silent.
Until this moment.
4. We proclaim this.
Peter’s message clearly given by God declares that all believers share in the responsibility given to the Old Testament prophets. Those prophets were known to walk with God and heard him clearly. They knew him intimately and spoke his words faithfully.
In the Old Testament, the messages from God came to his prophets in various ways – dreams, visions, burning bushes, etc.
Now, the message comes from the Holy Spirit living within his children, affirmed by the Word given in Christ.
CLOSING
What is “this?”
This is a story, but not like Beowulf. Not like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. It’s a story that is true, that is life-changing, that includes real people.
It’s a story where God is the primary character, not to mention the author. It’s non-fiction and completely true. It’s a story of a battle, of a rescue, of hope.
It’s a good news story. It is the gospel.
And it must be proclaimed. By whom? By preachers. By men who have answered the call to preach, to proclaim the Word in season and out.
And by you. To whom? To all. Why?
21
name of the Lord shall be saved.’
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the
Because there are more lost than saved in the world. There are more who are never going to understand the fullness of life, who will never be free, never find hope, never be rescued...until they hear the story and call upon the name of the Lord.
God does the saving. The Holy Spirit draws people to himself. But for some reason God has chosen to use his children as the proclaimers. Who is your one? Maybe they’re here with you. Have you told them the good news story?
