This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark
Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland,
County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he
continues teaching through God's Word.
If anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, he is
not in his. So you cannot be a Christian
without the Holy Spirit. Some people might say, well,
have you received the Holy Spirit since you believe?
And we'll read this later on in Acts.
Well, I received the Holy Spirit when I got saved.
I passed from death to life, and I knew that I wasn't
disbelieving something intellectually.
I knew something happened to me supernaturally, internally, and
I knew that God now dwelt with me and lived with me.
The Holy Spirit's presence is like a heartbeat, vital to your
life as a Christian. In today's message, Pastor Clark
conveys how Scripture declares that without the Spirit of
Christ, you cannot belong to Him.
You might hear some ask if you've received the Spirit since
believing, but you know He entered when you were saved.
That moment wasn't just intellectual.
It was a supernatural shift moving you from death to life.
You felt God's presence dwell within you, transforming you
internally. Now here's Pastor Clark in the
book of Acts Chapter 2 with today's edition of Living Waters
of Grace. And then it says in verse 4 and
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now the Greek word for the idea of tongues.
And also in verse 6, we'll get there in a minute when it talks
about them hearing the people, hearing these guys and gals
speaking in language was from the Greek word where we get our
word linguistic, we get our word.
I forget the word that slips my mind now, but it's the word that
means language. And so this was not babbling.
This was not something that was unable to be discerned as far as
what it meant as we continue here.
This is literally a gift that they were given to proclaim the
greatness of God in the midst of all the people that would hear
them. This was something too that they
weren't doing themselves. It was the Spirit, the Holy
Spirit that was giving them this utterance to do this.
And verse 5 and there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews,
devout men from every nation under heaven.
There had to be at least 15 different people groups from
various places as far as Iran and Egypt and, and the Roman
Empire and, and, and Greece and, and this on and on and on.
So there was all these people with these multiple languages
at, at this time in Pentecost visiting Jerusalem.
And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together and
they were confused because everyone heard them speak in his
own language. OK, this was not in Babel.
Like say I'm say I'm Greek and I'm there and I don't understand
Hebrew, but I'm part of this crowd and I'm hearing some of
these people speaking in fluent Greek.
The great acts of God throughout the Old Testament in the Bible,
the Testament wasn't written yet.
So they would be proclaiming the greatness of God's deliverance
from the, the bondage of Egypt and Pharaoh and all the things,
the great things that God had done.
And someone else would be there and, and, and no Italian or
someone else would be there and, and no some other Egyptian
language or whatever. So the word I was looking for
was dialects. OK, That's the Greek word of
that word, language, dialects. So they were speaking in various
dialects, OK, at one time, and it's a reversal.
What happened at the Tower of Babel when they decided to use
one language to build that tower to get up to God and sort of
control things was all based on pride.
And God had to disperse the crowd by giving them different
languages where all of a sudden they couldn't understand one
another, right? Well, in this instance, now
everybody is understanding the same message given by the Holy
Spirit through these various languages.
This is the real gift of tongues.
I mean, we'll get into other things down the road, but I
mean, if I'm going to have a language, a gift to speak in
tongues, Lord, give me Italian. I'd like to travel Rome and not
have to study and be able to just talk to people and give
them the gospel, right, Without having to study, you know, this
software, learning how to speak a foreign language.
I mean, I took, I took two years of Spanish in high school and I
all I can say is like buenas tarde or hostile luego coma, say
almost dead. And I know that one.
I'd learned how to order breakfast a little bit because
one time I had to go to Mexico. So I wanted to know how to order
pancakes and panaceas and that kind of stuff.
Caliente chocolate. I like that too, you know,
Anyway, it's a lot of work to know a language.
Well, these people were, I learned it in regard to these
languages. It wasn't God was looking down
and said, well, you already know Italians, so you're going to
proclaim the greatness of God in this language and you're no, it
was a supernatural manifestation of languages.
I talked to Mike Dawson one time and they're they spent many
years in the jungles. They're still there in the
jungles of Venezuela with the Anaman Indians.
He said, Clark, we prayed many times, Lord, give us a gift to
speak this language. It is brutal when you go into a
foreign country where there's no language and you have to point
at things forever to figure out, does that word mean tree or
branch or leaf? I mean, it's, it's, it takes a
while to eventually know the language and then to be able to
write the language down in the Bible, in the New Testament,
translate it. And but he told me one time an
interesting story. His father was a very pragmatic
man, very balanced in his theology, wasn't flying by the
seat of his pants. He knew the word, he knew doctor
and he understood what the Bible teaches regarding truth.
And one time he was sitting there talking to a witch doctor
trying to have a conversation, but there was no conversation
because he didn't understand Yanomano and the Yanomano Indian
didn't understand him, his language, but they were smiling
at each other and talking to each other.
Well, lo and behold, years later, when this witch doctor
became a Christian, he said, I'll never forget that one time
you and I were sitting down there by the river talking, and
you were telling me about Jesus. And I understood what you were
saying. And he said what he says.
Yeah, you were talking to me. The way you were communicating
somehow was translated to me in my language, even though you
were speaking something different.
Now that's only God. It only happened for a little
while, a little bit, but it was enough to touch that Indian's
heart and the Lord used it. I know missionaries I've talked
to for years, it's been years, you guys know, you study
language, you know to go to be a missionary.
And it wouldn't have been nice if you just would have been
given that gift and you can get on the plane the next day after
you were ready to go and just go give the gospel.
It doesn't work that way for some reason, but nonetheless in
Pentecost here, these are literal language languages.
This is not Babble. If you would have been there and
said, well, these people are drunk and we're going to see
what some of the people thought about what was happening here as
we study this together. The the crowds response.
And when they responded to this, it says in verse 5, and there
were dwelling in Jerusalem, Jews, devout men from every
nation under heaven. So it gives you the idea of all
these different people groups. And when this sound occurred,
the multitude came together and they were confused because
everyone heard them speak in his own language.
I mean, that would be wild, wouldn't it, just to be able to
hear every language at that particular time being spoken at
the same time. And it's only resonating with
people who are from that particular people group that
would understand. Someone over here is talking
Italian, but if I'm Greek, I'm just listening to the guy that's
speaking in Greek and I'm hearing what it is he's saying.
OK. And so it says in verse 7.
Then they were all amazed and they marveled, I should say.
So I would be amazed and marveling too.
I marvel and amazed reading this and they said to one another,
look, are not all those who speak Galileans?
I mean, they they only knew like one kind of dialect, the
Galileans. And how is it that we hear each
in our own language in which we were born?
That's the question. How in the world is this
happening? It's a miracle, the work of God,
the Holy Spirit. Parthians, that's the first
people group, and Meese from Persia and Elamites, those
dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontius in Asia,
Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya joining
Cyrene. Visitors from Rome, both Jews
and Proselytites, Cretian and Arabs, We hear them speaking in
our own tongues the wonderful works of God.
So they were able to witness of their faith in the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob biblically through the language
to all these people who were in town at Pentecost to celebrate
the giving of the law. No one expected this to happen
except obviously our faithful God and those He told that this
was going to happen and why they had to wait.
But the world was not prepared for this at this time, nor were
they expecting this. I was listening to someone talk
about this particular section of scripture and they said Jesus
one time in the scriptures was they, they believe this could
have happened by the portico of Solomon with the big pillars
where it had a big expanse of, of, of space and cement where
people could congregate. And Jesus was over there one
time praying and walking around and, and you would have loved to
heard the conversation if you could.
But you know, he knew he was going to go to the cross and
die. He knew he was going to suffer.
He knew he was going to raise again from the dead.
But he probably walked around that room and that big area of
space. And this was praising his
father, saying it won't be too long before there'll be 3000
people here one day that will get saved by hearing the gospel
from the apostle Peter. So they were always and
perplexed saying to one another, whatever could this mean?
In verse 13, others mocking said they are full of new wine,
thinking that obviously they were drunk.
Importance of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was the beginning of
this promise where Jesus said not only will the Holy Spirit be
with you, but He shall be in you.
OK Once you become a believer in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit
comes to indwell in you. You cannot be a believer without
the Holy Spirit. Sometimes people have different
positions on these subjects, but they're not found rooted in the
teaching of the Scripture. It tells us in Romans 8-9, if
anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, He is
not His. So you cannot be a Christian
without the Holy Spirit. Some people might say, well,
have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?
And we'll read this later on in Acts.
Well, I received the Holy Spirit when I got saved.
I passed from death to life. And I knew that I wasn't
disbelieving something intellectually.
I knew something happened to me supernaturally, internally.
And I knew that God now dwelt with me and lived with me.
And He promised he would never leave me or forsake me.
And now I've been a Christian for many years, and I learn
every day my need to continually be filled and influenced and
controlled by the Holy Spirit. When I get out of that control
of the power of the Holy Spirit, I'm not pleasing the Lord.
I want to be filled. I want to be controlled by the
Spirit of God so his love flows out of me, His joy, his peace,
his long-suffering, his goodness, his meekness, his
gentleness, his humility. This is what we need as God's
people, to be filled with God's Spirit and not to be filled with
ourselves, right? When we're filled with
ourselves, it's not a good story, right?
But when we're filled with God, it's wonderful because then we
can be instruments of his peace to other people.
We can all be ministers of the New covenant and bring life to
people by the giftings that God has given to each of us.
And so when we think about they, they mentioned new wine here
and, and Paul uses this illustration in in Ephesians
518, he says, do not be drunk with wine.
Where's an excess? And some of you have known, you
know, you've been inebriated in your life.
Hopefully that is not something that's a common occurrence
anymore. But have you become a believer?
You don't want to be drunk with wine, but you want to be filled
with the spirit. But it's not saying you can't
have a glass of wine, but it's saying not be under the control
and the influence of alcohol. OK.
Because when you're under the influence and control of
alcohol, you behave differently than whenever, whenever you're
influenced by God, right? I'm, I'm not asking you to test
that postulate, but it's true. I can tell you from my own
experience is a big difference in being filled with God and
being filled with alcohol. OK, The dynamics of what comes
out of your life is completely opposite opposition.
But anyway, do not be drunk with wine.
Whereas in excess could be filled with the spirit.
So we're commanded to be filled with the spirit.
It's not a suggestion. It's not well, a request.
Maybe, maybe not I, I, I don't feel like it today.
No, we need to be filled with the spirit and the idea is to
continually be filled because we leak.
We, it isn't like I get filled once I don't need any more power
of God's Spirit. I need to be constantly filled.
I need to have this thirst for God, this like this morning, I,
I was parched and I needed water.
Louis gave me some water and, and I, and I know when I need
water, I drink it, you know, I need some now.
And I want to know when I need to be filled with God's Spirit
too. I want to have that evidence
that I, I need to be filled. And when do I need to be filled?
Whenever I'm in a situation that I can't do anything in my own
strength, and that should be every second of my life.
I, I'm not filled with the spirit every second of my life,
I, I want to be. That's a desire, that's a goal.
Maybe as we grow in the grace and the knowledge of God, we're
more filled with him and less filled with us, right?
But the, there's always test. Everything's a test in life.
Am I under God's control today? Am I under God's control of my
home and my, my marriage and my relationship with my wife or my,
my, my children, my family, my am I under God's control when I
preach? When I am I under control of
God's Spirit when I'm driving? That's a real one to think
about, especially when you see the police with the, the lights
on behind you. If I was under the control of
the Spirit of God, I wouldn't be speeding, right?
Let's be honest, I got pulled over last week 'cause I was
speeding. I was praying, Lord, I prayed
it. The name I drop here will be of
some influence. I know, Officer such and such.
OK. He goes back to the car.
He probably called him up and said, you know, this character
by the name of Clark, you know? But fortunately, he let me go.
And I was grateful. But I said, Lord, forgive me for
not paying it. I wasn't like, I don't think
intentionally wanting to put the pedal to the metal, but I was
sort of this daydreaming when I was driving.
You ever do that and the next thing you know you're going much
faster than you should be and you suffer the consequences.
But the the whole idea is this idea of wine influence.
They think these guys are drunk. Paul teaches in the book of
Ephesians that the influence of alcohol has negative effects
when it's controlling us. That why we absolutely need to
be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
And so in verse 14 and Peter, he stands up with the 11 I I am
encouraged with this and Pastor Lewis, I'm sure is to anybody
that's called to preach the gospel.
He's calling people that he can work in their lives to perfect
them for the work of the ministry.
But he never looks down and says well, I'm going to wait till
such and such is perfect and then I might use them.
We know Peter, shortly before this incident, was denying the
Lord right? He denied him three times, and
now he's chosen by God, the Holy Spirit, to bring forth the first
evangelistic message after this experience of Pentecost.
That should really encourage all of us that Peter was used to do
something that was remarkable by the work of God's Spirit.
So Peter, standing up with the 11, raised his voice and said to
them, Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be
made known to you, and heed my words, for these are not drunk
as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.
Now this particular section of Scripture in Joel is beginning
to show forth the whole economy of God until the 2nd coming of
Christ, when he establishes His Kingdom and the millennial reign
in Jerusalem. That's when this section of
Scripture will be completely fulfilled at that particular
time. But there is indicators here
that this is the beginning of this movement of God in the last
days. And the last days begin from the
day of Pentecost until the day of Christ return.
So we've been in the last days for several thousand years.
So that's because a lot of stuff's going on right now in
the world does not mean literally that tomorrow Jesus is
coming. And these are the last days.
This last day, phenomena and experience of world insanity and
crisis and evil dictators and rulers and sin and all the other
things that comprise human existence have begun in Genesis,
but in the Church age, they began at Pentecost.
The last days before Christ's second coming will be fulfilled
at His second coming. And so this is the prophecies
that are beginning to be fulfilled.
It shall come to pass in the last days, says God.
I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
Your sons, your daughters shall prophecy.
Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall
dream dreams. And my men servants, and on my
maidservants, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they
shall prophecy. And I will show wonders in
heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath.
Blood and fire and vapour smoke. The sun shall be turned Into
Darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the
great and awesome day of the Lord.
And it shall come to pass that whosoever calls on the name of
the Lord shall be saved. And that's the gospel, right?
And the, and the ideas of, of prophesying is proclaiming the
word of God, speaking forth the truth of God.
Men and women can do that equally as God empowers them.
You give a witness somewhere, you give a testimony.
It isn't foretelling the future per SE.
That's a very rare thing because we got the future dictated in
this book, Genesis through Revelation.
We know what God's going to do and what's going to come to
pass. But prophesying is the ability
to, you know, exhort people, warn them, edify, build them up
and comfort them. That's the real true meaning of
prophecy. The apostle Paul said, I wish
all of you would. Prophecy meaning that you would
in your ministry, warn people, build people up and comfort
them. That's something that we should
all want to emulate, right? We should all want to have that
gift occurring in our lives to be useful to God.
Visions and dreams. People have them.
Sometimes they're caused by eating too much pizza the night
before. But I'm not negating the fact
that God can't speak through a dream or a vision.
But these things will increase in magnitude during the time of
right prior to the the return of Lord.
Some of these phenomenas in the heavens haven't occurred yet.
Of course, some commentators try to tie these into what happened
when Jerusalem was destroyed in 8070.
It looked pretty traumatic when Rome sacked the city.
But this what is being depicted here and Acts is unlike anything
that the world has seen yet. And these signs will be
obviously near the end of the Tribulation, right prior to the
return of Christ at his second coming, when he establishes His
Kingdom and rules and reigns in Jerusalem.
And then Peter continues, Men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus
of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you, by miracles,
wonders, and signs, which God did through him in your midst,
as you yourselves also know him, being delivered by the
determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have
taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death, whom
God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was
not possible that he should be held by it.
For David says concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before
my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad.
Moreover my flesh also my will rest and hope.
For you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow
your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the
ways of life. You will make me full of joy in
your presence. Of course, this is the
fulfillment of what Christ experienced.
Thanks for joining us on this journey through Acts.
On today's edition of Living Waters of Grace, Pastor Clark
shares that one of the most remarkable things about the book
of Acts is how it shows the disciples transformation.
The followers of Jesus we meet here are very different from the
often confused and fearful disciples in the Gospels.
And after Jesus's death and resurrection, and especially
through the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles experienced
a profound change in their hearts and boldness.
Their faith became unwavering, and they moved forward with
courage to spread the gospel despite opposition and hardship.
Acts reminds us that the same Spirit who empowered them is at
work in US today, shaping our hearts and giving us strength to
live boldly for Christ. Living Waters of Grace is a
ministry of Calvary Chapel Westmoreland.
If you're in the Greensburg, PA area, we invite you to join us
this Sunday at 10:30 AM at 400 E Pittsburgh St.
Unit 6B. Visit calvarychapelonline.com
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