The book of Acts chapter 2. We're in the title.
This morning's message is the empty shall be filled.
The empty shall be filled. Wednesday.
We'll go further into detail in Acts chapter 2.
There's too much there to do so we're going to do 14 verses just
this morning. Question I want you to look at
is where is Jesus in this text? Every time there's a message
preached, no matter where it's from Genesis through the
revelation. Ask yourself this is how to good
have good eschatology, good understanding of the word of
God. Where is Jesus in this?
How does this relate to Jesus Christ?
How can I see Christ in this passage?
What does this passage have to do with Jesus Christ?
Because every word in the Bible has to do with Christ.
The message is about Christ. Yes, we teach the text, but we
want to ask ourselves to learn to become Bible students.
Where is Jesus in this text? In Acts chapter 2 we have the
birthday of the church. It was actually Happy Birthday
to the church. The church is the living
Organism of which Jesus Christ is the head and instrument.
The church is the instrument by which God has chosen, set apart
to use for his glory, to be his light.
We're to be the light in The Dark World.
We're to be his salt. We're to hold back the work of,
with the Holy Spirit in us, the works of the enemy, and we're to
be his servants. You're going to hear it said
from this Paul, but a lot this year you are saved to serve.
You're not saved to attend church.
You are saved to church, saved to serve.
Everyone is saved to serve. I don't care whether you're 5 or
85, You are saved to serve. There's no, there's no I've
retired from ministry. No, while you have breath, God
has as you living here to serve, to serve him.
Love the Lord with all your God, with all your heart, mind, soul
and strength and what to love your neighbour?
You are saved to serve. By the way, notice in that
mentions nothing about yourself, nothing about myself.
Is the church today fulfilling its purpose, its mandate?
Jesus said I would build my church.
The gates of hell will not prevail against it.
The church is to get God's will done on earth.
But for the church to get God's will done on earth, the church
needs the power of God. The church is to be a people, to
be an effective witness for Christ.
Acts 18 the power so that we shall be witnesses, not we're
going to learn to be witnesses. It's not something for somebody
else. The moment you're a Christian,
you are a witness. You are to be a witness of
Christ. In other words, you're to
testify of what I've seen, what I've heard, and what you've
seen. And what you've heard is about
having a relationship with Jesus Christ and why you have a
relationship with Jesus Christ. In Acts chapter 2, we fined the
church for the only time waiting in the old King James Version.
And I was raised in an Anglican church, and then I got saved in
a Pentecostal church. And they used to have tarrying
meetings. And if you were, just remember,
tarrying meetings, you know what you did at a tarrying meeting?
You waited. Not much happened.
But tarrying, that's tarrying. We're more tarrying and this is
the only time the church is told to wait to tarry.
Acts 1, Four, wait. Don't leave Jerusalem until the
power has come from God, the falling of the Holy Spirit.
We're in the period called Pentecost.
It's seven weeks. In Acts chapter 2, it's been 7
weeks, one day since the death and resurrection of Jesus.
So it's not it's not long, it's Christ's death, it's just just
back a little bit. Pentecost, Penty Pentagon
Pentagram 550 days after the feast of Passover, it's the time
to celebrate the first fruits of the harvest in the agricultural
environment of which Israel is and still is today was and still
is today, The first fruits, the first of the crop came, and you
took the sheaf of the first of the crops growing, and you waved
it before the Lord. Pentecost, the Jewish calendar
of feasts, is written in Acts and sorry, in Leviticus 23.
You can go read through. It's very good for you to do,
and it's actually, as we say, where is Christ in the text In
Leviticus 23 is the outline of all the Jewish calendar feasts,
and each one of them is a demonstration and a picture of
Jesus Christ in some form. Passover pictures Christ's
death, the Lamb, Lamb of God, The Feast of First Fruits
pictures Christ's resurrection. He's the first of many to rise
from the dead, and the 50 days after the first fruits is the
feast of Pentecost, which pictures the formation, the
birth of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Passover has just gone. The first sheaf reaped from the
barley harvest is presented to God, wave before him.
Pentecost is celebrated also as being the day that they
remember. It was on the day of Pentecost
that the law was given to Israel in the Old Testament.
On that day, 3000 people died when the law was given in the
New Testament. On the day of Pentecost, it's
the day that the church is born and the church receives the
Spirit, the Holy Spirit of grace in fullness.
Pentecost took place also on the first day of the week.
What's that Sunday? And we know on the day, Sunday
is the day that the Lord rose from the dead, which is why the
church celebrates and worships on the Sunday.
But it is also the day on which the Holy Spirit was given to the
church. So we're it's Sunday in
Pentecost. So the events in Acts chapter 2
of Pentecost were, and I want to remind you of this, a once and
for all event, not to repeat it as such, because I remember
going to church and they would have these tarry meetings where
you tarry away from the Spirit. Now actually, there's no
scriptural backing to do such a thing.
It happened once, it happened on Pentecost.
And you don't have to tarry for the falling of the Spirit
anymore. You and I, the church, anyone
who has received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, can
experience new feelings of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, constantly now. So verse one, when the day of
Pentecost had fully come, they were all this is the disciples
followers of Christ with 1 accord in one place.
Now after Jesus great preaching. He's the greatest preacher and
teacher that the world has ever seen.
How many people did you think he was was in in Christchurch 120.
He wasn't. He wasn't a mega pastor.
He wasn't a celebrity pastor. 120 That's all there was.
Amazing. And they were all with 1 accord
in one place. The Holy Spirit had obviously
been active before Pentecost and had worked in creation.
The Holy Spirit was there. Remember, it says hovered over
the waters throughout the Old Testament.
We see the Holy Spirit working throughout the history of the
whole Testament and through and in the life of the ministry of
Jesus Christ. We remember John the Baptist
leaping in the womb of his mother.
Why the Holy Spirit? Remember in Mark, Mark telling
us that after Jesus baptism where the Holy Spirit fell upon
came as a as a dove upon Jesus in the Jordan that says the
Spirit drove him into the wilderness to do battle with
Satan. Now a change was coming.
The Holy Spirit will dwell in people and not just come upon
them for a season. And secondly, his presence would
be permanent, not temporary. John chapter 14 verse 16.
Jesus says and I'll pray the Father and he will give you
another helper. Remember we learn equal same as
same as same as Jesus equal God. God is the Holy Spirit that he
may abide with you forever. Remember David, pray to the
Lord. Let not your spirit depart from
me. Some people go, oh, I don't
sense the Holy Spirit. No, if you are born again, the
Holy Spirit cannot, does not, will not depart from you.
The Bible says I am with you forever.
I will never leave you nor forsake you.
So the psalmist David wrote, oh I don't want let not the Spirit
depart from me. Remember sadly what happened to
Samson. His hair was cut.
Saddest, saddest story. And he knew not the Spirit of
God had left him. Well, that can't happen to A to
a Christian, because the Holy Spirit, when he comes, he comes
forever. Now the Holy Spirit could not
have come sooner. Why?
For it was essential in God's plan that Jesus died.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever would believe in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. God sent his Son born in
Bethlehem to die. And then he was raised from the
dead on the third day, and then he returned to heaven.
Remember he was seen 40 days. We saw that this is 10 days
after that now Pentecost. He was seen for 40 days on 10
occasions. And then Jesus returned to
heaven. And then the Holy Spirit could
be could be given Jesus has said to the disciples, they don't
leave Jerusalem until he comes in the power that I've spoken to
you about the promise of the Father.
Now notice firstly with me also the repetition of the gathered
disciples being of 1 accord. You know often people we pray we
don't want the church to be united, we need to be united.
Guess what, you already are united.
Often people say we want the church to be uniform.
No, it doesn't talk about that back in chapter 1 verse 14.
It says these all continued with 1 accord in prayer and
supplication with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus the
last time we get her mentioned and with his with his brothers,
the brothers of Christ with her as well, half brothers.
It says that they were gathered together with 1 accord.
How in prayer? Not in a programme they'll do
knitting together at the church, not in the the scone baking
programme that they had running or the basketball team that they
had running at the church. No, they were with 1 accord in
prayer. This is a church.
It's not a Country Club, it's not a social club, not an indie
club, not a football club, soccer club, rugby club, Country
Club. This is the place, this is the
House of God. And it says they gathered with
one heart. They all had the same love for
God. They were all trusting together.
Why? They were waiting for the
promise of the Father, which Jesus had spoken to them about.
Will come. But you got to wait in
Jerusalem. Don't do anything.
You know you and I can do the same for the rapture of the
church. Isn't that the last prayer of
the Bible? Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
You and I as a church can pray. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
You know we live in a world, sadly, that is full of self
gratification, full of its own selfishness.
Greatest proof again? Someone brings to you an old
school photo, an old sporting team photo, or a camp photo
where you're all there. Who's the person you look to for
first? Yourself.
Well, that's a terrible photo of me.
We're full of ourselves. You know, the world says you
need to love yourself. No, you don't.
The problem is you love yourself too much.
We live in a world that says it's my life.
Couples get into marriage and then somehow, because they're
worldly, they're not Christians. Someone in that marriage says,
why? It's my life.
No, you said you'll get married. Well, see, Don't work my time,
my time. You know your time.
It's not your time, Daniel said to a young man who was about to
die that night. God holds the very breath that
you breathe in His hand. Your time is his hand is his
time. You have not lived to bless him,
You have lived for yourself. Remember the the foolish rich
farmer said, man, I've got to build some more barns.
I've been doing so well. And Jesus said the Angel of the
Lord came to him that night, said you fool, you have
neglected, you've had time and you've robbed God of the time.
Malachi talks about how we can rob God with our finances.
Well, it's my money. I remember talking to an old
guy. Yeah, he had a happy marriage,
not he and his wife and separate bank accounts.
She well, she bought it with her, her her money.
I'll buy it with my I buy this with my money.
That goes down well. Don't get married if that's the
case. Stay stingy by yourself.
Don't get married if it's your money, your time, your life.
Don't get married and don't marry a person that it's my
money, my time, my life because it won't work.
We have the women saying today it's my body.
I'll do with do with it what I want.
And so they kill another person who can't say what about my body
and my life. We do the same too.
We have my plans. Talk to people.
What are your plans? You know what?
I'd like to hear back? What has God got in plan for
you? I haven't thought about that.
Well, you need to if you're a Christian, because remember, the
old you is buried. If you were baptised.
It's lying in the bottom of the ocean.
The crabs and the and the crayfish.
You've eaten it all. And I'll do it my way.
I'll raise kids my way, I'll run my marriage my way.
I'll use my resources my way and it's my money.
A man came to Jesus and said, I want to follow you.
Oh man, I've done everything else.
I'm really nice guy. I, you know, I'm kind, I'm
gentle and I do this and I do that.
And she said, good, great, you can follow me.
So all that you have. And so he loved his money more
than his eternal soul, and he walked away from God.
Yet in Philippians chapter 2, Paul teaches us as believers to
have the same mind, same attitude as our Lord.
So what sort of a attitude? You know, people say what's what
sort of attitude? Where's your what's your
attitude? Well, our attitude as a
Christian is to be as the same as Christ.
So what is that? Well, the Bible tells us when
you want to know what the answer to the question is, you go to
the Bible. Philippians chapter 2, verse 5.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who
being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery or
unworthy to be equal with God, because He's God, but made
himself, but made himself of no reputation.
Taking the form of a bondservant, the lowest form of
a slave, and coming in the likeness of men, a baby born in
Bethlehem, and being found in appearances of man, Son of man,
He humbled himself again. Jesus did this and He became
obedient. Father, not my will, but thine.
3 times he prayed. Is there another way?
But not my will, but mine. He became obedient to the point
of death and they led him away from the Gethsemane to be
crucified. Even the death of the cross.
Now the mind of Christ, let this mind be in you, means the
attitude Christ exhibited. If my outlook is selfish and we
can we, we can pick it. We know too, if we're selfish,
my actions will be divisive. They'll be divisive in your
marriage, divisive in your work, divisive in your sporting team,
and they'll be destructive. They won't do anyone any good
because it's all about you, the world revolving around you.
Do you know the Bible is not about you and I?
The Bible is about Christ. The world doesn't revolve around
you or me. James chapter 4 says where do
wars and fights come from among you?
Do they not come from your desires for pleasure?
That war in your members? This is a cranky person.
This is written to Christians. You lust and do not have.
You desire, but you can't get it.
You murder and covet. Now murdering.
We know that's not going out and actually killing someone.
Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount says, oh man, you murder and
covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war, yet you do
not have because you do not ask what you ask and do not receive.
Why? Because you ask amiss.
Why? Because you're asking for
yourself, your prayers, your life, your passion.
It's all you. It's all me, me, me, me to spend
it on your pleasures. This is why relationships fail.
If your outlook is selfish, then your actions in your marriage
with your kids will be divisive and destructive.
Much of our woes, our miseries, our dissatisfactions, our
sorrows. Do you know they are self
inflicted wounds? Many of them.
Not getting my own way all the time makes me angry, makes you
angry. Jump in the car.
It's funny how you when you drive and all the idiots come
out the road isn't it? You're the only safe driver you
see. Not getting my own way all the
time makes 1 angry. I see it in kids and frustrated.
They're frustrated. It's the spoiled child
character. It's the term we use.
They throw all the toys at the cot.
There's a set of toys, they're not playing with any.
As soon as a kid comes and grabs another toy, I want that one
they pick up and now I want that one as well.
As soon as the kid likes, they're not playing with them,
don't need them, don't interest them.
We do that as adults. The spoiled child character is
constant. It's a behaviour and that
constant selfish way about you works against God filling you
with his Holy Spirit. Or you can come to church,
you've received Christ. James letter was to Christians,
but you're the angriest aunt in the building.
You're the angry Christian. God's not doing anything.
Angry with your husband, Angry with your wife, angry with your
kids, angry at your job, angry with the bank, angry with the
Prime Minister? Yes, in your rage because it's
not going your way, stops God filling you with his power and
his Holy Spirit, and you stay this little angry person burning
up all the time. Helen reminds me when I get like
that. You're the grumpy one and I
don't, I don't realise because you become a grandfather and you
turn into I don't don't touch that, get away from that.
Believe that it's like a you're like a dog.
You know, as soon as the kids go and you don't realise it, Jesus
completely emptied himself. He did it making himself of no
reputation. How does that work with
influencers today? How many people are following
you? Nobody.
I don't want a reputation. It's the Greek word kenu, Ken,
double O. It means cause a thing to be
seen to be empty, hollow. Most of us are so concerned
about our reputation. And what, what would people
think by? And what if they think?
Well, what would people think? What people think of us drives
people. People live for everybody else.
It's a sad way. You're a puppet instead.
Jesus gave no thought to this. He didn't care what other people
thought. He only wanted to please his
Father. There's your mission.
You want to know what God's will is for you for 2026?
Please your heavenly Father, in everything that you do, that'll
keep you busy till Christ comes. Jesus took upon himself the form
of a slave, a bondservant. It's the lowest form of a slave.
It's the lowest rank of a slave. Here it is again the mentioning
of serving. Save to serve our our Master,
our Lord showed us how to live. How are we to live?
Grandiose. No, to serve.
I remember Pastor Chuck at a pastor's conference.
All the pastors, just Senior pastors International Conference
from all over the world. 15111 hundred of them gathered
together. We need some help during the
kitchen time. Now they're making some burgers.
Anyone which have a few guys put their hands up.
Chuck came out next. Next gathering pastors here.
Whoa, you guys must be important.
Wow. Because not every hand went up
when we needed people in the kitchen.
Yet you're the one that goes and preaches to the churches about
serving the next time they needed help. 1500 hands went up.
I tell you he he wasn't joking. I find it No, I won't go there.
I won't go there. Jesus is serving now.
Each time he speaks of those who follow him, Jesus says this.
Matthew 937. Then he said to his disciples,
The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few.
Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers
into His harvest. Guess what?
That prayer is for you to answer.
That prayer is for me to answer, OK, labourers, OK.
However many people in this building, where to answer?
Where the answer to that prayer? Where to be the labourers, not
the supervisors. You know, you drive along the
road, there's 14 blokes standing around a Shoal and there's two
blokes down digging a hole. We are saved to serve, you know
the blessings are for who in the Bible.
Read it. My servants.
Drop down to Acts chapter 2, verse 18.
Read along with me and on my men servants and on my maid
servants. I will pour out my spirit in
those days, and they shall prophecy.
So who the who's the blessing of the Holy Spirit going to be on
the servants in the church? You know, the people that serve
in churches are the happiest people in the church.
You know, the people that tidy up and clean and do the lawns
and then clean when everyone's gone.
Then they, they clean the toilets, then they clean all the
toys and they, they have everything set up.
They have the air conditioning on before you get in and they
switch it off and they clean it up again.
They had this all set out. You know, the happiest people in
the Lord in the church are the servants.
You know who the grumpiest ones are.
Jesus served. Jesus thought of others and
became a servant. Their servant.
Jesus came in the likeness of man.
Tomorrow for us how to live, to reveal what God is like so we
could understand, and to be a sympathetic high priest.
When Jesus was born at Bethlehem, he entered a
permanent union with humanity from which there would be no
escape. He willingly humbled himself
that he might lift us up. He became a man permanently, the
God man. Paul used the word form of a
servant. Jesus did not pretend to be a
servant. Too many people pretend to be
servants in church. Well, I'll do if no one else
will do it. Well, don't do it.
And you know, in, in, in giving, please, if you don't like
giving, please don't give. If you don't want to give and
you give begrudgingly, keep it because it will only burn.
It's not doing anyone any good, not doing us God.
And God doesn't need your money. Tell the evangelists, do God
guides, God provides. But when you give, it's got to
be cheerful. It's to be sacrificial.
Should cost you something. But don't just keep it.
God would rather you keep it. He says that don't bring me all
the sacrifices you burnt offerings and everything.
I would rather have a broken and a contrite spirit, He says.
I own the cattle on 1000 mills. You think I need more bulls now?
Jesus humbled himself, it says, and being found in appearance as
a man, he humbled himself, became obedient to the point of
death, even the death of the cross.
Now most Pilling people are willing to serve others as long
as it doesn't cost them anything.
It's like little athletics. It's like taking the kids little
athletics. But if you got a little
athletic, you know what you got? You have to do as a parent.
You got to do a half a day. You get rostered on.
We taught T-ball as well. You know, if you're T-ball, you
got to be part of the coaching team, any sport.
How is it that when we come to church and our kids go to Sunday
school, the rules change? I shouldn't have said that,
should I? But we will.
We will jump up if they're in the swimming club, rugby club,
footy club, you name it. Because the rules say parents
have to be involved. Oh, OK, Church, get a break from
the kids. No, you're the church, your
kids, your kids In Sunday school, I would expect you'd be
part of the teaching team. Actually, if you want to go into
ministry in Calvary Chapel, you know where you start.
You want to be a pastor, You want to be a preacher, Bible
teacher. If you don't start there, you
don't get a start in Calvary Chapel, any Calvary Chapel.
All the pastors started teaching Sunday schools.
That's the Bible College of Calvary Chow.
We are saved to serve doctor JH Jow.
It said ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing.
Today I want to ask you, is following Christ costing you
anything? Read the book of Malachi.
Is it costing you anything to be a Christian?
Well, Keith, this is all very nice.
This this Philippian stuff and mind of Christ.
What's this got to do with the book of Acts chapter 2?
Good question. The birth of the church, the
coming, O Holy Spirit of power, plenty, everything.
Why? Because the 120 gathered on the
day of Pentecost were empty. Christ had ascended.
He was gone permanently. They were now alone and all knew
that now they could do nothing because they had done everything
with Jesus before you and I can be filled with the power and the
might of Christ, the power to serve.
We must recognise our emptiness, our weakness, our fragility, our
incompetence without Christ. I remember man being asked to
pray for communion when, when we would go, when I was serving in
in the church where we first got saved and they just give check,
you know, would you like to pray?
He said, oh man, I can't pray. I'm I'm a I'm a mechanic.
I, I don't think about praying. I'm not good with stock.
I can fix cars. No, no, I'd like you to pray
anyway. He prayed.
He was beautiful. Pray.
He prayed like an Australian mechanic who loved God.
That was a glorious prayer. I said to him after you prayed
like a man who loves God, that's all you need.
Oh precious Lord, thou as I come to thee now for thou time of no,
because you just put me to sleep.
You see, Matthew 5 verse 3 says blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Poor in spirit means I have nothing.
I am nothing. I can do nothing.
I've got. I'm not gifted in any area.
I have nothing. That's the first step.
Matthew 54 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted. Lord, I'm a miserable Sinner.
Not only am I nothing, but man, I have sinned.
I am a Sinner. I have done things, said things.
I'm not worthy of anything. They shall be comforted.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Why it's they who shall be filled.
I'm, I'm empty. I want to be filled, but I'm
empty. That's what the 120 were.
Thou are empty. Pour in spirit mourning over the
Spirit. Thou are empty.
They could do nothing. We're not leaving.
We can't do anything. We can't leave here without
without God. You see, Revelation 21 says I
will give of the fountain of the water of life freely.
To who? To him who thirsts.
I want to ask you this morning, are you thirsty for God?
I mean, really, you're going to be saved for 20 years, 40 years,
30 years. Are you thirsty for God?
I'm, I'm still thirsty for God today.
Yes, he's quenched my thirst, my ache.
I'm saved by grace and I have the peace of God, but I'm
thirsty for God. I'm driven by God to live.
My whole life is wrapped up in serving Christ now.
So I look at back on my past and it's it's woeful, it's wicked,
it's bad. And I'm not a serial killer or
anything like that. And I wasn't coming down at a
concentration camp or something like that.
I was a Sinner, selfish. You see, the disciples gathered
for prayer and obedience, waiting.
It revealed the disciples were truly aware they did not have
the resources in themselves to do what they could or should do.
They knew they had to rely upon the work of God.
Jesus says, without me you can do what?
Nothing, and suddenly verse 2 we got to verse 2.
Suddenly they came a sound from heaven as of as of a rushing
mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were
sitting in there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire.
One sat upon each of them, 120 of them.
Not just the 12. John the Baptist had prophesied
this meant event there comes one, He'll baptise you with the
Holy Spirit, with fire. Now under the old covenant, the
Holy Spirit rested upon God's people more as a nation, the
nation Israel. But now under the new covenant,
the Holy Spirit rests upon God's people as individuals.
The tongues like fire rested on every one of the 120 gathered
there, including the 12 disciples.
And by the way, for the Catholic Church, Mary, the mother of
Jesus. Why?
Because Jesus desires and calls for a personal living
relationship with you, with you that you may know Him, that you
may call Him ABBA Father. Verse 4.
And they were all filled notice with the Holy Spirit, not just
the Pentecostal ones, and began to speak with other tongues as
the Spirit gave them utterance. Every believer in Christ today
is filled with the Holy Spirit. Did you know that the moment you
repent and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, the
Holy Spirit fills you? There's no waiting, no towering.
This is the one off of the end. How do we know that the Bible
gives us the answer? 1 Corinthians 316 Do you not
know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 12/13 For by 1
spirit we were all baptised into one body, whether Jew or Greek,
with a slave or free, and have been made to drink into one
spirit. Verse 4 and they're all filled
with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues.
Glossa glossalia is the the Greek as the spirit gave them
utterance. Verse 5 and they were dwelling
in Jerusalem, Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.
When the sound occurred, the multitude came together.
We're confused because everyone heard them speak in their own
language, that word language dialectus, where we get our word
dialect. They were all amazed and
marvelled, saying to one another, look, are not these who
speak Galileans? Galileans were hillbillies.
They're not very educated down in galore.
Galilee they were. They were going with piles down
there. Those are old enough to remember
him. And how is it that we eat here,
each in our own language, our own dialect, in which we were
born? Parthians, Meads, Alamites,
those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontius and
Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, places as far as three days to a
week away. Verse 11 Cretans, Arabs, we hear
them speaking in our own tongues.
The what were they saying? Not the Gospel by the way.
Note this. They were proclaiming the
wonderful works of God. They were hearing them saying
God made the heavens and the earth.
He made the made the stars. He, he is all powerful, He is
mighty, He rules. They were hearing all these
things, no message. There was no message in tongues
because there is no message in tongues.
Note that we'll get to that. We've been through.
Go back, look through past Israel when you went through
when Corinthians 12/13/14. There's no message in tongues.
The tongues is always proclaiming the wonders and
glories of God. It's not to man, it's to God.
And so they're amazed and perplexed.
Some said these guys are drunk full of new wine.
Now the accusation of intoxication is interesting.
Why? Because intoxication means lack
of control, which is what? The exact opposite of the
fullness of the spirit. Did you note that?
You need to note this because the fruit of the spirit is in
fact what's 1 of the the flavours self control.
Oh the spirit made me do it. No, shut up, Spirit didn't make
you do it. Oh I can't, I couldn't, couldn't
control my control myself. Can't even speak now properly.
Yeah, self control. When you see all these old
people going berserk and carrying on, that's not the Holy
Spirit, that's flesh manifested. It's religious mayhem.
It's confusion. God is not the author of
confusion. So notice this filled with the
spirit and self control. Wow, this was a complete
reversal of what had happened at Babel or Babel.
God's judgement at the Tower of Babel was what scattered.
The people couldn't understand the languages.
What? I don't know what you're talking
about, but God's blessing at Pentecost united the believers
in the Spirit. At Babel, the people could not
understand one another. But at Pentecost, men heard
God's praises and understood what was said.
The crowd heard these followers of Christ Speaking of the mighty
works of God literally. Peter steps up again.
But Peter standing up with the 11, lifted up his voice and said
unto them, You men of Judea and all that dwell at Jerusalem, be
this known unto you, and hearken to my words.
For these are not drunken as you suppose, seeing it's about the
third hour or 9:00 in the morning.
But this is that. That's the old King James.
But this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel.
So everything that happens in church, everything that happens
in a church, you should be able to say to your son, to your
daughter, to the stranger, to the friend, to the colleague
you've invited, this is that. And answer, the answer of why we
do what we do. What's happening now is found in
the Bible. Got that?
There should not ever be something happening in the
church and go, why do we know? Oh, we've always done that.
Oh, she always says that. They always do that.
Are we? This is the way we've done it
for years. No, this is that.
You've got to find the answer. There's got to be biblical
foundation for what occurs every time in church.
Peter explained what happened. Peter did not preach in tongues.
He spoke to the crowd and everyday Aramaic.
If you want to know what Aramaic sounds like, watch the movie The
Passion of the Christ. It's all in Aramaic.
It's what Jesus spoke to and they all understood.
The sermon was given by a Jew, Peter, to fellow Jews on a
Jewish holiday about the resurrection of the Jewish
Messiah whom their nation, God's chosen people had crucified.
Peter said this is that and I'm going to cut to the chase
because I've run out, running out of time.
We're going to cover more on Wednesday, but I want to get to
Peter's final point. He goes through all of what Joel
has said. Joel said in 212, turn to me now
while there's time. Give me your hearts come with
fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don't tear your clothing and
your grief, but tear your hearts you instead.
Why? Because Peter had said you
killed the Messiah to the Jews and in the crowd of thousands
that were there were actually the people who said crucify him,
crucify him. Think about that.
They were there. Peter gets up under the power of
the Holy Spirit, speaks. He says you killed the Messiah.
Now maybe you're here today and you think I could never come to
know Christ. I've committed the unforgivable
sin. How would you think the people
who are in the crowd were thinking?
They cry out killing God. But here's the work of the Holy
Spirit because what does he do? The Holy Spirit convicts,
convicts, and they said what? What can we do?
Cut to their heart and he's the wonder of God, Peter said.
What needs to be said still today?
Whether you're a Christian, whether you're not a Christian,
repent, call unto God and you shall be signed.
It's as simple as that. Maybe you're here today and you
think I have committed an unforgivable sin.
I have and I won't go into detail.
You know, I've done this, I've done that.
I wouldn't want anyone to know. Peter said each of you must
repent of your sins, turn to God, be baptised in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
You see, you can't come to Christ unless you repent.
What's happening today as many people come forward in churches
over and over and over, but they're not repenting.
So nothing changes, you know, because they're not saved.
You can only get saved when you're empty because repentance
says I'm good for nothing. I'm a Sinner.
I, I, I don't deserve anything. And the Bible says that's true.
But now because of that is why Christ came.
If you're here today and you think you've committed the
unforgivable sin and the Holy Spirit has convicted that to you
know this, the Holy Spirit is calling you today to come.
When God works on someone's heart, they want to come to him.
If God has worked upon your heart, you're not going to be
here. Oh, I don't know about what
that's well, then it's not God. But if God has worked upon your
heart, you know, I've got to come.
I've got to come to the front. I have to pray.
Maybe you're a Christian and you're coming to church, but you
you, you're distant and God saying, hey, sin separates us
because Christians can sin. Is it bad for Christians to sin?
It's worse than today. Maybe God is calling you to come
out to the front and say come and repent.
Repent because repentance brings forgiveness.
You can't have forgiveness until you come to repentance.
And repentance only comes by the Holy Spirit.
Is the Holy Spirit working in your heart to thou right now?
Is He working on your mind and in your heart?
Because when God works on someone's heart, they want to
come to Him. They will act to come to Him.
If God has worked upon your heart today, you will repent.
Today you will commit your life to Christ.
Today, if you're a Christian, you will repent of the sins that
you know you've been doing. If the Holy Spirit has come to
your heart, what shall we do? The empty can be filled.
Repent means to change your mind, to turn, to live a
completely new direction. Today's passage is for everyone.
Who's empty? If you're full, God can't save
you at the moment. Let's pray.
If God has spoken to your heart, if you sense the Holy Spirit,
God doesn't allow that just so you can get up and walk and go
home. It's got to be action and if God
truly has worked upon your heart, you will act upon it.
What will you do? Peter says repent, receive
forgiveness. Now, if that's you, as the
worship team leads us in worship, we're just going to
allow the front for you to come out the front.
You can find a place. If you need someone to pray with
you, we'll pray alongside you, but act upon the Holy Spirit.
Let the power of God change your life forever.
You can walk out of here a new person, a new empowered person
filled with the Spirit of God.