The Book Of Acts | Power From On High (March 15th, 2020) - Mike Armstrong

Well, good morning, church.

Assuming you are watching this on Sunday morning, for me recording this, it is Saturday afternoonslash evening, and I'm in our office empty.

It's just me here.

And so it's a little bit different for me preaching to an empty room.

But for you, at least if you've been with us kind of from the beginning, watching a sermon on video is kind of old school redemption new market.

And so hopefully this isn't uh too outside of your comfort zones.

Uh, but listen, it's been a it's been an interesting week, hasn't it?

You know, I think we're all somewhat reeling a little bit from all of the news and and maybe overwhelmed.

There's there's maybe a low-grade anxiety that's that's kind of in your soul a little bit from uh the coronavirus talk, COVID-19.

Uh, maybe for you, you've panicked and it's and it's fear.

Um, but uh at the end of the day, um, we want to rest in the in the sovereignty and in the goodness of our God.

I was thinking about a couple of different verses that have, I think, really blessed me over the last several days.

And uh, one of them I just want to share with you right out of the gate here comes from uh 1 Chronicles chapter 16 in verse 31, it says, Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, the Lord reigns.

1 Chronicles 16 · chapter mention

And I love thinking about that.

I love realizing that you know, despite this pandemic that is that is going on and and causing life as we know it to kind of grind to a halt, and so many things are changing.

And I just love uh remembering though that the Lord reigns despite all of it.

None of this has budged him, none of this has pushed him off of his throne.

Uh, none of this uh means that he is not in control, uh, not at all.

Uh the Lord reigns, he is good, and we should trust him.

It is good and right for us to do that.

And so um, as I've been encouraged by that, I trust that you are as well.

And and perhaps there's been verses that you've been clinging to this week.

And if so, I would love you to share those uh with me as we you know try to encourage each other in all of this.

And so just on that note, I I ask that you would pray for us for our leaders and and for our staff and elders as we adjust to uh what ministry looks like in this new, I kind of hesitate to call it an era, but you know, hopefully it's a very brief one, you know, where we can't quite gather at our over at our school in our normal, you know, church building.

Um, but you know what, again, we just uh we want to cling to the Lord.

We want to do that.

We don't want to overreact.

We don't want to underreact either.

We want to be wise, and so God give us wisdom in these things.

And so uh just wanted to kind of start with all of that here, but also let you know that we are continuing through our Acts series today.

And uh we are in Acts chapter two.

You can go ahead and grab uh your Bible now and grab a pen and grab a notebook.

We've you know emailed you the outline uh with uh this video, of course, and so you should have it all there in front of you.

But Acts chapter two, one to thirteen is uh is where we're gonna be here today.

Now, you've probably heard the phrase before or or you've even used the phrase um, now we're cooking with gas.

Right?

You've heard that, you've used that.

It's it's an expression that uh really conveys the idea that that now we're getting somewhere, right?

Things are happening, things are kind of taking off in a way that they weren't just a short time ago.

Now, you could say that that cooking with gas fits as a description of what we see happen here in Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

And it's where we see the the Holy Spirit descend upon the disciples in a in a display of God's power that just propels their ministry, propels God's mission forward in astounding and astonishing ways.

You know, the disciples, their lives, their their ministry activity from this point onward kind of just hits a fever pitch.

It accelerates, right?

It hits this level of intensity and and fruitfulness never before seen.

And it's all due to the powerful outpouring of God's Spirit in them and through them.

Right.

And this is just as Jesus promised that it would happen.

Back in chapter 1, verse 8, he said, You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

Now, similarly, uh for us today, we we as believers and and and as a church, we require power from the Holy Spirit.

Nothing has changed in that regard.

We need him for strength, uh for everything, for literally everything.

I mean, in a very foundational primary way, we need his power to save us.

We need his power to regenerate us.

I uh we see that in in Titus chapter 3, where where it says he saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3 · chapter mention

So regeneration there is this idea of rebirth from which we get, you know, born again.

We see that that term and that phrase uh used in the New Testament.

So we need the Holy Spirit to actually save and regenerate us.

We also need the Spirit's power uh to help us just grow in obedience.

We need his power to help us live a holy life and and and transform into the image of Christ.

And we see Peter speak about this in in 1 Peter 1, verse 2.

1 Peter 1:2

He talks about the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ.

Okay, so we need the Holy Spirit to save us, we need him to transform us, and this is what we really see in Acts chapter 2 here.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

We need the Holy Spirit's power to come upon us so that we can get like cooking with gas, right?

So that we can see the mission really take off, okay, so that we can fulfill the work of ministry that God has called us to, which of course is to spread the gospel and it's to it's to make disciples.

Okay, so is this happening in us?

I think that's an important question to ask.

Is this happening in our in our in our lives?

Is this is this happening in us as a church?

And again, I'm asking that question.

No one's here, it's an empty room, so I'll just go ahead and answer that.

Uh answer that question myself by saying, yeah, I think this is happening.

I I've seen this happening in you know many of your lives.

I mean, we just baptized two gentlemen a couple of weeks ago, which was you know, them explaining how the Lord and the Holy Spirit has transformed, have saved them, and is changing them, which is amazing.

I mean, that's just one example, you know.

Now, that being said, do we want to see more of this?

Yeah, of course, of course we do, absolutely.

You know, and and and many of us have prayed, Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit as I serve today, as I serve in redemption kids, as I, you know, set the church up, as we, you know, get together as a small group, Lord, would you pour your spirit out?

We would ask that he would do even more of that so that so that he would use us to proclaim his name and accomplish even more for his sake, right?

And for his glory.

And so these are the things that we're going to be talking about here this morning from Acts chapter two.

I just want to pray and then we'll dive in.

Lord, we come before you uh today and recognize that this is very unique for us, uh, Lord, to be uh, you know, at home and and you know, watching this sermon on our computer, on our screen, on our phone, uh, what have you, Lord, it's it's different.

Uh God, we uh confess that many of us have felt fear during this time.

We felt confusion, we're worrying, we're we're nervous.

And God, we know that you are in control, Lord.

We know that the Lord reigns.

And so, Father, we want to rest in that, but we recognize we also need you to help us with that.

We need your spirit to implant these things more deeply in our hearts and in our minds.

And and Lord, as we you know talk about the Holy Spirit's work uh at Pentecost as we see it in Acts chapter two today, I pray that you would uh fill us, fill our church with your Holy Spirit even more, Lord, that you would work in in even more fruitful ways.

And Lord, that you would uh continue to use our church to uh reach uh Newmarket and the communities represented in this area, Father, where we live.

God, we pray that you would expand uh our ministry and and our reach, Lord, work in us, work through us.

Uh we pray all of this in Christ's name, amen.

Amen.

Well, uh two things here this morning.

Here's the first one, diving in, right?

The Holy Spirit is the power that propels our ministry, working radically in and through us.

Now we see this starting in verse uh one here.

Look what it says.

It says, When the when the day of Pentecost arrived.

All right, now now Pentecost literally means the 50th part.

Okay, the 50th part.

Now, last week you might remember that I mentioned how the Jews celebrated Pentecost 50 days after Passover.

Now, what was Passover?

Well, Passover was was the occasion that they celebrated how God had rescued their people, their nation, out of Egypt.

You remember that they were commanded to put lamb's blood over the doorpost because the angel of death was gonna sweep through Egypt.

And if they had put lamb's blood over their doorpost, that was them trusting and obeying the Lord.

And if they did that, the angel of death would pass over those who didn't, firstborns uh would be killed.

And of course, um that happened, and uh Pharaoh's own firstborn son was killed, and it was right after that moment that he released uh the Israelites to head out into the wilderness.

And so um they again they celebrate Pentecost now, 50 days after uh Passover.

A Pentecost, back to that, you uh might know if you you know familiar with the Old Testament that it was also called the Feast of Weeks.

Okay, the Feast of Weeks.

And that was a festival where the Jews would express their gratitude for uh to God for his provision of grain at the harvest.

They would get together and they would celebrate that.

Now, a little more history tied to that here for a second, because the Israelite nation originally left Egypt, remember, and arrived at Mount Sinai after that, about 90 days later, Pentecost, okay, at the 50-day mark, that that harvest celebration, that ultimately became the occasion where they would also celebrate what took place at Sinai, right?

Sinai was where the Lord descended on the mountain and he gave them the law, the Ten Commandments, through Moses, and it was a re-establishing of God's covenant with his people.

And so essentially what was happening at Pentecost at this point in Acts is they had they had combined these two events.

You've got the harvest celebration, the grain celebration, and they would remember the giving of the law and and and and the re-establishing of the covenant at Sinai.

They would they would combine this into sort of like this this kind of ultra, you know, celebration festival, all of it together.

And I'll keep going here in the verse, still in verse 1, it says they were all together in one place.

This is the disciples now.

And so this is the the 120 that we see mentioned in chapter 1, verse 15.

Okay, so they were all together in one place, and suddenly there came from heaven, or or from you know the sky.

Now keep in mind that that Christ had just ascended into the heavens, into the sky, okay, just 10 days earlier, there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind.

Okay, so not actual wind, all right, but but a sound that was a lot like that, it says.

Okay, a sound like wind, and it said, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

Now, this is probably the same upper room that we see mention in chapter one, verse 13.

Okay, so it fills this entire house where they were sitting, and it says, and divided tongues as of or like fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.

Okay, now that there does appear to be an allusion here to the events of Mount Sinai that we see in Exodus chapter 19.

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

There's some parallels to what took place there and what's taking place here.

God's presence with his people at Sinai was manifested in some very obvious ways.

It says that there was thunder and and and there was lightning and there was this thick cloud and smoke and and fire as well.

Okay, here in Acts 2, God's presence with his people through his Holy Spirit now, okay, is manifested through through these sounds that we just saw, the sounds of uh of rushing wind.

Okay, you've got these visuals as well, uh, you know, tongues as of you know fire that rested on them, so it would have been you know bright, maybe maybe flashing as well.

You know what we read here in in Acts 2 in these verses is also typically seen as the fulfillment of John the Baptist's prophecy in Luke 3.16, where he said that he, referring to Jesus, he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Okay, now verse 4, let's keep going.

Verse 4 says, And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.

Okay now that word for tongues there can also be translated languages.

Okay, so they began to speak to uh in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now we'll we'll see in later verses here today what this you know speaking in tongues was was all about here, but but for now I think it's you know pretty safe to say that that something rather powerful, okay, uh and radical was taking place here.

The disciples, again, they're they're all together in in this upper room.

Remember, it's been a week and a half, and they they knew what Jesus had promised, and we talked a little about you know maybe what they would have been feeling like last week, you know, when when suddenly, or you know, which which means out of the out of the blue, okay, the moment that they'd been waiting for all this time, you know, finally happens.

You know, the Holy Spirit comes down from heaven in this very remarkable, you know, Exodus 19-esque, you know, type of way.

And what does the spirit do?

Well, well, it fills them, which tells us that the spirit coming down or coming upon them is something that happens first inside of them, in them.

And then the spirit proceeds to work not just in them, but also through them, right?

Causing them to do something that they had never done before.

Right?

In this case, you know, speak in other tongues, speak in other languages.

Now, a couple of you know comments about this.

First of all, what's happening here is that God is giving those who trust in his son by faith the gift of the Holy Spirit.

All right, I think that's probably pretty obvious here.

But from that point onwards would take up residence in or or or dwell in believers forever.

Okay, 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 19, you can jot that down.

1 Corinthians 6:19

It says this, or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?

Okay, so understand that you know at the moment that you got saved, professed faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit simultaneously, in that very moment, you are justified, regenerated.

The Holy Spirit takes up residence within you, okay, inside of you.

You are as as as Ephesians 1, 13 and 14 says, you are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of your inheritance.

Okay, on top of this, that's so important, but on top of this, the Holy Spirit will pour himself out in powerful ways on believers, okay, to equip and and strengthen us for certain ministry tasks.

Okay, I think a lot of us are kind of familiar with that concept.

This is certainly what Paul is talking about, referring to when he says, uh, do not get drunk on wine, okay, for for that is debauchery, but be filled with the spirit.

That's Ephesians 5, 18.

Okay, so here's here's a I think a helpful way of kind of understanding how the Spirit interacts and works with us and in us.

Okay, so you've got you've got one indwelling, okay.

One indwelling, that's what happens at conversion.

The Holy Spirit takes up residence inside you, okay.

That is a permanent thing.

And then you've got multiple uh fillings.

Okay, so one indwelling, many fillings.

Now those fillings will come and go, limited really only by our by our sin, right?

We know that our sin can grieve the Holy Spirit and limit the effectiveness of his power in us and through us.

He never leaves us, but his power can be diminished based on our rebellion and our sinfulness from our flesh.

Right?

Of course, the only other, I guess, limitation, if you want to put it that way, on the Spirit filling us is just in what God Himself, through His Holy Spirit, sovereignly decides to do and how he decides to move in work through Christians and in churches.

Now, this is not to suggest that the Spirit didn't regenerate or reside in or work in and through those of faith before this moment, as we see it here in Acts 2.

You think about it when Nicodemus asks Jesus, you know, how to be born again.

Remember, he didn't he didn't understand all of that, right?

Born again is regeneration, something the Spirit does, right?

You notice how Jesus responds to him in uh John 3, verse 10.

John 3:10

He answers him by asking him a question.

He says, Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

In other words, Nicodemus, you should know this.

Why?

Because you have the Old Testament, you're teacher of it.

Right?

Jesus saying, this isn't anything new.

Anyone who's ever been saved, ever, has been has been born again by God's Spirit.

You know, how else would people overcome their hostility towards a holy God?

How else would this happen?

Okay, furthermore, we see the Spirit dwell within people in the Old Testament.

Have you seen that before?

In Numbers 27, verse 18, the Lord tells Moses, Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.

Numbers 27:18

But as you consider, you know, all the various texts about the Holy Spirit, I mean, there's many more that we could look at here.

It's clear that there is a difference between the Spirit's work in the Old Testament and you know, in the Old Covenant, and his his work in the you know, in the New Testament, in the New Covenant in Christ's blood.

Okay, in the Old Testament, his dwelling and and in his filling for a task is sometimes seen as selective, okay, and also temporary.

Okay, the spirit actually departs from Saul, it tells us in 1 Samuel 16, verse 14, suggesting that perhaps Saul wasn't even saved.

1 Samuel 16:14

Right?

God just chose to use him and work in him as he saw fit, and then the Holy Spirit uh left.

Okay, and David, who's the king right after Saul in a legend in Israel, David seems to fear, you know, losing his anointing as king at the very least, when when he cries out in Psalm 51, 11, cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Okay, but in the in the New Testament, after Pentecost, it's obvious that something new and something unique has taken place in redemptive history that ushers in this new era which you and I are now a part of as believers today.

Yeah, I love how Derek Thomas uh puts it.

He says there's something of the fullness of the Spirit and perhaps the experience of that fullness under the new covenant that is different from the old covenant.

Okay, so in the New Testament, we see that that the Holy Spirit now resides only in believers, not in unbelievers.

Okay, and we see that he also resides in every believer.

It's not selective, all right, and and that indwelling is permanent.

And it happens upon conversion, okay?

And since Pentecost.

cost you know it's experienced in a in a the spirit is in in a unique and and you could even say fuller way uh that had not been experienced by people before that moment now of course more on this as we work our way through these verses here but but let me just you know ask us the question you know as we you know kind of think about how you know the the the Holy Spirit is the power that propels our our ministry as believers and as a local church um you know do we see the spirit you know working radically in and through us like we see it here in Acts chapter 2 right are are are you seeing that or are you sensing that the Lord is at work powerfully through his Holy Spirit now I I don't I don't mean it you know in the exact same way and in all the exact same details that we see here in these you know first four verses of of Acts chapter two.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Okay keep in mind that what we're reading here in Acts it was a very you know unique moment in the history of uh of what God did uh in in redemption right and I'm I'm not at all convinced that that you know that we should be trying to recreate this exact you know moment and scenario uh today yeah but I'm also this is important I'm also definitely not saying that you know yes the Spirit moved powerfully here in Acts but but but he doesn't now and and and he he shouldn't now and we shouldn't expect him to I'm not saying that I would be wrong right you we know this we've got no we've got no hope of fulfilling our God given mission unless the Holy Spirit works powerfully right works works deeply works radically in and in and through you and I and propels the entire operation our whole ministry forward right so listen I'd even encourage you maybe to hit the pause button here for just a second on the message or or you can wait for it at the end and you know whether you're you know alone right now and watching this or or you're with you know a couple of friends or with uh your family uh I I would really encourage you to just kind of talk through with the people you're with you know uh about the different ways that you have noticed the Holy Spirit working radically in and through you right how have you sensed that in your own life how have you seen that true in the lives of the people that you're with now how you know what evidence you know have you seen in your life and in each other?

How have you seen God's power at work uh in our church?

Right if if we're having a hard time you know kind of pinpointing some of the specific ways we're having a hard time identifying uh the spirit of God's work I think we need to ask ourselves what needs to change right what needs to change on our part so that we would experience more of it is it is it unconfessed sin again I I mentioned that already but you know is there sin in in in our lives in my life in your life that that that we are not dealing with properly and because of that we're ignoring it or we're too fearful or or we feel stuck in it and and so we've kind of given up the whole repentance piece because of that we're not seeing and sensing the Spirit moving as powerfully as he ought to and as he wants to is there sin in your life that you're not addressing that you're not turning away from that you're not reaching out to somebody to talk to and and ask for help through right for you maybe maybe it's just a an issue of misplaced priorities.

When you think about the trajectory of your life what you are committed to what your life is about you think about you know your work time your free time your vacation time your family time all of that what is that about is that about God and his glory is that about God and his mission or is that really just about what you want it to be about right if we've got misplaced priorities in this way we shouldn't be surprised if we don't exactly sense and see the Holy Spirit working in powerful Acts two type ways is it misplaced priorities for you is it is it a lack of understanding or or a lack of faith uh you know in in who the Holy Spirit is and and and what we have him for right what he what he set out to accomplish maybe you don't understand a whole lot about the Holy Spirit maybe this is the first time you've you know even heard a message about this right what do you need to study what do you need to learn what questions do you need to ask I would encourage you to think carefully through these things as strange as it is that we're not you know meeting at at Mu Loch High School right now we have kind of an interesting opportunity unique opportunity to be able to you know just kind of discuss these things right now with the people uh that we're watching this with and then I would just encourage you you know whatever it might be give it to the Lord whatever sin whatever's holding you back confess it to the Lord repent and and pray and ask the Lord God would you pour out more of your spirit and and and fill me so that you can carry out your mission through me.

All right here's the second thing the final thing the Holy Spirit is the power that propels our ministry driving us to proclaim his mighty works.

Love that and here it is starting in verse five it says now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews devout men here we go from every nation under heaven now who are these guys who are these who are these devout men who are these Jews from other nations well well some of them you know would have likely been uh diaspora Jews or or exiled Jews who had at one point you know lived in you know Roman you know cities after the Babylonian exile that we see in the Old Testament and then had returned to Jerusalem to live or maybe even uh retire there.

Okay that's probably some of this some of this group others certainly would have been pilgrims right pro pilgrims who who had made the journey to Jerusalem from these neighboring you know countries and and regions just for the feast of Pentecost.

And scholars have have estimated that um that around a million Jews would journey to Jerusalem for the festival at this time at Pentecost every year.

Okay so keep in mind that you've got you've got Jews okay uh from all over this this very wide you know region representing many different tongues many different languages now converging together all right you know in Jerusalem all at once okay this really tees us up for what's next verse six okay and at this sound okay so so likely this sound was not the you know the the the mighty rushing wind sound but rather the sound of of the dis the the disciples now speaking in the spirit the these different tongues and different languages which suggests to us that the disciples as the spirit fell the disciples now poured out into the street and started to come into contact with these other Jews who were in Jerusalem from all over the place okay so at this sound the multitude again referring to the Jews that had traveled down to Jerusalem from all over the multitude large group they came together okay and it says that they were bewildered they were bewildered because each one was hearing them they're hearing the disciples that is speak in his own language and they were amazed and astonished saying are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

So somehow they can recognize that the disciples speaking in these tongues are are like local guys and so so they're kind of wondering like how would they know my language?

I'm not from here I speak a very different how how would they know that how would I how would I understand what they were saying okay and then they say here how is it that we hear each of us in his own native language and then it lists a bunch of regions and and and a city here that that that is represented here in this multitude that is gathered in Jerusalem and so we'll just go through that and kind of give an explanation as to where these places are now it says first of all the Parthians okay so Parthia was or is in northeast Iran okay and and Medis or Media is northwest Iran.

The Elamites was the lowland of what is now modern day Khuzistan it's a province of Iran and it says and residents of Mesopotamia now it's that's eastern Syria and even northern Iraq.

The next uh region mentioned there is is Judea because this is the southern uh part of Palestine then a little bit closer than some of these other regions says Cappadocia that's eastern Turkey Pontus that's the south coast of the Black Sea in what is now northern Turkey it mentions Asia you see that there that was a that was a Roman province could also be a reference to the Greek cities there along the Aegean coast for some of us who might be familiar with that area.

You've got Phrygia which was a a region that became part of the Roman province of Galatia in the east and part of the province of Asia in in the west and it says there and Pamphylia which was a coastal region and Roman province at the time Egypt were fairly familiar with with Egypt there were many Jewish communities there.

And the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene that was a Roman province of Africa pro consularis and then this this is really interesting and visitors from Rome okay from Rome both Jews and proselytes okay what are proselytes well proselytes are converts to uh Judaism okay they're proselytizing they're they're proclaiming their faith and these are Gentiles that are now converted they're now there.

Now interesting that it mentions Rome Rome is the only city that is mentioned in this in this list and it's it's actually referenced later in Acts in Acts chapter 28.

Acts 28 · chapter mention

Now when Paul arrives there it's really interesting he arrives there for the first time and and notice and notices that there's already a Christian community present.

Okay this is in Rome which suggests this is so cool it suggests that it's very likely that the Jews from Rome visiting Jerusalem here in Acts 2 that we're reading heard the works of Jesus through these disciples speaking in their native language they got saved and then went back to Rome and brought the message of the gospel back to those people and from there the Christian community grew.

How amazing is that it's incredible now next it mentions verse 11 take a look uh Cretans okay Crete was the largest of the Greek islands and next it says in and Arabians who are the descendants of Ishmael okay so these are all the different regions and again that one kind of city or you know in different areas that had Jewish populations in these pockets all over who had made this trek this journey to Jerusalem for Pentecost.

Now as you continue reading in verse 11 uh they react to the Holy Spirit's work here uh saying this notice that we hear them telling in our own tongues or languages the mighty works of God the mighty works of God okay so what's happening here well the disciples under under the influence and the power of the Holy Spirit are proclaiming the gospel right it's it's incredible right and these Jews from all these areas were hearing about the powerful works of Jesus Christ to redeem and and restore Israel and restore the Jews and of course also outsiders right remember you know those those non-Jews who had converted to Jerus uh to to Judaism right the you know the proselytes it's good news for any of us who are not Jewish right God's God's mighty work of of salvation is the message that they were hearing proclaimed here through the disciples under the power of the Holy Spirit.

Now take a look at verse uh 12 it says and all were amazed and perplexed saying to one another what does this mean?

Right?

But others mocking said ah they're filled with new wine right quite the same pretty wild and you know and the reaction of those you know people listening and and seeing this you know and hearing their language being used here I mean the language here is is that they were bewildered right you see that word there they were amazed and astonished they were amazed and perplexed even right it suggests that they they didn't have a category for what was happening.

Their minds were being boggled by this I think we probably have some experience in a very different way just through all the coronavirus talk that's happening in our day right these these these Jews here these devout men they they they they didn't quite know what was going on but they had a sense that it was you know it was the Lord's doing right and and but they're trying to figure out like what does this mean is literally the question that the the text says they ask while while others you know kind of scoffed and brushed it aside and and assumed that these guys were just simply drunk.

Okay no question though this was a special event right this is a special event orchestrated by God.

I mean think about it you you've got the the timing of this being Pentecost when the people already would have been you know reminiscing and and and thinking back on you know how God came down on Mount Sinai to to to be with his people right you've got Jews from every nation and and every tongue and language and tribe you know they're all coming converging together here and in the Lord's wisdom and and in his sovereign timing he decides that this is the right moment to pour out his spirit in this mighty way using the disciples to proclaim his mighty works right that that humanity's salvation the forgiveness of sins reconciliation with our Maker has been purchased through the blood of Jesus Christ at Calvary right these mighty works are being are being spoken of and proclaimed in such a way that this this multitude is able to to understand the message in their own native language in their own native tongue which means that the Lord is is getting the disciples' mission here to be his witnesses which he said it was going to happen in chapter one he gets it kickstarted with like a serious bang, doesn't he?

Right the gospel is is absolutely detonated here in this moment through the work of the Holy Spirit in the disciples that the Jews from all nations hear it and understand it and are now able to take the good news back with them to their hometowns where his mighty work of salvation can continue to take effect, can multiply and spread even further from there.

Again, we get the very strong sense that this is exactly what happened in Rome.

What a moment this is this is it's it's astounding.

I mean how awesome is it that the that the Lord would choose to to draw it up in this way right and and listen this is the very ministry that you and I have been called to join in on okay to be to be filled with Holy Spirit power so that you and I are are driven in in such a way to proclaim the mighty works of God and we're to do that to the lost to to proclaim the gospel to them that Jesus loves sinful people right and salvation is found in him alone you know when we repent and we trust in him by faith right this is what what you and I are called to this is what redemption church exists for okay we we you know we to to to see God's plan okay God's God's mission here which which began here in this moment in Acts 2 to see that propelled forward today as the Holy Spirit powerfully works in and through people like you and I.

Now church I kind of think about this and I don't know about you but I kind of recognize that you know what a unique I kind of keep using that word I think of it that way what a unique opportunity that you and I have right now in the midst of all of this COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic talk what an opportunity we have to engage in spirit-filled spirit-powered and propelled ministry right the coronavirus is all anyone's ever talking about these days you can't you can't turn on a sports channel without seeing them talk about it you can't listen to the radio you can't watch you know the news you can't you know go online without without seeing this I mean what a prime occasion for the gospel right do you see it that way I mean it really is what a prime occasion for our church to be filled with the Holy Spirit and and proclaim the mighty works of God right have you taken that opportunity are you taking that opportunity at home with your own family right do we do this regularly and you know to stir each other up and encourage each other with the gospel and isn't it amazing what Christ has done how he's rescued us from sin and hell and God's wrath.

Isn't that incredible and do you focus on that to encourage each other it starts it starts there for sure it starts at home but then beyond that it's I think we should really be considering here the the different opportunities that you and I are going to have over the next little while with people who are let's just be honest they're scared people people are are are are nervous co-workers people that you work with at home they they don't have they don't have the hope of of Christ that we have they they don't understand that God has has got the world in his hands they don't have that ability so they're trying to figure things out themselves and and and and and people are are terrified of you have you seen this in conver in relationships with your neighbors I've noticed that you know everyone's kind of home now people are outside the weather's getting a little bit nicer people are walking their dogs I've seen my neighbors more now than I've certainly seen them all winter have have you had those opportunities as you go to the grocery store and you're frantically you know looking for toilet paper and you can't find that right do you take the opportunities have you the the these these opportunities to have these conversations uh about the hope that you have in Christ right the the the peace that you have knowing that that God is in control of all that is happening.

Listen church be courageous about this right cry out to the Lord for more of his Holy Spirit to give you courage and boldness so that you can can proclaim his mighty works that you can share the gospel and so that the Lord would use you to propel his ministry even further.

And I would even encourage you here to again have these conversations among yourselves and come up with a game plan and even think the next time you're out in the driveway and you're taking the recycling out and you know you see your neighbor you know to just even initiate a conversation and use this this pandemic as an opportunity to proclaim Christ.

Ask that the Lord would fill you ask that his Holy Spirit would move and work.

You're gonna need it.

We all admit it we don't have the strength and the power in and of ourselves to do this.

We need God we need him his power is the one that works in us.

His power is what propels us and our ministry to the glory of his name.

So now I want to pray for us right now before I let you go and just ask that the Lord would continue to do this and encourage us through this text and many others this week.

Lord we thank you for this time we've had it's different but uh Lord it's an opportunity to get into your word and we thank you for that and and thank you Lord that technology exists where we can make this uh make this work we can make this happen and and we can send out a a sermon and uh and and for the time being uh just meet together and and as as as families or even just as individuals and and hear from your word and and and be stirred up to to think about how we can apply this going forward even given there's just the climate and everything that's going on right now with this with this virus.

Lord I pray that you would protect us I pray that you would protect our church and protect us from from illness in these ways I pray that you would stop the spreading of COVID-19 across this nation and across the globe.

We absolutely pray that Lord we know that you are strong enough uh to do it Lord I pray that in the meantime while we wouldn't just wish this time away Lord so that we can get back to a sense of normalcy.

Yeah we all want that but Lord I pray that we would take the opportunity in front of us now to proclaim the mighty works of God because people are so receptive now.

They're hungry for this.

They don't maybe realize it they may see it as a little bit strange that we're talking to them about this.

But Lord I pray that you would take our Churches, our people's initiatives in conversations with people and sink the gospel into their souls, Lord.

I pray that they would that you would save.

Lord, I pray that as our church, you know, Lord willing, gathers again shortly back at the school, I pray that there would be new people that would join us because of the faithful ministry of the people of Redemption Church in the power of your Holy Spirit.

God, would you do these things, Lord?

We see and experience and sense that you are at work, Lord.

Would you overcome our stubborn, hard hearts, our sin, our pride, and work to the glory of your name to get your mission out through people like us so that the gospel can go out and disciples can be made.

Lord, help us to join you in on that to desire to.

Lord, again, for your glory, we pray these things.

In Christ's name, Amen.

You are loved.