Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Acts chapter 2 this morning as we can continue on in our sermon series.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

There have been many battles in human history, but certain battles in history,

the defeats or the victories have been so decisive or monumental,

they are remembered for centuries, even millennia.

The Battle of Thermopylae, where the 300, it wasn't really 300,

but the 300 Spartans took on all of Persia, the Battle of Agincourt, Waterloo,

the Battle of the Bulge, Hiroshima and Nagasaki dropping the bomb on the two cities.

Here in Canada we remember Vimy and Passchendaele and Dieppe

as nation-defining battles that prove the might and resolve of a young country.

All such battles are remembered as having era-defining significance,

and they did more than just change the fortunes of a war,

but in some cases changed civilization completely.

I open with this because I want to ask the following question.

How expansive, how era-defining, how much did it change civilization,

the victory of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

The victory that is the Gospel, the good news that Jesus lived and He died and He rose again.

He ascended into heaven and one day He will come back again to judge the living and the dead.

The good news of Christ whereby all evil and all sin,

all brokenness,

all death forever defeated,

never to come back and wage war again.

A victory so complete that in it Christ redeems and restores and reconciles all things,

that even creation itself will be renewed.

You read more about that in Colossians 1, verse 20.

Colossians 1:20

How expansive, how era-defining,

how civilization-changing was the victory of Christ on the cross.

Acts chapter 2 opens with the descending of the promised Holy Spirit

Acts 2 · chapter mention

that would clothe the disciples with power so that they would be witnesses to His victory,

continuing the very ministry of Christ Himself.

And we'll see that what happens in Acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

is in a sense the outpouring or the outworking of the victory of Christ

that will have reverberations all throughout the centuries,

all throughout the millennia,

into the future until Christ returns.

In fact, it will define human history.

We'll look at two ways that the Holy Spirit,

through God's people,

will change history through the victory of Christ.

That through the victory of Christ

and the descending of the Holy Spirit,

God's people will experience a new life.

And then also,

God's people will experience a new family.

Only two points today.

No three-pointer.

That's okay.

We're going to keep things a bit short with the kids outside.

So, let's look at it right away.

Let's jump in.

How the Holy Spirit,

how the victory of Christ through the Holy Spirit

will cause God's people to experience a new life.

I'll just say this before we jump in.

Acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

might be the most symbolically rich chapter

in all of the Bible.

The allusions to the Old Testament,

the subtleties,

the words that are used to tip us off

to something greater and bigger that is happening.

It is all through Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

It was, and I'm not just saying this,

it was very difficult to cut certain things out

and to keep things somewhat concise for this morning

because it is so richly packed

with allusions and symbols and scripture references

that if you dig a bit deeper,

I mean, it's a remarkable chapter,

Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

But we'll let's,

that's my little kind of riff about it.

We'll jump in verse 1

and we'll read verses 1 to 4

and we'll see how this new life comes about.

When the day of Pentecost arrived,

they, the disciples, the followers of Jesus,

were all together in one place.

And suddenly there came from heaven

a sound like a mighty rushing wind

and it filled the entire house

where they were sitting.

And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them

and rested on each of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

and began to speak in other tongues

as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Holy Spirit has ascended

and the language that is used here

is that of wind and fire.

Notice that on one hand,

the language is, it's literal.

The Bible isn't communicating something

in strictly metaphor

that this is a literal telling

of what is happening.

We'll see later on that the,

it's not just kind of like a group experience,

but the neighboring,

the crowds in the city,

the folks from all different lands,

they're hearing something that's happening

and they're not sure what it is,

but something clearly is going down.

But, it's also language

that is couched in very,

I'd say symbolic language,

typological language,

that is throughout all of Scripture.

So what do I mean by this?

Wind and fire are throughout Scripture.

They are used as symbols

to describe aspects of God's Spirit

interacting with humanity.

Luke wants us to ask the question,

where have we seen this before?

When wind comes in,

when fire comes in,

does it jog our memory

to something in the Old Testament

that might tip us off

to what Luke is trying to communicate to us?

So, I think to really dive into our text,

we need to explore the Scriptures

and find instances

whereby we see God's Spirit

described as wind and fire.

So, let's look first at wind.

Recall how God made man

and breathed His breath

into His nostrils.

Genesis chapter 2,

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

to give mankind life.

That was not an act

to simply fill lungs,

but it envisions God

giving life,

fullness of life,

mental, physical,

rational, spiritual life

to His creation,

mankind.

He breathes His breath

into mankind.

So, how is this connected to wind?

Here in Acts 2,

we have something similar happening.

It says wind

in Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2:2

verse 2,

but the other place,

the only other place

in Acts

where the same word

in the original language

is used

is actually in Acts chapter 17,

Acts 17:25

verse 25,

when the Apostle Paul

is preaching to the Athenians

and he says this,

He, God,

He Himself

gives to all mankind

life and breath

and everything.

The same word

used in Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

wind,

is the same exact word

used in Acts chapter 17

Acts 17 · chapter mention

for breath.

This is a really interesting thing

because it would seem

that what Luke

is pointing to

isn't just

this supernatural experience

where wind comes in

and we're like,

why wind?

It seems bizarre,

but he's tipping us off

to something

that God has done previously.

This,

Luke is trying to explain to us,

is,

what we are seeing here

is a new creation happening.

God is forming

a new people

for Himself

and He is breathing

His very Spirit

into them.

And it will animate them

with divine power

so that when

they bear witness

to Christ,

it is with power.

God's Spirit

is residing

in mankind

not so,

in a very similar way

to what we see

in creation

in Genesis chapter 2.

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

The new and greater Adam

Christ is called.

We sang those words

in our second to last song

or our last song

that Jen and John

opened with.

This new Adam,

this new firstborn

of new creation,

Christ Himself

does a mighty creative work

in His people

by His Spirit

so that they can testify

about the victory of Christ

and the spread of the Kingdom.

God is creating

a new people.

Not only do we see wind,

we also see fire,

another symbol

throughout Scripture

that represents

God's presence.

Fire is another

symbolic representation

of God.

Think of Moses

at the burning bush,

the pillar of fire

that led the Israelites

through the desert

or God described

as a goldsmith

or a refiner

who refines

precious metal

by fire.

We see that

throughout Scripture

as well.

What is common

to these examples

is that fire

symbolizes purification,

refining

as a silversmith

or a goldsmith does.

It takes elements

and burns away

the impurities

so that the pure

metal remains.

But really,

ultimately,

it represents

the holiness of God.

Moses at the burning bush

is told to take off

your sandals.

Why?

Because he is standing

on holy ground.

The fire

that represents God,

the fire of God,

is

His holiness.

God's people

are to be righteous

and holy

for the God

they serve

has made them

so,

has made them

to be so

through the forgiveness

of sins

at the cross

of Christ.

So what is more

is that at Pentecost,

the Feast of Weeks,

it's the Jewish

festival,

it's actually coming up

very soon

on the Jewish calendar,

not the Christian calendar

that is.

But Pentecost

is also the Feast of Weeks

and it was also

the time

that the people

of Israel

would celebrate

the law

being given to them

through Moses

at Mount Sinai.

It's Exodus chapter 19.

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

And in Exodus chapter 19

Exodus 19:18

verse 18

it says this,

the entire mountain

was covered

in smoke.

Why?

For God descended

upon it

with fire.

As God gave

the law

to the people

of Israel,

He also

communicated to them

that He was holy

and He was pure

and the people

were afraid.

Moses receives

the law

only to return

to the people

of Israel

and to find them

worshipping

the idols.

I mean,

in many respects

this is like

the majority

of Exodus

if you read it.

It seems crazy

for the people

to witness

such a spectacle

only to get impatient

and create

an idol

that they began

to worship.

So the people,

we find

in Exodus 19,

the people of Israel,

after being given

the law,

they do not embrace

the holiness of God

because their hearts,

like the tablets of stone

that had the law

upon it,

are rock hard.

They can't receive.

But the lives

of God's people

are to be marked

with a growth

and holiness

that is animated

by the Holy Spirit

again,

the Holy Spirit

coming down

who will write

God's laws,

God's ways,

God's desires

upon their heart.

And that would require

a move of God's Spirit

that began at Pentecost

with His disciples.

It's actually a fulfillment

of Jeremiah 31.

You start to see

what I was talking about

with the allusions

and the references

to Old Testament.

This is a very thick chapter.

So Jeremiah 31,

33,

I'll skip a little bit.

This is the Lord speaking,

I will put My law

within them

and I will write it

on their hearts.

And it continues on,

For I will forgive

their iniquity

and I will remember

their sin no more.

Conviction of

and freedom from sin

is the destiny

of the believer.

It is what God

is doing

through His Spirit

at work

in our hearts,

hearts of

rock

of stone

to hearts of flesh.

There's a deep humility

that recognizes

that we are powerless

to live a godly life

apart from God's work,

His Spirit.

And on the flip side,

there's a deep thankfulness

that we,

that He, rather,

has shown grace to us.

This unmerited favor

and kindness

from on high

by giving us

new hearts.

So, friends,

I mean, in short,

we see that

through the Holy Spirit,

God is fashioning

both a new creation,

it tips us off

with the wind

coming in

and all that the wind

represents,

but it also means

that God here

is making us

holy

through what Christ

has done

on the cross,

giving us hearts

of flesh

instead of hearts

of stone.

doesn't mean

necessarily

we're perfect.

It means,

in a sense,

that God has done

something that we

cannot do

and, in a sense,

we need to live

into holiness

and righteousness

by His strength.

But this is what

God is up to

in verses 1-4.

Let me ask you a question.

Is this not

what the human heart

longs for?

Is this not

the answer

to the deep

meaning crisis

of our age?

And it's especially

hitting people

in my age group,

the 18 to 35,

actually I'm not 35,

I'm 37,

but, you know,

round down, okay?

Where we desire

our best selves,

but have no idea

what that really means

or where to find it.

There's a deep

meaning crisis.

And my guess

is it's not just

hitting my demographic,

it's actually

something that is

all across the board.

Where do we find

meaning?

What does meaning

look like?

And also,

to know freedom

from the pursuit

of finding

our belonging

our meaning

in people,

places,

or things.

Things that change.

Things that

can't be relied upon

for ultimate meaning

because

they change.

the Father,

God,

through Christ,

the Son,

and by the Holy Spirit

gives us real meaning

by making a way

for us to know Him,

live as He created us

to live and share

in the ultimate

ministry

as we bear witness

to the risen Christ,

to His victory,

to the spreading

of His kingdom

by His strength.

But there is more

than just the experience

of new life

that the Spirit

gives.

He also gives us

a new family

that transcends

all ordinary

barriers of belonging.

So look with me,

this is our second point,

how the Spirit

helps us

to experience

a new family.

Look at

verses 5

to 13.

Now there were

dwelling in Jerusalem

Jews,

devout men

from every nation

under heaven.

I'll just,

I mean,

I've referenced it,

but I'll just bring

a bit more clarity.

There are three big feasts

in the Jewish calendar

in the first century,

and the three big feasts

required a pilgrimage

to Jerusalem.

And this is a feast,

the Feast of Weeks

or the Feast of Booths.

So you have

an influx of people,

Jews from all over

the known world,

but also God-fearers,

so non-Jews

that believe in the God

of Abraham,

Isaac,

and Jacob.

So Jerusalem is filled

right now

with pilgrims.

Let's continue.

We'll start again

in verse 5.

Now there were dwelling

in Jerusalem Jews,

devout men

from every nation

under heaven.

And at the sound

that is the wind

and the fire

and at this sound

the multitude

came together

and they were bewildered

because each one

was hearing them

speak in his own language.

And they were amazed

and astonished,

saying,

Are not all these

who are speaking Galileans?

And how is it

that we hear each of us

in his own language?

Parthians, Medes,

Elamites,

residents of Mesopotamia,

Judea, Cappadocia,

Pontus,

and Asia,

Phrygia,

Pamphylia,

Egypt,

parts of Libya,

belonging to Cyrene,

Romans,

Jews and proselytites,

Cretans and Arabians.

We hear them

telling in our own tongues

the mighty works of God.

And all were amazed

and perplexed,

saying to one another,

What does this mean?

And we'll pause there.

Clearly this wasn't

some kind of group

hallucination

by the disciples.

The city heard something.

There was a buzz

about the city

after what had

taken place

with the

descending of the Holy Spirit.

And it's remarkable

because

they're Galileans.

I mean,

we don't really see this

and it's not really

a great thing to talk about

small towns

as being backwater

because the fact is

people of remote work,

they're moving all over the place,

everywhere has internet.

But Galilee

was a place that was,

I mean,

it was backwater.

It was

non-educated

by and large

and it was seen

as,

in a sense,

Galileans were suspect.

There were,

you don't start a movement

in the Galilee.

And yet,

it's these Galileans

who are

proclaiming

the gospel of Christ.

The good news,

the mighty works

of God himself,

verse 11,

they're bearing witness

to Jesus

and his victory.

And they're doing so

in the various language,

languages of everybody

that was present.

It was very likely

that the majority

of the people there

could speak

Latin

or common Greek

or Aramaic

or Hebrew,

all or some

or one

or the other.

Language of commerce,

language of religion.

I mean,

there would have been

some form of

common communication

and yet,

that's not what

happens here.

What's communicated,

the gospel,

is communicated

in the heart language

of all these people.

That God,

in his,

by his spirit,

is meeting people

directly where they're at.

It really is a remarkable thing

and that's why,

in a sense,

the history of Christianity

has always been about

translating the Bible

into other languages

because people

need to know

the word of God

in their heart,

their heart language.

language.

So,

we have nations,

a list of nations.

We have a list,

or we have

a common tongue,

so to speak.

People are understanding

one another.

And again,

like in the,

in the,

in the first point

I made,

Luke wants us

to ask the question,

where have we seen

this before?

Is there anywhere else

in the scriptures

where there's a list

of nations,

a common tongue,

and once again

we discover that

God is at work

doing a new thing

that is also very ancient.

So,

turn with me

to Genesis 10 and 11.

Well,

you don't have to turn there,

I'll sum it up.

In Genesis 10,

it follows immediately

after the flood,

Noah and the flood.

And in Genesis 10,

we have a fairly

expansive list

of what is called,

in theology,

the table of nations.

And this isn't

some kind of

perfectly accurate

historical,

demographic study

that the Bible

is putting forward

to us.

But rather,

it is how the scripture

communicates to us

how humanity

became increasingly

divided

and alienated

from one another.

This was not a part

of God's good design,

but a consequence

of sin

and societal

disintegration

that comes

as a result of it.

Immediately following

this table of nations

that's not so

similar,

that's not so different

than our

kind of table of nations

in chapter 2.

We have Genesis

Genesis 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11,

which is a very famous story.

Whether you know

the Bible or not,

I'm sure everybody

has heard of the Tower

of Babel.

It's a very famous story

and in it,

I'll sum it up,

there is,

there's lots to be said

of the story,

but notice how

humanity attempts

to remedy

the problem

of division

in the temple

with the Tower of Babel,

not by repentance

and humility,

but leaning

into their prideful sin.

And in a sense,

using their God-given

gifts of ingenuity

and rationality

and brilliance,

not to glorify God,

but to glorify

themselves.

They seek to supplant

God as Creator

and Lord

by building this tower

up into the cosmos

in a sense

so they can

take the very

rightful place

in their minds

of God.

And God,

in His kindness,

confuses their languages,

the Scriptures say.

And it's kindness

because

left to their own devices,

the consequences

of their idolatrous pride

would have completely

destroyed them.

God confuses

their languages.

So in short,

Genesis 11

is the seemingly

irreparable

division of humanity

that has marked

our race

throughout all of history.

So go with me

back to Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

What are we

seeing here?

We're seeing,

in a sense,

the reversal of Babel

whereby God

solves the problem

of sin and death

that divides

and He unites humanity

once again

but not through

their prideful idolatry

whereby they try

to ascend to heaven

but instead

God Himself

descends

to them

to where they are at

in their brokenness,

in their various languages,

in their disunity,

the Holy Spirit

descends upon them

and they hear

in their own tongue

the mighty works

of God.

He meets humanity

where they are at

in their own language

as they are seeking

the Lord

in Jerusalem.

Israel,

the people of God,

is expanded now

to not just be

comprised

of one ethnicity

but people

from all nations

and tongues,

all backgrounds

and classes,

Jews and Greeks,

slaves and free,

old and young,

men and women

so that this table

of nations,

so to speak,

isn't some expansive list

of everybody who lived

in every last corner

of the world

but it represents

all of humanity

and they are hearing

the good news

of Christ.

In weeks to come

we will see

that Peter will preach

a barn burner

of a sermon

by the strength

of the Holy Spirit

and they will hear it

and be cut

to the heart.

They will come

to faith,

3,000 of them.

God calls this

his family.

This is the family

of God.

The gospel

unites mankind

by breaking down

the one thing

that truly separates

us

and divides us,

sin and evil,

death and destruction.

He eliminates

the wall

that separates

his people,

Israel,

from all the other

Gentiles.

We try desperately

to unite

through alliances,

trade deals,

affinity groups,

politics,

whatever it may be

but unity

without repentance

and righteousness

will result in

tribalism and division.

We need to be careful

about this.

It will achieve

actually the opposite

of what we ultimately

desire.

Why?

Because we will unite

ultimately not around

something

but against something.

We will

almost always

define ourselves

by what we are not.

And that's not to say

politics isn't important.

That's not to say

that alliances

or affinity groups

are garbage.

That's not what I'm saying

at all.

But when they become

the chief mechanism

by which

we find

our camaraderie

with other human beings,

it's a problem.

St. Paul says as much

in Ephesians chapter 2 and 3

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

where he says

that the hostility

that divided people

has been abolished

and destroyed

by Christ

so that all who are

united to Christ

are called brothers and sisters

with one another

that we now

are united

to one another.

There are a lot

of different people

in this congregation

with a lot of different

backgrounds

and different experiences

and things that

aren't common

with other people.

And yet

because we are united

with Christ

if you have put your faith

and trust

and hope in Christ

you now call each other

brothers and sisters.

See the Bible

uses

familial language

to communicate unity.

You might not have

the greatest

relationship

with your family members

but you cannot not

be members

of your family.

People try to say

I'm like

I'm de-parenting

my parent

or whatever it is

but you can't.

You come from your parent.

You are related

to your brother and sister.

You have cousins

that you might never see

but you share

some kind of DNA

with them.

You cannot not be

a part of your family.

The family that Christ

is making

is a family

that is united

by Him.

By the cross.

By the victory

of Christ.

This means

we have people

in our congregation

who will disagree

about all sorts of views

on education

or politics

or

that have different likes

and passions

and tastes

and styles

but are all united

together

in humility

by God's Spirit

through the cross

marked by the very

righteousness of Christ.

Only the gospel

truly unites.

I'll end with this.

The victory of Christ

through the cross

was the most decisive

victory of all time

that has defined

the world

like nothing else

that came before

or will come after.

It is the ultimate victory.

So a question to you.

Will you humbly

embrace Christ?

Will you trust

that He will give you

the promised Holy Spirit

in your heart

if you've yet to experience

salvation?

Will you trust Him

that He will continually

fill you up

by His Spirit

to give you strength

to bear witness

to Him?

To sanctify you?

That is to help you

grow in holiness.

to say yes to goodness

and no to sin.

To unite you

with those

in this church

this morning

that are very different

than you.

Friends,

this is the victory

that was won

on the cross of Calvary.

This is the victory

that has been

changing the world

not perfectly

because we're

imperfect people

but has been changing

the world for 2,000 years.

Friends,

will you enjoy

this victory?

Will you live

into this victory

and walk

in this victory?

Let's pray.

God in heaven,

we thank You

for sending Your Son

to die on our behalf.

We thank You

that the promise

of the Holy Spirit

is ours

because Your Son

ascended

so the Holy Spirit

could be sent down.

And Lord,

we thank You

that from the very

get-go

of Your church

we see in it

new life

and a new family

that is offered to us.

Lord,

help us to be real

about our hang-ups

and our sin.

Help us to be humble.

Help us to always

choose to lean

into the victory

that You've already won

rather than try

to fight a victory

that we can't hope

to win.

We ask this

in Christ's mighty name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.