Please open your Bibles this morning to the book of Acts, the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2, that's on page 1056 in most of the Pew Bibles, 1056, Acts chapter 2. Well, today we give our attention to Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church. Seven weeks to the day after Jesus was raised from the dead and just ten days since Ascension Day, the day He ascended to the right hand of the Father. And I think sometimes in our culture we lose the connection between all that took place. Between Christ's death and resurrection, His ascension, and the pouring out of the Spirit are all integrately tied, all parts of God's unique work of redemption through Jesus Christ. And we remember today, that particular day, that particular Pentecost Sunday, a day in redemptive history that, like Jesus' resurrection and ascension, was a once-for-all work of Jesus on behalf of his church. Now, it's called Pentecost because it was the 50th day after Passover. I don't know about you, I always wondered why it's called Pentecost. It's 50 days after Passover. And it was one of the three festivals when all the men of Israel were to appear before the Lord at his temple, or the tabernacle. In this day it was a temple. That explains why the city was full of Jews, God-fearing Jews from every nation, the known nations of the world. The stage had been set by God for what was going to happen that day. Before we read our text, I want to pause and give you a note about the opening in verse 1 of chapter 2 that Luke uses a very unique word here. When we read that the day of Pentecost came, it sounds rather dull, mundane, and usual, but it was not. And the word that he used was not dull, mundane, and usual. He used a word that has a special meaning of coming in the sense of fulfilling that which was promised and scheduled. That it came right on time. Now Luke's the only one that uses this word in the whole Bible. And he uses it one other time with this sense in his gospel. Chapter 9 where we read that as the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. It's hidden there as well. But that pivotal moment in Jesus' ministry when he set his purpose on going to Jerusalem where he would die and be raised and ascend into heaven was not an impulse decision. It was the appointed time for him to do so. And he turned himself to do it. Likewise, Pentecost came. It was the appointed time for all that was to be fulfilled on that day. So with this introduction, Luke directs our thinking about Pentecost so that we don't confuse the outpouring of the Spirit that happened that day, what Peter calls the gift of the Holy Spirit, with the gifts of the Holy Spirit that the Spirit continues to give to each and every believer throughout the history of this world. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit himself. His spiritual gifts are those abilities that he gives to the people of God in the church for the church. And as precious and as important as these spiritual gifts are, it's not the focus of our sermon this morning, it's not the focus of this text, it's not the focus of Pentecost. Our focus is directed by the sermon the Apostle Peter gave to the crowd that day that were amazed and perplexed. So that they said to one another, what does this mean? And we consider Pentecost fulfilled today, we too must ask, what does this mean? and peter answers this question for the crowd and for the church of all ages he answers it for us in this sermon in verses 14 to 36 which will be our text today and his first point covers 14 to 21 where he leads us to see that the events of pentecost reveal the last days have begun and then in the rest of the sermon he proclaims that the events also announce that jesus is on His heavenly throne. With that in mind, we hear the Word of God from Acts. We're going to read the entire chapter so we know the context for the sermon, but our text will be the sermon beginning in verse 14. Hear now the Word of God. When the day of Pentecost came, when the day of Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now they were staying in Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. And when they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked, are not these men who are speaking Galileans? Now how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs. We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues. Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, What does this mean? Some, however, made fun of them and said they have had too much wine. Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, Fellow Jews and all you who live in Jerusalem, Let me explain this to you. Listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning. No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Men of Israel, listen to this. Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge, and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him, I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body also will live in hope because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life. you will fill me with joy in your presence. Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses to the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this. God has made this Jesus, whom you crucify, both Lord and Christ. when the people heard this they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles brothers what shall we do Peter replied repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit the promises for you and your children and for all who are far off for all whom the Lord our God will call here ends the reading of God's word well Peter begins by relating with the crowd and what they're interested in they're interested in the disciples speaking in tongues to which he applies the word of God in order to show them the importance of what they were seeing the importance that it signified for their own lives and the first thing he does is lead them to the realization that because this is happening the last days have begun in verse 6 we read when they, that is those who were gathered in Jerusalem heard this sound a crowd came together in bewilderment and we must understand as we read this that the crowd had not gathered because they had heard the sound like the blowing of a violent wind but as Luke goes on to explain because each one heard them speaking in their own language there was this commotion going on with all these languages being spoken and everyone understood their own. And they were attracted to this. But we need to know that this crowd that had gathered there had not experienced what Luke records in verses 2 and 3. That was reserved for and given only to the apostles and 120 disciples gathered together in a house waiting as they had been told to do. In chapter 1 verses 4 and 5, Jesus, after his resurrection but before his ascension, had appeared to them and he said, Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So wait in Jerusalem. And Jesus went on to say in verse 8 again of chapter 1, You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And by these words, between His resurrection and ascension, Jesus reminded them of what He told them the night He was betrayed before He died. He said, when the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me. When the Spirit comes, as important as He is, He will testify about Me. And so it was only the apostles and those 120 disciples who were all together in one place. It is only them that were filled with the Holy Spirit when he was poured out at that moment. Only they had heard the roar of the wind that signaled the Spirit's descent. The same breath of life that had given life to the body of Adam now gave life to the body of the new, the second Adam, the body of Christ. The same Spirit that filled the tabernacle and the temples in the Old Covenant to show God's presence now indwelt His new covenant temple, the church of Jesus Christ. And only they had seen the tongues of fire like miniature pillars of fire that marked them as members of this temple. That one Spirit distributed to all the members so that wherever they would go, He would go. And wherever they would gather and worship, there they would manifest the temple. of the living God, the body of Christ. Indeed, the Holy Spirit took up residence in the church that day at Pentecost. And it was only they who began to speak in the tongues as the Spirit enabled them. And they had taken it to the streets. They had already started to bear witness in the wake of the Spirit's coming. And it was only then in the streets that the Jews who had gathered from every nation under heaven heard them declaring the wonders of God in their own tongue. That's the commotion. And as they gathered around this sound, they were amazed and perplexed, and they asked one another, what does this mean? And Peter steps in and says, fellow Jews and all you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you. Listen carefully to what I have to say to you. And he quickly dismisses as silly the notion that these were drunkards. It's nine o'clock in the morning, after all. No, this is something much more important, much more momentous. This is what the prophet Joel spoke about. This is something that we've been expecting, something we've been waiting for. And here it is, right in front of you. Prophecy fulfilled. This is momentous. Pay attention. And then he reads to them, he announces them the prophecy of Joel. And in that prophecy, God made a promise through Joel that he repeated twice to emphasize. He said twice, In the last days I will pour out my spirit on all people and they will prophesy. In the last days, I will pour out my spirit on all peoples and they will prophesy. By quoting Joel to this crowd, Peter is clearly letting them know this is what you're seeing. This is prophecy. These people are declaring the wonders of God, which is what prophecy is in the languages of all the lands from which you've come from. All at the same time. All in the same place. Nothing like this has ever happened before except for that day at Babel when the Lord confused all the languages of the world at one time, in one place. This was a momentous day. This was, as we would say today, a day of biblical proportions. But why was this happening? Why was this prophecy occurring? Joel also says that the reason these men will be prophesying is because of what God has done. He has poured out His Spirit on all people. These people are prophesying. You can know that God has poured out His Spirit on all people. Not each and every person because, look at the crowd, you have not had the Holy Spirit given to you. This is not universal. But to each and every kind of person, from every tribe, nation, people, and tongue, whether they're Jew or Gentile, God has poured out His Spirit on all peoples. Whether they're male or female, young or old, servant or master. The pouring out of the Spirit of God on this church does not distinguish between those categories. He has poured out His Spirit on the church. But this prophecy goes further. Not only does it tell us what God has done, it also announces through Joel that He has more to do. And it's clear from what He says in the last half of this prophecy that before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord, that that day will be a day of judgment. Now we skip over these verses when we read about Pentecost because we know it's about the Holy Spirit. We know it's about the pouring out. We know it's about the prophesying and the speaking in tongues and all the gifts for the church that have come down through the ages. But we skip verses 19 to 21, which Peter did not. I want to read those again with you and I want you to follow along. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved judgment day the last day has not yet come but the prophecy of Joel makes it clear that because these people were prophesying in every nation's tongue that God is poured out of spirit and therefore we are in the last days and that day is coming the last days have begun and they will come to an end. I think in our day we have a hard time with that truth. The most dependent things we ever see are special effects in movies. We've lost the fear and the dread of that last day which Peter reminds them of and as we'll see they certainly heard. But I'll start with our materialism and try to work back to maybe give us a sense of how this feels. Have you ever received a flyer in the mail, a going out of business sale? You know, where they're going to market things down 10% every week or whatever. They start marking things down. And that's a store that you really liked. And they have all the coolest stuff and you want it. And so every time that flyer comes to tell you they've dropped prices another 10%, you just get this mix of exhilaration and of dread because, oh, what a good deal if I get it today. But, if I wait until tomorrow, it will be a better deal. But it might be gone. Exhilaration and dread. When Peter announced this prophecy of Joel to the people of Israel in Jerusalem that day, who were witnessing its fulfillment, Peter was announcing the most sobering reality that they must face and that we must all face. And that is, the world as we know it is going out of business. It's coming to an end. The last day is coming and the last days have begun. And when the doors close, all that will be left is the eternal judgment of God against your sin. That's all you'll have. But until that day, as Joel says, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. You see, in this going out of business sale, the discount's 100% today and tomorrow and every day until the last day for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord to be saved. But if you don't call on the name of the Lord and claim the discount that He's already paid, you will pay for your sin in full and forever. That's the message of the last days. The message confirmed and announced with clarity at Pentecost. Jesus said this in Matthew 24, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. No one knows about the day or hour, nor even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day the Lord will come. The warning of Pentecost is real and it's pressing. And it's even more pressing for us today than it was for the people that heard the sermon from Peter. We're that much closer to the last day. We just don't know when it will be. But judgment is coming. And we need to be clear on that score. And unless the Lord intervenes to save you, that you would call upon his name to be saved, you will perish in that judgment. But the events of Pentecost do more than threaten. They do more than warn. They remind us of the promise of salvation to all who will repent and trust in the Lord. The promise of God and Joel was not only to the crowd at Pentecost. He made it clear in verse 39 at the end of his service, this promise is for you and for your children and for all those who are far off. As many as the Lord will call, this promise is for them. And by this proclamation, Peter applies the last part of Joel, chapter 2, verse 32, which is not cited here, but which is in his mind because he's just applying it. We read, if we go back to Joel, that the reason, the basis for this promise, is that for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, there will be deliverance among the survivors whom the Lord calls. All who will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved, because the Lord will save all those whom he calls. This is his work from first to last. This is the promise of Pentecost and this is why we must heed it, heed the warning, and answer the call. Well, Peter began with what they were interested in, which was all the wonders. And he brought the word of God to bear to inform what they were seeing and to redirect their attention to what it was pointing to. The approaching judgment against sin that was coming and the only way of salvation in the name of the Lord. And once they understood where they stood and now that we understand where we stand it's then and only then that Peter turns all eyes to see that Jesus is on his heavenly throne. He, as Peter will prove, is the Christ and he is the Lord upon whom we must call. In the last half of this sermon, Peter proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth, the man, the God-man we know, is the Christ, the promised Savior of his people, and that he is the Lord on whom everyone who will be saved must call. He begins in verses 22 through 32 to prove that Jesus is the Christ before capping off with the proof that he is the Lord in the last few verses. And it all kind of comes together in verse 33. So just as we read along, you're going to see a transition. 32, 33 transition to Lord. And then he summarizes in verse 36. So picking up at verse 22, where Peter now turns our attention on Jesus. That he's on his heavenly throne. Peter says, Men of Israel, listen to this. Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did among you through him. as you yourselves know. Peter called to their minds and to our minds the miraculous ministry of Jesus among them, his earthly life, his three years, the times when he fed thousands on a few loaves and fishes, the times when by a word of his mouth or a touch of his hand he healed diseases and he cast out demons. Quite often when you read the Gospels, you'll see the people acknowledging that Jesus is of God. The people were filled with awe and praised God after His miracles. Or they would say things like, a great prophet has appeared among us. Or God has come to help His people. God accredited Jesus to them and they knew it. Even the ruling council had to admit that Jesus was a man of God. Nicodemus came to Jesus in John chapter 3. And the first thing out of his mouth is, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miracle signs that you do if God were not with him. We know that you are from God. And yet, Peter continues in verse 23, This man, Jesus, was handed over to you. And by God's set purpose and foreknowledge, you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to a cross. Accredited by God. And still you rejected him and you crucified him. Sure, you let the Romans do the dirty work, but it was your work they did. You are responsible. even though it is God who turned him over to you. Humbling words, but they raise a question. Why would God do such a thing? Why would he give his man to these people? Why would he turn him over to them to be killed? Well, Peter only alludes to the agony of the death that Jesus experienced, which we know from Isaiah 53 was a primary purpose in God giving him over to the hands of wicked men and that he would crush him and cause him to suffer for the sake of his people. We know that. But Peter emphasizes something a little bit different here because of what he's trying to establish in their minds. He emphasizes that God raised Jesus from the dead because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Really important. God did not raise Jesus from the dead in order to snatch him out of death's hands. In order to rescue Him from death. No, God raised Jesus from the dead because it was impossible for death to hold Him. It was undeniable. It couldn't be stopped. It had to be. The reason death had no power or authority to hold Jesus in the grave is because of who Jesus is. Who He was before He died. Who He was and is through His death who He is today. He is the Messiah. He is the Christ. He is the eternal Son of God come in the flesh. God turned Jesus over to death through the hands of these men so that He might confirm to heaven and to earth, to you and to me, to the audience in Jerusalem that day, that He's the Christ and death cannot hold Him. We use Jesus Christ like it's His last name. Jesus is the Christ. Death could not hold Him. But Peter goes on that not only did God attest that Jesus is the Christ by raising him from the dead, he even went a step further. He raised him to his right hand because he is the Messiah. Now, God's not the only one that attested to Jesus Christ. David bears witness to Jesus. And that's what Peter goes through next. He pulls to their minds and quotes them from Psalm 16 where David bears witness to the Christ. And from this scripture, Peter makes an argument that goes like this. He says, When David said to the Lord, You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay, he could not have been talking about himself. His tombs here in Jerusalem, he was dead, he was buried, and he's still there, he's decayed. Let's be frank, Peter said. But, he continues, he was a prophet. And he knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on the throne. Now, Peter doesn't quote the promise because for the people of Israel, the Jews there that day, it was the hope of Israel. They all knew the promise that one day the Messiah would come, he would be a son of David he would take up the throne and he would rescue his people. It was their hope. And of course David knew it and David prophesied in accordance with it. But we need a reminder we may not know the hope so one of the many places we find it is in Psalm 139 where David himself speaks of it. David wrote the Lord swore an oath to David a sure oath that he will not revoke one of his own descendants I will place on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on the throne forever and ever. Now we know that none of the sons of David in the Old Testament were able to keep that if. Therefore, in Psalm 16, David was prophesying about the resurrection of the Christ, Peter says. He was talking about the resurrection of his greater son, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. For he, the greater son, would keep the commandments of God. He would keep covenant with his father. And having made that point, that David's speaking of the Messiah, Peter says, God has raised this Jesus to life. And we're all witnesses to the fact. His grave is empty. His body will not see decay. no one including David has fulfilled this prophecy except for Jesus the fact that he did confirms that he Jesus is the Messiah Jesus is the Christ now Peter gives him no time for some obvious questions if this Jesus who was put to death is now alive where is he? why isn't he here standing where you are and making his own case? we'd love to hear him Peter just presses on and he anticipates their answer he says in verse 33 which I'm going to read to you from the New King James because it helps make the point there we read that therefore, having made this argument that Jesus is the Christ therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit he poured out this which you now see and hear the therefore is important and what is it there for it's there to make it clear that not only was Jesus raised from the dead because he is the Messiah he was exalted to the right hand of God for the very same reason because of who he is that's why he has this station and Jesus himself announced this before his death before his death he said that this was where he was going Luke chapter 22 records the trial of Jesus where we read in verse 66. That's Luke 22, verse 66. At daybreak, the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. If you are the Christ, they said, tell us. And Jesus answered, If I tell you, you will not believe me. And if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, The Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God. And they all asked him. They knew what that meant. They all asked him, Are you then the Son of God? And he replied, You are right in saying that I am. It was for this claim that Jesus was crucified. He was charged a blasphemer and he was put to death. But God proved this claim by exalting Jesus to his right hand and giving him the name that's above every name. Now, Peter doesn't spell this all out. He just makes the case. He's the Christ. He's been raised. He's been exalted. But he does refer to another psalm of David to just drive this home. He refers to Psalm 110, verse 1, which we sang this morning. And from that scripture, Peter makes a very brief but pointed argument. He says that when David said, The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. He wasn't talking about himself. That's obvious. He's dead. He's buried. He's in the tomb. Certainly he didn't ascend to heaven. But we know that Jesus has ascended to heaven. How do we know that? Because it is he who has poured out the Holy Spirit upon the church today just as he promised. That's the argument. That's the point. Jesus is to Christ. Jesus, as Christ, has been exalted as Lord. And Paul makes this connection later in Philippians, in his letter, chapter 2. He spells this out in a more reasoned way because it's not an oration to a group of people. He speaks of Jesus and says, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that's above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. That's Peter's point. Therefore, Peter concludes in verse 36, let all Israel be assured of this, God has made this Jesus, this man, accredited to you by God, that you crucify. both Lord and Christ. Not only is Jesus of Nazareth the Christ who has earned salvation for a people, He is the Lord on whose name you must call if you want to be saved. For He alone has the power and the authority to forgive your sins. Well, many in the crowd understood and believed what it means that Pentecost was fulfilled that day. They knew that they stood guilty of killing Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord Jesus Christ. And they knew that it was He who will judge them in the end. And they knew it was He that they must call upon to be saved. Can you sense their distress? They had killed the very one who could save them. They had crucified the one on whom they must call. Was there any hope for them? Well, clearly the Spirit worked and they cried out to Peter and the other apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? And the answer to their dilemma, the only answer to every sinner's dilemma is, as Peter says in verse 38, Repent of your sin and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ. for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Spirit. You will be joined to His church. You will be saved. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost announced that the last days have begun. We live in the last days. And that means the last day of judgment is coming. And it's closer than it was when Peter gave this message. And at the same time, Pentecost confirmed that Jesus is the one who is on the heavenly throne, that God has made him Lord and Christ. And we can be thankful today that when we hear this message today, this message of warning and of promise that today is still the day of salvation in which everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Therefore, heed this message, repent of your sins, and confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you will be saved let us pray Almighty God and Father we come before you this morning thankful that we can that you have called upon us and called our name that we might call upon the name of Jesus as our Lord as our Christ that in him we know redemption complete and eternal that in him we have received the Holy Spirit been made part of the temple in which you dwell been made part of the body of Jesus Christ we pray Father for those who do not know that joy and that confidence of belonging to Jesus who do not know their sin and their misery how much it is offensive to you and how much they will pay for eternity. We pray, Father, that they would heed the warning of judgment to come. That they would look for salvation. That they would turn and see that it is Jesus who is on the throne. He is the Lord. He is the Christ. That they would call upon His name and be saved. We ask this for the sake of Christ. Amen.