A sermon on Acts 2
1. Shortly after I joined the Air Force I met up with a young man who was very religious.
2. I was not too well informed about spiritual things so he thought he should set me straight.
3. This young man was from a Pentecostal background.
4. He said that I needed the Spirit.
5. He proceeded to tell me that the 120 people described in Acts 1 were all baptized in the Holy Spirit.
6. Since Holy Spirit baptism was for people beyond the apostles, we can have access to it today.
7. This was his claim and belief.
THE CONVERSATION WITH THIS YOUNG MAN TOOK PLACE ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO. IN THE 20 YEARS SINCE THIS INCIDENT I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE ARE SOME DIFFERING VIEWS ABOUT THE EVENTS DESCRIBED IN ACTS 2.
A. People often have questions about some of the things that are described in this chapter.
B. Tonight I want to raise and answer a few common questions that come from this chapter.
C. The first question is very simple: who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
D. Some say that only the apostles received this baptism.
E. Other says that the 120 people described by Luke received it.
F. If this baptism was limited to the apostles, this suggests that it was not a widespread practice.
G. If it was not limited to the apostles, this makes us wonder just how many people did receive it.
2. Let’s look at the question and then the evidence.
3. The reference to the 120 is in Acts 1:15 – READ
4. Some might join this passage with the information in Acts 2:1.
5. READ
6. If we only look at these two verses it could be concluded that the entire 120 were baptized with the HS.
7. There are at least 9 reasons to reject the idea that 120 people were baptized w/in the Spirit.
8. The most basic one (and this will not be new to many of you) is based upon the pronouns.
9. Let look at Acts 1:2 – READ.
10. The word “apostles” is a noun.
11. This noun is referred to several times in Acts 1-2.
12. Verse 3a – (“to whom”)—the apostles.
13. Verse 4 – “being assembled together with them, he charged them to not leave Jerusalem.”
14. Now notice verse 5 – READ
15. Who was promised Holy Spirit baptism? The apostles.
16. These men (“they,” verse 12), returned to Jerusalem.
17. After introducing the 100+ Luke turned his attention back to the apostles (this is the second argument).
18. Let’s take a look at verse 17 – READ
19. Peter said “he was numbered with us” (who does “us” refer to?)
20. The 21st verse makes the same point (Judas went in and went out among us).
21. If this is not clear enough notice how verse 26 ends: Matthias was numbered with the 11 apostles.
22. Who is being described? The apostles!
23. Now look at Acts 2:1 – “they were all together in one place.”
24. Who was Luke referring to in Acts 2? The apostles.
25. Who was promised Holy Spirit baptism? The apostles.
26. Here are some other points to ponder concerning who received the baptism of the Spirit.
27. Each person who spoke in tongues was a Galilean (2:7).
28. If the entire group of 120 was baptized in the spirit and spoke in tongues we can draw only 1 conclusion.
29. Each person had to have been a Galilean.
30. If the 100+ all received HS baptism none of them could have been from Judaea.
31. This is not impossible but the likelihood of this seems to be pretty slim.
32. The possibility gets even dimmer when we look at some other facts.
33. According to 2:14 only the apostles preached – READ
34. If the entire group received the gift of tongues, why didn’t anyone besides the apostles speak?
35. There is another interesting piece of information in Acts 5:12 – READ
36. Only the apostles, up to this point, were working miracles.
37. If the group of 100+ was baptized in the HS along w/ the apostles, why didn’t they perform signs?
38. Here is something else.
39. This point is based upon Acts 2:37.
40. The people asked Peter and the apostles what they needed to do to be saved.
41. If the apostles and the 100+ all received the same thing, why were the apostles singled out in verse 37?
42. Moreover, Luke said that the people continued in the “apostle’s doctrine” (Acts 2:42).
43. Why didn’t Luke say the doctrine of the apostles and the others?
44. The death blow the idea of the entire 120 being immersed in the Spirit is found in Acts 2:6.
45. In our translations we have the word speaking.
46. This is a verb that has a masculine ending.
47. The people who were speaking were men.
48. When we look at the 120 we find that at least one woman was in the group (1:14).
49. The masculine ending prohibits our accepting the idea that the entire group spoke with tongues.
50. WHEN WE ARE ASKED ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST WE MAY CONFIDENTLY REPLY THAT THIS GIFT WAS ONLY GIVEN TO THE APOSTLES.
A. There is a second matter to be considered from Acts 2.
B. What does this chapter tell us about Holy Spirit baptism?
C. That is, when people received this baptism, what occurred?
D. We live in a time when many believe and claim to have been baptized by the Spirit.
E. The material in Acts 1 & 2 tells us about Holy Spirit baptism.
F. The first piece of information to be examined is in Acts 1:5 – READ
G. Jesus said the apostles would be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
H. He said they would need to wait for a short period of time.
I. As we read the Bible do we find a period soon after promise this that fulfills the Lord’s words?
J. The answer to this question is “yes.”
K. The fulfillment of the promise in Acts 1 is found in the opening verses of Acts 2.
L. If you like marginal notes put “Acts 2:1-4” by Acts 1:5.
M. This is the divine commentary on the Lord’s prediction.
N. On the Day of Pentecost the apostles were “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1, 4)
O. Notice if you will, three simple but important points about Holy Spirit baptism.
P. When this baptism was given people heard it (Acts 2:2) – READ
Q. This was an experience that people could and did listen to.
R. Holy Spirit baptism was something that people could see (Acts 2:3) – READ
S. Both the eyes and the ears told people that the apostles were being baptized in the Spirit.
T. It was also something that was NOT done secretly (2:6) – READ
U. This was very public.
V. There was no question that these men had experienced something that was very unusual.
W. In fact, we may make this small observation.
X. On earth the wind blows horizontally.
Y. How did the wind like sound appear on the Day of Pentecost?
Z. The text says it came “from heaven” (i.e. it was vertical).
AA. This was one more proof that something unique and supernatural took place.
BB. How does this information compare with the claims that are made today?
CC. Those who claim to be baptized do not have an experience that is heard, seen, or is public.
DD. No one experiences anything like the events described in Acts 2.
EE. Some might say, “This was a one time event.”
FF. “This was special. God did this once and never again.”
GG. People can make this assertion but it is not true.
HH. The household of Cornelius was also baptized in the Spirit.
II. Listen to how Peter described the experience – Acts 11:15 – READ
JJ. Peter said the Spirit came “as” (in the like manner”) as He did on the day of Pentecost.
KK. The people who make modern claims about HS baptism claim things the Bible doesn’t say.
LL. In fact, the modern claims actually contradict scripture.
51. IN LOOKING AT THIS CHAPTER THERE IS A THIRD POINT IN THIS CHAPTER THAT IS OFTEN A POINT OF CONTENTION.
52. This is related to the information that was just given.
A. Jesus said that the apostles would be baptized in the Spirit (Acts 1:5).
B. At an earlier time Jesus made a separate but related promise that involved the day of Pentecost.
C. This promise is found in Mk. 9:1
D. During the first century people were thinking about the kingdom.
E. Many were looking for a king who would deliver them from Rome.
F. Much of Jesus’ teaching deal with the idea of kingdom.
G. Here is what He said in Mk. 9:1 – READ.
H. Before the people who lived in the first century died they would see the kingdom come.
I. The kingdom would come with power.
J. This is what Jesus promised.
K. Today many believe the kingdom is still in the future.
L. Some strenuously object to the idea that the kingdom has come.
M. The Bible shows that the kingdom has come.
N. The Lord said that the kingdom would come with power.
O. He said that it would come before some of those with Him died.
P. When did these events occur?
Q. They happened on the day of Pentecost.
R. On this day the people of the first century were still living.
S. Jesus said that these people could identify the kingdom by the power that would be present.
T. Do we have power in Acts 2?
U. Does this power mark the establishment of the kingdom? Yes.
V. The power in 2:1-4 also marks the establishment of the church (Acts 2:47, KJV).
W. On the day the kingdom came the church came.
X. This was appropriate because the words “kingdom” and “church” are often synonyms.
53. The material in Acts 2 is an important chapter because it helps us sort out truth from error.
54. This chapter allows us to know who received HS baptism.
55. This chapter also allows us to label the modern claims of Pentecostalism as false.
56. Acts 2 shows us that the kingdom has come.
57. It even tells us that God wants us to be in the church. Is this the place where we are?