The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:1-4
1 And when the
day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each
of them.
4 And they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as
the Spirit gave them utterance.
Introduction:
3 days that changed history a century and a half ago: the
battle at Gettysburg, July 2-4, 1863, and the end of the bitter seige of
Vicksburg the following day in the West, bringing Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant to
prominence, and ending the celebration of the 4th of July in Vicksburg for a
generation.
"The Battle of Gettysburg was
fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania between Union and Confederate forces during the American
Civil War. The battle
involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war and is often
described as the war's turning
point."
"The
two armies suffered between 46,000 and 51,000 casualties. Union casualties were
23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, 5,369 captured or missing),while
Confederate casualties are more difficult to estimate. Many authors have
referred to as many as 28,000 Confederate casualties, and Busey and Martin's more
recent 2005 work, Regimental Strengths and Losses at Gettysburg,
documents 23,231 (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 captured or missing). Nearly
a third of Lee's general officers were killed, wounded, or captured. The
casualties for both sides during the entire campaign were 57,225."
Commanders
and leaders
|
|
George G. Meade
John F. Reynolds† |
Robert E. Lee
|
Strength
|
|
93,921
|
71,699
|
Casualties
and losses
|
|
23,055
(3,155 killed
14,531 wounded 5,369 captured/missing) |
23,231
(4,708 killed
12,693 wounded 5,830 captured/missing) |
Source: Wikipedia
at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg
[accessed 2 JUL 2013].
"The Siege
of Vicksburg (May 18 –
July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American
Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses
S. Grant and his Army of the Tennesseecrossed the Mississippi
River and drove the Confederate army of Lt.
Gen. John C. Pemberton into the defensive lines surrounding the
fortress city of Vicksburg,
Mississippi.
When two major assaults (May 19 and May 22, 1863) against
the Confederate fortifications were repulsed with heavy casualties, Grant
decided to besiege the city beginning on May 25. With no reinforcement,
supplies nearly gone, and after holding out for more than forty days, the
garrison finally surrendered on July 4. This action (combined with the
capitulation of Port Hudson on July 9) yielded command of the Mississippi River to the Union forces, who would hold it for the
rest of the conflict.
The Confederate surrender following the siege at
Vicksburg is sometimes considered, when combined with Gen. Robert E. Lee's defeat at Gettysburg the
previous day, the turning point
of the war. It also cut off communication with Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi Department for the remainder of the war."
"Union
casualties for the battle and siege of Vicksburg were 4,835; Confederate were
32,697 (29,495 surrendered). The full campaign, since March 29, claimed 10,142
Union and 9,091 Confederate killed and wounded. In addition to his surrendered
men, Pemberton turned over to Grant 172 cannons and 50,000 rifles."
Commanders
and leaders
|
|
Ulysses S. Grant
|
John C.
Pemberton (POW)
|
Units
involved
|
|
Army of the
Tennessee
|
Army of Vicksburg
|
Strength
|
|
77,000[3]
|
~33,000
|
Casualties
and losses
|
|
4,835 total
|
3,202 killed or wounded
29,495 surrendered
|
Source: Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Vicksburg
[accessed 2 JUL 2013].
There were more words (273) in the Gettysburg Address by
Lincoln than there were people in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost! Those few, those unknown and fearful few, a
mere 120 souls, would be led by their Commander, Jesus Christ, against all the
hosts of hell and into an evil world full of sin and hate, and the world would
never be the same. The very gates of
hell could not resist the force that their Commander unleashed that day! What took place in that Upper Room in a
moment of time would shake the world and alter the course of human history more
than the greatest two minute speech ever made by man. When the world speaks of "turning
points" they have a very prejudiced view of world history. Whether it is Abraham and an army of 318
hired servants against the hosts of four kings' armies, Gideon and his 300
against the Midainite horde, David against Goliath, Elijah against all the
prophets of Baal, one thing is for sure.
It is "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD
of hosts." (Zech 4:6)
Outline:
I. The Special Setting (2:1)
II. The Sudden Sound (2:2)
III. The Supernatural Sight (2:3)
IV. The Spiritual Speech (2:4)
Transition: The four verses present us with almost poetic
couplets in each case, no single element of which describes what happened in
and of itself. In six interconnected
terms of these couplets an intricate tapestry is woven in which the emphases
may be observed.
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully
come,
they
were all with one accord in one place.
2 And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,
and it
filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,
and it
sat upon each of them.
4 And
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and
began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
I. The Special Setting (2:1)
1 And when the
day of Pentecost was fully come,
they were all with one accord in one place.
The significance of the Day of Pentecost (and the feasts
in general)
Ex. 23:16; 34:22; Le. 23:15–21; Nu. 28:16–31; De. 16:9–12
The first of the four unique aspects of this event:
"they were all with one accord"
Gathered together in a corporate unity
Note the connection between this element and the others
in the terms for "all"
Note the connection between the 1st and 4th elements in
the terms for "full"
Ezek. 37:25-28 - 25 Then
will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your
filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will
take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of
flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk
in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to
your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Transition: "Sight and Sound" follows! http://www.sight-sound.com/WebSite/home.do
II. The Sudden Sound (2:2)
2 And suddenly
there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all
the house where they were sitting.
The second of the unique aspects of this event:
"rushing mighty wind"
Note the connection between the 2nd and the 4th elements
in the terms for "full", "sound", and "wind"
Note the connection between the 2nd and 3rd elements in the
terms for "sit"
Jn. 3:1-8 - 1
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou
art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is
old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I
said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it
listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh,
and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
III. The Supernatural
Sight (2:3)
3 And there
appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,
and it sat upon each of them.
The third unique aspect of this event: "tongues like
as of fire"
Compare the Baptism of Christ - Mt. 3:11-17 (Mk. 1:7-11; Lk.
3:16-22; Acts 1:22)
Jn. 14:16-17, 25-26 - 16 And I
will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may
abide with you for ever; 17 Even
the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not,
neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in
you.... 25 These things have I spoken unto
you, being yet present with you. 26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Jn. 16:7-15 - 7 Nevertheless I tell you the
truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the
Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,
and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10
Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11
Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have
yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all
truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew
you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of
mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15
All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take
of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
IV. The Spiritual
Speech (2:4)
4 And they were
all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The fourth unique aspect of this event: "other
tongues"
What took place here has been referred to as the baptism
of the Holy Spirit
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is to be distinguished
from The Filling with the Holy Spirit
The other "Pentecosts" in Acts: Samaritan (8:1-24),
Gentile (10:24-48), and disciples of John (19:1-7)
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is properly termed the
Baptism of Christ with the Holy Spirit
Acts 1:4-5, 8
Tongues - their temporary nature and purpose
The Sovereignty of the Spirit
2 Cor. 3:1-8, 17-18 - 1 Do we begin again to
commend ourselves? or need we, as some
others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? 2 Ye are our epistle
written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared
to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with
the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of
the heart. 4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but
our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the
letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7
But if the ministration of death, written
and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could
not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8
How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?....17
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as
in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to
glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord.
Verse
|
Full
|
All
|
Sound
|
Wind/Spirit
|
Sit
|
2:1
Eng.
|
when the day of Pentecost was fully come
|
they were all with one accord in one place
|
|||
Greek
|
συμπληροῦσθαι
|
ἅπαντες
|
|||
2:2
Eng.
|
it filled
|
all the house
|
suddenly there came a sound from heaven
|
as of a rushing mighty wind
|
where they were sitting
|
Greek
|
ἐπλήρωσεν
|
ὅλον
|
ἄφνω
|
πνοῆς βιαίας
|
καθήμενοι
|
2:3
Eng.
|
each of them
|
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire
|
it sat upon
|
||
Greek
|
ἕνα ἕκαστον αὐτῶν
|
διαμεριζόμεναι γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός
|
ἐκάθισέν
|
||
2:4
Eng.
|
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost
|
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost
|
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave
them utterance
|
the Holy Ghost... the Spirit
|
|
Greek
|
ἐπλήσθησαν
|
ἅπαντες
|
λαλεῖν ἑτέραις γλώσσαις... ἀποφθέγγεσθαι
|
πνεύματος ἁγίου... τὸ πνεῦμα
|
Simple sentences underlined:
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come,
they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there
came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled
all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there
appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat
upon each of them.
4 And they were
all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The day was come.
They were with one accord.
There came a sound.
It filled the house.
There appeared tongues.
It sat upon them.
They were filled.
They began to speak.
Conclusion:
1 Cor. 10:1-4 - 1
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our
fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And
were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did
all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same
spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and
that Rock was Christ.
1 Cor. 12:13 - For by one Spirit are we all baptized
into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free;
and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
I. The Special Setting (2:1)
II. The Sudden Sound (2:2)
III. The Supernatural
Sight (2:3)
IV. The Spiritual Speech (2:4)
The first of the four unique aspects of this event:
"they were all with one accord"
The second of the unique aspects of this event:
"rushing mighty wind"
The third unique aspect of this event: "tongues like
as of fire"
The fourth unique aspect of this event: "other
tongues"
" Now here, second to Himself, was the gift of
gifts—the donation of the Holy Spirit, the greatest God could give, the richest
man could receive—suspended upon the single fact of the Redeemer’s ascension to
glory. It would seem as if the baptism of the church by the Spirit was an event
especially reserved to signalize the enthronement of the Son of God in His
mediatorial kingdom.
God would
demonstrate how great was the glory of Jesus in heaven, how perfect was the
reconciliation which He had effected between Himself and man, how spiritual was
that kingdom which He was about to establish in the earth, the foundation of
which His own hand had laid—and how full, and immense, and free were the
blessings ready to be bestowed upon all who, in poverty of spirit, and
sincerity of heart, and fervency of soul, should seek them, by opening the
windows of heaven, and pouring down the Holy Spirit in all His converting,
life-giving, sanctifying, and comforting grace.
And oh, how must
this Divine and Eternal Spirit—occupying as He did a personal existence in the
glorious Trinity, possessing equal glory, honor, and love with the Father and
the Son, as equally engaged in securing the salvation of a chosen people—how
must He have rejoiced at the consummation of an event which permitted Him to
give full vent to the overflowing fountain of His heart’s grace and love over a
church which He was about to renew, sanctify, and dwell in through eternity!
“The love of the Spirit” pleaded eloquently for the exaltation of Jesus."
Octavius Winslow, Evening Thoughts, or Daily Walking With God (London: John F. Shaw, 1858), s.v. "September 20"; reprint
ed. Joel R. Beeke and Kate DeVries (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage,
2003); on The Octavius Winslow Archive
at http://octaviuswinslow.org/2011/09/19/september-20-promise-of-the-spirit/
[accessed 7 JUL 2013].
Text:
1
Καὶ ἐν τῷ συμπληροῦσθαι [1] τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς,
ἦσαν ἅπαντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό.
2 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἄφνω ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἦχος ὥσπερ φερομένης πνοῆς βιαίας,
καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν [2] ὅλον τὸν οἶκον οὗ ἦσαν καθήμενοι.
3 Καὶ ὤφθησαν αὐτοῖς διαμεριζόμεναι
γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός,
ἐκάθισέν τε ἐφʼ ἕνα ἕκαστον αὐτῶν.
4 Καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν [3] ἅπαντες πνεύματος ἁγίου,
καὶ ἤρξαντο λαλεῖν ἑτέραις
γλώσσαις,
καθὼς τὸ πνεῦμα
ἐδίδου αὐτοῖς ἀποφθέγγεσθαι.
Key:
Simple Sentence
Focus
of verse
Emphasis on "full"
Emphasis on "all"
Emphasis on "sit"
Emphasis on
"sound"
Emphasis on "wind/spirit"
[1] Present passive infinitive of συμπληρόω.
[2] Aorist active indicative 3rd person singular of πληρόω.
[3] Aorist passive indicative 3rd person plural of πληρόω.[Sermon preached by Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA on Sunday, July 7, 2013.]
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