St Louis UBF UBF Bible Study : Acts 2:1-24

Bible Materials

Acts 2:1-24

by Paul Choi 04/29/2012 Acts 2:1~24

Message

YOUR YOUNG MEN WILL SEE VISIONS

Acts 2:1-21

Key Verse:2:17 “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.”

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people will perish…” Rev. Billy Graham once said, “We can live without sex, but we can’t live without hope.” People say that human beings are the ones who dream dreams every day. In the previous chapter we learned that the Risen Jesus gave a world mission command to his disciples. “…You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (1:8b) How, then, could his disciples carry out this great world mission commission? They were weak, poor, vulnerable, and dependant in many ways. They had language barriers and racial prejudice. So, God sent the Holy Spirit to them as Jesus had promised. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, a miracle happened. They all spoke in tongues. In today’s passage we will learn the meaning of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We also hear the beginning of Peter’s first message to the crowd. Above all, may we see God’s vision while we study this passage. Amen.

First, the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost. (1-13) Look at verse 1. “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.” Pentecost is one of three main Jewish feasts, along with the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Tabernacle. The term Pentecost means fifties, fifty days after the Passover (Lev 23:15). Pentecost is also called the Feast of the Week, or the Feast of Harvest because Jews offered their first grain of barley harvest. It was like Thanksgiving Day in America. Pentecost is also the anniversary of Moses’ receiving God’s law at Mt. Sinai. (Ex 19:1) For these reasons, all diasporas and Jews who were scattered around the world came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost and to worship God at the temple.

It was ten days after Jesus ascended to heaven. Jesus’ disciples did not scatter about or go back home, but they gathered in one place, probably in the upper room where they had the Last Supper with the Lord Jesus. What did they do there? According to verse 14, they all joined together constantly in prayer. They prayed with one heart and mind. They were all different in many ways. But, they all became one in prayer. In the past, their prayers did not last long, at most a few hours. But, now they prayed constantly, and their prayer lasted for ten days. In this way, they made a vessel for the Holy Spirit. In this way, they prepared their hearts and minds to carry out Jesus’ world mission command. I thank God for our church members’ learning about united prayer from the apostles. Some of us join together in early morning prayer. Others deepen their personal prayer all the more. I pray that our prayer life may become a power source for God’s ministry here. Amen.

What happened to the praying disciples at Pentecost? The Holy Spirit came to them. Look at verses 2,3 “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.” Here, the Holy Spirit came down to the disciples like a violent wind such as a tornado or a hurricane. The wind was invisible, but powerful and everywhere present. Jesus himself compared the Holy Spirit to a life-giving wind, saying, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (Jn 3:8) In both Hebrew “ruach”, and Greek “pneuma”, the same word refers to wind, spirit, and breath. After God formed man from the dust of the ground, he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. (Ge 2:7) When God put his breath into dry bones, the dry bones became a vast army of God. (Eze 37:4-10) In the same way, the Holy Spirit gives birth to a new spiritual life in those who believe in Jesus (Jn 3:5,6) The Holy Spirit can give new life to any kind of person. The Holy Spirit can even raise the dead (Ro 8:11)

The verse 3 says that the Holy Spirit came down like tongues of fire. Fire is the symbol of the presence of God. God was in the burning bush in Exodus (Ex 3:2) God led his people for forty years in the desert with the pillar of cloud by day and with the pillar of fire by night. (Ex13:12 ). Our God is also a consuming fire, which burns all sins and evil and makes us pure and holy. (Deut 4:24, Heb 12:29) The Holy Spirit came to them like tongues of fire. It means that the Holy Spirit came to each of them individually. They all gathered and prayed together, but the Holy Spirit came down to each person like tongues of fire. The Holy Spirit burned all their chaff like fire and made them whole. In the same way the Holy Spirit burns all our sins and iniquities and makes us pure and holy. When the Prophet Isaiah met the Holy God personally he realized that he was a man of unclean lips who spoke unbelieving words. He knew he deserved God’s punishment. Then an angel took a live coal from the holy fire and touched his lips (Isa 6:7) His lips were cleansed and his sin atoned for. May God clean our unclean lips and tongues with the fire of God so that we may only speak the words of faith and truth in this unbelieving generation. Amen.

What happened to the gathering disciples when the Holy Spirit came? Look at verse 4. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Here, speaking in tongues indicates speaking in other languages. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, a miracle happened. The disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to speak in different languages. Look at verses 5-12. “Now there staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 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 all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and 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 tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Imagine if suddenly Ben West speaks Portuguese fluently. Imagine if Priscilla speaks Spanish all of a sudden as a native Mexican. Suppose if missionary James Lee speaks in Chinese like Peter H. These would all be miracles, having supernatural power of language which modern science cannot explain. It takes a long time for us to master other languages. Many of us struggle hard to overcome language barriers in this land. Biblically speaking, in the past all men spoke the same language before the incident at the Tower of Babel. When human civilization and technology began to develop, men became proud and attempted to reach their names to heaven higher than God by building the tower. Then, God confused their language so that they could not understand each other. God frustrated their plan and scattered them from there over all the earth. (Ge 11:1-9) Since then, language barriers started and communication problems occurred.

But now, when the Holy Spirit comes, a new era of communication has started. For the first time since the incident of the Tower of Babel, human beings have experienced the restoration of language by the power of the Holy Spirit. As God confused their language, so God restored their language by the power of the Holy Spirit for his good purpose. What is God’s good purpose? Why did God allow Jesus’ people to speak in other languages? It was for the sake of the gospel of Christ Jesus. It was to fulfill God’s heart desire for world salvation. It is God’s divine love for sinners to hear the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus commanded his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (1:8) Most of Jesus’ disciples were Galileans. They were unlearned commoners. How could they carry out Jesus’ great world mission command? How could they become witnesses of Jesus to the ends of the earth by overcoming their language barrier? So, God poured out the Holy Spirit on them so that they could speak in other languages fluently. As God confused languages, so God restored languages for world mission. What was impossible with men God made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit.

There are many episodes among those who struggle to overcome language problems. Long ago one Korean missionary in Milwaukee UBF went to Walgreens and told a cashier, “I am headache. Give me a pharmacy.” Anyway, the cashier understood what she needed. However, in order to teach the word of God to young college students and to raise them as disciples of Jesus, we need excellent language ability and communication skills. Time is not a solution. We must study hard and ask for God’s wisdom. Above all, we should ask for the help of the Holy Spirit when we study the Bible and teach students one to one. Amazingly, you will experience the power of the Holy Spirit when you share the gospel and teach others one to one. The Holy Spirit opens your mouth and loosens your tongue to speak so that your students can understand what you are talking about. UBF has sent missionaries to 87 nations thus far. Missionary Aquila Shin in Mongolia UBF did not speak even a word of Mongolian before he was sent. But, he simply obeyed Jesus’ world mission command and went out as a missionary to Mongolia. He had to struggle to overcome a language barrier. He had to study hard to understand Mongolian students. He had to work hard to teach them every Sunday. When he struggled hard, the Holy Spirit helped Msn Aquila to overcome Mongolian. Ten years later, he became a messenger who speaks in fluent Mongolian and teaches many Mongolian college students one to one. Furthermore, he translated Korean Bible into Mongolian. He was hired as a chauffeur in the Korean Embassy. But, God promoted him to be a consul and a translator for the president of his country when he visited Mongolia. Thus, the Holy Spirit makes mission impossible possible and enables godly men to experience the power of the mighty God. I pray that all our missionaries and students may overcome their language barriers with the help of the Holy Spirit like Msn Aquila Shin. Amen.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom. It is the Spirit of truth. So, the Holy Spirit enables us to understand and comprehend other languages. The Holy Spirit makes Jesus’ disciples carry out Jesus’ world mission command. In Mark’s gospel the Risen Jesus commanded his disciples with this promise, “Go, into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues…” (Mk 16:15-17)

Second, your young men will see visions (13-21) There were two kinds of response among the crowd when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples. First, there were God-fearing people who praised the wonders of God (11). Second, there were scoffers who mocked and underestimated the work of the Holy Spirit. The scoffers said to the disciples who spoke in different languages, “They have too much wine.” (13) How did Peter reply to the scoffers? Look at verses 14,15. “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of 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!” Peter continued to explain that the coming of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of God’s prophecy. Look at verses 16,17. “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.” Peter quoted Joel 2:28-32. In the era of Old Testament God poured out his Spirit on certain people for special occasions and purposes. But, in the last days, the days of New Testament, God pours out his spirit on all people. There is no favoritism in God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Whoever repents of his sins and believes in Jesus Christ will be baptized by the Holy Spirit. What happens when the Holy Spirit comes upon us?

Let us read verse 17b again. “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Adults have the tendency to ignore children. However, when the Holy Spirit comes upon their children, the children will prophesy. Prophesy mean to foretell the secrets of God. When the Holy Spirit comes, our sons and daughters will tell the truth of God. They will teach the Bible. They will bring their friends to our worship service. These days, our HBF and CBF children write testimonies and share with each other. This is not just essay writing. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

When the Holy Spirit comes on young men, they will see visions. Without the Holy Spirit, young men usually think about other boys and girls, movies, cars and sports. However, when the Holy Spirit comes, they will see God’s vision, God’s vision for world salvation. When the Holy Spirit came upon me at the age of 25, I saw God’s vision to evangelize my whole campus. When the Holy Spirit came upon young people at Yale University in the early 1900s, they saw God’s vision. Their motto was, “To evangelize the world in this generation.” It was the beginning of Student Volunteer Movement. You, young men and women! Do you have God’s vision in your life? Ben West may see God’s vision to become a good minister of Christ Jesus. Priscilla may see God’s vision to become a mother of many nations. Missionary Isaiah may see God’s vision to evangelize Wash U campus by the gospel of God. The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people will perish.” If you don’t have a vision, you have no focus for life and your life will just floating by aimlessly. But, when you have God’s vision, your life purpose is driven for the vision. God will accomplish your vision in his time. While writing this passage, I renewed God’s vision for 120 of God’s flock of sheep under my care. This vision includes 12 disciples of Jesus from each campus beginning with Wash U., SLU, and UMSL. May God fulfill his vision through us. Amen.

Dreams are seen when we are asleep whereas visions are seen when we are awake. When the Holy Spirit comes upon old people, they will dream dreams for world salvation. They dream dreams of walking on the golden streets in the kingdom of heaven. The Holy Spirit consecrates our hearts and thoughts to deepen our relationship with God. The Holy Spirit enables us to know the deep secrets of God and to participate using all means.

What should our message for the world be? Look at verse 21. “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The prophet Joel prophesied the day of Jesus’ second coming in this. “God will show wonders in 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.” (2:19,20) Jesus died for our sins on the cross. On the third day God raised him from the dead and took him to the right side of his throne. Jesus promised to come again to judge the living and the dead. This is the day of eternal condemnation for those who do evil and reject the truth. But, this is the day of salvation for those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will be the great and glorious day of Jesus’ second coming. Therefore, we must deliver this message to the world, “For God so loved the world that he gave his One and Only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16) Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Amen.

The coming of the Holy Spirit is the dawn of a new age in which God comes into men’s hearts to work out their salvation. Just as God imparted his law to Moses at Mount Sinai at Pentecost, God poured out his Spirit on all people who were in Jerusalem. I believe that our God who poured out his Spirit to 120 disciples of Jesus will baptize all of us with the Holy Spirit when we simply trust in him and obey Jesus’ world mission command. Amen.

Attachment