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[0:00] Acts chapter 2, we're going to read the first 13 verses. Acts chapter 2, the first 13 verses.! When the day of Pentecost came, 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.

[0:23] 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.

[0:37] Now there were, staying in Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard the sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

[0:49] 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?

[0:59] Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus in Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs.

[1:19] We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues. Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, what does this mean?

[1:31] Some, however, made fun of them and said they had too much wine. Let's hear the preaching of God's word. We come today to the main event in the book of Acts.

[1:44] Our Lord Jesus had spoken of it to his disciples in the upper room on the night that he was arrested. After his death and resurrection, he had also appeared to his disciples and had spoken of this event and said it's going to happen not many days hence.

[2:03] And he told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for it. So after Jesus ascended into heaven, they returned to Jerusalem and they waited.

[2:16] And during those last 10 days of waiting, those days were marked by the habitual practice of corporate prayer. We saw that last week.

[2:27] That having been completed, we read in verse 1 that the day of Pentecost came.

[2:42] Now Pentecost was one of the many annual feasts on the Jewish calendar. It was held 50 days after Passover, namely 50 days after the Sabbath following Passover.

[2:57] So that was the day Jesus rose from the dead. So it happened 50 days after the resurrection. It was also called not only the Feast of Pentecost, but the Feast of Weeks.

[3:10] Because it was seven weeks after Pentecost or after Passover. It was called the Feast of Harvest because it celebrated the goodness of God in the harvest that they were just then enjoying.

[3:23] And so during the feast, they would bring the first fruits from the wheat harvest and offer them to the Lord. It was a joyous celebration of harvest. Now it's been estimated that the city of Jerusalem had a normal population of around 150,000.

[3:40] But during the Feast of Pentecost, that number would swell to as many as a million people. And so that was the day that God chose for the Spirit to come.

[3:57] When Jews from all over the world would come back to Jerusalem, they would be there. There they were for the feast. And once again, the city would be teeming with people to witness the work of God.

[4:09] Just as it was at Passover to witness the crucifixion of Christ. Now it was full up again with people to witness the outpouring of the Spirit.

[4:20] And then it happened. The risen, ascended Lord Jesus baptized His New Testament church with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came upon them.

[4:33] Another way it is spoken of. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Another way that it was spoken of. Jesus Christ filled His New Testament temple with the Spirit.

[4:49] Just as in the Old Testament. Once the temple was built and constructed, then the Spirit of God came and filled the temple with glory.

[4:59] So now, the New Testament temple is made up of every believer in Jesus Christ. And there were some 120 of them gathered here as representative of that group.

[5:13] And there's the temple. The new covenant temple of God. And Jesus filled His temple with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist defined this as the work of Jesus Himself.

[5:28] You remember He said, I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Remember we asked the question, the book of Acts is talking about the acts, the actions of somebody.

[5:45] Whose actions are they? They're Jesus Christ's actions. And the main event is the action and activity of Jesus Christ. Jesus is filling His temple with the Holy Spirit.

[6:00] So even as we just sang and thought about the birth of Jesus, the death of Jesus, the burial and then the resurrection of Jesus, it didn't end there.

[6:13] There was the ascension of Jesus to His throne and it didn't end there. Then, ten days later, or forty days later, there was the outpouring of the Spirit. Excuse me, fifty days after His resurrection, He poured out His Spirit upon His church.

[6:30] Those are the main events in the salvation calendar of God. And we're waiting for the last one now, the return of Jesus Christ. So the main event, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and before the day was out, the Lord Jesus would add to His church three thousand more believers gathered as first fruits on the day of Pentecost when the first fruits of wheat harvest were gathered.

[7:02] Here's that initial gathering of a greater harvest that is to be gathered from the ends of the earth. And they too receive the blood-bought gift of the Holy Spirit.

[7:14] So the main event of the book of Acts is the coming of the Holy Spirit to His New Testament church. And that main event is like a rock that's thrown into a pond.

[7:25] And the rock hits the middle of the pond with a great splash. And the ripples run right on out to the edges of the pond. The coming of the Spirit will have a rippling effect that will reach beyond Jerusalem into all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

[7:44] Indeed, the ripple effect has reached Bremen, Indiana if we understand the Scriptures aright. So the main event, the coming of the Holy Spirit.

[7:57] Now, children, we have a problem because the Holy Spirit is a spirit. The old authorized version said the Holy Ghost. And it means a spirit.

[8:10] He's a spirit being. He does not have a body like we do. And so He's invisible. How can we know that the Spirit came? How were they to know that the Spirit had come?

[8:22] You didn't see Him like when Jesus came, you saw Him as the baby child. Well, the Holy Spirit and the Lord God stooped to our weakness to give us visible and audible signs of His coming so that the church would know that He has indeed come.

[8:41] This great event on the calendar of history has happened. The Holy Spirit is here. And so we have these supernatural signs signs at the coming of the Holy Spirit that accompanied His coming.

[8:57] And these signs signal both the importance of the event and also something of its meaning. They symbolize different aspects of the Holy Spirit, His work, His ministry.

[9:10] So let's look at these three signs one by one. These attending signs of the Spirit's coming. First, the sound of a violent wind. So they're all together in one place, most likely referring to the 120.

[9:25] And suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Now the sign was a noise. It was a sound that filled the house.

[9:39] And its source was from heaven, we're told. It came from heaven. So to begin with, it must have sounded as if it was far off, above them. But then it drew near and closer and closer until it filled the whole house as it came from heaven and filled the house with its roar.

[10:00] Now, the loud noise of a violent wind is nothing new to us. We have tornadoes around here, don't we? How many of you have ever heard a tornado?

[10:12] Okay, some of you, not most, we're told that it sounds like a train that's roaring through. We have heard strong winds, haven't we? And they're so loud you can't hear people talking.

[10:24] It's that, that they heard that day. This violent wind, the noise of a violent wind. And this was the sign of the Holy Spirit letting them know that He was here.

[10:39] He had come. very suddenly coming from above and filling the house. Now, the Old Testament had spoken of the Holy Spirit as the wind. Jesus had compared the Holy Spirit in talking to Nicodemus as the wind.

[10:53] And the wind blows where it wants. And you hear it sound, He says. And surely here, this sign of the Holy Spirit points us to the Spirit's power.

[11:05] power. It was the sound of a violent wind that was blowing. Think of the power of a tornado, the power of a hurricane, power to move things, power to change the landscape.

[11:20] This was the sign of His coming. Even so, the Lord Jesus had told them at the end of Luke 24, I'm going to send you what my Father has promised, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.

[11:38] That's what happened. The Spirit came and clothed them with power from on high. Acts 1.8, you will receive power when? When the Holy Spirit comes on you.

[11:50] And so, those were the promises. That was the expectation. So, when the Spirit comes, it is this powerful sound of a powerful, violent wind that they heard.

[12:02] Well, what can we come away with, with this sign of the powerful Holy Spirit's ministry? Well, in giving us the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ has given His church all that we need to complete the mission that He assigned us.

[12:21] To this newly commissioned church, He now gives divine power by the Holy Spirit within. We have power to be His witnesses, to make disciples and to baptize them and to teach them to obey everything He has commanded.

[12:36] To the very end of the age, to the ends of the earth. Believer, that means that you have power to open your mouth and tell others about Jesus.

[12:48] And not just people who are like you, but all kinds of people to the ends of the earth, in all kinds of places. people that don't want your Jesus.

[12:59] There is power given to you in the coming of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, you bear witness to people who are spiritually dead in sin. They're deaf to spiritual truth.

[13:14] They're unable to understand. They're unwilling to accept your gospel. It's like witnessing to a graveyard, to a bunch of skeletons or corpses.

[13:24] And that's the very picture used for us in Ezekiel chapter 37, the vision given to Ezekiel. Ezekiel is shown in vision this valley of dry bones.

[13:36] It was full of dry bones. Very dry bones. And the Lord asked Ezekiel, can these bones live again? And Ezekiel says, you know, oh Lord, you know, you alone know.

[13:49] And the Lord said, prophesy to the bones. Preach to the bones. And Ezekiel in this vision did just that. He said, bones, hear the word of the Lord.

[14:02] And that's what happens when you witness to lost people their bones, dry bones, dead in sin. And you come and say, bones, hear the word of the Lord.

[14:14] And then there was a noise and a rattling sound as bone was attached to bone and then the sinners and the flesh and then the skin. But there was no breath in them.

[14:24] And so now Ezekiel is told to prophesy or preach to the breath and to say, come from the four winds, oh breath, and breathe into these slain that they may live.

[14:38] And Ezekiel did just that. He prophesied, he preached to the wind to come. And the breath came and filled the corpses and they stood to their feet a vast army.

[14:51] This was Israel's hopeless condition. They were dead in their sins. But God said to them, I will put my spirit in you and you will live.

[15:01] That's the picture in Ezekiel 37. And now here's the reality of it. This is the power that would attend the word of Peter as he preached on this day of Pentecost such that three thousand were brought from death to life.

[15:17] The spirit of God was put in them and they lived. The mighty rushing wind, the Holy Spirit has come with power to give life to the dead as the church bears witness to him.

[15:32] What encouragement to this little band of 120 given the task to be his witnesses and make disciples of all the nations. The spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth.

[15:46] That's what they saw. The power of the Holy Spirit to help us. But brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit comes with supernatural power not just to equip you for your mission of witness to Christ but believer by the indwelling Holy Spirit you have all the power you need to live the whole Christian life.

[16:10] Not just your witness but every aspect of the Christian life. he who knows your temptations and knows your weaknesses has given you just what you need.

[16:20] You know what you need? You need the life of God in the soul of man. You need God Almighty God the Holy Spirit living in you to live the Christian life and that's what he gave you believer every one of you.

[16:37] God the Spirit indwelling enabling empowering and working in us to do what pleases him. So in the Holy Spirit you have all the power you need to obey every command that God gives you.

[16:51] So stack up all the commands of God put them on one side of the scales there I'm to love my neighbor as myself and down goes the way but then put on the other side the power that's given you the Holy Spirit living in you you have the power to live in obedience to all God's commands.

[17:13] That means you have power to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled upright and holy lives in this present age. That means you have the power to put to death the misdeeds of the body to mortify sin.

[17:29] What a command to mortify to be killing our sins but you have the power the Holy Spirit if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body you shall live.

[17:41] You have the power to do what you otherwise would not do and could not do. And so you have the power to love the unlovely to love your enemies those that have it out for you in some way.

[17:56] You're not left with your own inability it's not just love your enemies and there you sit without power no no you're not left with the only response capable being to get even no Christian you are given the Holy Spirit you can love your enemy you can do good to those who despitefully treat you you can pray for them to be blessed because the Spirit indwells you and so you have power to rejoice in the Lord right in the midst of the greatest sorrows as sorrowful yet always rejoicing the Lord is mine that's what the Holy Spirit does you have power to have a peace in the midst of storms of life in the midst of pressures and threats to cause you to come to some loss there you have power to be at peace and to know the peace of God that passes understanding the Holy Spirit empowers you to have patience in long trials to have gentleness with people who know how to try your gentleness and try your patience and to push all your buttons and you have power to be faithful in small things as well as big things as a husband as a wife as a parent as a child as a church member as a neighbor faithfulness because of the Holy

[19:18] Spirit enabling you you have power to be self controlled that means to refuse you refuse to be controlled by your feelings and by your desires why because you have the power to live a self controlled life the Holy Spirit lives in you and all this and more is the fruit of his presence in you that he powerfully produces in his people so believers all the power you need to live a holy life is found in the Holy Spirit who dwells within you so the Holy Spirit came with the sound of a mighty blowing wind so there was something heard wasn't there but to something heard there was added something seen and the second sign of the Spirit's coming was visible tongues of fire verse 3 says they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them

[20:20] John the Baptist had said the one coming after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire perhaps that's part of the reference here now here it was the baptism with fire and at first the flames were all gathered together in one mass of fire and then the fire divided and separated into individual tongues that separated and rested upon every one of the disciples of Jesus now in the Old Testament fire had long been the symbol of God's presence kids you remember when Moses was in the wilderness and he saw a sight that drew him near it was a bush that was burning but wasn't consumed it never burned up and God was manifesting himself in that fiery bush and talked to Moses and told him to go be the one to lead his people out of

[21:20] Egypt and when they did leave Egypt there was a pillar of fire at night to lead them to give them light that they could travel with a night light over them God's presence God's spirit with them and when they finally got to Mount Sinai the whole mountain was covered with smoke because the Lord descended on it in fire God was there and he spoke the ten commandments to his people out of the fire on the mountain Deuteronomy 5 so when the New Testament writer of Hebrews 12 comes along he says our God is a consuming fire he is the holy one and as the holy one his burning holiness consumes all that is unclean all that is defiled so fire here symbolizes the Holy Spirit's purifying work he comes to purify like the refiner's fire he comes to purify the church and we'll see him doing that throughout this book he is the

[22:34] Holy Spirit and he comes to make his church holy by purifying them of all that defiles now this fire of God does not consume anything good in the believer the Holy Spirit does not come to destroy and burn up that which is good he only comes to destroy what is harmful what is evil what keeps back the highest good what a kindness he's here to help us in our battle with sin I want some fire thrown on my sin don't you that's why he's come he's got power to purify you and he will do that to his people supernatural help now if you're a disciple of Christ you don't need to be afraid of the fires of the final judgment because the Lord Jesus took our sins upon himself and went to the place of judgment and there outside of

[23:36] Jerusalem the lake of fire came to Calvary that day and the judgment and wrath of God was poured out upon your savior your substitute and because he bore that wrath and that fire of hell you will be saved from the second death which is the lake of fire no the Holy Spirit has not come down in fire to damn us but rather to sanctify us we who are his people he's here to purify what an encouragement and the last of the signs then if the first sign of the Spirit's coming was perceived with the ears the second was perceived with the eyes now the third sign was given to their lips and it was the sudden ability to speak in other languages previously unknown to them verse 4 says all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them now if we're to understand the meaning of this sign we must understand exactly what happened when it says that they all began to speak in other tongues it means they began to speak in other languages languages other than their own when they started speaking in tongues it was not meaningless gibberish it was not some mumbo jumbo that came out like many today who claim to speak in tongues no it was real languages that were spoken languages that they did not know how to speak that you see was the supernatural sign that they were given this ability on this occasion to speak in other languages suddenly now how do we know this is what happened well the meaning of the word used here by Luke for tongues is the word for languages and the

[25:37] NIV has that in the footnote doesn't it that they all spoke in other languages we use the word tongue in the same way don't we if I say that English is my native tongue what do I mean I don't mean that it's some tongue hanging down no it's it's my native language it's the language I grew up speaking isn't it we have that same use of the word tongue they did as well it meant language now these followers of Jesus these 120 were perhaps mainly Galileans it was especially true of the apostles and their native language was Aramaic and yet when they spoke about the mighty works of God what came out of their mouths was not Aramaic but in the different languages spoken throughout the world we know it by the word used they spoke in tongues in languages but we know it for certain secondly because of the crowd's reaction that's recorded for us verses 5 through 13 give us the reaction of the crowd to this amazing thing of suddenly speaking in other languages three times

[26:59] Luke weighs in on their reaction verse 6 bewildered verse 7 utterly amazed verse 12 amazed and perplexed Luke is just multiplying synonyms to record the depth of their astonishment now who was in the crowd that day who was it that was so amazed well we're told in verse 5 it was God fearing Jews from every nation under heaven the whole known world verse 11 says there were also Gentile converts to Judaism Gentiles who had become Jews by submitting to the laws of Judaism verses 9 through 11 lists 15 different nations that they had come from reaching from present day Iran in the east and extending all the way even further west than Rome that then known world they came from all these different nations each with their own languages these were the places where the

[28:04] Jews had been scattered by God's judgments in the Old Testament in the intertestamentary times the Babylonians came and took them into exile and sent them all around their Babylonian empire the Assyrians first and then the Babylonians the Greeks and now the Roman empire they were a scattered lot and some of them had lived in those places for hundreds and hundreds of years not all of them came back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple many of them stayed in those places and they had learned the local languages where they lived but now here they are all of these scattered Jews drawn back to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost and when they heard the sound of the 120 speaking the wonders of God they started to gather to listen first a few then a few more until we're told a crowd was present numbering at the end of the chapter into the thousands and what amazed them was that each one verse 6 heard them speaking in his own language verse 7 and 8 utterly amazed they asked are not all these who are speaking

[29:17] Galileans how is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language again in verse 11 in our own tongues our own languages it was real languages yes they were foreign languages to the speakers but they were known to the hearers and that's what amazed them Colin would you speak the wonders of God did you all get that our brother Colin just spoke in tongues specifically the Romanian tongue the Romanian tongue and he spoke the wonders of God the wonder that God so loved this world that he gave his one and only son that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life the wonders of God now there was nothing supernatural about what

[30:25] Colin just did since Romanian is his native tongue but what happened on Pentecost would be like this it would be like me Bremen born and bred who knows nothing zilch about Romanian language and has only spoken the Bremen dialect of English all my life and when I got up to preach this morning and to speak about the wonders of our God as I opened my mouth what came out was just what Colin said that was the supernatural miracle they spoke in language they never spoken of didn't know how to speak in but they did now to most of you it would sound a lot like gibberish and nonsense maybe some of you might even wonder if the preacher had had too much wine but there in the back as I spoke those words Colin and Dana would hear and their eyes would get big and their jaws would drop and they would look at each other and they would say what is going on here the Bremen boy has just spoken perfect

[31:38] Romanian that's the supernatural thing the sudden ability to speak in other languages unknown to the speaker and that happened not just in one foreign language but there in the crowd were Jews from every nation under heaven and each of them heard them speaking in his own native languages all the hundred and twenty were filled and it shouldn't say men in verse seven that's supplied it's not in the original all the hundred and twenty were filled with the spirit and all of them began to speak in other tongues Parthians Medes Elamites Egyptians and lights were going on all over the congregation that morning as they heard their own language being spoken by a group of Galileans no wonder the crowd grew!

[32:34] No wonder they were amazed this was something supernatural and that's the third supernatural sign on the day of Pentecost and it got the attention of the crowd to give heed to the word that was to follow!

[33:19] ! that accompanied it Hebrews 2 3 and 4 this salvation which was first announced by the Lord was confirmed to us by those who heard him God also testified to it by signs wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will well the crowd recognized this is not something natural they were completely at a loss to explain it so they just asked one another what is happening what does this mean well Peter's more than happy to tell them what it means and we'll see that next week but before he does we read that some however made fun of them and said they've had too much wine young people if you're going to follow Jesus you need to be prepared to have people make fun of you if you're going to not be ashamed of Jesus and his words in this wicked generation then they will call you old fashioned bigoted out of touch with the times but the

[34:30] God of truth and morality does not change with the times so stand stand firm and don't be ashamed of him or his word and be willing to be counted a fool for Christ's sake you know that Jesus was counted a fool for your sake do you know he bore!

[34:51] shame for you the shameful death of the cross let us then go to him outside the city as outcasts outsiders to this world bearing the shame that he bore and know this that the same Holy Spirit that empowered the Lord Jesus on earth lives in you to empower you lean on him who was it that said that they were drunk with wine who do you think that was there that day in the crowd I don't think it was those who heard the message in their own language do you that's not the sound of a drunk I think it people who lived in Jerusalem who only knew Aramaic and they didn't understand anything that was being said because it was in other languages that they didn't understand whatever the case there are always unbelieving skeptics who are never at a loss to find ways to describe the supernatural works of

[35:57] God in terms of natural causes six day creation supernatural work of God no we don't need God to explain creation we just need natural processes of evolution and a lot of time and a lot of luck and that's the way it is the works of God the supernatural works of God are being as natural causes that's the way it was here you don't need God to explain what's happening here nothing special is happening here it happens every time people drink too much they get drunk and that's what's happening here well Peter's got a different explanation doesn't he and we'll see that next time but it's their question that was aroused by the sign their question what does this mean that sets the stage for Peter's preaching preaching in the Holy Spirit sent from heaven such that 3,000 were brought into the church that day now we've seen that each miraculous sign points us to something about the

[37:06] Holy Spirit's person and work the mighty wind spoke of his power the tongues of fire speaks of his purifying what does the sudden languages being spoken refer to the Spirit's work well it points us to the work of the Spirit of gathering a New Testament church from all the languages and nations of the world what we have here is something of a reversal of Babel remember Genesis 11 tells us how the whole human race was divided into different languages and scattered into different nations how did different languages come about on the planet verse 1 of Genesis 11 says now the whole world had one language and a common speech but you remember they rebelled against God who had said that they were to fill the whole earth and they said no let's just stay here and build a city with a tower that reaches to heaven we'll make a name for ourselves and God says no you won't and he shut down the building project and how did he do it he confused their languages so when the mason said hand me a brick the guy hands him a bucket of water he didn't understand what he said he had understood every time before but at that moment he could not understand the languages were confused and so what happened they were scattered out over the face of the whole earth and each group of people had their own language so the confusing of the language is scattered now here in Acts 2 is something of another table and you can see the table of nations that they scattered into

[38:55] Genesis 10 lists all these different nations now we have something of another table of nations in verses 9 to 11 of our text in Acts 2 and whereas the confusing of many different languages at Babel was used to scatter the people and to keep them apart now the Holy Spirit has come to do what to gather all the languages of the speaking nations of the earth into one body of Christ the church Babel scattered the coming of the Holy Spirit gathers the scattered languages and nations of the world and we see them here represented in these 3,000 that are brought together from all these different nations brought together in the one body of Christ for there is but one Lord one faith and one baptism so the coming of the Holy Spirit marks a new age from scattering to gathering into the one new humanity through faith in Christ the Lord

[40:01] Jesus had commissioned them to go into the ends of the earth and to make disciples of all nations now the Holy Spirit has come and in his coming he has them speaking in all these different languages you see he's going to help them to fulfill this great commission now most were Jews and they probably understood Aramaic so it wasn't necessary to speak in their language to be understood but they are representatives of the nations of the world languages that they spoke and so the Holy Spirit has come to bring this to pass to work through his church to make it a reality to apply the work of Christ to those of every language and gather them into one church now that doesn't mean that when they sent out missionaries they didn't have to study the language and that they just immediately spoke other languages our friends in the Middle East had to give two of their first years to laborious language studies and they're still not done but the sign you see it was a sign the signs didn't continue there weren't flames of fire on their head when they walked out the room the sound didn't continue and neither did the ability to speak these languages it was a one time event and it was marked by supernatural signs and it was showing that

[41:29] God the Spirit is here and he's here in power he's here to purify and he's here to gather the nations unto Christ well the sign of the Holy Spirit's presence and filling is not then a sound of wind flames of fire I'm talking about now the signs of somebody who's filled and baptized with the Spirit is not a sound it's not flames of fire that you see and it's not speaking in tongues no it's rather the fruit of the Spirit that you find listed in Galatians 5 and that you're studying in the Sunday school it's the list of things that are mentioned right after Ephesians 5 18 that says and go on being filled with the Spirit don't be drunk with wine but go on being filled with the Spirit and what does that look like it looks like people who are worshiping God together corporately singing his praises exhorting one another with the word who are giving thanks to God in everything people who in their relationships are learning to submit to put their own rights and their own desires down in order to do good to others these are the things that mark those who are filled with the

[42:52] Spirit and since Pentecost every person who trusts in Christ is now baptized with the Holy Spirit the moment they are converted the moment they repent and believe on Jesus the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to them he comes to us in us to indwell us and empower us and never to leave us don't believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is some second experience that you're saved and then maybe a few years down the road if you want to be a super spiritual Christian and you do all the right techniques that you get the baptism of the Spirit no you notice that all of them were filled with the Spirit you notice that the tongues of fire came and rested over each one of them yes this gift of the Spirit is for all of God's people none were left out and at the end of

[43:55] Peter's sermon he says you now need to 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 Holy Spirit you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit it's not just for us it's for everyone who's converted for the promises for you and your children and for all who are far off even the Gentiles for all whom the Lord our God will call everyone who's called to faith in Christ receives the baptism the sealing the filling of the Holy Spirit so if you've been converted put your trust in Jesus Christ you have no other hope for heaven but him and he's enough for you and you're hanging on to him you're repenting of your sins then you have been baptized brother or sister with the Holy Spirit you say but I don't feel forget feeling forget feeling it's a reality it's something that happens the moment you trust in Christ the gift is given to you the Spirit of God and I fear that

[45:06] I am half awake to this reality most of my life that almighty God has taken up residence in this heart do you live with that reality does that send you out the door with any more confidence in the morning to be a representative of Jesus Christ does that give you any backbone and zeal to stand Jesus in his word does it does it give you any strength to to cut off the occasions of sin and try to drain the blood out of your sin and murder it God almighty lives in me he is the blood bought gift of Jesus Christ for every one of his people oh then believe it and act accordingly this heavenly guest lives in you forever so live by the spirit keep in step with the spirit be careful not to grieve the spirit so to please the spirit depend upon the spirit enjoy the spirit pursue the spirit's agenda of purifying you and making you like

[46:16] Jesus Christ he's come to apply to you all the benefits won by Christ's blood at Calvary to my unconverted friends sometimes you hear the invitation to repent and be saved and at once you think I could never live the Christian life I couldn't live like that can I tell you something you you have spoken as true as you've ever spoken you could never live the Christian life left to yourself and neither!

[46:47] Jesus doesn't leave us to ourselves when we cast our faith upon the Lord Jesus he gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to live in us and the Holy Spirit enables us to live the Christian life can you see what happened what has happened since the coming of the Holy Spirit 2000 years ago the main event the splash took place on the day of Pentecost and the ripples have been going out for 2000 years and they've come to this shore and they've come to this town they've come to these homes and here has come the ripple effect the Spirit of God being poured out and the gospel has come to you because that's what the Spirit was sent for to encourage the church to enable the church to be Christ witnesses and so it has come to you the gospel has come to you now if all this took place to bring the gospel to you with it what have you done with this

[47:54] Savior that God went to that kind of trouble to bring the gospel to you have you embraced it have you believed it have you trusted in this Savior have you turned from your old way and!

[48:07] Jesus I'm yours here I am come live in me by your spirit come save me from myself save me from my sins oh that's his invitation and he will save all who come unto God through him do not delay and all who come to him he will give his spirit to live within you let's sing as the people of God of this great gift this great event in history that has happened crowning gift of resurrection from the overhead we sing it the gift of God the spirit let's stand as we sing let's pray our father in heaven we do give you thanks for the gifts that you have given us thank you for giving us your one and only son to be our savior thank you that father and lord jesus you have given us your holy spirit to be the one to live within us and to apply to us all that christ is one for us holy spirit thank you for taking up your heart your presence in such hearts as ours come in power come in power to purify!

[49:26]  us make us a fitting temple for your dwelling and come and empower us to be Jesus witnesses to the end of the age and to the ends of the earth we pray in his name amen