Explanation of Pentecost
Acts 2:14-36; 3/12/2023; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
Yes, Pentecost has not yet passed, but the Bible says that the people were amazed and suspicious, saying, “What does this mean?” Everyone should ask this question. Do you agree? Let’s look at the first point:
Christ is the greatest miracle
It’s an unbelievable thing, right? First, not yet knowing as one ought to know. No matter what happens, we all want to know, right? In fact, the only thing that happened at Pentecost was that people from all over the world realized, “How do you hear them speak the language we were born with?” At this moment, Peter stood up and spoke. Please note that he did not stand up alone, but also stood up with the other eleven apostles. Not only is the posture of the body high-profile, but the volume of the voice is also turned up. The Bible says to speak loudly. Peter was speaking to everyone, especially the Jews, and all who lived in Jerusalem. He said you should know, as we already know. Peter’s words beg the question, how should we know, but don’t? The Jews looked at Peter and seemed to understand something. Yes, they have been following Jesus all these years, but we are rejecting Christ! what to do? Peter’s answer was “Incend your ear to me too!”
Second, The prophetic prophecy should be today. It is a major feature of the New Testament to explain God’s revelation of himself through the words of the prophets. The prophet Joel was chosen by God to be used in Peter’s first sermon, which transcends the logical law of causality, but it is also reasonable. If you think backwards, among the five major prophets and the seventeen minor prophets, only the content of the book of Joel is most appropriate to Pentecost! The most important thing the writer of Acts expresses is that this is the work of the Holy Spirit. Don’t forget that this is Peter’s immediate conversational response, not something he said after he went home to browse the materials and search the Bible. As a fisherman, how could Peter Hude immediately extract a suitable prophet from the massive data of the twenty-two prophets, and put the content in it into the scene of Pentecost? The core of Joel is to bring out the essence of the Holy Spirit, not the vision of what happens when the Holy Spirit comes. Prophecy, visions, and dreams are undoubtedly the things that come out when the Holy Spirit is poured out, but they are not the only things that happen!
Lastly, Heaven shows wonders and earth keeps miracles. Judging from Peter’s situation at the time, the divine miracle that God most wanted to express through him was Christ, or to express Christ, to explain that Jesus is Christ. The turning of the sun into darkness can be a natural phenomenon, like a total solar eclipse, right? Of course, it can also be paranormal. Because Jesus was crucified on the day of Passover, which was a full moon day, and the moon was on the back side of the earth, so a solar eclipse could not occur. Well, what Matthew 27:45 says, “From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.” The turning of the sun into darkness is a unique miracle and its purpose is to show that Jesus is the Christ! The moon will turn into blood, which may refer to the “blood moon” phenomenon, which has become more and more common in recent years. Someone said, “I will show signs, blood, fire, and smoke in the ground” referring to the 9/11 incident. Let’s look at the second point:
Christ is the first of the resurrection
The gospel is the power of God to save all who believe in Him. So, what exactly is the gospel! What is the core of the gospel to express? First, Christ died for us. The disciples told Jesus that it was unacceptable that He would die on the cross, and Peter even advised Him not to die! Why? Have you thought about it? We Chinese are also very afraid of talking about death, full of fear and anxiety about death! This is because death has authority over people, and death is very domineering. It does not give people the knowledge, wisdom, authority, and ability to explain death! His disciple Yan Hui asked Confucius what death is? Confucius replied: If you don’t know life, how can you know death? The Bible says, “God explained the pain of death”! Death is the result of sin, and sin is the cause of death. The sins that man committed against God were the rebellion in the Garden of Eden and the killing on the cross!
Second, God raised Christ from the dead. Because resurrection is God’s interpretation of death, the interpretation here means release and loosening. This is the most fundamental explanation of the significance of resurrection, that is, Christ left death, or overcame death. On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene witnessed the resurrection of Jesus in detail at the tomb of Jesus. At first she thought that someone had taken away the body of the Lord, but it wasn’t until the Lord called her name that she realized that the Lord had really resurrected! The meaning of Christ’s resurrection for us is that everyone who believes in Him will also be resurrected! Jesus said to her: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. (John 11:25) More importantly, resurrection has changed the world’s outlook on life, death, and life! And it’s an earth-shaking change!
Finally, the power of death is gone. What does it mean? The bible says, “because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” Just imagine, our whole life, from the cradle to the grave, who is not in death custody? Who doesn’t feel helpless about death? But from now on, because of the resurrection of Christ from the dead, death has no control anymore. Christ did die on the cross, and after three days, he rose again. What happened in these three days? Christ walked freely between life and death, 1 Peter 3:19 says: ”he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits.” During the whole process, the power of death had no way or power against Christ. Let’s look at the third point:
Christ sits at the right hand of God
Here, Luke quoted a series of David’s psalms and the prophet Isaiah’s prophecies about resurrection, aiming to show that Jesus is the Christ, the ruler, the overcomer, and the accepted one. First, Christ is the ruler. When it comes to Christ sitting at the right hand of God, my heart is filled with gratitude. This reminds me of my calling scripture, in Isaiah 41:9-10. It mentions that He will strengthen me, help me, and uphold me with the right hand of righteousness! For more than thirty years, my full-time service to God has proved God’s faithfulness. The Bible says: David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. It can be seen that the “right side” mentioned here means the ruler in the kingdom of God. Second, Christ is the overcomer. The meaning of victory here mainly refers to Christ’s victory over the power of death! Luke said: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.” We know that the incarnate Lord Jesus Christ, ”that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.” Christ’s victory was no ordinary isolated event. His victory makes all those who believe in Him overcome together! Moreover, the Bible says that we will reign with the Lord and judge the world! Just imagine, we are about to have such a great glory, is there anything we can’t let go of? Is it so unbearable even if you encounter some temporary and mild suffering?
Finally, Christ is the Beloved. God’s love for Christ is evident and vivid on paper! God even swore: “he would place one of his descendants on his throne.” The result is that although David is dead, Christ is alive and raised from the dead! David testified: ”The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”” It means that God said to Christ: I will give you the seat on my right hand! What’s more, Peter went on to say: ”God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” This is one of Peter’s sermons where there is no reproach. Therein, too, is love, and an invitation to repent! A beloved child has no fear of repentance! Because there is no fear in love!
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters, the interpretation of Pentecost is the incarnation of Christ and the victory He accomplished for us, so that we can be peaceful because of Christ’s reign, give us life because of His victory, and because He is the beloved, we are in one with Christ in love!
Let us pray …..
Acts 2:14-36
14 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.
15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
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.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22 “Fellow Israelites, 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.
23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
24 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.
25 David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.
30 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.
31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.
32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.
33 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.
34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”