he Lord’s Message:  Pentecost:  The Spirit of God is Poured Out!

The Lord’s Message:  Pentecost:  The Spirit of God is Poured Out!
Date:  May 31, 2026
Where:  Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference:  Acts 2:14-21

            We are going to continue our study this morning and for the next two weeks on Acts 2.  This morning, we are going to study the Lord’s Message which Peter spoke on Pentecost.  We are going to look at it in three parts.  This week from verses 14-21.  Next week, verses 22-28.  The following week, verses 29-41.  I encourage you this week to open up your Bibles and read verses 22-28.  I also encourage you to open your Bibles this morning to verses 14-21.

            Let us pray. 

            I think before we get into the Message, let’s  take a step back and look at the person who God is using to bring the Message, Peter.  What do you know about Peter?  He was a successful fisherman, the unofficial leader of the disciples, and three-time denier of Jesus.  He was a man full of faith at one time and failure of the faith another time.  In essence, he was much like all of us. 

            In verse 14, Peter stands up and addresses the crowd.  This crowd is made up of devout Jews that have come for the Feast of Pentecost.  Kathy did a wonderful job reading the names of the places that these people had come from.  That area is the Middle East, Asia Minor, North Africa, and Southern Europe.  We are talking about 1.5 to 2 million square miles.  The people in this area spoke 15 different languages, but there was one language they would hear spoken in the temple in Jerusalem and that is Hebrew.  Some of them probably knew Aramaic which the language of the common people. 

            There was a lot of confusion when all these devout Jews, instead of hearing Hebrew or Aramaic spoken by Jesus disciples, are instead hearing their own language.  Language is important.  Without language, we can not communicate with each other.  This leads to insolation or feeling unwanted.  If I cannot communicate with you, then I cannot share knowledge, emotions, ideas, or a relationship with you. 

            Do you remember what happened at Babel?  The people tried to build a tower that would reach into the heavens for self-glorification.  In Genesis 11:1, the people were able to do this because they all spoke the same language.  What did God do, Genesis 11:7-9? 

This occurred about 500 miles from Jerusalem.  God brought confusion to Babel to destroy their plans for building a tower.  Whereas in Jerusalem during Pentecost, God brings unity through  people communicating in their own language to build His Church, by His Holy Spirit.

            Upon hearing all of these people speaking in different languages, some in the crowd start saying the disciples are drunk.  Peter addresses this in verse 15. 

            Peter decides to have a Bible Study.  In verse 16, he points them to the prophet Joel.  The book of Joel starts off with a tremendous invasion by locusts.  The locusts eat all the crops and all the food.  The Jewish people are starving to death.  Joel comes to them and tells them that this invasion was caused by God to bring them to repentance for their sins.  I find it very interesting in all the prophetic books of the Bible that there is a tragedy that occurs because the people have wandered away from God.  God uses the tragedy to bring the people to repentance and back to Him.  In the midst of all this tragedy is some of the most beautiful writings about God redeeming His people.  For example, in Joel 2:12-13, God is pleading with the people to repent and turn back to Him.   This reminds me, and I hope that it reminds you, that in the midst of our wanderings, God loves us so much that God is always calling us back to Him.  Our sin does not stop God from loving us. 

            Then after all this, we have a wonderful prophecy.  The prophecy that Peter quotes is found in Joel 2:28-32.  This would be a prophecy that would be familiar to this crowd of devout Jews.  They had heard this prophecy read to them in the synagogues and maybe even in the temple. 

            Let us take a closer look at this prophecy.  In Acts 2:17, God says that I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Then God goes on to say who those people are, sons and daughters, young men and old men, men and women. 

            I have been questioned about the Holy Spirit’s activities in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament.  In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit seems to come onto a person for a specific period of time.  For example, in 1 Samuel 10 the Israelites have decided that they want a king like all the other nations.  Samuel tries to convince them that God is their king and there is no other king like God.  God chose a man to be their king, it was Saul.  In 1 Samuel 10:1, Samuel anoints Saul.  The Holy Spirit comes upon Saul in verses 9-11.  Later on in the chapter, in verses 22-23, the Holy Spirit has left Saul, and he is in hiding with the baggage.  This can also be found in all the faithful people of the Old Testament.  The Holy Spirit comes for a specific time and purpose and then leaves the people. 

            In the New Testament, Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit was the gift that God promised which would never leave us.  This is confirmed in John 14:15-17.  So, when we ask Jesus to come into our hearts, God sends us the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will live inside of us forever.  We can ignore the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit will be with us.  We can lessen the power the Holy Spirit has over our lives, but not allowing the Holy Spirit to do its work in us.  To remove the sin in us.  In John 14:25-26, the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to counsel us and teach us what Jesus taught, in order that we can live our lives for Him.

            The prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost, but it was not just a person who received the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room, but all 120 disciples.  Women and men received the Holy Spirit.  Young and old alike received the Holy Spirit.  It does not matter whether you are female or male.  It does not matter whether you are young or old.  The Holy Spirit is available to everyone, as it says in verse 21. 

            Now not all of the prophecy that God had Joel tell the people was fulfilled on Pentecost.  Verses 19 & 20 are still waiting to be fulfilled.  These will be fulfilled when Christ will return upon the earth and establish His kingdom.  The Sun will turn to darkness.  The Moon to blood.  There will be fire and billows of smoke on the earth.  These are the physical events that will take place when Jesus returns.  These are the same events that are predicted in Revelation 6:12-15. 

            The Good News is that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  We need not fear these events, because if we put our faith and trust in Jesus, then we will be saved from His wrath. 

            God spoke to those devout Jews in their own language, so that they could hear God.  God is still speaking to us today in a variety of ways:   through the Bible, the sermon, the worship service, other people, and through visions.

            Let us continue to listen to God and do what He says.  Amen.