A People Prepared: The Sign of the Spirit

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0:00So we are in a sermon series on Acts 1 and 2. This is week five of that series. It's called A People Prepared. Acts 1 and 2 is all about preparation. And God's people last week were prepared by getting the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was poured out. Here's the themes of Acts. Boy, I'm sure glad that the projector is working. Here we go. But, you know, God would make his word bear fruit even if it weren't working. I hope you all know that. So, okay, the kingdom of God is our place.

0:38It's where we are, the context that we're living in. The promises of redemption are the story that we're living in, the narrative arc that our lives have. We are in Christ. And then the reign of Christ is he is our present ruler. He's not distant. He's not on vacation. He's not, I did my thing. You guys got it from here. He is ruling and reigning in his kingdom through his people. So we are following him. So last week, as I said, we talked about the actual event of Pentecost.

1:15What happened? This pouring out of the Spirit on the disciples. It was a seismic event in the history of redemption. I was about to say unrepeatable, but I'm actually going to see it. It actually does get repeated in Acts. But it was a significant event in the history of redemption. The crowd knew that they were witnessing something supernatural. But they didn't know what to make of it. They were saying, well, what does this mean? Some people tried to dismiss them as being drunkards.

1:49They're just drunk. That's why they're speaking in these strange languages. You know, I always thought, like, it doesn't, when people get drunk, they don't suddenly are able to speak fluently in other languages. So that explanation always seemed really paper thin to me. But it just goes to show when something extraordinary happens, people go looking for an explanation. And if they don't get an explanation, they start making them up. There's a whole thing I could say here about conspiracy theories at this point, but I'll save that for another time.

2:25These people in Jerusalem at Pentecost, they didn't have to go looking for an explanation. They didn't have to make it up. Because right coming at them right now is Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, giving them an explanation about what happened. And that's what we're going to look at today. The first half of his explanation. You know, Peter just got the Holy Spirit. He's like, you know, let's try this thing out. You know, let's try this power out that I have.

2:52And boy, he preaches a great sermon. And he explains to them what happens, what has just happened and what it means. So that's what we're going to look at today, what this thing means. What it means for us today. Not just what it means back then, but what it means for us right now. So let's turn to Acts 2 and see what the Lord has for us today. I want to remind you, as I try to every week, that this is God's holy word. He doesn't lie. He inspired the authors of scripture to give us exactly what we need in the here and now.

3:34Well, we can and we should build our lives on this. And so let's come to the word of God like hungry children come to a dinner table where good food has been set out before them. Eager to ingest it, to enjoy it from our good father. So I'm going to start in verse 14. This is God's word for us today.

4:04But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them. Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel. And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.

4:40And your young men shall see visions. And your old men shall dream dreams. Even on my male servants and my female servants, in those days I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below. Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood. Before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

5:19Pray with me. Lord, thank you for giving us this word about what actually happened in history. What it means for us today. You are revealing your purposes to us, Lord. What a privilege it is to know the plans that you have. The work that you're doing. And what an even greater privilege it is to be called into it. Which you do by your spirit through faith in Christ. Lord, I pray that we would ingest your word by faith. That you would feed us. That you would show us the way, Lord.

5:56Show us the world that we live in. The times that we live in. Show us the steps we should take right now. Most of all, Lord, please show us how faithful you are, how strong you are, how able and powerful you are to save sinners like us who need the salvation that you came to give. Lord, work in us now. Make us your humble people, your sanctified people. Be glorified. Jesus, we pray this in your name.

6:36Last week, I titled my sermon, The Power of the Spirit. This week, it's The Sign of the Spirit. What does the Spirit signify? That's the question for today. And I promise you it matters greatly to understand and to embrace this for yourself. What the Spirit's giving signifies for you right now. The times, they are changing. So, Bob Dylan sang in 1964. But old Robert Zimmerman didn't know that the change had already happened. Almost 2,000 years earlier, the change had already happened.

7:17The point of this first half of Peter's sermon is this. A new time has begun. A new time has begun. And there's implications for all of us. So, first let's talk about and understand the new time that we're in, okay? So, the time that we are living in, the time that Peter is saying that they are in. Last week, I said the filling of the Spirit leads to a speaking about God's work. Peter doesn't know almost everyone in this crowd. They've come from a long way away.

7:55Most of the people in the crowd are not like him. They are Jews, even like he is. But they've come from faraway places, foreign cultures. They're very different from him, culturally. That's why he was given the Spirit to speak their language. Peter's a simple man. He's a fisherman. He's from Galilee, a podunk region of Judea. But this simple fisherman, with no education, lifted up his voice and addressed them. We are immediately seeing the fruit of the Spirit filling in this ordinary man.

8:39He asks for their attention. He doesn't clear his voice. Excuse me, if I, maybe you could listen to me for a second. He commands their attention. And he says, let this be known to you. He's about to confidently tell them what this means. He's not like, you know, I could be wrong. It's just a theory. No. He says, this is what's happening. This is what has happened. And he's not just speaking for himself. He's standing, the text says, with the eleven.

9:13So he's illustrating that he is speaking on behalf of them. This is their apostolic witness coming at the people. The beginning of the apostolic witness that the church is built on. And he addresses the mocking first. These people are not drunk. It's only the third hour of the day. That's 9 a.m., by the way. So he's not offended at their accusation. He doesn't say, how dare you? Accused us of being drunk. He just says, look, that doesn't make any sense.

9:46We haven't even had lunch yet. The real explanation is bigger than what they're saying. This is what was uttered through the prophet Joel. That's pretty bold. Wouldn't you say? Scripture has been fulfilled. That's what he's saying. But it's even bigger than that, friends. It's even bigger than that. The really big news is the content of the prophecy. In the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my spirit. Okay, now these two verses right here.

10:25It's really important for us to focus on. It's not just that a promise of God has come to pass. This promise was only going to be fulfilled in the last days. This means exactly what you think it means. I'm saying exactly what you think I'm saying. These are the last days. That's what Peter is saying. The last days are here. This would have been shocking for Peter's audience to hear. And here's why. In this time, Jewish thought was that all of time, all of time that will ever exist, would be divided into two ages.

11:09Okay? This is one of the reasons why I'm happy that the projector is working. The present age and the age to come. That was all of time. The present age and the age to come. And the present age is the world and life on it. And the age to come is the time when God reigns over everything and everyone. His kingdom is over all the earth. And his people dwell together with him. Okay? The two ages. The Old Testament speaks of these two eras, of these two ages.

11:41And the event that separated the two ages was the arrival of the Messiah on the day of the Lord. That was the one event that would transition from the present age to the age to come. Okay? That single event would transition everything. They expected this because of what Scripture said. Especially the prophets. But the way those prophecies were given obscured something to them. It's like if you look at mountains, it might look like one mountain range.

12:14But once you drive up to the mountains, you might see, oh, there's one range and a valley. And then another range behind it. It looked like one mountain range, but it's actually two separated.

12:27Something was clarified when Jesus came. Something big. The big surprise is this. There are two comings of the Messiah. He's going to come two times. And here's what it looks like. The first one brings in the age to come. And the second coming concludes the present age. This is the big revelation. Jesus' first coming inaugurated the kingdom of God. It brought in the age to come. His death and resurrection has kicked off the last days, which continue even now.

13:01The beginning of the promise age to come. And at his return, the second coming, represented by that crown there, the day of the Lord, the present age, will come to an end. God will judge all humanity. And the age to come of God's people with him will continue on into eternity. Look at that. This is a revolutionary change for how God's people understood how the future was going to unfold. If you've ever wondered why people were so confused by Jesus and his ministry, what he was doing, what he wasn't doing, it has a lot to do with this.

13:38When you expect one coming of one king and it's immediately going to transition to the age to come, you would expect Jesus to do things differently than how he lived his life on earth. That's why people were like, Jesus, if you want to be king, go to Jerusalem. What are you waiting for? Right? This is not the plan. And in the New Testament, we see how things are really going to unfold. This is how all of the New Testament authors understood the future to unfold.

14:13They saw things in a new light. Here's an example. In Hebrews, we read this. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his son. And now people have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come. You see that? It's already here. It's already here. We are living in what some people call the overlap of the ages, the two ages overlapping, the present age and the age to come. It's also called sometimes the already and the not yet.

14:49Because it's already here, but it's not yet here in fullness. The present age is not yet gone. I don't know if you have watched Stranger Things. There's a little bit of a content warning. Parents screen this. But part of the fascination of Stranger Things is that, bear with me if you haven't watched it. Maybe a lot of people have. Part of the fascination is this breaking in of this sinister, dark, other world. It's breaking into the present world, right?

15:23And they're fighting against it. The kids are fighting against it. They're trying to defeat it, right? It's this existence of this other world. And it's like intruding into our world. This is like that, except it's a good age to come. Not a dark one, right? But imagine it like that. It is breaking into our present age. It's intruding. It's happening now. It is here. God's kingdom, the future is being brought into the present.

15:55It's happening in you, people of God, if you have the spirit in you. It's happening in your households, if you're preaching the gospel. It's happening in our community as the gospel goes forth. It's the new age breaking in. I'm not talking about the new age like, you know, you listen to Enya or something. This is the new age of the Bible. The age to come. Listen, the present age is still here, and the new age is also here. Both of them are happening.

16:29We're living in both. There's already so much transformation happening in the world, in you, in our communities. But the final fulfillment of God's promises hasn't happened yet.

16:46Understanding this is so helpful to understanding the whole Christian life. That's why I'm taking the time to try to unpack it. Look, we can apply this already, not yet, to every facet of our existence now. Look, Jesus is already exalted and enthroned. It's already happened. He's not waiting to be king. He's not waiting in the wings. He's sitting on the throne. But he is not yet acknowledged by all.

17:17God's kingdom is already advancing in power, moving everywhere. But it is not yet visible everywhere. We see the gospel going out and bearing fruit. And at the same time, we see persecution, apostasy, adversity. Both are happening at the same time. And this already, not yet, applies to you too, Christian. If you are in Christ, you are already forgiven. But you're not yet sinless. You are already free of condemnation. But you are not yet free of suffering.

18:01You're already adopted by God. But you're not yet home with Him. Knowing the time that you live in is really important to understanding this strange dichotomy of the Christian life. Why do I see God at work over here, and then over here I'm like, oh my gosh, this is just going the wrong direction.

18:31Why does it feel like God's kingdom is taking two steps forward and three steps back, and five steps forward and two steps back? What's going on? Why is my life, why do I see God at work in parts of my heart, parts of my life are submitted to Him, and other things are just so stony and hard? It's the already and the not yet. Both things are true at the same time. We're still waiting for that final fulfillment. But don't discount the newness. Yes, there's victory and struggle, but my point here, Peter's point, is the focus on the inbreaking of the age to come.

19:12If you're in Christ, your life is not principally defined by struggle, by suffering, by sin. Those things are waning. What is rising because of the Spirit of God is the new self.

19:35Does that make sense? Is this connecting with you? The old self will not rule. It will not get the final word in your story. All of the oppression and injustice in this world? It will not get the final story. It will not get the final word. God's kingdom will. And it's a kingdom of justice, of compassion. It's a kingdom of holiness. Don't believe the lie that the darkness is too strong. It is getting pushed back. You don't see it all the time and all the ways right now.

20:31But God will triumph. God will triumph. His kingdom will be in fullness. And He will reign over everything and everyone. And we will be with Him. And we will be free of sin and suffering. And decay and disease. We will be relating to each other. Without envy and strife and competitiveness.

21:03It will be this beautiful diversity of people. People that you struggle to get along with right now. You'll be standing next to them worshiping the Lord.

21:21Don't let the reality of the present age still being with us. Let us convince you that the age to come is not all that strong. Or is not really here. It's here. It's breaking in. More and more. As the final day approaches.

21:44Now listen, I... The second half of this, I want to focus on the newness. The hallmarks of newness. That Peter points us to. He quotes a certain section of Joel. To point out to the people. Not just that the last days are here. That the age to come has broken in. But to tell them what they can expect. The hallmarks of the new age that are here with us. This is what we're going to focus on. To conclude today. There's three aspects of this. Three. And there's a key concept that runs through all of them.

22:19And that's this. All of these things are universal in nature. Meaning they're not local. They're not bound by geography. Or by culture. Or by nation. They are universal. Here they are. The first hallmark of newness is this. Indwelling of the spirit. God gives his spirit in abundance. The prophecy says twice that God's spirit is poured out. And Peter repeats this in verse 33. This word means a large quantity. It means to fully experience something.

22:58To be given totally. If Pentecost were like a water balloon fight on a hot summer day. Then God wins because he has the garden hose. You know whoever has the garden hose wins the water fight. Every time. Because the water just keeps on coming.

23:20He's got the hose. It's Pentecost was not a sprinkling of the spirit. It was not a little dash of the spirit. A pinch of the spirit as if God was afraid of overdoing it. God gives the spirit like how I cook. I'm notorious in my household for there being a pot of something on the stove. And some spices that Nikki has already put in. Or the girls have already put in. And I'm like taste it. And I'm like hmm. If a little bit of this spice is good. Let's add some more.

23:53I have ruined some dishes that way by the way. But you don't have to worry about God ruining something by giving too much of the spirit. He gives the spirit like I cook. He's like you know what a little bit more. A little bit more.

24:11He pours out his spirit on all flesh it says. Now this of course doesn't mean literally everyone. Would that it be everyone. But the people that Peter is talking to don't have the spirit. Right. It means all of God's people. All flesh is all flesh. Irrespective of the condition of the person. The outward condition of the person. All flesh. All of God's people. Whoever they are. It says here. He's poured out on sons and daughters. When it comes to the spirit there's no gender gap.

24:47He is for young and old. The world might say. That the young and the old. They don't have much purpose. Go and sit over there. Let the people in the middle take care of things. But not God. God says no. You're all getting the spirit. You all have a purpose in my kingdom. No matter how young you are. Or how old you are.

25:14And verse 18 mentions male and female servants. The spirit is not given in fullness just to the elite. God does not care about social status or position. The job that you have. Your bank account. God's spirit is not given in proportion to your net worth.

25:37Whatever your tax bracket or status you receive in Jesus Christ. The same spirit in heaping measure as everyone else. Moses longed for this day. Did you hear the scripture that was read earlier? Moses longed for this day. If he would have been there at Pentecost. He would have been shouting louder than anyone. This is what I wanted. It's happening. Look at it. He said would that all of God's people had the spirit. And prophesied. Are you as excited as Moses was to have the spirit of God living in you?

26:16I hope you are. He helps you pray. And worship. And understand scripture. And speak to other people about God. He sanctifies you. And he strengthens you. He guides you into truth. He reminds you that you have a good father in heaven. That will never forsake you. And most importantly, the spirit over and over directs you to Christ. Pay attention to Christ, my child. He says. Look at him. Look at him again. Look at your savior again. Jesus said he would do this.

26:52Jesus said the Holy Spirit will glorify me. For he will take what is mine and declare it to you. If your faith is in Christ, God's spirit dwells in you. Give thanks for that. And live like it. Look at Peter here. And get inspired. Spirit filled ordinary fisherman Peter.

27:21Here's the second thing. The second hallmark of newness is intimacy with the father. In the old covenant, if someone wanted to hear from God, they would go seek out a prophet. Even kings would do this. A prophet was a kind of a mediator. Different than a priest, but still a mediator. A prophet was the mouthpiece of God. Prophets were the ones who had frequent experiences of closeness with God. In that way, they were unique among God's people.

27:57This is part of why Moses longed for the day that all God's people would be filled with the spirit and would prophesy. The quote from Joel says that in these last days, this is an experience that all God's people share. God's spirit filled people shall prophesy, see visions, dream dreams. Now, this doesn't mean that we're all going to be spouting off special revelation telling the future. If you read the rest of the book of Acts, you'll see that.

28:25What it means is that God's people know him intimately, closely. This is what another prophet, Jeremiah, said would happen. He talked about the new covenant and he said, No longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me. From the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. They shall all know me.

28:59There is no greater gift than to know the Lord. There's no greater gift. In the time we live, there is no need for a man on earth to be mediator between us and God. Because we have a mediator. Jesus Christ, the righteous one, the exalted one, the one who died and rose again. He told us, from now on, you do know him. And then he gives the spirit to enable that. Friends, seek him, pursue him, spend time with him. He's close. He is not far away. He's close.

29:43He is always sitting at that table ready for you to sit down with him. He is never far away. And because we know God, we can speak of him. We're made ready to tell of the hope that we have, the basis of our faith, the works of God. And so this is the last thing that I'll say here, the last hallmark of newness. And that is an invitation to the son. The scripture that Peter quotes looks even further into the future because Joel spoke of wonders in the heavens, signs on the earth, blood and fire and vapor of smoke, signs of sun and moon.

30:25All of this before the day of the Lord comes. That's the end of the present age. That crown on the on the chart that I put up earlier. The time of judgment. The consummation of the new heavens and new earth. The point here is that these is the point is not that these things are imminent, only that they are next. Something can be next without being imminent. Since we're in the last days, that means that the judgment that consummates it is also drawing near.

31:01Now, listen, doomsday predictions are a dime a dozen. Like many people in this room, I live through Y2K. We're all still standing. People said there would be cataclysmic events. Planes falling out of the sky. Missiles launching by themselves. ATMs coming to life and robbing us. Actually, I don't think about that. I don't think that last one was what anyone said.

31:29Spitting out money, yeah. People standing in front of ATMs just waiting at midnight. There's a non-profit that publishes what they call the doomsday clock. They've been doing it since the 60s or 70s, I think. This is the likelihood of human-made global catastrophe. And they kind of move around the clock needle based on what they think is happening. All the factors of all the threatening things that humanity is doing to each other in the world, they somehow factor it all in with their big brains or something.

32:04And they estimate how close we are to midnight, to annihilation. People routinely scan the skies and the newspapers to try to find the next apocalypse. Right now, the big talk is all about what? AI apocalypse.

32:26Now, at first, Peter sounds a lot like those people, doesn't he? It's okay, you can say it. Quoting from the prophet Joel, the end is near. But here's the key difference, okay? Here's the difference. Peter is not worried. Peter is not worried. Peter knows that God is in control and he trusts him. And so, Peter is not consumed with scanning the skies or the headlines in the Jerusalem Times dispatch. Is it happening now? Is it happening next week? Is it coming soon?

33:08He doesn't concern himself about if it is happening right then or when it is going to happen. Peter is simply taking his role in the kingdom of God. The role that the Spirit filled him to do. This is all Jesus meant for us when he said to be ready. This is the posture we should have, people of God. Yes, judgment is the next thing on the big timeline in God's plan. You do not need to be scanning the skies in the newspapers to try to figure out if it is happening or when it is happening.

33:45Simply set yourself to the work that God has given you in the kingdom of God. That is how you are ready. Peter's focus on that role is the gracious invitation that is the hallmark of this age. He ends his quote of Joel with this verse. It shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This is the triumphant climax of this prophecy.

34:23This is the focus of Peter's sermon. Just like all of God's people will be indwelt with the Spirit and know God intimately, all people can become God's people simply by calling on his name. All people can become God's people by calling on his name. You don't have to adopt some other culture, some other language, some other way of practicing your food or something like that. All you have to do is call upon the name of the Lord. The salvation is for everyone.

34:58No one has exclusive access and no one is irredeemable. It's for everyone. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord with humility, with dependence, with repentance, with faith. In the time that we live in, this invitation goes out to all. Everyone. God makes his appeal to all people through his people.

35:26Paul said, we implore you. We implore you on behalf of Christ. Be reconciled to God. Behold, now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Now. The age to come breaking in means that right now is the favorable time. Right now is the day of salvation. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Not, not may be saved. Not will be considered.

35:59It's a sure promise of salvation. If you don't have that salvation, seize the day. Now is the time. This is the favorable time. The saving time. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. And if you do have that salvation, won't you tell someone about it? Don't prejudge in your minds how near or far that person is from the kingdom of God. You don't know.

36:34Is there nothing impossible for God? Nothing's impossible for him. Don't prejudge who am I talking to. Tell them about the salvation that you have in Jesus Christ.

36:51Make the invitation. The hallmark of this era is grace. Grace, grace, grace, and more grace. Speak of the intimacy that you enjoy with God. Rely on the spirit that dwells in you and invite people in to the gracious kingdom of God where you live.

37:13The age to come is here. Let's live like it. Let's live like it. Let's live like it.