In my previous teaching in the Book of Acts we just learned about the powerful Filling of the Holy Spirit the disciples received. The Jews have just witnessed the powerful gift of Tongues. Now we are going to begin to look as to how the Jews reacted to this powerful movement of the Holy Spirit. My teaching is going to be based from Acts 2:12-36, I would encourage you to take some time after reading this teaching, and really dive into these scriptures yourself.
Acts 2:12-13 (KJV) says us “And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, these men are full of new wine.”. The Jews were confused, and they also thought that the disciples were drunk. They did not know how to take any of this, we know from Jesus’ time on earth that the Jews had a hard time understanding Jesus because He spoke in the Spirit, and they were stuck in the natural realm. The disciple Peter then takes time to explain Pentecost to the Jews. As Peter was speaking to the them, he quoted two prophets form the Old Testament, Joel and David. In Acts 2:16-21 (KJV) Peter said, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”. This prophecy from Joel, can be found in Joel 2:28-32 in the Old Testament. If we look at Acts 2:19-20 we can see that the power of the Holy Spirit is still available to us today, until the return of Jesus Christ. We also know from what Joel tells us is that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. Romans 10:13 (KJV) tells us, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”. Joel wrote about salvation in Joel 2:32. Too often churches only focus on the New Testament, and we often forget the importance of the Old Testament. I would highly encourage a new born again Christian to read the four Gospels, and then start reading in order from the Old Testament and work your way up through the whole New Testament.
After Peter referred to the words of Joel, he then quoted the prophet David from what he wrote in Psalms 16:8-11. In Acts 2:25-28 (KJV), Peter spoke saying, “For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.”. Peter reminded the Jews of something the prophet David once wrote, and there is much in this scripture that is important to us today. There are four key things that David said in this passage, that every true believer needs to be reminded. First, we must know that we are to rejoice truly from our hearts. When you become born again as a true believer, you know that your joy comes from the Lord. Philippians 4:4 (KJV), “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”. Secondly, we know that Jesus is our true hope, 1 Peter 3:15 (WEB) says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear:”. Thirdly we know that the Word of God teaches us how to live our lives, Psalms 119:105 (WEB) reminds us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.”. When you are not sure on what to do in your life, turn to God in prayer and read His Word. Lastly, we know David told us that we will have full joy when we are in the presence of God. Therefore, we need to spend as much time as we possibly can in Gods presence. James 4:8 (ESV) reminds us, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”.
Peter then tells the Jews something very important, and that is in Acts 2:36 (KJV) which says, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”. Peter told the Jews that Jesus is both Lord and Christ, this is something everyone needs to know truly in their hearts. Luke 2:11 (KJV) tells us, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”. Also, Romans 10:9 (KJV) instructs us, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”. I would really like to dive into the word ‘saved’. If we investigate the Greek, we find the word saved comes from the Greek word sozo. Some definitions for the word sozo from the Thayer and Smith Greek Lexicon are:
- To save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.
- To save a suffering one, one suffering from disease, to make well, to heal, restore to health.
- To save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance.
Once we are true born-again believers and know the Word of God, we really need to drill down on what we have in Jesus Christ, through the promises in God’s Word. Most importantly we need to know how much God loves us. Some people suffer from a lot of buried emotional and physical wounds, I feel so strongly in my Spirit that many believers need to really know and accept how much God loves us. Some people have rejection in their life, and maybe self-rejection. John 3:16 (KJV) tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”. Also Psalms 139:13-14 (ESV) reminds us, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”. God loves you so much, that He took the time not only to form your physically but to make the plans for your life here on earth. God has a plan for each of our lives, you might have been born with a medical condition or a physical abnormality. Just remember that God never says oops.
My next teaching in this series will be on what Peter instructs the Jews to do. Before my next teaching I encourage you to take some quite time with God, and really soak into His presence, and begin to realize how much He loves you. Also take some time and ask God what barriers in your life are blocking you from receiving what He has in store for you.