When we concluded yesterday we found visitors to Jerusalem hearing the believers in Christ proclaiming the gospel in the languages of the visitors---languages the believers had not been taught. Many of the hearers were amazed, but there were others who dismissed this spectacle as the ramblings of those who are drunk. "Some, however, made fun of them and said, 'They have had too much wine.'" (Acts 2:13) In our own times we still see this type of mocking attitude in those who hear the gospel but don't want to accept it. In order to deal with rejecting what they fear is the truth, they have to find a way to scoff at it. They have to convince themselves that the gospel message is a myth and that believers are mentally unhinged people to be made fun of or pitied.
"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. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!" (Acts 2:14-15) According to two of several commentaries I consulted, it was not customary for ancient Jews to eat or drink anything before 9am. That part of the day was to be devoted to prayer, and even those who didn't normally follow this rule to the letter would have been careful to do so during a major religious holiday such as Pentecost. The apostles were spending time together in prayer that morning before the Holy Spirit arrived in His new role of continually indwelling believers. I think it's safe to assume they were fasting as they prayed. Peter is astonished that anyone would accuse them of drinking wine at 9:00 in the morning, and especially that anyone would think they were sloppy drunk at 9:00 in the morning.
The man who once denied Jesus Christ three times in the same night now fearlessly begins to preach his first sermon---not in his own power, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. Before the resurrection of Christ, Peter lacked the strength to fight his fears. Now that he has spent forty days with the resurrected Lord, and now that he has received the Holy Spirit, Peter intends to declare the truth to the world no matter what the consequences. He says to the crowd, "No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: '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. Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.'" (Acts 2:16-18) We are living in the last days. We've been living in the last days ever since Jesus Christ came to earth in the flesh, was crucified, and rose from the dead. Peter tells the crowd, "The awesome display of God's power that you've witnessed this morning is the fulfillment of a promise. God promised us through the prophet Joel to pour out His Spirit on mankind in the last days. What you've seen and heard here at Jerusalem today is the beginning of this outpouring. God is faithful to His word. Here is the proof."
God is an equal opportunity employer, if you will. He promises the same Spirit to both male and female, to every nation and tongue, to both slave and free. The same Spirit who gave power to the believers at Pentecost is the same Spirit who gives power to you and me today. God, unlike man, doesn't show favoritism according to a person's status in life. Whether we are rich or poor, whether we have an immaculate pedigree or whether we have some shady characters in our genealogy, whether we are well known or whether we are behind-the-scenes workers---God gives the same Spirit to all who believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The same Spirit who gave Peter the boldness to address the crowd at Pentecost is the same Spirit who will enable us to get through anything we face in life.
Peter continues to quote God's promise from the book of Joel, "I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Acts 2:19-21) Such signs began on the day Jesus was crucified. The sun turned dark during the afternoon, causing the full moon to take on a reddish cast. An earthquake shook the ground. While these terrifying events were happening, the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom as the priests went about the work of the evening sacrifice. These were the beginning of the signs of the last days. When the Apostle John is given the prophecies of the book of Revelation, he foresees even more fearsome sights in the heavens and on the earth. The things John sees are the signs that the last days have entered into the period known as the "end times": the seven years of the Great Tribulation.
The Apostle Paul, who is believed to be the author of the book of Hebrews, speaks of the signs and wonders that accompanied the preaching of the gospel in the first century Christian church. The signs and wonders were intended to prove that the power of God was in the gospel. Paul warns us not to reject the gospel, for it is the truth, and it is the only message on earth with the power to save our souls. "How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? 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 by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will." (Hebrews 2:3-4) Paul asks, "What excuse do we have for rejecting the gospel? The Lord has provided all the proof we need to believe on His name. God is real. Jesus Christ is real. The Holy Spirit is real. If we reject such truth as this, we are without hope, without excuse, without defense."
Below is a link to a song I haven't heard in a long time, but our passage today brought it to mind. I hope you enjoy it. Have a blessed day in the Lord!
There Is A God
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