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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to the book of Acts, Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2, I'll read verses 
1 to 13. When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all 
with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound 
from heaven, as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled the 
whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided 
tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they 
were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with 
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there 
were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation 
under heaven. And when this sound occurred, 
the multitude came together and were confused, because everyone 
heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and 
marveled, saying to one another, Look, are not all these who speak 
Galileans? And how is it that we hear each 
in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes 
and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, 
Pontus and Asia. Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and 
the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene. Visitors from Rome, both 
Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs, we hear them speaking 
in our own tongues the wonderful works of God. So they were all 
amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, whatever could 
this mean? Others, mocking, said, they are 
full of new wine. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank you for the written word, and we thank you 
for the coming of the Holy Spirit. We acknowledge that you are the 
great and the living God. You are from everlasting to everlasting. You are one true and living God 
who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We thank 
you for this account in the book of Acts. We thank you for the 
promise fulfilled that Jesus gave with reference to the coming 
of the Holy Spirit. And I pray that you would guide 
us now by the Spirit to understand these things. May we be edified, 
may we be encouraged, and may we see, even more importantly, 
the great resources available to us in terms of the mission 
of the church. We ask that you would forgive 
us for our sins and our unrighteousness. We ask that you would deal graciously 
with any and all who have come here this morning that have not 
been forgiven, those who have not believed the gospel. We pray 
that today would be the day of salvation, that you would reach 
down in mercy and in grace, open hearts, and cause sinners to 
see that Jesus Christ alone is the way of salvation. And we 
pray these things in His most blessed name. Amen. Well, if 
you look specifically here at verse 1 in chapter 2, it says, 
the day of Pentecost. If you go back to chapter 1 at 
verse 2, it says, until the day in which he was taken up. Now, 
it's not the case that it was one day and then the very next 
day, but I think this is a way that Luke shows us the close 
connection between the ascension of our Lord Jesus and the descent 
of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the ascension 
and enthronement of Christ, his entrance into his current session 
at the right hand of the majesty of God on high, led to the outpouring 
of the Holy Spirit in power. And this also demonstrates the 
fulfillment of what Christ had spoken. Christ promised them 
the Holy Spirit. Christ urged them to stay in 
Jerusalem, to remain there until they were endued with power from 
on high. So we see not only this close 
link between ascension and the giving of the Holy Spirit, but 
the fulfillment of Jesus' word, the fulfillment of Jesus' promise 
to the apostles as well, their obedience They did tarry in Jerusalem, 
they were endued with power, and this is the means by which 
now they embark on the mission to be witnesses to Him, to testify 
to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, 
and then to the ends of the earth. So when we look at this particular 
chapter, or this section, I want to look at two things primarily. 
First, the descent of the Holy Spirit. And descent, kids, simply 
means the opposite of ascent. If Jesus ascended on high, the 
Spirit now descends from heaven to earth to empower God's people 
in a very specific way. So the descent of the Holy Spirit, 
and then secondly, the response of the crowd in verses 5 to 13. But with reference to this descent, 
note the occasion. It's the day of Pentecost, and 
essentially the day of Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks, 
came 50 days after the Passover. It was one of three pilgrim feasts, 
one of three of the feasts where the people of Israel had to travel 
to Jerusalem to celebrate this particular feast day. The book 
of Deuteronomy specifically indicates this in Deuteronomy 16. As well, 
Beal mentions that Pentecost celebrated not only the first 
fruits of harvest, but also beginning in the 2nd century BC, commemoration 
of God's giving of the law to Moses at Sinai. So since the 
2nd century BC, the Jews believe that Pentecost was also a celebration 
of when God spoke the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. And that 
being the case, this is significant. The Lord speaks the law from 
Sinai, in the book of Exodus. The Lord gives the Spirit here 
on that self same day and to demonstrate His power and His 
majesty and His glory. Now note the coming of the Holy 
Spirit. It tells us in verse 1, when 
the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one 
accord in one place. The all is probably the 120 disciples, 
not just the 12 apostles, but the 120 disciples that are mentioned 
there in the previous section in Acts chapter 1. But note in 
verse 2, and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing 
mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 
Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat 
upon each of them. This section reminds me of the 
Keith Green song, rushing wind, blow through this temple. And 
I think this is precisely where that brother got the reference. Suddenly there came a sound from 
heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole 
house where they were sitting. So the origin of this sound indicates 
the supernaturalness of it. It comes from heaven. We see 
the comparison. It wasn't a rushing, mighty wind, 
but the sound sounded as if it were indeed a rushing, mighty 
wind. And then you note the extent 
of it. It filled the whole house where they were sitting. So it 
was quite a glorious thing. 120 disciples hear this particular 
sound. And then notice the sound is 
accompanied by sight. It's not only a manifestation 
of the glory of God that is audible, but it's also visible. In fact, 
Bruce says that, the manifestation of the Spirit's advent was visible 
as well as audible. And again, I think these signs 
and wonders confirm to us that it was in fact of God. Signs 
and wonders are not given to dazzle the persons that see it. Signs and wonders are not given 
to impress the persons that see it, but signs and wonders accompany 
things to indicate or validate that it's truly of God. So they 
hear this particular sound, and then notice in verse 3, Again, 
the tongues of fire are distributed among the 120. This reference is found in the 
prophet Isaiah where fire appears to be tongues. It certainly fits 
in well here because the emphasis in the following section is going 
to be upon the specific tongues spoken by the disciples under 
the inspiration and power of the Holy Spirit. But if we stop 
here for just a moment and ask why. Why in the world does God 
do this in terms of sight and sounds to manifest His glory? Well, if we look at the chapter, 
we look at the section, we compare it with Old Testament narrative, 
we'll see it was what's called a theophany, a manifestation 
of God. God comes on the day of Pentecost 
in a very powerful and in a very glorious way. In some respect, 
it's akin to when the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle 
that Israel had constructed there in Exodus chapter 40. It's akin 
to when the glory of Yahweh filled the temple that Solomon had built. 
The Shekinah glory of God was present among the people of God 
in a very powerful and in a very awesome way. As well, when you 
think of fire, God comes to Sinai in fire according to Exodus 19.18. God comes in terms of His manifested 
glory in the storm and in the cloud and with the wind. The 
Lord God is manifesting here to the people of God that it 
has come. What had been prophesied by Joel 
specifically has come to fruition in the coming of the Holy Spirit. 
As Jesus had said, as the disciples were expecting, it has come upon 
them at this particular time. It marks the shift, or it marks 
a significant shift in terms of redemptive history. Now, notice 
they are filled with the Holy Spirit according to verse 4. 
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak 
with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. When we 
see this language of having been filled with the Holy Spirit, 
it answers to what Jesus promises in Acts 1.5. This is the baptism 
of the Holy Spirit. Again, there are persons that 
suggest that once you become a believer in Jesus Christ, at 
some subsequent period in your life, you will be baptized with 
the Holy Spirit. That's not the baptism of the 
Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit 
is seen here in Acts 2, Acts 8, and Acts 10, where Christ 
manifests His glory from the right hand of the Father, gives 
the people of God His Spirit in consistent or rather particular 
instances that answer to the mission outlined in Acts chapter 
1 verse 8. It's not a private thing. It's 
a corporate experience. It's not for the edification 
of one. It is rather for the communication of the gospel to 
the many. And so this outpouring of the 
Holy Spirit is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And then notice 
the disciples speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them 
utterance. Now I want to look at this whole 
issue of tongues here specifically in Acts chapter 2. Now, the only 
other place in Scripture that deals with tongues is in 1 Corinthians 
12 to 14. If we went through 1 Corinthians 
12 to 14, it wouldn't be a study in the book of Acts. I commend 
to you certain things to read on 1 Corinthians 12 to 14, but 
I would also highlight to you, we ought not to approach 1 Corinthians 
12 to 14 as something fundamentally different than what we see here 
in the book of Acts. If Acts 2 indicates that these 
were languages, languages which foreign people were able to understand, 
then why would we assume in 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 it was a prayer language? It was a private thing. It was 
for therapy on the part of the tongue speaker. There are languages 
in 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 also. There are many, many similarities 
that could be outlined. But again, we don't have the 
time to comb through 1 Corinthians 12-14. But here specifically, 
notice, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began 
to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. The tongues enabled the disciples 
to speak in the foreign languages of their audience. It's probably 
the most basic definition that we can give. The word is glossop. You might have heard of glossolalia. Glossolalia refers to tongue-speaking 
or tongue-talking, as my brother likes to refer to it. But glossop 
means language. It's not unintelligible, it's 
not gibberish, it's not bantering on. It is intelligible language, 
and that is what the Spirit gave to the disciples at this particular 
juncture. The tongues enabled the disciples 
to speak of God's activity in the language of their audience. 
Note as well that this tongue speaking is identified as prophesying. It's not gibberish, it's not 
unintelligible, it's not for the private edification of one 
particular person. Note that when Peter points to 
Joel's prophecy to interpret this as the fulfillment thereof, 
this activity of tongue speaking is referred to as prophecy. Notice in 2.17. And it shall 
come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out 
my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters 
shall prophesy." In other words, Peter says, this is that which 
was spoken by the prophet Joel. So tongue speaking ought to be 
understood relatively connected to prophesying. Again, that has 
specific application to 1 Corinthians 12 to 14. dealing with two separate, 
absolute, independent categories. The issue is that tongue speaking 
and prophesying were both a means or a vehicle by which the Word 
of God was revealed to others. You've got to keep that in mind. 
Tongue speaking and prophesying in the early church was necessary 
or were necessary because they didn't have Matthew to Revelation. They didn't have the New Testament 
documents. So God the Lord raised up or 
set aside tongue speakers and prophets to communicate His mind, 
to communicate His Word. The simple argument goes is that 
once the New Testament canon is complete, we no longer have 
a need for tongue speakers or prophesiers because we have the 
written revelation of God's Word. But I want to show you something 
else that is very consistent in the biblical narrative. We're 
going to try to make some larger observations as we move through 
this passage this morning. Turn to the book of Numbers for 
a moment. Numbers chapter 11. Numbers chapter 11. You McShane 
users have recently read this. So it shall simply be a review 
for you. But for those who, and a McShane 
user is somebody who uses Robert Murray McShane's Bible reading 
calendar, kind of takes you through the Bible, you know, each and 
every day you read a few chapters. Well, Numbers is where we happen 
to be in that. But essentially what happens 
in Numbers 11, the people are whining. I know that really shocks 
us, but that's what's happening. So much of the history of Israel 
can be identified this way. They whine. Not much has changed, has it? 
Why do you think Paul tells us in Philippians 2, do nothing 
with grumbling and disputing, or do all things without grumbling 
and disputing? Well, essentially what we have 
in Numbers 11 is the wilderness generation that, well, at this 
point are crying or whining or complaining because all they 
have to eat is this manna from heaven. And isn't that typical 
of us? God gives us free food and we 
complain. God gives us free stuff and we complain. I mean, it's 
very typical to, you know, liberal sort of politics today. We get 
free stuff but we want more. We just complain and we hold 
out our hands all the longer. But they're essentially complaining 
that that's all they've had is bread. And then Moses goes to 
Yahweh and he says, Yahweh, I can't do this. Why don't you just kill 
me now because I don't think I can manage or function properly 
with this multitude of people that are whining for meat. And 
God says, select 70 men. I want 70 elders, men that have 
been recognized among the people, and I'll take some of the Spirit 
from you, and I'll put that Spirit upon them. What happens when 
God does that with the 70? They start to prophesy. They 
start to prophesy in the tabernacle, but there were two fellows by 
the name of Eldad and Medad that did not or were not in the tabernacle. They were among the camp, and 
they prophesied as well. And somebody who heard them prophesy 
ran and told Moses, these two fellows, Moses, are prophesying. And then Joshua says, we can't 
let that happen. We can't let other persons prophesy. Now notice in Numbers chapter 
11, verse 28. So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' 
assistant, one of his choice men answered and said, Moses, 
my Lord forbid them. Then Moses said to him, are you 
zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people 
were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them. 
See, Moses not only doesn't say, you're right, Joshua, we need 
to put the kibosh on these two prophets. He says, would to God 
that he pour out the Spirit upon all of his people so that they 
would all prophesy. Isn't that what we're looking 
at in the book of Acts? It was prophesied in Joel 2 in 
the last days, or in the latter days, God would pour out His 
Spirit upon all flesh. And what would they do? They 
would prophesy. This has come to pass, what Moses 
longs for. And Numbers 11 has become a reality 
in the book of Acts. We see on the day of Pentecost, 
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit results in prophesying, specifically 
in the foreign languages, of those who were gathered together 
in Jerusalem for that Pilgrim Feast. What a perfect opportunity 
to reach the various nations of peoples than on a Pilgrim 
Feast day when the various nations of people would be present in 
Jerusalem. Do we appreciate the wisdom of 
God in all of this? Yea and amen. He's absolutely 
genius when it comes to carrying out His will. But going back 
to the book of Acts, Acts with reference to the tongues. The 
tongues were intelligible languages. Now, there are some who suggest 
that the miracle wasn't that the disciples spoke in foreign 
language, but they probably spoke in their native Aramaic or Greek. 
The miracle was that the various persons heard them. in their 
particular language. Again, this isn't a new interpretation. 
Calvin deals with it. John Gill deals with it. The 
various fellows that I use all deal with it. And they all say, 
no, that's not what happened. The emphasis in the passage isn't 
upon ears or hearing, except insofar as they heard what the 
disciples spoke. In fact, it's conspicuous. They 
were filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak with 
other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Notice as well, 
verse 6, and when this sound occurred, the multitude came 
together and were confused because everyone heard them speak in 
his own language. Again, verse 8, it says, and 
how is it that we hear each in our own language in which we 
were born, our native tongue? And then in verse 11b, it says, 
speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God. The emphasis 
isn't upon the hearing. The emphasis isn't upon the ears. 
It's upon the tongues spoken by the disciples. And again, 
not gibberish, not unintelligible, not some private prayer dialogue, 
but the communication of the mighty works of God in the various 
languages of those who were there on the day of Pentecost. Tongue 
speaking shouldn't be confusing. Tongue speaking shouldn't be 
difficult. The subject of tongues, unfortunately, 
has become a mess in professing Christianity because of the excesses 
of the charismatic and the Pentecostal movement that look at tongues 
as if they themselves are an end. They're not an end. It was 
a vehicle by which Galilean preachers could speak in foreign tongues. Why? Because those foreigners 
needed to hear the truth of Christ and his gospel. It really is 
that simple. You meet your Charismatic, your 
Pentecostal friend, and they say, have you been filled with 
the Spirit? Have you uttered in tongues? 
Why? What's the mark of somebody that's 
a genuine Christian in the book of Acts? It ain't tongue speaking, 
it's faith in Jesus. If you are here this morning, 
I will never tell you to go out and speak in tongues. In fact, 
I might tell you, please don't ever do that. But I will tell 
you, believe on Jesus. The emphasis in the book of Acts 
is on faith and repentance. What's Peter say at the end of 
his Pentecostal sermon in Acts chapter 2? Repent and be baptized 
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And then 
you'll receive the promise of the Holy Spirit, not tongues. Brethren, the tongues were a 
vehicle by which the disciples were enabled to communicate the 
great works of God to needy sinners. That's it. As well, the miracle, 
if it was in the hearing, would be shifted to the hearers and 
not the speakers. That doesn't make sense. The 
Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples, they began to speak with other 
tongues. If they were simply speaking Aramaic or Greek, and 
the magic happened on the receiver's end, then the miracle was on 
the receiver's end. It wasn't upon the disciple who 
had been filled with the Holy Spirit. Up to that point, just 
having been able to hear what these men were communicating 
was no indication that they actually had received the Holy Spirit. 
John Gill comments, whence it appears that it was not one language 
only which was spoken by the apostles, which men of different 
languages heard and understood as if it was their own. For then 
the miracle must have been in the hearers and not in the speakers, 
and the cloven tongues as a fire should rather have sat on them 
than on the disciples. And these men said to be filled 
with the gifts of the Holy Spirit rather than they." It shifts 
the locus of the miracle. As well the statement in verse 
7. Notice in verse 7, then they were all amazed and said, look, 
are not all these who speak Galileans? Now, there's probably one of 
three possibilities as to why they brought that up. Remember 
that Peter was identified by the servant girl because he had 
a different dialect. The Galileans had a different 
dialect. They sounded a bit different. 
That's one option. The other is, they were looked 
at as uneducated hillbillies. I don't mean to offend anybody, 
but remember, can anything good come out of Nazareth? Can anything 
good hail from that country, bumpkin region that's up in the 
north? Sort of the way a New Yorker 
would look at an Eastern Kentuckian. Or a Vancouverite would look 
at a Chilliwackian, can anything good come out of Chilliwack? 
They were these country bumpkin folks. Or it might just be, they're 
Jews. They speak the Native American 
Greek. The point is, how in the world 
are these Galilean men speaking in foreign languages? It's not the hearing that's on 
parade, it's the speaking of the tongues that's on parade. 
And it couldn't be more conspicuous in the narrative. In fact, Alexander 
says that. Words don't make sense if this 
isn't communicating to us that the miracle was in the tongue 
speaking. And then the statement in verse 13. The others, I'm 
going to argue that the others in verse 13, the mockers, the 
detractors, are native Jerusalemites that were unbelievers and rejecters 
of all things Jesus. What do they say? They say, these 
men are filled with new wine. Literally, they're filled with 
sweet wine. That means they're drunk. Now brethren, if the apostles 
or the disciples were speaking the native Aramaic or Greek, 
why would it have sounded like drunken gibberish to these native 
Jerusalemites? In other words, if they were 
speaking the same language of the native Jerusalemites, why 
in the world would it have sounded like drunken gibberish? But they 
weren't. They were speaking the tongues 
of the various peoples that were then present. That's why it sounded 
like drunken gibberish to the others who mocked in verse 13. The emphasis in the passage is 
that the Holy Spirit comes. He fills his people and the manifestation 
of this, not the rushing wind or the sound and not the visible 
sort of manifestation, but the manifestation of the Spirit's 
presence is that they prophesy. And the prophecy comes specifically 
via tongues. Again, tongues isn't some strange, 
weird thing that has been co-opted by certain groups in professing 
Christianity and made absolutely unintelligible. We would never 
get that from the narrative. We have to import that from our 
theology and impose it on there that what's happening here, that 
what's going on here is normative for the people of God through 
all ages. No, it's not. They were prophesying concerning 
the great works of God Most High, utilizing the tongues given them 
by the Spirit in order to communicate to the various people groups 
that were then present. Now, why? Why was this? Why did this happen? Again, fulfillment 
of Jesus' words. Fulfillment of Old Covenant prophecy. 
Peter's gonna go there in Acts 2. He's gonna say, these men 
are not drunk as you suppose. It's only the third hour of the 
day. but rather this is what the prophet Joel had spoken. 
But well, in terms of practically, the tongues not only express 
the revelatory word of God, but were the confirmatory sign to 
the revelatory word of God. In other words, it's not only 
that God gave revelation via tongues through these disciples, 
but the very fact that they were able to communicate to the various 
foreigners that were then present, confirms that this was indeed 
supernatural. It's a gift of the Holy Spirit. 
It's a power from on high. Because these are Galileans, 
either with their dialect or their country bumpkin-ness or 
the fact that they only speak Aramaic or Greek. How in the 
world could these men ever communicate to the Parthians and the Elamites 
and the various people that are then represented? It was a manifestation 
of the glory of God, a sign and wonder that confirmed that what 
was going forth was in fact the revelatory Word of God. Alexander 
said, it served like any other miracle but with a special propriety 
and force to prove the reality of an extraordinary spiritual 
influence which might otherwise have been denied or doubted. 
And it's just here that persons that are favorable toward tongue 
speaking today say, well, that's it, right? We should have tongues 
operative in the life of the church because it manifests the 
power of God. Yeah, provided it's done where 
God has authorized it. There's no need for it today. 
And then we're told we're deists, or we're deniers of the supernatural, 
or we've got problems, you don't think God can do things today. Oh yeah, we do. We just typically 
think that the power of God in regenerating a dead sinner is 
a sign of the supernatural mess of the Holy Spirit. There's no 
denial of the supernatural among those who do not see tongue speaking 
as operative today. There is no denial whatsoever 
that God is able to do what God is pleased to do. There's a denial, 
however, that what goes on in the name of tongues in some of 
the confessing churches of Jesus Christ is what Luke is talking 
about, or what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 12 to 
14. I don't want to show of hands, but have any of you been to a 
tongue service? I wasn't there in Acts 2, but 
I'm certain it didn't look like what I've witnessed. Bizarre. Strange, odd, no regard for interpreters, 
no regard that anybody has any intelligible understanding of 
what's happening. The zanier the better, the goofier 
the holier. That's just not our God. Our God's not about goofy to 
be holy. Our God's not about zany to promote 
His glory. Our God is supra-rational. Our God is reason. Our God is 
intelligibility. Our God, when He supplies the 
gift of tongues in the church at Corinth, says, there better 
be an interpreter. Our God is not the author of 
confusion. Brethren, there is no denial 
of the supernatural by those of us who deny the operation 
of tongues in the church today, but rather there is an affirmation 
of God's glory in the church today. And then the tongues were 
employed to make known the wonderful works of God. Look at verse 11. 
We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works 
of God. John Calvin made this very perceptive 
observation. He said the diversity of tongues 
did hinder the gospel. Again, I think we hear that word 
tongues and we go Pentecostal. We think weird things. We think 
I bought a Yamaha, should have bought a Honda. I think that 
we hear tongues and that's where our minds inevitably go. It means languages. Spanish, 
Chinese, English. Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, it's 
language. When you hear the word tongue, 
you shouldn't think Benny Hinn. When you hear the word tongue, 
you shouldn't think Holy Roller. When you hear the word tongue, 
you shouldn't think snake handlers. You should think language, English, 
Chinese, Spanish. He says, the diversity of tongues 
did hinder the gospel from being spread abroad any farther, so 
that if the preachers of the gospel had spoken one language 
only, all men would have thought that Christ had been shut up 
in a small corner of Jewry. But God invented a way whereby 
it might break out. When He divided and clothed the 
tongues of the apostles, that they might spread abroad amongst 
all people which was delivered to them. The sign of tongues, 
the demonstration of tongues, confirms that it's the revelatory 
word of God with a supernatural origin. The purpose was to make 
known the works of God, the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus 
Christ, not just to one small band in Jewry, as Calvin says, 
but to all the nations of the earth. That's what's going on 
here. Now, note the response of the 
crowd. Luke is very conspicuous to describe 
for us the enormity of the crowd. Again, it's a Jewish feast day. It's one of the three required 
feasts wherein those who adhere to the Jewish religion must travel 
to Jerusalem. Now notice in verse 5. And there 
were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation 
under heaven. Notice in verse 9, Parthians 
and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea, 
Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts 
of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 
Cretans and Arabs. So you see this general statement 
in verse 5 and then the specific description in verses 9 to 11. 
One of the reasons why so many people were there, it was a required 
thing. Proselyte here was a Gentile that had converted to Judaism. 
And the proselytes that were Gentiles that converted to Judaism 
had to undergo circumcision. They had to participate in all 
of the sort of religious calendar of Israel. They had to abide 
by Torah. Bruce notes that most proselytes 
to the Jewish religion were women. Men didn't want to get circumcised. 
They are probably the devout ones. They adhere to the religion, 
but they're not full-blown proselytes. The point of the narrative is 
that diaspora Jews, that means dispersion Jews, come to Jerusalem 
on this feast day, on this Feast of Weeks. They come. This is 
the assembled audience. As well, the nations flowing 
to Jerusalem is suggested to us by this particular scene. Isaiah the prophet prophesied 
in Isaiah chapter 2, verses 1 to 4, that in the latter days, The 
nations would stream to Jerusalem to hear the word of Yahweh, to 
hear the law of Yahweh. This ought to jump out at us, 
the nations assembled, to hear what? The authorized designees 
of our Lord Jesus speaking the truth of God's holy word. But 
another reason why is the reversal of Babel. The Tower of Babel, 
what happens at Babel? God confuses them with tongues 
and disperses them. Here they're confused, but the 
tongues brings them together. It's a beautiful thing. And I 
don't think there's a direct correspondence in terms of the 
list of nations indicated in verses 9 to 11 and what we find 
in Genesis 10, which is a table of the nations, but there's a 
conceptual correspondence. Genesis 10, the table of the 
nations, Genesis 11, the godless building enterprise of the unbelievers. They try to make a name for themselves. 
They try to build a tower that will reach up into the heavens. 
And so what does God do? He confounds them. He confuses 
them. He gives them various tongues, 
and then they are dispersed. But what do we see happening 
here at Pentecost? We see a reversal of that. We 
see that God, in His mercy and in His grace, in this age of 
Messiah, sends the Spirit and power. They're confused, all 
right. They're hearing the languages 
that they themselves know since their birth. But in this instance, 
it's not to disperse them, but it's to band them together as 
the people of God. John Gill said, with reference 
to this comment, these cloven tongues cannot but bring to mind 
the division and confusion of the tongues or languages at Babel, 
which gave rise to different nations and different religions. 
But these divided tongues gave rise to the spreading of the 
gospel and settling the true religion among the nations of 
the world. So one of the things that we often emphasize in terms 
of a biblical theological approach to the Bible, what God starts 
at the beginning, he finishes at the end. He finishes. And it's because 
of the work of the second Adam. It's because of the work of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. There's this reversal of Babel 
based on new covenant realities. Now note the question concerning 
the phenomena. The people are perplexed. The 
people are puzzled. I mean, if I went to a place 
and I heard somebody, if I was in China and some guy stood up 
and he preached the gospel and he was preaching to me in English, 
I'd be pretty shocked by that. We're in a sea of Chinese people 
and this guy's preaching to me in English. That's amazing. So 
you can't fault them for a bit of perplexity with reference 
to their response. But notice, confusion, verse 
6. And when this sound occurred, 
the multitude came together and were confused. Again, not confused 
in the sense that we don't want anything to do with this, but 
confused in the sense that, wow, these are Galileans. They're 
speaking to us in whatever language. As well, they are amazed, verse 
7. Then they were all amazed and 
marveled, saying to one another. Again, verse 12, notice. So they 
were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, whatever 
could this mean? Now, Peter's going to answer 
this, and Peter's going to respond to this, and Peter's going to 
tell them what this means. But at this particular point, 
in verse 12, they're shocked. What's happening here? But note 
specifically the content that is being communicated. It's another 
thing that bugs me about Pentecostalism and Charismaticism. They have 
these prophetic meetings, and the prophecy is always for the 
individual. You're going to get a new car. 
You're going to get a new job. You're going to get what's behind 
door number two. They hawk blessings in the name 
of Jesus to any recipient they may happen to wander in them. 
Tongues were never given for the private benefit of the individual. Prophecy certainly wasn't either. 
I've got a prophetic word for you. I can get that at the local 
Chinese restaurant in the fortune cookie. I don't need some so-called 
preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ telling me to quit my 
job and pursue another because there's more benefits available 
and God's told me. That's hot wash, brethren. It's bad, bad, terrible theology. That people get duped into it 
just shows that people want something. Why can't we just want Christ? Why can't we just want the forgiveness 
of sins? Why can't we just want the imputed 
righteousness of Jesus? We really are those murmurers 
in the wilderness in Numbers 11. We're tired of this bread. We want meat. We're tired of 
the meat, we want bread. We're just never happy. And it 
seems there's a class of at least professing preachers that will 
cater and pander to people in this carnality. This isn't why 
they prophesied on the day of Pentecost. This isn't why God 
gave them the gift of tongues. You there from Elam, you're gonna 
get a new job. You there from Pontus, you're 
gonna get a new, that's not what it was. These meetings for prophesying 
and tongue speaking, where man is at the center, is anti-God. Notice verse 11. We hear them 
speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God. Why does God give tongues? So that you can be internally 
at peace? No. so that you can achieve some 
level of mental health, which these are the claims. Tongue 
speaking, according to Psalm, promotes this inner peace. It 
promotes this tranquility. Whatever it promotes, it's not 
promoting God. And that's what tongues were 
doing in the book of Acts on the day of Pentecost. Notice, 
they are speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of 
God. That's what tongues were about. 
John Gill says, not the works of creation and providence, though 
these are great and wonderful, but of redemption, pardon, atonement, 
justification, and salvation by the Messiah, by His obedience, 
sufferings, and death, and also of His resurrection from the 
dead. So that's the content that was 
spoken as these men were given the Spirit, they were given tongues 
to speak in the foreign languages of their audience, their subject 
and discourse was the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then 
as I said, verse 12, they're amazed, they're perplexed, what 
can this mean? Well, Peter's going to answer. But Peter's 
response specifically comes to the mockers of verse 13. Notice, 
others mocking said, they are full of new wine. Again, I argue, 
I will maintain, the others here are native Jerusalemites that 
are opposed to Christ and are opposed to Christianity. Don't 
we see that in Matthew? Haven't we seen that in Matthew? 
Continual contempt for Christ and for his disciples represented 
in the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. Such that our Lord Jesus prophesies 
the destruction of their temple. Matthew 23, the Olivet Discourse 
in Matthew 24, Jesus tells them that the temple will be destroyed. Do you think they all got religion 
between the time that Jesus said that and the time that he ascended 
on high? No, these are the mockers. See, it's the proselytes, it's 
the devout, it's the ones that are holding the feast. They're 
the ones that have come to Jerusalem on this feast day. They're the 
ones that are amazed. They're the ones that are perplexed. 
They're the ones that are ultimately, by God's grace, going to believe 
the gospel. But it's these others that are 
mocking. They say, they're full of sweet 
wine. They're drunk. They're out of their minds. They 
don't know what they're talking about. Those mockers demonstrate 
something I think that Luke wants us to appreciate as we enter 
into the book of Acts. The mockery ultimately instigates 
Peter's response, notice in verse 15, for these are not drunk as 
you suppose since it is only the third hour of the day. John 
Gill said it, drunkenness, could never have furnished them with 
a faculty of speaking with many tongues. He says men generally 
lose their tongues by intemperance. They don't get better at speaking 
when they're intemperate. They get worse. But it also highlights 
another function of tongues, and one that goes undealt with 
by Pentecostalism and Charismaticism, as far as I know. Tongues are 
a sign of judgment. prophesied by God or promised 
by God in Deuteronomy 28. Now, anybody who's been in our 
church for any amount of time, Deuteronomy 28 should resonate 
in your head. Covenant curses. And in 28 49, 
one of the covenant curses is, is that persons will come into 
your land that you will not understand their language. What's that mean? Foreign invaders. When Paul is 
dealing with tongues in Corinth, in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, 
he quotes from the prophet Isaiah 28, 11, and 12. And the specific 
application by Paul in that context is that tongues are a sign for 
unbelievers. It's judgment. Now follow me, 
why judgment here at the Jerusalem temple in Acts chapter 2? Because 
God is showing us something. Remember that the tabernacle 
became the temple, it was located in Jerusalem, it became the political 
and the religious capital of the Davidic kingdom. Now, the 
Davidic kings were not consistent, they were not faithful, so God 
sends Babylon in to desecrate and decimate the Jewish temple. 
It is rebuilt by Herod. It is then occupied again by 
the Judahites during the time of Jesus. It was a sign of pride 
for them. It was the argument that if the 
temple stands, that must mean Yahweh is with us. But when we 
note the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, He doesn't look 
at it that way. He cleanses the temple. He denounces 
the temple. He says that the temple is going 
to be destroyed. So I would argue that the tongues 
in Acts chapter 2 communicated the great works of God to those 
whom God had purpose to save, but to these mockers, to these 
detractors, to these ones who opposed, it was a sign of judgment. You've got to see this, because 
later in Acts 2, when Peter is speaking, and he quotes the prophet 
Joel, and he uses this sort of cosmic phenomena, he's not talking 
about the end of the world. We argued in Matthew 24 that 
that cosmic phenomena meant the destruction of the temple in 
A.D. 70. Peter does the same thing 
in Acts 2. Stephen is going to go before 
the Sanhedrin of the Council. Why? Because he spoke against 
this place. See, there's a shift, there's 
a movement coming. Whereas in the Old Covenant, 
God's temple was among the people, God's temple in the New Covenant 
is within the people by the Holy Spirit. What's Paul say in 1 
Corinthians 3 and 2 Corinthians 6? You are the temple of God. Now I know we take that passage 
and we say, well you can't smoke and you shouldn't eat sugary 
donuts and all that sort of thing. But that's not the emphasis primarily. You, the church, the people of 
God, are the temple of God. Paul tells us this precisely 
in Ephesians 2. Peter tells us this precisely 
in 1 Peter 2. Where's the temple in the new 
covenant community? It's in us by the power of the 
Holy Spirit. It is the church. We are living 
stones of this great building place of God. And this is all 
going to eventuate in the new Jerusalem that descends out of 
heaven into the midst of the people. What does the prophet 
say there? Or John the Apostle say? There 
was no temple. God and the Lord Jesus are the 
temple. You see, this is a sign to the 
unbelieving mockers that there's a shift coming. Jerusalem is 
going to be radically altered. The temple is going to be destroyed. 
The locus of the people of God is no longer attached to Jerusalem, 
but it's worldwide. It's comprehensive. Every tribe, 
every tongue, every people, every nation. Because God Most High 
promised Abraham, and it's realized in our Lord Jesus Christ. Tongues 
are a sign of judgment for unbelievers, and this manifests that. G.K. Beal says, the tongues of foreigners. This is the Isaiah prophecy. The tongues of foreigners, specifically 
they're Assyrians. Remember, the northern tribes 
were cut off in 722 BC. What happens when you're an Israelite 
and you speak the language of Hebrew and all of a sudden you 
start hearing Assyria? Brethren, things aren't good. 
I'm not gonna get into the whole immigration thing, we need to 
make immigrants learn English, though I think we should. But 
the bottom line is is that when you are outgunned in your own 
homeland by native or by foreign speakers, things aren't good 
for you. and it was a sign of judgment 
during the prophecy of Isaiah. Beal says, the tongues of foreigners, 
i.e., the Assyrians, being heard in Israel would indicate that 
judgment on the nation was commencing as the foreigners were invading 
the desolate nation. You get that, right? Not gibberish, 
not unintelligible thought, not for me, but the actual languages 
of another body politic filling your land. That can't bode well. He goes on to say, likewise, 
the same judgment appears with the tongues at Pentecost, though 
this time it indicates Israel's definite destruction together 
with their temple. Remember, we saw that in Matthew's 
gospel. What does Jesus say? Therefore, I'm taking the kingdom 
from you, Jewish nation, Israel Commonwealth, and I'm giving 
it to a nation that bears fruits consistent with it. This shouldn't 
be a, you know, wow, Butler never heard this. We heard it a lot 
in Matthew's gospel. But look at the continuity. Look 
at the consistency and the cogency. Peter or Luke understands what's 
going on. And they highlight, or he highlights 
this over and over again. The focus of the redemptive purposes 
of God are no longer confined to ethnic Israel. They are going 
out to every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Beal says, though 
this time it indicates Israel's definite destruction together 
with their temple. The voices Israel hears are not 
those of the Assyrian soldiers preparing to destroy the land, 
but Galileans proclaiming that the establishment of a new temple 
had begun. I think that's what we need to 
get here. It's not for your personal fulfillment 
or what am I going to do after this gig's over. It's to magnify 
the great works of God Most High. It is to communicate to those 
who don't have that same, you know, giver-receptor sort of 
dynamic. It is to get the Word of God 
into the languages of the peoples, to get it out there, to magnify 
Jesus Christ. But it's also a sign of God's 
judgment. For these Jerusalemites, as they 
mock the disciples, they mock Christ and His earthly ministry, 
they will continue to reap the benefits, or the bad benefits, 
of their having rebelled against God. And so it's not Assyrians 
they got to worry about, it's Galileans proclaiming the great 
works of God Most High. I hope that makes sense. I think 
that's the redemptive historical shift that we're seeing here 
in the book of Acts. So in conclusion, we ought to 
learn first with reference to the presence and the power of 
the Holy Spirit. The Spirit comes as promised by Jesus. He told 
them, Luke 24, Acts chapter 1, we should always stand amazed 
at the fulfillment of Scripture. I know it's kind of old hat for 
us as Bible readers. Assuming we're all Bible readers, 
we come to that formula used often in the New Testament, as 
it was, or as it was said in the scripture, as it was stated, 
or as it has been said. We kind of get used to that. 
Brethren, do you realize how many hundreds and thousands of 
years happened between some of these original promises and their 
fulfillment? I mean, we hear this all the 
time, the Bible, it's all full of contradictions. That's amazing, 
because Isaiah prophesied the crucifixion of Jesus Christ 700 
years before Jesus Christ. came to the earth. Do we actually 
sort of let that roll around in our heads and say, wait a 
minute, yeah, David writes concerning crucifixion in Psalm 22, you 
know, long before they even knew what crucifixion was. The prophet, 
or rather Moses the prophet, says in Deuteronomy 18, or God 
through him says, I will raise up one like you from among your 
brethren. Him you shall hear. And then 
in Matthew 17, God says, this is my beloved son, him you shall 
hear. You see, the Bible is all about 
connecting the dots for us. What was given in the Old Testament 
in terms of anticipation is brought forth in the New Testament in 
terms of fulfillment or realization. We ought to be thankful for that. 
We ought to praise God for that. We have to realize that He's 
got it under His control, and that should make us very, very 
happy. The Spirit comes as sent by Jesus. Notice in verse 33, "...therefore, 
being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from 
the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this 
which you now see and hear." All three persons of the Trinity. 
Well, the Bible doesn't teach the Trinity. Yes, it does. You 
just don't want to see it. Promise of the Father. Sent by 
the Son. Father, Son, Spirit. The actual 
missions happening there reflect something concerning the various 
processions or relationships among the persons of the Trinity. 
It's a beautiful thing. But it's Christ who is ascended 
on high and he sends forth the Spirit. The ascension of Jesus 
results in the descent of the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit comes 
to empower the apostles in carrying out their mission, 1A. Now, while 
the tongues may not be available to us today, the Spirit is. And I think I say this a lot. I've got a list, you probably 
have a list at home, things that Butler nags us about a lot, at 
least mentally. We should pray on Sunday morning 
for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Why do we show up here 
in an unspiritual state seeking to accomplish spiritual things? 
Why is that? Now, I'm not saying you didn't 
pray for the Holy Spirit this morning, but if you didn't, listen. We want sinners to be saved. 
We want the people of God to grow. We want marriages to be 
better, family relationships stronger. We want children to 
love and esteem their parents, parents to love and esteem their 
children. We want all that. Those are spiritual things. It's 
not five easy tips from the recent guru of parenting that's going 
to fill the void in your life. You and I need the Holy Spirit. 
We want the gospel to go forth and we want sinners to be saved. 
God save my so-and-so. God save my whoever. Pray for 
the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We need his illuminating power. 
We need him to guide us, to direct us, to lead us, to open our minds, 
to open our hearts, to show us the truth as it is in Jesus. 
We must have the Spirit. So the idea that tongues have 
ceased doesn't mean the Spirit has ceased. Again, these are 
the sort of harebrained arguments, that must mean you don't believe 
in the Holy Spirit. Of course I believe in the Holy Spirit. 
Don't we confess with the Apostles' Creed, I believe in the Holy 
Spirit? We most certainly affirm that. 
We need to pray on Sunday morning. We need to pray on Sunday afternoon. 
We need to pray on Saturday night. God send the Spirit. That hymn 
we sang in 253, I'm sure we've sang it recently. Oh, we're singing 
the same hymns. That hymn is great. Singing to 
God to send forth the Holy Spirit, plenitude and grace. Wherever 
our apostate nation is, we pray that your influence would be 
felt. Secondly, I've mentioned that what we find more often 
than not in the book of Acts is a description of redemptive 
history and something that's not prescriptive. In other words, 
there's no imperative here. This is how you must live. I 
want to show you this very quickly, very clearly, that what Luke 
is highlighting is not for our personal imitation. Now, I mentioned 
earlier that the gift of tongues is only mentioned here and it's 
mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 to 14. Do you know that in 1230, 
let's make sure here, yeah, 1230. Paul says that not everybody 
has tongues. I don't get this. Okay, this 
is the mark of ones having received the Holy Spirit. In fact, turn 
to 1 Corinthians 12, just so you see that I'm not making this 
up. Paul tells us we ought never to assume that everybody's going 
to have the Holy Spirit. Yet in certain circles, this is the 
mark of having had the Holy Spirit or having received the Holy Spirit. 
Notice, first, we'll go back to verse 28. God has appointed 
these in the church. First, apostles, second prophets, 
third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, 
administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are 
all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers 
of miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak with 
tongues? Do all interpret? Now, the way he's asking the 
question expects a negative response. We have that convention in English 
as well. I said, you don't wanna poke 
your eye with a fork, do you? I'm expecting a no. And when Paul goes through those 
various offices and gifts, he expects a no? No, of course not, 
everybody has tongues. So why would anybody say this 
is the mark of the Holy Spirit, that you speak in tongues? How 
do they get around that? But back to Acts 2. The gift 
of tongues in the book of Acts is on display at crucial times 
in redemptive history, and in each instance corresponds with 
the mission parameters set forth in chapter 1, verse 8. The long 
packed statement, let me read it again. The gift of tongues 
in the book of Acts is on display at crucial times in redemptive 
history and in each instance corresponds with the mission 
parameters in Acts 1A. So you have this Pentecost in 
Jerusalem in Acts 2. Spirit comes, they speak in tongues. This corresponds to the mission 
parameters of Acts 1.8. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem. Now notice in Acts 8, Acts chapter 
8. This is what we can call the 
Samaritan Pentecost. And again, corresponding with 
those mission parameters set forth in Acts 1.8, be my witnesses 
in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria. Notice in Acts 8.14, now when 
the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received 
the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to that. who, when they 
had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy 
Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only 
been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid 
hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit." Now, in this 
instance, they don't speak in tongues, but they received the 
Holy Spirit here in Samaria. Remember, Samaria is connected 
to Judah. And Samaria, back in the day, 
was at one time unified with Judah. But as well, back in the 
day, Samaria kind of became its own nation. They were looked 
down upon by the Judahites. So this is really another ethnic 
people. Do you see the mission parameters? 
Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria. Jerusalem, they get the Holy 
Spirit. They speak in tongues. Samaria, they get the Holy Spirit. 
They don't speak in tongues, but notice third, Acts 10. Acts chapter 10, this is Peter 
with the household of Cornelius. Now, Cornelius was a Gentile, 
flat-out, bottom-line Gentile. Notice in 10.44, while Peter 
was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all 
those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision 
who believed were astonished, as many came with Peter, because 
the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles 
also, for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God." 
Again, mission parameters in Acts 1, verse 8. Witnesses in 
Jerusalem, Acts 2. Witnesses in Judea and Samaria, 
Acts 8. Witnesses to the ends of the 
earth, Gentiles in Acts 10. Those are the three instances 
where the Holy Spirit comes and tongue-speaking results. That's 
it. Though I should mention Acts 
19. This is John the Baptist's disciples, and they get some 
dealing with Paul specifically. But those are the three instances. 
Now again, look at what's happening. Corresponds to the mission parameter. 
Witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth. 
Not in your private life, not for new cars or houses, not for 
wives, not for homes or anything like that. It's corporate. It's not to be duplicated. It 
is with reference to that agenda set forth by Christ. The Holy 
Spirit comes in power to manifest and to demonstrate, as Raymond 
says, that Christ is exalted Lord at the right hand of the 
Father. Alexander helpfully points out, in light of my interpretation 
of tongues as a sign of judgment to those others, look at what 
Luke is doing. Acts 8, Samaritans are being included 
in the people of God, and then Gentiles are being included in 
the people of God. More judgment upon those ones 
who are mocking, those who rejected Jesus Christ. What we have are 
key instances where the Holy Spirit is coming, adding persons, 
foreigners, to the people of God to demonstrate that what's 
happening is that Israel, as a body politic, is no longer 
God's chosen people, but rather they've entered the rank and 
file of every other. The true sons of Abraham are 
not ethnically descendant. They are those spiritually connected 
through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that what Paul 
says in Galatians 3, 26 to 29? You Gentiles are sons of Abraham. You Gentiles, who's a true Jew 
according to Romans 2? Is he one circumcised outwardly? 
No, he's circumcised inwardly. Paul writing to a Gentile church 
in Philippians chapter 3 says, we are the circumcision. The NAS renders it properly. 
We are the true circumcision. These Judaizers are mutilators. 
It's the people of God united by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ 
that are the circumcision. They are the people of God. So 
brethren, the emphasis in Acts 2, Acts 8, and Acts 10 is not 
on your spiritual well-being, it is on communicating the great 
works of God, first to Jews and then to Gentiles. Thompson says, 
Luke's focus in these texts is on the fulfillment of prophecy, 
salvation history, and the beginning of the last days, rather than 
paradigms for individual experiences. In each of these chapters, Luke 
emphasizes corporate experience. Now, if you come from a tongue-speaking 
church, you probably have heard things that you disagree with, 
and I will grant that, that you disagree with it. But take these 
things and reflect upon them and ask the question, are these 
gurus of tongues handling accurately the biblical data? or have they 
produced an environment that is contra Bible in demanding 
for people or demanding rather from people that they speak in 
tongues as the sign that they have received the Holy Spirit. 
See, to me, that's barbarism, spiritual barbarism. It's oppressive, 
it's abusive, and it certainly is not consistent with what Scripture 
says. We don't expect everyone to speak 
in tongues, do we, Paul says? No, of course not. You don't 
like Brussels sprouts, do you? Well, the expected answer is 
no, I don't. We don't expect everybody to 
do that, and yet there's a group of people that says, that's the 
proof that you've received the Holy Spirit. No, the proof that 
you've received the Holy Spirit is that you by grace have believed 
the gospel. This is what Paul says in Ephesians 
1. We believe in what happens. We receive the Holy Spirit. He is the seal. He is the guarantee. He is the down payment of what 
God will realize in the consummated glory. All the blood bots have 
the Holy Spirit. All those who look to Christ 
have the Holy Spirit. All those who are born again 
have the Holy Spirit. It's not subsequent. It's not 
a second work of grace. We ought not to be praying for 
a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit in the charismatic sense. Brethren, 
we have the Spirit. Now, there's a filling with the 
Spirit. Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, 
but be filled with the Spirit. And I love it. Ephesians 5, what's 
filling with the Spirit look like? Tongue-talking? No. Prophesying? No. Personal satisfaction? No. It looks like singing hymns 
and psalms and spiritual songs unto God. It looks like speaking 
to one another in love. It looks like submitting to one 
another in the fear of God. You have the Holy Spirit, ladies, 
when you submit to your own husbands, as unto the Lord. You have the 
Holy Spirit, husbands, when you're not jerks to your wife. You have 
the Holy Spirit, kids, when you've believed by God's grace on the 
gospel, and you actually want to honor your parents. That's 
what the Holy Spirit does. He produces holy. Not weird, 
not strange, not odd duck. That's why Paul says, an unbeliever 
is going to come in with all these people speaking in tongues, 
and he's going, what's happening here? If you've ever been to 
a tongues meeting, you've thought, what's happening here? Brethren, it isn't that hard, 
but I want to end on this note. If you have come here and you've 
come from a tongue-speaking church, again, I just encourage you to 
reflect upon these things, search the scriptures, ask the proper 
questions, put it in its proper biblical theological categories 
and contexts, and realize that tongues are, I would almost say, 
primarily judgment. Judgment here, judgment certainly 
when the Assyrians came, judgment certainly when the Babylonians 
came, But for those who are not believers, you may never be able 
to sort of repeat everything I've said with reference to tongues. 
My only hope is that you remember that they spoke the wonderful 
works of God. And as I think Gil successfully 
shows what we find there, what is the wonderful works of God 
or what are the wonderful works of God? Yeah, creation's great. 
Who this morning didn't look outside and say, wow, Notice that, having been a native 
Californian, you don't appreciate the sun. Coming to my 21st year 
in Chilliwack, you appreciate the sun. Used to puzzle me, a 
fellow in our church back in the day, it would be sunny outside, 
and he'd be, you know, just doing like this, just soaking it in. 
Well, growing up in Southern California, that's just old hat. 
The sun's your constant companion. But man, after three months here 
of rain, a day like this, you can't but say, wow! Who could 
deny God on a day like this? That shows the folly of atheism. His works of providence are glorious. He governs all his creatures 
and all their actions. Our God is in the heavens. He 
does whatever he pleases. Nebuchadnezzar knew and confessed, 
there is none that can stay his hand or ask, what doest thou? 
But it's the works. of redemption. It's the cross 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's his life of perfect obedience 
to the Father, his fulfillment of everything given to him in 
terms of the covenant. It is his death at Calvary wherein 
he served as a substitute and as a sacrifice. The way that 
bull or that lamb or that bird for the poor was taken to the 
tabernacle or to the temple, where the worshipper slit its 
throat and turned it over to the priest who then offered it 
up in fire to God Most High. That's Christ! That's Jesus. That's the significance of John 
1 29. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the 
world. The Lamb of God, not simply in 
his meekness and in his mildness, but in the fact that his throat 
was cut and he was offered up for our sins, not literally, 
but figuratively. It pleased Yahweh to bruise Him, 
to crush Him, as the NAS renders it, as our substitute, as a sacrifice. But He doesn't stay in the tomb. He's raised the third day. He 
meets with His apostles for these 40 days. He ascends on high. He sits enthroned at the right 
hand of the Father. He's the responsible agent who 
sends the Holy Spirit on that day. And He is still the Savior 
for any and all who come to Him in faith. That Lord Jesus is 
the focus of the tongue speaking on this day of Pentecost. So 
it ought not to surprise us that after Peter preaches the gospel, 
after Peter calls them to believe the gospel, 3,000 souls are added 
to them. There are sinners that see their 
sin, they see that Christ is the Savior, and they by grace 
believe. Don't continue in rebellion, 
don't continue in unbelief, don't continue to resist Him who speaks 
from heaven. Well, let us close in a word 
of prayer. Father, thank You for Your Word and thank You for 
the clarity of Acts 2 and for what You did there in terms of 
the manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit. God, we confess 
our neediness, we confess our nothingness apart from Jesus. 
We pray for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I pray specifically 
that He'd be at work now, that sinners would respond to this 
message concerning Jesus, His life, His death, His resurrection. 
God, that it would be the case that sinners would be born again 
by Your grace, born from above, and then looking unto Jesus Christ 
in faith. Strengthen our hearts as believers, 
conform us more and more under the image of your son. May we 
know the presence and the power of your Holy Spirit. And while 
there's no baptism of the Spirit like we see here on Pentecost, 
there is certainly that filling of the Spirit that we can seek 
from you. And as Paul says, not to be drunk 
with wine, but to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Grant us help 
in this, grant us strength, grant us grace to gather again together 
tonight to worship you in spirit and truth. And we pray these 
things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, we'll close 
with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed.