Rely on His Power

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Good morning Chapel family! We’re taking this winter to walk through the book of Acts, which is the record of how the first-century church exploded in growth, and we’re dreaming and praying about how God could do similar things right here, through us. Last week I said something that I’ve never publicly said here before: I am praying for revival. If you’re wondering what that means, “revival” is a large-scale movement of the Holy Spirit where three things happen: sleepy Christians wake up, people who think they’re Christians get converted, and people who know they’re not Christians come running to Christ. That’s revival. And that’s what I’m praying for our church and for North Jersey, and I’d love for you to join me in that prayer. 

We’re living in such an interesting time, because there are two things happening simultaneously. On the one hand, people are struggling to find meaning or purpose for their lives. Remember when the pandemic started, and alcohol sales went way up? People were stuck in their house and they started drinking more. And everyone assumed when the pandemic ended, that would return to normal. So, the pandemic is over, and guess what? Alcohol sales haven’t dropped at all. Why would that be? I said it last week: we’re becoming more secular and more isolated and more self-absorbed, and that’s not how we were designed to live, so lots of people are just feeling lost. And when you feel like that, it’s pretty tempting to open another bottle (or light another joint, whichever you prefer).  

So our culture is feeling lost. 

But at the same time, you cannot miss the fact that God is moving. I don’t know if you realize this, but there is a resurgence of faith on college campuses all over this country. Student Christian groups like Cru and Intervarsity are booming. You hear on the news that lots of churches are closing, but those are mostly liberal, mainline churches that have stopped preaching the gospel and have caved to cultural pressure. Churches that are staying true to the gospel and staying true to biblical ethics—especially sexual ethics—are growing. That’s what we’re seeing at The Chapel, and we’re seeing it all over the country. People are realizing that the answers they’re getting from culture are bankrupt; they’re looking for something solid, and they’re finding it in Christ.  

So as a church, we want to be completely aligned with what God is doing. We cannot schedule revival or force it to happen, but we can pray for it and we can prepare our hearts to be part of it. And that’s what this series in Acts is all about. So every week you’re going to hear this invitation: 

In a world that’s lost its way, find your purpose in Christ— 
COME TO HIM in faith and  
GO WITH HIM on mission.  

Have you ever wondered how this faith survived? I mean, there have been thousands of upstart religious movements through history; almost all of them died out. How is it that this little group of uneducated, unimpressive people, following an obscure Jewish carpenter, lasted? Especially when the government tried hard to stop it? How did it keep going—so much so that you woke up this morning, 20 centuries later, in the technologically advanced, educationally sophisticated culture of this New York City suburb, and you decided to come to a gathering of this movement? How did that happen? 

There was a Yale history professor named Kenneth LaTourette, who wrote this:  

“The more one examines the various factors which seem to account for the extraordinary victory of Christianity, the more one is driven to search for a cause underlying them all. It is clear that at the very beginning of Christianity there must have occurred a vast release of energy virtually unequalled in history… Nothing else could explain the surge of the early Christian movement.”  

And when you start reading Acts, that’s exactly what you see: a vast release of energy, called the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowered the early church to do things they never could have done on their own. And here’s the awesome thing: the Holy Spirit can empower you, and he can empower us to do things we could never do on our own. 

Today’s passage is long. So I’m going to skip over a few parts, but we’ll get the main idea. You ready? Acts chapter 2, beginning in verse 1… 

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Skip down to verse 12… 

12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 

13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” 

14 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. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 

17 “‘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. 
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, 
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days, 
    and they will prophesy. 
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above 
    and signs on the earth below, 
    blood and fire and billows of smoke. 
20 The sun will be turned to darkness 
    and the moon to blood 
    before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 
21 And everyone who calls 
    on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Now skip down to verse 33…33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. And then down to verse 37… 

37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 

40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. This is the Word of the Lord.  

So…how does this passage explain what happened in the early church, and what does it have to do with us?  

Let’s talk first about The Gift of the Spirit. Back in chapter 1, it said there were about 120 Christians. It also says that just before Jesus left, he told them to sit tight and wait for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. So picture 120 people, sitting in a room, somewhere in Jerusalem, not really knowing what to expect. And then it happened. This is one of the most awesome events in the New Testament. And from this description, let me give you three words that describe this gift of the Holy Spirit. 

First, The Spirit is like wind. Verse 2 says Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house... In the Greek language, which the New Testament was written in, the word for “wind” is pneuma, and the word for “spirit” is pneuma. Isn’t that interesting? Same word for “wind” and “spirit.” In the Old Testament Hebrew, the word for “wind” is ruach. Anyone want to guess the word for “spirit”? Ruach. So in both the Old and New Testaments, the Spirit of God is closely associated with the wind.  

Why would that be? I think there are lots of reasons. The wind is invisible, but you can see its effects. Last week—gusts up to 40 miles an hour—anyone see the effects in their yard? Branches? Trash cans? The Holy Spirit is invisible, but we’re seeing the effects of the Spirit on college campuses all over America. The wind can also be refreshing. Last week there was a night we had the heat too high in our house, and it felt stifling. I opened up a window, and there was this delicious cold breeze that blew across the room—instantly refreshing. The Holy Spirit has that effect on people. If you lived in an ancient culture near water, you would think of wind as the force that carries boats and cargo and fisherman where they need to go. Right? So you would have to be very aware of and in tune with the wind if you wanted to get anywhere…and it’s like that with the Holy Spirit. The wind is also mysterious and uncontrollable. Remember what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John chapter three? The wind blows wherever it wants. We don’t control it. And we don’t control the Holy Spirit either. So they heard a sound like the blowing of wind, because the Holy Spirit is like wind. 

Secondly, The Spirit is like wine. Everyone in the room was filled with the Holy Spirit, and it says they began to speak in other tongues. And then they left the room and went out into the city. It was the day of Pentecost, which was one of the main Jewish holidays, so Jerusalem was packed with people who had come from all over the Middle East to celebrate the feast. So these Christians start mingling with this international crowd, and they find themselves speaking to them in their own languages. This would be like you showing up at Cheng Du restaurant over by Willowbrook (which is by far the best Chinese food), and ordering dinner in perfect Mandarin. Which you had never studied before. Your date would be so impressed. And you both would wonder, “How is this happening?” 

But…not everyone in the crowd was impressed. They heard this racket of everyone talking at once, and they said, “These guys are drunk!” So Peter stands up. By the way, this is the same Peter who—when Jesus was arrested—was so scared that he denied even knowing Jesus. Same guy! But now he has the Holy Spirit. He stands up in this mob; he quiets he crowd. And he says, “They’re not drunk. It’s 9AM. This is not Mardis Gras. Can’t you see what’s happening here? This is exactly what the prophet Joel said would happen!” Remember—this is a Jewish audience. They know their Hebrew Scriptures. If this were a group of Gentiles, he would have taken a different approach. Because they would have said, “Who’s Joel? Billy Joel?” But this crowd knows exactly what he’s talking about. So he quotes from Joel, who said there’s a day coming when God will pour out his Spirit on everyone who believes in him—and people would do supernatural things, like speak prophecy and see visions…and maybe even speak in languages they had never learned.  

So if you think about it, the theory that they were drunk was actually not far off. Because the reality was, they were under the influence of something.  

Did you know that in the New Testament, one of the clearest instructions about the Holy Spirit is in Ephesians 5:18? Listen to this: 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. So Paul draws a comparison between being filled with wine, and being filled with the Holy Spirit. And by the way, isn’t it interesting that hard liquor is sometimes called “spirits?” 

So let’s think together: what are the similarities between the effects of alcohol and the effects of the Holy Spirit? I asked that question to my men’s group last week, and they had so many great ideas: alcohol can relax you; alcohol can make you feel happy; alcohol can make you lose your inhibitions and give you courage. And here’s the thing: the Holy Spirit does all those things more deeply and more powerfully…and without the hangover. Let me ask you something: those statistics about alcohol use being way up since the pandemic—is that partially because of you? What would happen if you leaned less on alcohol and learned to lean in to the Holy Spirit?  

The Spirit is like wind, and the spirit is like wine. 

Third, The Spirit is like fire. As Peter continues quoting from Joel, it turns a little scary. Verse 19: 

19 I will show wonders in the heavens above 
    and signs on the earth below, 
    blood and fire and billows of smoke. 
20 The sun will be turned to darkness 
    and the moon to blood 
    before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 

Whenever the Bible talks about “the day of the Lord,” it’s talking about judgment. So here’s what Peter was saying: “You guys are seeing the first part of Joel’s prophecy fulfilled before your eyes. But don’t forget there’s a second part. The same God who showed up to give us his Spirit is going to show up again one day to bring judgment. So be ready.” Are you with me? In John chapter 16, Jesus said that when the Spirit comes, he’ll convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. So the coming of the Spirit is a reminder that we are answerable to God for our sins.  

Some of you remember this: in February 2023, revival broke out at Asbury College in Kentucky. It went on for sixteen consecutive days, 24 hours a day—thousands and thousands of people worshiping and praying together in the college chapel. And one of the main things that happened is that college students, and older people, came to the microphone, or they turned to their friend, or they fell to their knees, and they confessed their sins: I stole from my company. I’m using porn. I cheated on my spouse. My anger is out of control. Because the Holy Spirit was convicting them of sin and warning them of judgment and refining them, like gold gets refined in a fire. It was a powerful thing. 

The Holy Spirit is like wind…and wine…and fire. 

Try to put yourself in the shoes of somebody standing there, listening to Peter. If I were there, here’s what I’d be thinking: “If he’s right—if this is really the Spirit of God doing this—I need to get in on this. I need the Spirit to empower me like wind. I need the Spirit to fill me like wine. I need the Spirit to refine me like fire, so I don’t have to fear judgment.” That’s what a lot of those people were thinking. And Peter knew that’s what they were thinking. So look what he does next. 

Point number two: he starts talking about The Giver of the Spirit. Verse 22: 22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. He goes on to say that Jesus was put to death, but that God raised him back to life. So…wait—why does he suddenly start talking about Jesus? 

Well, look at verse 33…33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he (Jesus) has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. In other words, “The only reason this is happening is because the resurrected Christ is making it happen. He’s the one who’s pouring out the Spirit.” 120 people had received the Holy Spirit that morning, right? What did all those people have in common? They all believed in the risen Christ. So here’s what Peter was saying: if you want to experience the power of the Holy Spirit, you do not get that unless you have Jesus.  

So for the people standing in that crowd, this became a crisis moment. You know what I mean by a “crisis moment?” It’s when you’ve just seen something or heard something that challenges what you’ve always thought. And you have to decide: will I explain it away and go back to life as I’ve known it, or will I adjust my life to this new reality? For some of you, life has been so weird and unexpected lately, and even the fact that you’re in this church today, listening to this talk about the Holy Spirit, is so bizarre. And yet it seems so real. And it’s challenging what you always thought you knew. It’s a crisis moment. Will you open your heart to Jesus, and experience the Holy Spirit, or will you harden your heart? For the people in that crowd, this was a crisis moment. Maybe it is for you too. 

And that leads to our last point: Responding to the Spirit. Verse 37: 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Two things that he tells them to do: Repent and be baptized. Let’s take those one at a time… 

First, Repent. Do you know what it means to repent? It means “to turn around.” As in “do a 180.” “Change your direction.” So what was he telling them to turn from? As you listen to this speech, the main thing Peter accuses them of is their treatment of Jesus. He says, “You guys killed Jesus!” That seems unfair, doesn’t it? A lot of the people in that crowd were from out of town, which means they weren’t even in Jerusalem when Jesus was killed. But Peter keeps saying it: “You killed Jesus. You killed Jesus. ” Why would he say that? 

The same reason he says it to us. Because even though they might not have been there when Jesus died, and even though we obviously weren’t there, it was our sin that put Jesus on the cross. And this is one of the things I love about this faith: it tells us the truth about ourselves. Romans 3:23 says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. All the people in that crowd; all the people in this room, have sinned. And the Bible just gives it to us straight: there is something fundamentally wrong with us that needs fixing. And that’s actually comforting, because it explains what I experience in my life. It explains why my heart drifts toward selfishness and greed and pride and envy. It explains why, when my wife points out something I did to hurt her, or someone at church points out something I did wrong, my first instinct is to defend myself and attack them. I know that’s in me, and God loves me enough to tell me the truth about my heart.  

I could not worship a God who told me I’m awesome and wonderful, because I know I’m not. I fall short of his glory. I can feel the weight of falling short. Peter wanted the people in that crowd to feel the weight of falling short. And you know what? I’ll bet some of them were offended. I’ll bet some of you are offended. Because you grew up in a culture that says, “You’re wonderful; you’re good; you have to express your inner godlike goodness.” So this is offensive to you. And you’re going to have to decide what to do with that. 

The Puritans had this saying, “The same sun that melts ice hardens clay.” In other words, when the gospel is preached, for some people, it melts their heart. They realize it’s true, and their heart is melted and softened toward God. But when that same gospel is preached, for other people, it hardens their heart like clay. They get defensive and angry and turn away—“I don’t need to be forgiven.” The same sun that melts ice hardens clay. How about your heart? Is it melting or hardening? 

If we want to be filled with the wind and the wine and the fire of the Holy Spirit, it starts with a humble awareness of our own sin. We are responsible for putting Jesus on the cross.  

And then, he says, once you’ve done that, Be Baptized. Because repentance doesn’t just mean you turn away from something, it means you turn toward something. You turn away from your sin, and you turn toward Jesus. And when you do, you see a man with nail holes in his hands, who took the judgment of God in your place. He’s inviting you to believe and be washed clean. And baptism is the outward action that shows you’ve been washed clean by Christ.  

So Peter said, “Repent and be baptized.” Did you see what happened? 3,000 people were baptized that day. Isn’t that crazy? The church went from 120 people to over 3,000 people just like that, because the Holy Spirit was moving, and people were responding. You want to talk about revival? That’s revival. And that movement has never stopped growing.  

Next week, in this service, we’re going to be baptizing people. And for some of you, this is your crisis moment. This is your time. You look at your life, and you realize there’s something major missing. You don’t have this wind and this wine and this fire of the Spirit in you at all. You’re just not experiencing that. Now, maybe you’re already a believer, but for some reason you’ve resisted being baptized, but the Bible is really clear that if you’re a believer in Christ, there is no good reason not to be baptized. And today you hear the voice of God—not Peter; not Pastor Dave; God is speaking to your heart, saying, “Repent and be baptized.”  

Or maybe you’ve never really been a believer. You’ve been interested, but you’ve held back. And today the Word of God is shining on you like the sun. And you have to decide if it’s going to harden you like clay, or if it’s going to soften you and melt your heart like ice. And that decision will have so much influence on the rest of your life. Repent; believe in Christ, and be baptized. 

I believe there are times in history when the Spirit of God is moving more powerfully than usual. And I really believe this is one of those times. If you need to respond to the Holy Spirit today, don’t miss the opportunity.