Notes from a sermon by Dr. Greg Sloop, Lead Pastor of the Kannapolis Church of God, delivered on Sunday, September 18, 2016 in the 10:30 am service.
Acts 2
1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 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. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”
12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”
13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
21 And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him:
‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
The Promise – Joel 2
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (NKJV)
The Holy Spirit was promised in the Old Testament and the fulfillment of the prophecy took place in Acts 2.
God foretold of the great gift to His people hundreds of years before the outpouring of the Spirit. The fulfillment of this prophecy was the fulfillment of a prophecy that changed how God moved in His church.
Acts 2:17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
The Power – Acts 1
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (NKJV)
The Power of God promised in Acts 1:8 was demonstrated on the day of Pentecost, when believers experienced the powerful outpouring in the book of Acts chapter 2 in the form of a mighty rushing wind and divided tongues of fire. The power of the Holy Spirit also took over the very words of the believers and they spoke the wonderful works of God in other languages, and went out into the marketplace and witnessed in those languages. The powerful entrance of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost turned the world upside down with the message of Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 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. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Presence – John 14:16
John 14:16
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—(NKJV)
Psalm 51:11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
David, even before Pentecost, knew the precious nature of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
After the day of Pentecost, the presence of the Holy Spirit took on new meaning, one full of promise and power, but also a meaning that involved supernatural power and extraordinary ability to fight the enemy and win the lost. This is the power that we need as a church and as Christians today. God’s Promise, fulfilled in Power on the Day of Pentecost, is the Power of the Church today to bring revival and renewal to a nation and a world full of sin and degradation.
Jesus told of the Helper, the Comforter, the Paraclete, who would abide with us forever. Are you ready to open the door for Him to fill you to overflowing today? His desire is to make you full of His Power and His Presence today. The Presence of the Holy Spirit is manifested visibly and audibly when the Holy Spirit speaks through us, but the Presence of the Holy Spirit is manifested relationally as we walk in the Spirit daily and sense His Presence comforting, guiding, teaching, and protecting us as we go. You need the Holy Spirit!
Acts 2:26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’
Devoted To You 