In Acts chapter 2 is the account
of the apostles preaching at the day of Pentecost. Pentecost. What do you think of when you
hear the word Pentecost? Most folks think of tongues,
signs, wonders, miracles, and general excitement. That word is used and abused
quite often today. In fact, this so-called Pentecostalism
has taken the world by storm. But I am here to dispute that. I'm here this morning to refute
it from God's Word, to say that there's nothing to it. But I'm
going to tell you from God's Word, I'm going to declare unto
you from God's Word what really went on at Pentecost. And I,
by God's grace, intend to do some Pentecostal preaching, true
Pentecostal preaching. Alright, Acts chapter 2 is this
account, and verse 1, It begins that they were all with one accord
in one place in the day of Pentecost. That is, the apostles and other
disciples, fellow believers, they were there for one purpose.
They were at Jerusalem to worship God, to preach the gospel. That's
why they were there. And verse 2 says, Suddenly there
came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting. Now, this was not
an actual wind, but this is none other than the Holy Spirit Himself,
whom the Lord Jesus Christ said is that wind which bloweth where
it listeth. In John chapter 3, He said that
to Nicodemus. Everyone is born of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is that sovereign
wind who comes upon whomever God sends them to. And the account
says the Holy Spirit filled the house where they were sitting,
as does the Holy Spirit in every place where God's people are
met. Every time Christ is preached, he is called the Spirit of Christ.
Any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And
all God's people, as many as are sons of God, they are led
by the Spirit. They are the sons of God. And
what the Holy Spirit does is take the things of the Lord Jesus
Christ and show them unto God's chosen people. Well, that is
what the Holy Spirit did here in Acts chapter 2, verse 3. And
there appeared unto them, that is the Apostle, cloven tongues
like as of fire. Not actual literal fire, but
cloven tongues like as of fire. And it sat upon each of them.
Alright? This was not a vision or a visible
show, but take each word separately. Cloven means divided. Tongues,
whenever you see that word in reference to preaching and the
Holy Spirit, it means languages. Languages. Not the member in
the mouth, but languages. Tongues. This is what the Apostle
wrote of 1 Corinthians chapter 14. He went to great lengths
to tell about it, and he said in chapter 14, verse 10, there
are many voices in the world, but none of them is without signification. And so these languages, by the
Holy Spirit, came upon the apostles. The Holy Spirit divided or distributed
among these apostles different languages. for the preaching
of the gospel. That's why they needed them. They were about to be sent out
all over the world to preach according to the Lord's great
command and mark. The gospel was to be preached
to a people of different languages all over the world. And here
at Pentecost on this day there were people from all over the
world met together at Jerusalem. And the Holy Spirit miraculously
gave these men the ability to speak and understand these languages
without going to school for many months or even years. This was
a miracle. I'll show you that. These were
languages, discernible languages. Verse 6 says, when this was noised
abroad, when this happened, the people, the multitude came together
and were confounded. They were amazed and astounded
because every man heard them speak in his own language. Did you hear that, people? Don't
let any man fool you. They weren't speaking in some
ridiculous gibberish, some made-up gibberish to impress you with
their spirituality like these hucksters do today. Anybody who
does that today is a fraud. And I refute what they're doing
by Scripture. I dispute what they're doing.
I say it's a spirit, all right, but it's not the Spirit of God.
It's another spirit. These people all heard these
apostles preach in their own language. Verse 8 says, How do
we hear every man in our own tongue where we were born? They
were amazed. These are Galileans, they said.
They aren't world travelers, but these men are local men and
they're speaking languages of the Parthian and Medes and so
forth. Cretans and Arabians. Verse 11
says, We hear them speak in our tongues, or languages, The wonderful
works of God, and they all were amazed and wondered at this and
said, what is the meaning of this? Some of them said, these
men are drunk. Drunk? No, they weren't drunk. They weren't acting foolishly.
They weren't rolling around acting like idiots like you see in most
Pentecostal circles today. No, these men were in their right
mind. They had the mind of Christ. These men were speaking the wisdom
of God in languages, discernible languages that the people understood,
their own language. It says, what they preached was
the wonderful works of God. And we'll hear Peter preach on
behalf of all of them just what the wonderful works of God are.
Peter in verse 14 stood up on behalf of the Apostle, the rest
of them, and said, You men of Judea and all that dwell at Jerusalem,
be it known unto you, and hearken to my words, we are not drunk,
as you suppose." This is just the third hour of the day, but
this is what the prophet Joel prophesied of. And he went on
to quote Joel's prophecy in Joel 2, verses 28 through 32. For the sake of time, we cannot
read all of that, but go down to verse Verse 21, he says, "...whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." You men
of Israel, hear these words. Now here's what Peter preached,
and here's what the Holy Spirit made known to everyone in their
own language. It's a person. ye men of Israel,
hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God." A man. That has never been said before,
of a man. A man approved of God. Hearken! A man. The only man
ever approved of God, the only righteous man to ever live, the
only holy man to ever live, the only one accepted by God according
to David wrote in the Psalm, the Lord is well pleased for
his righteousness. Isaiah wrote that. And God approved
of him by miracles, signs, and wonders, showing him to be who
he really is, God manifest in the flesh. Jesus Christ did what
only God could do. He healed the blind, the deaf,
the dumb, raised the dead. He forgave sins. The Pharisees,
scribes and Sadducees who were jealous of him, who hated him,
said, Who can forgive sins but God? Well, no one can. So Jesus Christ is none other
than God, very God of very God. This is God manifest in the flesh
Peter is preaching. And he goes on to say in verse
23, him. See, Peter is preaching a person.
Peter is not pointing to and drawing attention to the miracles,
the signs and the wonders in the so-called tongues? No. He
is preaching Christ. He is setting forth Christ. It
says, "...Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain." Peter is preaching a sovereign God on
a sovereign throne doing as He will, with whom He will, because
He will. All things working all things after the counsel of his
own will. God who determined all things
before the world began. God who works and who will let
him or prevent him. God determined all this. It is
all working according to God's determinate will, not man's will,
God's will. Him, Jesus Christ, delivered
by this predetermined, predestined will of God Almighty in purpose.
These men and women did what they wanted to do. They crucified
Jesus Christ. They hated Him. They put Him
to death, but they did what God determined to do. So it is with
everything concerning this universe. Proverbs 16 says, is cast into
the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. That's
right, God is God. Though men appear to do as they
will, and men boast of their free will, it is God which worketh
after the counsel of His own will. It's God's will, and it
is God which worketh in us both the will and the do of His good
pleasure. That's the God of the Bible.
Peter said, though men took and crucified Jesus Christ, it was
God the Father who bruised Him. That's what Isaiah said in chapter
53, it pleased the Lord to bruise Him as a substitute for God's
elect, as a sin offering for His people, as the Lamb slain,
the blood atonement for the sins of God's people. God Almighty
had His Son put to death to pay for the sins of all of His people.
But he didn't stay dead, Peter said. Peter quoted David in Psalm
16. He said, God will not leave his
soul in hell, neither suffer his Holy One to suffer corruption.
And down in verse 31, he says, Peter writes, or preaches, he,
David, that is, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of
Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh
did see corruption. Peter said, David's grave is
with us today. David is buried. but not Jesus
Christ. God hath raised him up and we
are all witnesses. And it goes on to say in verse
33, him being by the right hand of God exalted. Folks, he is
not standing outside your hearts door hoping, wishing you will
let him in. He is at the right hand of the
majesty on high and he is sitting down. having finished his work and
expecting his enemies to be made his footstool. And you may be
one of those enemies, and you better hope that right now he
brings you to his feet asking for mercy. For someday every
knee will bow and every tongue confess what they did not upon
this earth. Verse 33, exalted and received
of the Father this promise of the Holy Ghost. He has shed forth
this now that you see and hear. David's not ascended into the
heavens, but he said, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on
my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool. Sit down,
God said. I'm going to wrap this thing
up. I'm going to bring my people to you and put all of your enemies
under your feet. Verse 36, he says, So let all
the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same
Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Did you
hear that, people? That was Peter's message at Pentecost.
That's true Pentecostal preaching. That's what I'm doing this morning.
That God hath made this Jesus that men talk about, God hath
made Him Lord and Christ. You don't make Him that. God
hath already made Him that. And you're in His hands to do
with as He pleases. And He is the only Christ, the
only mediator, the only substitute, the only intercessor, the only
Messiah, the only one, the only way, truth and the life. If you
ever get to God, it will be through Him. Now, when they heard this,
it says they were pricked in their hearts and said, what shall
we do? They were convicted of sin concerning
Jesus Christ. They were convicted of being
in the hands of a sovereign Lord and hating Him. I hope the Lord
will do that for somebody this morning. Now these people didn't
go home talking about tongues and miracles and signs and wonders
and what a whoop-de-doo, what a Holy Ghost Pentecostal meeting
we had, all the good music. No, sir. They went away talking
about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. So it is with everyone who is
anointed, truly. anointed by the Holy Spirit of
God, and the preacher who preaches Christ, that's what he does,
is preach Christ. Well, I hope the Holy Spirit
will reveal the truth to you, is my prayer. Amen.