The Great Day

Introduction

Have you noticed how resistant to change we humans are? We have our routines and our ways of doing things and it is difficult to change. There is a certain amount of comfort in maintaining habits, but if people had not changed over the years, things would not have progressed. Even the early disciples needed to change. In 1:6, after the resurrection and just before Jesus is to ascend to God, the disciples are asking when the kingdom is going to be restored to Israel. After the resurrection, they are still thinking about a military and political kingdom. Of course, we know that God had something else in mind, but we know that because we have Acts 2. But these early disciples didn’t know what God’s plan was.

As we saw last week, they gave themselves to prayer, scripture, and planning for the future, but they were uncertain what God’s real plans were. But God was going to make sure that they knew what his plans were. And that is what we are going to study today. God’s desire to make sure that these early disciples knew his will and the power which came directing these disciples. God brings about the birth of his church and we once again have an opportunity to learn what it means to listen to God. May we have ears to hear.

Power

Pentecost is one of the important feasts in the Jewish calendar. The day was called Pentecost because it was celebrated on the 50th day after the presentation of the first harvested sheaf of the barley harvest. Pentecost came 50 days after Passover. It was known as the feast of weeks and also as the day of the first fruits because it was the day when the first fruits of the wheat harvest were presented to God. Jews from every nation came to Jerusalem to celebrate the harvest of the first fruits. God chose the day of first fruits to honor the first fruit from the grave, Jesus.

The disciples are all together. We can safely assume that this Sunday morning dawned as any of the other 10 days since Jesus had ascended. The disciples met together to pray. But God initiated something powerful on that morning. So powerful in fact that it changed the minds of these disciples about the work of God and it changed the course of history. At about 9 a.m. the Spirit came upon them with such power that each one began to speak in a language that had never been studied before. Jews from all over the world heard these disciples speaking in their native language. They are uneducated, ignorant people and yet they speak in languages they have never studied. The people are amazed and perplexed. Some accuse these disciples of being drunk. But it isn’t the power of alcohol at work, but the power of God.

Peter stands and addresses the audience. He states that what they are seeing is a fulfillment of the prophet Joel. He goes on to preach convincingly about Jesus. He performed miracles to verify who he was. He was crucified by the will and purpose of God. And God raised him from the dead. The proof is in the empty tomb. Peter says they could go and see David’s tomb and know with great confidence that he was buried there. But Jesus’ tomb was empty and these Spirit empowered disciples could all verify that they had seen him. God has fulfilled his prophecy. Jesus is Lord and Christ. He is ruler and Messiah.

Evident power in speaking and evident power in the resurrection. Everyone hearing this message knew something about what Peter was talking about. They knew about the crucifixion of someone who claimed to be the Messiah. They had heard about a resurrection. And now God was doing something with great power to demonstrate that the claims are true. This power was having its desired effect. The hearers for the first time of this good news on this great day were convicted of their sin. So they pleaded for some way to make things right. Convicted of their sin; convicted of their part in killing the Messiah; convicted that something had to be done, they begged for a way to make things right. They knew that something had to change.

Change

We really don’t like change. Very few of us seek change unless we are forced to look for it. There is little benefit in change for the sake of change. These early disciples were participating in the will of God as they knew it. But when God revealed powerfully that his will was spiritual not political or military then these early disciples were ready to change. You see, they had a heart that was fixed on the will of God and they would willingly go in whatever direction he should lead them.

It is the same with those who heard the gospel. There was a willingness to change when the will of God became clearer. There was not a hesitancy nor a reluctance to give up previous practices. Instead these first hearers pleaded for a way to be more in the will of God. We are just like those early disciples. We give ourselves to prayer, scripture and planning for the future but we are not certain of God’s immediate plans. We like those early disciples must be open to change. We must be open to altering our plans to fit God’s plans as we become aware of those plans. We must have pliable hearts—hearts which are not resistant to the leading and direction of God. We must have hearts which are committed to knowing the will of God more and then following that will.

When we have a heart which is determined to know the will of God; a heart which is willing to change; a heart which loves God with an intense joy, then life with God is exciting and fulfilling. Assemblies become times of celebration. Songs are sung with new insight. But there must be a willingness to change. There must be a pliability of heart which allows us not to pursue the status quo but to seek ways to more align ourselves with the will of God.

Somehow we have gotten the wrong idea. God established his church in Acts 2. It is his. It’s head is Jesus. By his grace he invites to come to him. By his grace, he deals with our sin. But his church is about what pleases him. Like these first hearers we have a choice. We can call Jesus Lord and Christ or we can remain with this corrupt generation. It really depends on your heart. So what do we do? Peter’s words in verse 38 still applies. If you have given yourself to God and renounced this corrupt generation then make sure that your heart is pliable for God’s leading and direction.

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