Acts 2:14-21

Acts 2:14-21

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams;
even on my male servants and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
And I will show wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below,
    blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
the sun shall be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood,
    before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

The difference that the Spirit of God makes in the life of Peter immediately becomes evident.  He does not become offended or afraid at the accusation of drunkenness coming from the crowd.  Instead, He starts interpreting Scripture.  His reaction and words look almost exactly like those of Jesus.  This is what the Spirit has come to do: make the disciples of Jesus become like Jesus.  No matter how difficult or dangerous the circumstances of our lives may become; the Spirit graciously enables us to talk and walk like Jesus.  Peter uses the Scripture to describe the work of the Spirit and then offers salvation to those who hear His words.  We are called to act in a similar way.  We should always seek to reveal what the Scriptures speak into every situation we face.  We should depend on the Spirit of God and let others know that He is doing the work.  We should let people know that they can be saved by calling on Jesus.

THE PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE: The confusion of the crowd lead Peter to correct their perception that these men were drunk.  It is clear that they were speaking actual languages from the previous passage.  However, those who could not understand those languages presumed that the speakers were drunk.  Peter points out that it is too early in the day for someone to be drunk and then draws their attention to the Scriptures to explain what is happening.  When the circumstances of life are difficult and confusing, a hard look into the Word of God will give us clarity as well as direction.  Not every passage of Scripture can be directly correlated to every event of our lives; but the principles we learn in God’s Word will always give us orientation and understanding that will allow us to face our problems with the Spirit’s illumination.  Peter quotes a prophecy from the book of Joel.  He wants his hearers to understand that the events they are witnessing are a part of the fulfilment of this prophecy.  When God reveals future events to us, it is intended to be a comfort to us, give us instruction, as well as give us confidence in God’s control over our lives.  Peter recognizes that he is in the “last days.”  The expectation of the disciples was to see the return of Jesus.  The term “last days” is accurate for Peter’s life and for our lives because there is nothing left to happen before Jesus returns to rapture His Church.  I believe that Joel’s prophecy will be fulfilled to a greater extent in the future as we approach the revelation of Jesus when He returns to rule and reign on the earth.  That is not to say that Peter uses it wrongly in this case.  He is correct in his interpretation.  The Spirit is active in this world today in ways that He had not been prior to Pentecost.  This promise and prophecy should fill us with hope and confidence.

THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT: The promise of the passage of Joel is that the Spirit of God would be poured out upon the sons and daughters, the young and the old of all people.  The result of the Spirit’s coming would be that these people would prophecy and have visions.  Prior to the Spirit’s outpouring on all believers, there were prophets and visions, but they were rare and the gifts they exercised were sporadic.  Joel promises and Peter announces the arrival of a new reality of the power of the Spirit abiding on “all flesh” or, as I understand this, both Jews and Gentiles who have believed.  I don’t believe that this means that every believer is able to foretell future events and that we all have dreams and visions that reveal new truths.  Prophecy is much more than seeing the future.  It includes the proclamation of God’s Word, the exhortation of God’s people and the exaltation of the glory of God.  Visions are not just mystical experiences that provide clear direction.  They can also be the still small voice of the Spirit that convicts us of sin, prompts us to witness to others, gives us insight into Scripture and helps us make wise and biblical decisions.  As we are called to be followers of Jesus, the Spirit enables us to know where He is leading.  As we are called to be witnesses of the resurrection, the Spirit equips us to do so with accuracy and passions.  We proclaim the Gospel under the Spirit’s direction.

THE PROMISE OF SALVATION: The prophecy of Joes also speaks of wonders that He will show in the last days.  Blood, fire, smoke, the darkening of the sun and the moon turning to blood will all occur before the great day of the Lord.  This seems to be a reference to what John describes in the book of Revelation as the plagues that will be poured out on the earth during what is called the Tribulation.  It is likely that the prophecies, visions, and dreams Joel referred to in the earlier verses will also apply to that time of judgment as well.  Even in time of great hardship and judgment the Spirit will still be at work to bring about the salvation of many.  Peter warns his hearers that the judgment day is coming.  He also gives them hope by letting them know that a way of salvation has been provided by calling on the name of the Lord.  Paul uses this verse as well in the book of Romans to let us know that all, both Jew and Gentile, are invited to call on the name of the Lord and we will be saved.  The reason we call is because we recognize our need.  We call on the Lord because we believe that He is able to meet our need.  He saves us because He is gracious and grants that we might be reconciled to the Father through faith.

APPLICATION: During times of danger and difficulty or, at all times really, we are to go to God’s Word to find comfort and direction.  Pay close attention to the direction of the Spirit and depend upon Him to proclaim the Word of God.  Understand that there is an eternal judgment coming and the only way any person can escape is by calling on the Lord in the repentance and faith that the Spirit of God produces in our hearts.