2-12-14. Acts 2:14-21 YOUR YOUNG MEN (people) WILL SEE VISIONS

Acts 2:14-21                                                                                                                             Kevin E. Jesmer

Key verse 2:17                                                                                                                         2-13-14

“‘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;”

 Lord Jesus Christ, increase our vision. How often do we live each day with the only thing in sight is the tip of our nose? We fall into survival mode, thinking that our physical needs and securing small scraps of peace, is all that there is in this world. Our vision is from the vantage point of driving on the road. But you are God. You see things as they truly are. Seeing things through your eyes is like flying at 30,000 feet on a cloudless day, where one can see from horizon to horizon. We see things, maybe two years in advance. But you see things in light of eternity. You want to work through us to procure a plan one hundred years in the future. Lord, increase our vision. Open the eyes of our hearts that we me see what you are doing in history. Help us to see your plan unfolding and grant us the wisdom and the strength to join in what you are doing. Help us to have vision for our lives, families, communities, nations and the entire world. Help us to see beyond the basic need to see and embrace history making movements of the Spirit. Free us from the drudgery of mere survival and elevate us to the victory and triumph of life in Christ, a life full of the vision of God. I pray in the vast and glorious name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Part 1: In The Last Days (14-18).

Verses 14-18, “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. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘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; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.”

Peter was a completely changed man. When Jesus was growing in popularity, he was loud and opinionated. But then Jesus was arrested and tried. He became very quiet about his association with Jesus. He even denied knowing Jesus in front of a young girl. After Jesus rose again, Peter and the other disciples were behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. But now we see a much different Peter. Here he was, standing up in front of a great crowd of people and proclaiming Christ fearlessly. Look at verse 14, ““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.” God really changes people. Christians become new creations. God makes them into bold witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I remember before meet Jesus I was very loud and bold to encourage people to party a lot. But actually I was filled with a sense of inferiority and I stammered from grade one all the way to 22 years old. I had a deep sense that I had nothing important to say that people wanted to hear, and it was true. But then I met Jesus. He changed my heart. I could have some inner confidence by trusting in Christ. I had something very important to share with the world, the Gospel, and the spiritual truths found therein. God healed me of my stammering and I could even preach the Gospel and share my testimony at conferences, a few times to thousands of people. The stammering tongue was stilled. I could preach the Gospel to other people, even strangers. It all happened because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in my heart. God’s presence healed me and made me stand up. If he could do that with me then he can do that with anyone. Nobody is beyond Christ’s healing and strengthening hand. I pray to see the hearts of our young people be healed and transformed so that they may have a strong voice in their generation to proclaim Christ to the nations. May the hearts of the First Nations young people be strengthened by the Holy Spirit.

Would you be able to recognize, celebrate and support the moving of the Holy Spirit of God? People had never seen this outpouring of the Spirit before. After being filled with the Spirit, the apostles appeared to them to be drunken men. Look at verse 15, “For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.” The crowds were totally misinterpreting what was going on. It was because it was all new! God was entering into our world in a new a glorious way, through the giving of the Holy Spirit. God was dwelling in, and among his people, equipping them to obey the World Mission Command of Christ.

Sometimes we see things that we don’t understand. There are things that God is doing that we are not used to…they do not fit our idea of church and ministry. But we need to be open to the way that God is moving. We need to be flexible, dynamic and elastic. God may be working in a person’s life in a very powerful way and we may not see it. We may not want to see it for it challenges our paradigms of ministry. We may think, “I have been a Christian for decades. I know the Bible. I know how God works and this is not of God.” What was your reaction when you first heard that millions of people in the Muslim world are coming to Jesus through dreams? Did you accept it then? Do you accept it now? I know some missionaries that are going to First Nation communities in Northern Canada. They must be open to the way that God chooses to move. Who knows what God will do among the people? Only God knows. But one thing is for certain, they need to have eyes to see it, celebrate it and support it. We cannot depend on our old constructs. We must be able to sing the old hymn, “Have thine own way Lord, Have thine own way.”  May God grant us eyes to see his hand at work in our midst.

Peter was patient and calm with their misinterpretation. Like a good shepherd of God’s flock, he explained these events in light of prophecy. Look at verses 16-18, “But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘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; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” (ESV) Peter rightly saw it this way. The last days had begun. God was pouring out his Spirit on all people both men and women, transforming their hearts and filling them with dreams and visions and hope and the word of God. God was giving them everything they needed to carry out a vibrant Gospel ministry across the entire world.

I can see here how, as Jesus’ people, we must be able to interpret all that the Spirit of God is doing through the lens of the Bible. God is working, but he works according to his word. I pray that God may raise up servants of God among us who can not only be instep with the Spirit of God, but also familiar with the word of God.

Missionaries need not fear of going to the mission field unequipped. Granted, they need to try their best to receive training. But even with years of training they will still feel ill equipped. How can you be equipped fully when God calls one to cross massive cultural and language barriers? But we can trust in the Lord. God will pour out his Spirit on them. They shall prophesy, see visions, and dream dreams. This is better equipment than having the latest tablet computer and an internet connection. May we always depend on the Lord’s equipment at the same time, utilizing the latest technologies.

Let’s think about his prophesy for a while. Look at verse 16-18 again, “But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘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; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” Young men, who might normally live for momentary pleasure, recognition, and “swag”, will have vision for their lives, their people and their nation. Old men who have nothing to look forward to except retirement, the nursing home and the grave, will be filled with dreams of the Kingdom of God and the work of God expanding all around the world, as the young missionaries take up the baton of faith to proclaim the gospel. They will also dream of the resurrection and eternal life in the kingdom of God with their Lord Jesus forever. Everyone will be engaged in prophesy. I tend to think that this is the preaching of the word of God in culturally sensitive and “up to date” ways to the people that they are called to minster to. It will not just be a man’s act anymore. Both sons and daughters shall prophesy. The Spirit of God helps us to see ourselves and the future with God’s eyes and fills our hearts with joy and expectation and power as we obey Jesus’ world mission command.

Part 2: Everyone Who Calls On The Name Of The Lord Will Be Saved (19-21). 

Verses 19-21, “And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below,    blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness  and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”

There will be a great day coming, the day of final judgment, “the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.” But before that fearful day, the gospel must be preached to all people. People need to hear the Gospel, for the only way to pass through the judgment of God is to believe in Jesus Christ. John 3:16 reads, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”(ESV) That is why God was so earnest in pouring out his Spirit on the first century church. There was a job to do and God was helping his people to do the job. Traditionalism, nationalism, moralism and good works and groundless hoping, can’t save anyone. Only Jesus saves. The Gospel means “good news” because the Gospel is shows the way to receive forgiveness, newness of life and eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

Missionaries are not called to deliver something that is impossible for people to accept. It is not like they were offering free to tuition to Harvard to an illiterate people. The gift of salvation is within reach of everyone, Jewish people, Roman, pagan, barbarian and Greek, for everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved from their sins and receive eternal life. It is all about having faith. Every human being has the ability to have faith. Through faith they can escape judgment be saved. God has provided a way for this message to spread among the hearts of the nations, like wildfire.

Lord, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit. Equip us to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Fill my heart with dreams and visions and the word of God.

One Word: Lord, pour out your Spirit upon me.