May 27, 2012
Pentecost Sunday: The Day that Transformed History
- Acts 2:1-13
- Rev. Scott Shelton
Today, we’re going to see and hear the scripture. If you’d like to follow, please open your Bibles, or a ZPC Bible, to Acts 2:1-21.
Now, a more visual version. The words are more contemporary, but the message the same.
VIDEO – The Story of Pentecost
Today, we are going to talk about, that passage, and how it relates to us today. The same Holy Spirit that empowered Peter and the other disciples is available to give you and me power and wisdom as well. Today, we are discussing Pentecost.
Pentecost – and at Pentecost, God had a
Plan – that included his
Power to be poured out, for his
Purpose
What’s your Part?
Pentecost – what is it?
It means 50, fifty days after the resurrection. Jesus ascended to heaven after 40 days, so Pentecost is 10 days after ascension of Jesus to heaven. Pentecost was the Feast of Weeks. It was one of three major festivals for the Jews, a thanksgiving for the harvested crops. Jews from many different places and nations gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate – maybe like many have gathered in Indianapolis for the Super Bowl or for today’s big race – coming from different background, different places, even different languages, to celebrate.
It seems that all the believers, chapter one tells us there were about 120 then, were gathered in one place, and the Holy Spirit came. The Spirit looked like tongues of fire landing on their heads. Why fire? Fire in scripture represents God’s purifying presence. Fire is seen in many places in scripture, burning away things that are undesirable for us. (Deut. 4:24, plus notes in red bible). The believers were empowered by God in them and through them to do marvelous things for God. Maybe they saw tongues which represent the speech and communication of the gospel which is about to take place just moments away. You may say, you haven’t seen that fire in your life – something so dramatic. Most of us haven’t. But God does speak, sometimes dramatically, sometimes quietly. In first Kings (19:10-13), God speaks to Elijah quietly. After a powerful wind, an earthquake, and fire, God speaks in a whisper.
God is speaking to us every day – if we listen. We often must use the Holy Spirit to hear God speak to our souls and our minds – to be quiet and listen for his still small voice. He also might speak in big ways too – so we have to be ready for that – as the listeners in Jerusalem had to be ready that special day.
God also is a God of action – in this case of miracles. God uses a miracle for the disciples to speak it says in other tongues, literally in other languages. The bible tells us in other places, that some people have the gift of speaking in tongues, a prayer language or spiritual language, to talk to God or have a message from God. This is not that.
This is different. It is God empowering his followers literally to speak in a different language to communicate his message to others from other nations, who speak other languages. They were in town for Pentecost – the feast of weeks.
PENTECOST – 50 days after the resurrection
At Pentecost,
God had a plan. His plan is this:
PLAN – to get His word out to the world. Literally the world had come to Jerusalem, for the Feast of Weeks – to celebrate. These were Jews from all over that part of the world. Those who would hear about Jesus and convert to follow Him, would take back that new faith to their hometowns.
He used PENTECOST for his PLAN to get his word out to the world. Look back at Acts 1:8 – it says, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem (taking place very soon), in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” God’s plan is to get the word out through his people empowered by His Spirit. He wants the world to know.
God wants to get his message out for everyone from all different nations. That’s a concept that’s true in the Old Testament and is beginning to take place just weeks after Jesus’ resurrection here in Jerusalem. God’s plan includes this – it was the last line of the video – “and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How will this begin to happen?
The plan includes POWER TO BE POURED OUT.
In the Awakening, the teen version of the GB, the last of 15 talks is called Power. Why?
The power is the Holy Spirit in you. At the Awakening or the Great Banquet, you get fired up all weekend to live for God, and instruction on how to do so. But you can’t do it on your own. You must an outside power source – who is actually an inside source living in you. The power is poured here to the believers in a miraculous way. From then on, the Spirit is for all who claim Jesus as Lord and Leader of their lives.
See the plan coming together? God sent Jesus to save, he got his message out. He taught disciples his message, he trained them. Now he empowers them. He does it a time when a lot of people are around from different places. Then he’s sending Saul later to persecute the believers, to scatter the Christians, and get the word out more and more.
PURPOSE – those who call on Jesus will be saved.
He has a purpose – you are part of it! What’s your part?
WHAT’S YOUR PART?
To know Jesus. The same Holy Spirit will indwell you that indwelt the first believers.
You can have the same power, potential, and plan that they did.
God wants to use us to transform the world the way he did with those first followers.
How?
The Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that came in Acts chapter 2. The Holy Spirit does certain things – as taught in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, God’s Spirit came to certain people for certain circumstances. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is there for all who believe in Jesus after Pentecost.
Let’s look at some of what the Holy Spirit does:
John 16:7-8
“7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.”
God sends His Spirit as a counselor. Another translation says Advocate. God is giving you His Spirit to give you wisdom, advice, counsel – that exceeds human advice. It is there if we listen.
John 16:13-14
“13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.”
Sometimes it is hard to understand the scripture or just to read it and not “get it.” Pray for the Holy Spirit to be your teacher – to help you see truth in His Word. Also to see truth in what you hear, in church, and in the world.
Acts 1:8
“8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
So in review, the Holy Spirit comforts us and counsels us, teaches us the truth, even how to read the Bible and understand it, gives strength and wisdom, reveals Jesus to others through us, and give us power to live for God.
The Holy Spirit is God. We know and often talk about God the Father, God the Son, and don’t talk about as much as God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a little more mysterious. God the Father we often see as Creator and overseer of all that happens – the sovereign God. We read often and see Jesus as God’s Son – existing from when time began, but in the flesh on earth for a short time. Fully God, fully human – divine and man – here to give his life for us and to teach us how to live as his disciples. Yet, the Holy Spirit is a little harder to understand.
Even the disciples were somewhat perplexed. They saw Jesus resurrected as we saw the last 6 weeks in the last two chapters of John. They didn’t want Jesus to leave, but he said if he didn’t leave, they could not have the Holy Spirit.
They did receive the Holy Spirit and we can too. In fact, we do when we realize and acknowledge Jesus as the Lord and savior of our lives. It says that at that point, we also have the Holy Spirit living in us.
God is speaking to us every day – if we listen. We often must use the Holy Spirit to hear God speak to our souls and our minds – to be quiet and listen for his still small voice. It is hard to hear, because of all the distractions we have with our contemporary culture. We have to train ourselves by immersing ourselves in some disciplines like finding some time and places that are quiet where we can listen. We can do so by reading the Word daily and by being in prayer. Two things about prayer need to be part as well. We need our prayers to be more focused on God than on us. We need to listen as much as we speak. We need to begin our prayer by focusing on praise – praising God for who he is – and for thanking him for what he has done. How do we do this? Use scripture to focus on God’s character in places like the Psalms, and in the gospels about Jesus’ character, and in Paul’s letters where he speaks of who God is. Focus on who God is and what he has done, his character, then bring your requests to him in his will. Then listen for His to answer, expect God to answer. He is active.
We can specifically ask God’s Spirit to help us. We need to ask. Ask God to send His spirit specifically so that we can draw closer to him. Not as some trick to get answers to tough questions or to get what we want, but to actually know God more, and know God’s will better than we do now.
I believe God answered me and I think this was the Holy Spirit twice in the last two weeks. One was where I was considering traveling and some summer and fall plans for church and some things for family. I couldn’t seem to get clarity on these ideas. So I went into the sanctuary here on a Tuesday, right up front and wrote down my prayers on a post it note and just prayed for God to guide. As I prayed, after about 15 minutes, I felt God helping to lead me in my gut in the way to go in my schedule and some other requests. I believe that was the Holy Spirit.
Next, just about 10 days ago, I was working on my notes for this sermon. I hit a stopping point and wrote in my notes, need some biblical examples of the Holy Spirit. I stopped there at the end of the day. That was on a Wednesday. On Friday about 7 am I was meeting with a friend for one 2 one and turned to our lesson for that day – which I had not looked at in a long time. We turned to the point where we left off our last lesson – it was page 34 in book one. The title: “What role does the Holy Spirit play in my life?” It listed the passages we read a few minutes ago with some teaching about each one. I felt at that moment that was no coincidence.
I really believe God led me to that very page, to those very passages so that I could share them with you today. God is good. He speaks, we need to listen. I’m sorry to say this doesn’t happen daily or weekly for me. I felt before the last 2 weeks I had been through a dry period of prayer – my own fault for not being dedicated enough to take time to be quiet with God. But I do know God speaks, guides, comforts, gives wisdom, and gives power through His Spirit.
You can know that power, maybe not as dramatically as the disciples did that day, but you can know it. It is there for each of us when we ask, and are aware and are living lives that honor God.
As a Christian you are like a smooth sailboat where the wind is the presence of God for you. The breeze is constantly there for you. It can fill your sail and move you across the water. However, you must choose on your own to open your sail and submit to the power and direction of the wind of the Holy Spirit to guide you. You can use the rudder to help do your part, but it is the wind in the sails which is your power. Without that power you will drift aimlessly in your attempt to follow God and to live for him.
(Destined for Security, Book One – page 35).
Finally, produce spiritual fruit by staying connected to God. Last week, our church had tomato plants out as part of “Mater Mission.” I have a black thumb – not green – don’t water enough, don’t prep the soil enough, forget the plants are there – tend to kill plants not to grow them. But if we stay connected to God, water the relationship, take time, don’t forget, make him the priority – we will grow. And as we grow –we produce fruit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23. We can be the kind of influencers that God wants us to be by remaining in him and being connected, staying connected through the Holy Spirit.
You don’t have to be Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, or some perfect person to serve God, to have the Holy Spirit, to impact others and to play a part.
But you do need to follow God every day.
Being Godly more important than being gifted. Pastor and teacher Alistair Begg says,
“Godliness is more important that giftedness.” I was at a pastor’s conference recently and heard this and found it really resonated with me. We must be with God, we don’t need to be the most gifted people – but use our gifts where he leads, as we are walking with him.
So should we try harder to do more for God? No.
Here’s what theologian Karl Barth says, “When we are at our wits’ end for an answer, then the Holy Spirit can give us an answer. But how can the He give us an answer when we are still well supplied with all sorts or answers of our own?”
Don’t try harder. Depend on God more. Keep listening.
Ask for God – through His Spirit – to help you in all things.
Be godly by turning to him for help. Then use your gifts as he guides you in how to use them.
You have a part to play, just as the disciples did. Think this summer, on this Memorial Day weekend to be a living sacrifice for him, this week, this day, with others around you. Not expecting too much of yourself, but expecting so much of God and being expectant to see what he can do with you, through you, in you even this week.
Christian author Francis Chan says this, “No matter where you live, what you look like, you have the choice each day to live safely, to try and control your life. Or you can leave as you were created to live – as a temple of the Holy Spirit of God, as a person dependent on Him, desperate for God the Spirit to show up and make a difference. When…you are walking with the Spirit, that is when people will people will begin to look not to you but our Father in heaven and give Him the praise.”
In worship and in life, that is what we want – for others to see our lives and to give praise and thanks to God for who we are.
As our closing prayer, I’ve adapted a prayer from Francis Chan on the Holy Spirit. (page 165, “Forgotten God,” by Francis Chan) Let us pray.
Come Holy Spirit, fill us again. We know that as we lived lives in rebellion in different ways, we have grieved you, ignored you, and resisted your leading. Please forgive us.
We need you Holy Spirit to change us. Only through you can we truly worship and truly understand the meaning of God’s Word as you teach us. You are the Spirit of truth, of holiness, of life. Thank you for the truth, life, wisdom, understanding, comfort, and counsel you give us. Speak loudly and drown out other voices calling us to conform to the world.
You are the Spirit who gives fruit. Help us to show that fruit of peace, joy, gentleness, self-control, patience, and love as we live with you and you live in us. Move in our church to be different and change and to desire in our hearts to live for you. We need you, we need you, O God. Let’s listen now for God to speak to us through the Holy Spirit.
TIME OF QUIET REFLECTION HERE…
Come, Holy Spirit, come. Be with us, in us, fill us, use us as your people, as disciples of Jesus, even today, even this week. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Please stand for the benediction.