Pentecost Sunday
06-15-2008
Acts 2:1-37
INTRODUCTION
Background
• Old Testament – Pentecost was a festival where every Jew who lived within 20 miles was compelled by law to attend.
• Pentecost means – “The Fiftieth” and was a celebration the fiftieth day after Passover.
Pentecost had an:
o Historical significance in that it commemorated the giving of the law to Moses
o Agricultural significance in that the Jewish nations offered two loafs in gratitude for the seasons harvest.
• But today we celebrate Pentecost for a very different reason…
ILLUSTRATION
Today we celebrate Pentecost because it marks the birth of the church of Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18 “I will build my church…Gates of Hades will not prevail”) and the pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit upon humanity (Joel 2:28). As such I thought it would make sense to discuss the Holy Spirit today and His role in the Church.
I can remember learning addition, subtraction and multiplication in school as a child. All of it made sense to me and then came division. It took me twice as long to learn division and the other kids, it just didn’t make sense, it was a foreign concept to me. The way that I ended up “getting it” was by learning the rules of division until I got the concept behind the rules.
It would seem to me that the Holy Spirit is not all that dissimilar. Most of us have no problem grasping the concept of God the Father or Jesus Christ the son but the Holy Spirit is a foreign concept.
PROPOSITION:
It is my hope today that if can begin to learn about the role the Holy Spirit in the Church of God, then gradually over time we will meet the person of the Holy Spirit.
ORIENTATION
Today we are going to see that the Holy Spirit builds up Christ’s Church and Christ’s people by:
o Demonstrating the Power of God – (v. 2-4)
o Equipping Believers For the Works of God (14)
o Convicting Sinners To Return To God – (v.
TRANSITIONAL SENTENCE
Look with me at vs. (2-4) as we see the Holy Spirit…
Demonstrating The Power Of God – (v. 2-4)
The miracles of God do not just happen, they are the work of the Holy Spirit which can be clearly seen in our passage today…
The Miraculous Sounds (v. 1-2)
• “And suddenly…The rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.”
o The Power of the Holy Spirit, even when expected catches them off guard. (Acts 1:5 but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”)
I believe Christ’s return will be much like this rush of wind, for it is said Christ will come “Like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2)
o The Holy Spirit demonstrates the power of God in the sound of the rushing wind.
The Miraculous Sights (v. 3)
• “And there appeared to them tongues as of fire…” v. 3
o Luke is trying to describe what occurred, but this is similar to the baptism of Jesus (the Holy Spirit was “like” a dove). These were not literal tongues, but rather flames shaped like tongues.
o This fulfills the prophecy of John the Baptist (Luke 3:16 “baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
o These tongues rested on each one of them (not including those outside)
o The Holy Spirit baptizes them collectively and makes them one. The Holy Spirit fills us at Baptism and seals us in Chrismation as one in the body of Christ.
The Miraculous Speech (v. 4)
• “They were filled with the Holy Spirit…”
o It was in the filling of the Holy Spirit that they began to speak in other tongues and worship God. The filling of God’s Spirit was so powerful the overflow was to praise Him.
• and began to speak in other tongues…”
o In most cases speaking in tongues is for personal edification, in the apostles spoke in familiar tongues, speaking in languages they did not inherently know.
Illustration
Often times the United States will demonstrate a new weapon by doing a test fire. The weapon is fired not simply to see if it will work, it is fired in order that the rest of the world will see that it works!
The miracles of the Holy Spirit are similar. The Holy Spirit does not simply – “do miracles”, the Holy Spirit displays the power of God “through miracles” pointing to Christ, for the world to see.
Application
• If we want to meet the person of the Holy Spirit, lets first understand one of the roles He plays in the Church. The Holy Spirit demonstrates the Power of God through the miraculous.
• The Holy Spirit does this not to “wow” us, but to point to Christ and to unite us.
• The Holy Spirit is the one behind the miraculous (sounds, sights and speech) of the Church.
• Today is Pentecost, take a moment to recognize the miracles that occur within the Church and the one who manifests them.
o The baptisms that unites us into the body of Christ
o Chrismation that seals us with the “deposit of the Holy Spirit guaranteeing our inheritance” 2 Cor 1:22
o The Eucharist which feeds us and gives us life.
• Then take a moment to recognize the miracles that have occurred in your own life. Who you were and who you are.
• It is in the roles of the Holy Spirit that we meet the Person of the Holy Spirit.
This brings us to the second role of the Holy Spirit…
Equipping Believers For The Works Of God
It was Tertullian who said - “God the Spirit breathes into life the souls of human persons”
OBSERVATION
• I find it amazing that Peter in (v. 14) is proclaiming Christ before thousands of Jewish people, the same people who murdered Christ, the same people Peter feared and ran from only days prior.
• Was this the same Peter we see in Matthew 26:72-74 “Peter’s denial of Jesus Christ…”
• Peter was afraid of the objections of a small girl and yet now, Peter is standing before a multitude of thousands.
• What has changed? (Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”
ILLUSTRATION
• A few years ago I played in a men’s softball league. For the first half of the season I would swing the bat as hard as I could, pushing with my back arm. While my swing was decent, I was lacking power. One day a teammate said – “the reason you are lacking power is because you are pushing with the back arm rather than pulling with the front, trying to power the ball through your own strength rather than letting the bat do the work.”
• This is how we are with God, we think we can power our way through life in our own strength, but power is not in us, it is in Him. (Lyrics to praise song “not by might” - “No not by might or even power but by Your Spirit oh Lord…”)
APPLICATION
• Friends, without the Holy Spirit you are powerless. It is God’s Holy Spirit that animates us, that empowers and equips us for the work of the ministry.
• Have you sought out the Holy Spirit? Are you trying to build the Kingdom of God in your own strength?
• Which Peter are you? Standing before the thousands or running from the little girl?
• The promise of God is that the Holy Spirit is - (Acts 2:39) “for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
• Our prayer needs to be – “Fill me to my measure and then increase that measure…” - “That we may be filled to the measure with all the fullness of God…” Eph. 3:19
• The role of the Holy Spirit in the Church and in the life of the believer is not only to demonstrate the power of the Kingdom of God but also to equip believers for the working of the ministry.
TRANSITION
So we have seen that the Holy Spirit demonstrates the power of God, Equips believers for the work of God but lastly, the Holy Spirit…
Convicts Sinners To Return To God (v. 37)
OBSERVATION
• The Sermon Peter preached was done in the power of the Holy Spirit. When Peter called the people of Israel to “Repent and be baptized…” (v.38)
• They were “cut to the heart” (v. 37)
• The Holy Spirit was birthing the church of Christ that day and causing the people’s hearts to be broken and a spirit or repentance to fall over them.
• It is only the Power of the Holy Spirit that can convict a heart and birth people anew.
ILLUSTRATION
• Have you ever noticed that kids sins don’t seem to bother them until they get caught? It is the Holy Spirit that testifies to our hearts that we have been caught, found out and our sin’s are known by the Father. But the Spirit not only convicts us, it also points to grace.
• When I first started living for God I experienced the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Every time I swore, hurt someone, stole, lied the conviction of God would come. It was a wonderful testimony to me that God was working in my life.
• The people who heard the words of Peter, I am certain flashed back to the moment of Christ’s conviction, persecution and death. They ran through the self righteous motives of their angry hearts. But the Spirit of God broke them and pointed them to Christ, demonstrating the power of God’s LOVE and forgiveness in the words of Peter’s sermon, leading them to repentance (“What can we do...”)
APPLICATION
• Friends, the Holy Spirit is constantly working on the hearts of men and women. All that God has called to be His own.
• Today recognize that you do not have the power to change a single heart and you in and of yourself cannot save a single soul.
• It is the role of the Holy Spirit to convict hearts and change them. Our faith is not in our power of persuasion but in the power of God.
• If there is someone you long to see resurrected by God’s love, remember your faith in not in that person to change or in your ability to change them, it is in God’s Holy Spirit who can change the human heart.
CONCLUSION
When it comes to understanding the role of the Holy Spirit, there are three things we need to remember:
1. Demonstrates the Power Of God
2. Equips The Saints For The Works Of God
3. Convicts Sinners To Return to God
As I began this sermon I told you that if you got a hold of these three roles then you would meet the Person of the Holy Spirit.
• Meditate upon these roles, ask yourself – “What does this teach me about th person of the Holy Spirit?”
• Pray to God, The Holy Spirit – Often times we neglect Him.
As we do this we will begin to see that the Holy Spirit is none other than God Himself and the fullness thereof.
• The Holy Spirit lives not off in a distant galaxy but in the hearts of men and women called to be God’s own Children, so look for Him there.
• The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force but a person who can be grieved, overjoyed and worshiped. Give Him your attention.
• The Holy Spirit is ever working in us, let us take a moment this Pentecost Sunday and remember His majesty.
Amen.
