Scripture Reading: Acts 2:1-21
Message: “The Holy Spirit – Pentecost”
Text: Jesus spoke these words to the disciples: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5).
Introduction:
When Jesus began his ministry, he chose twelve men he could mold and teach to carry on his work. Five of these men were fishermen, one a tax collector and the other six had unknown occupations.
These men were ordinary people just like us. They had the same personal characteristics we have. Simon Peter, a fisherman, didn’t think before he spoke. He was impulsive, concerned about self and denied knowing Jesus three times. Brothers, James and John, were both fishermen as well. Both of these men were interested in getting things done, but both were very judging individuals. Andrew was also a fisherman, but he accepted what John the Baptist told about Jesus. Andrew accepted Jesus and was very anxious about bringing others to him.
Philip was also a fisherman, but his attitude was a questioning attitude. He questioned things like feeding 5000 thousand people with little food. Bartholomew (Nathanael) rejected Jesus at first because Jesus was from Nazareth and he couldn’t believe anything good could come out of Nazareth. Matthew was a tax collector and people did not like tax collectors because they took advantage of people. Thomas was a doubter. We do not know much about James (son of Alphaeus) and Thaddaeus (Judas son of James). Simon the Zealot was a real patriot. Judas Iscariot was very greedy and betrayed Jesus. All of the disciples except Judas Iscariot received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The disciples had the same attributes and personal characteristics that we have. These disciples were very special to Jesus. They were with him daily. The disciples heard him preach and teach. They saw him perform many miracles. There is no question they believed him to be the Messiah.
After the crucifixion and the resurrection, Jesus appeared to a number of people. Scripture says, “Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene” (Mark 16:9). Jesus then appeared to the two travelers on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-15). Jesus appeared to the disciples who were gathered together behind closed doors (John 20:19:20). Thomas was not present at this time. Next, Jesus appeared to the disciples including Thomas (John 20:26-28). The next appearance occurred while the disciples were fishing all night and had caught nothing. Jesus said to them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some” (John 21:6). At the last meeting and meal with the disciples, Jesus said to them, “this is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44).
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them this: “The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:45-49).
1. What was this power from on high?
2. What was the purpose of the power?
3. What was the result of this power?
1. What was the power from on high?
The power from on high is the power of the Holy Spirit. We have to understand that God is all-powerful, knows everything and is present everywhere. This leads us to the Trinity, which is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was here on earth, the power of the kingdom of God was here. When Jesus ascended to heaven, he left with us a comforter, and that comforter is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives in the heart of each person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence everywhere. If Jesus had not ascended to heaven, we would not have the Holy Spirit. While Jesus was here on earth, he could be in only one place at a time. However, with his ascension, Jesus was able to be everywhere at the same time because he left with us the Holy Spirit.
Our Scripture lesson says the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. Pentecost is also called Feast of Weeks. Deuteronomy 16:16 states this: “Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles.” These feasts were feasts of thanksgiving. Each male was to participate and give what he could in proportion to what God had given him.
Pentecost was held 50 days after Passover. Jesus was crucified during Passover. Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven. Ten day after Jesus ascended to heaven the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples.
The disciples were all gathered together in one place or in a room of a house in Jerusalem. Jesus told the disciples to “…stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” Luke 24:48).
After Jesus said this to the disciples, he led them out somewhere near Bethany and he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he was taken up into heaven.
Luke 24:52-53 states: “Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.”
Scripture records these words: “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were setting” (Acts 2:2). The disciples had never witnessed this type of wind before. This was a first-time experience. This was an eye-witness account.
And then, “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them” (Acts 2:3). If you had been there, what would you have thought? Do you think that the disciples knew what was happening? Do you think they understood the significance? It is rather easy for us to understand because we are believers who know the story.
When people thought that John the Baptist might be the Christ, John responded with these words: “I baptize you with water. One more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).
Our Scripture talks about two symbols. The symbols are wind and fire. What is the significance of the wind and what is the significance of the fire?
If we look at Genesis 2:7, we find these words: “…the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” God’s breath gives us life. Our life comes from God’s Spirit. The power and strength we have comes from the Spirit of God. When God takes away our breath or takes the wind out of our sails, we then return to the dust of the earth. The wind that came upon the disciples was the breath of God breathing into each of them the Holy Spirit.
The other symbol talked about was the tongues of fire that seemed to separate and rest upon each of the disciples. Our tongue enables us to speak. So if we did not have a tongue, we could not talk as we do now. When we talk, we communicate. That is the purpose of talking.
If we stop and think for a moment, we remember that fire is used to purify or to get rid of the impurities. Fire is mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament. In Exodus 3, God got Moses attention by providing a burning bush. God spoke to Moses through the burning bush. In Exodus 13:21, God used a pillar of fire to guide the people by night. In Genesis 19:22, we find that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah by fire. Also, in the Old Testament times, the people were instructed to use fire for burned offerings for the forgiveness of their sins. God used fire to demonstrate his power. God revealed himself, in the form of the Holy Spirit, to the disciples and a host of other people by wind (breath) and tongues of fire.
God’s presence in our lives will purify us by taking away or burning away all that is not good or desirable. If we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will have a burning desire to set other lives aflame for the kingdom of God. God’s presence or God’s Holy Spirit is available to all who believe in and accept His Son as Lord and Savior.
2. What was the purpose of the power?
While Jesus was on earth, he had the power to further the Kingdom of God. In fact, he brought the Kingdom of God to us. During Jesus’ stay on earth, people were able to hear him talk about the Kingdom of God. They could see that what he preached, he lived by. The love, compassion, understanding and caring nature of Jesus was evident to the people. Jesus wanted the people to follow in his footsteps and serve and respect other people in the same manner that he did. Since Jesus knew that he was going to leave this earth and go back to the Father, he wanted his ministry to continue after his ascension. He needed witnesses to spread the Gospel from Jerusalem to all ends of the world. He gave the disciples the Great Commission.
He said to the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Jesus knew that the disciples did not have the power to carry out this mission on their own. The Holy Spirit provided what the disciples needed to be like Christ. The Holy Spirit gave the disciples a new life and once we accept the Lord Jesus, we too receive a new life. This is the power we need to carry on the Great Commission.
Once the disciples received the power of the Holy Spirit, they could carry on the work placed before them. Once we receive this power, we, too, can carry on God’s work. Paul told the Philippians, “…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). When we have a personal relationship with Jesus by faith, the Holy Spirit helps us to become more life Jesus.
The power of the Holy Spirit brings Christian’s together in the name of Jesus. Listen to what Paul told the Ephesians:
Ephesians 2:19-22
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
The power of the Holy Spirit allows us to live in harmony with each other. It allows us not only to live in harmony but to live according to God’s Word. In addition, we are citizens in the Kingdom of God.
3. What was the result of the Holy Spirit?
The day of Pentecost opened the eyes of many people. There were many people present in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit came and rested on the disciples. The Scripture says, “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language’” (Acts 2:5-8).
This definitely got the attention of the people. How could these Galileans speak so many different languages? Imagine if those of us present in this room were in the Orange County Convention Center with people from all over the world and we began to talk and witness about our relationship Jesus Christ and the people from all over the world could hear us in their own language.
What would all these people from the other countries think? Would they think we were drunk? Would they think we were crazy? Would they think we were weird?
In our Scripture reading, the people of different nationalities who heard the disciples thought they were drunk. But Peter saves the day. He jumps right up and in a loud voice addressed the crowd. Peter said to the crowd, “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Acts 2:14-17, 21).
God had poured out his Spirit on the disciples. The people present saw the power that the disciples now had. The disciples could continue to minister and carry on the Great Commission because they had the power of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. We, too, can continue to minister and witness because we have the power of the Holy Spirit as did the disciples. This day, Pentecost, was the beginning of the Christian era.
Pentecost opened up Christianity to all who would accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Lord and Savior. John’s baptism symbolized the washing away of sins. For this to happen, repentance and change must take place in the individual. The baptism of the Holy Spirit gave the disciples power to witness to all the different nationalities in their own language. This was the symbol of the tongue. The fire, in addition to representing purifying, represent the work of the Holy Spirit bringing judgment to those who refuse to repent of their sins and accept the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were able to carry on the work of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion:
The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost to a group of 12 men. These were 12 ordinary men. They were not exceptional. They were just like we are. These men were obedient. They did exactly what Jesus told them before he ascended to heaven. They went to Jerusalem and waited for the power that would come upon them. The power came upon them 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven. The power came in a violent wind and with tongues of fire. Many people were present in Jerusalem at the time. In fact there were people from many different lands. The miracles of speaking in tongues took place. Peter explained to the crowd what was happening. He told them that this was Old Testament prophecy in the making. He proceeded to tell them that Jesus could change their lives if they would repent and receive him as their Lord and Savior.
The power of the Holy Spirit is with each believer in Jesus Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to spread the Gospel from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. We have this same power to witness to others wherever the Holy Spirit leads.
Listen to the words of Samuel Chadwick:
To the church, Pentecost brought light, power, joy.
There came to each illumination of mind,
Assurance of heart, intensity of love,
Fullness of power, exuberance of joy.
No one needed to ask if they had received the Holy Ghost.
Fire is self-evident.
So is power!
The Holy Spirit gives us the same powers it gave the disciples. We, too, can see visions and dream dreams. We can speak the truth in a world that is in denial. We have the power to live a happy and joyful life. We have the power to be saved. We have the power to understand differences between generations. We have the power to live an honest whole life. We have this power because we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit now lives in our hearts.
Amen.
