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Day of Pentecost: A PROMISE KEPT

Saying, “Good-bye” is a natural part of life.  Some good-bye’s are more difficult than others.  Let’s watch a few of these good-bye’s in action. . .

Video:  “Good-byes”

Goodbyes aren’t always easy, especially if the one leaving will be gone for a long time. They aren’t easy when you don’t really know what is going to happen next or how you are going to face life.

Acts 1:12-26

In Acts 1, Jesus says his “good-bye” to the disciples who spent so much time with him during his ministry.  They had journeyed with him for three years, seen all the miracles and learned so much.  They were still trying to make sense of everything.  They had said good-bye once when they watched him die on a cross.  Now they have seen him alive again.  They have spent forty days with him, and they are saying good-bye again.  

As Jesus prepares to leave, he stresses the importance of waiting to receive power from above.   He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Father’s gift of the Holy Spirit who would give them power to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.  (Acts 1:3-8)

After Jesus’ ascended to heaven, the disciples returned to Jerusalem and joined together in prayer in an upper room.  And in Acts 2, we discover that the day finally came.  The sound of a violent windstorm filled the house.  What looked like flames of fire appeared and rested on them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
The disciples were given power.  They left the room to tell the world.  It was the beginning of the Church.  We now refer to that day as the day of Pentecost.

In many Christian churches, Pentecost Sunday takes place 50 days or seven weeks after Easter, and it is a celebration of the receiving of the Holy Spirit by the early church.  It is a time to recognize the gift of the Holy Spirit, realizing that God’s very life, breath and energy lives in believers. 

*The celebration of Pentecost Sunday reminds us of the reality that we all have access to the unifying Spirit that was poured out upon the first century church in Acts 2:1-4. It is a reminder that we are co-heirs with Christ, to suffer with Him that we may also be glorified with Him; that the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7); that we are all baptized by one Spirit into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13); and that the Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead lives inside believers (Romans 8:9-11). This gift of the Holy Spirit that was promised and given to believers on the first Pentecost is promised for you and your children and for all who are far off whom the Lord our God will call (Acts 2:39).

Today we are going to begin a journey to learn what happened to the disciples on the day of Pentecost.

There are four important characteristics we want to point out regarding this first Pentecost experience.  The first deals with…

1. What happened BEFORE the disciples experienced Pentecost

“Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile.[c] 13 When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. 

   Here are the names of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the Zealot), and Judas (son of James). 14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.” Acts 1:12-14 NLT

After Jesus returned to heaven, and some angels showed up to get them moving, the disciples remembered that Jesus told them to get together and wait for the promise of His Spirit. They returned to what may have been the same room where Jesus had promised the coming of the Holy Spirit to them. They started praying.  They didn’t just get together and pray for one day.  Jesus had given them a mission to tell people everywhere about Him.  They stayed together and kept praying. 
For 10 days they huddled together.  120 followers of Christ waiting for the promise. 

That is… 

Persistence:  They stuck to praying.  Can you imagine taking ten days out of your life and focusing on your spiritual life? That takes some discipline.  Most of us would feel good about the first few hours or couple of days but it would take persistence to hang out for that long and stay focused. 

To enjoy the full presence of the Holy Spirit understand that it will take perseverance in prayer. 

That is hard for us in our on demand world.  When things aren’t going the way we expect or want, we want to give up.  We want results our way now.  So when we need God’s help, we want results now.  Instead of trusting or being persistent we give up.  

In Luke 11, Jesus once told a story about a man who went to his neighbor at night to borrow food for an unexpected guest and only received what he wanted by repeatedly knocking on his neighbor’s door.   Jesus said this about the neighbor…
“I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you: Ask, (literally keep asking) and it will be given you; seek (literally, keep seeking) and you will find; knock, (literally, keep knocking) and the door will be opened.” Luke 11:8-9

These disciples were persistent.  They also united.  They joined together in…

Unity

The scripture says they were constantly united in prayer. These are the same people who argued over who would have the best seat in the kingdom of God and who refused to wash one another’s feet.  There were women in this room including Jesus mother who often were not treated as equal in this society, rich, poor, people who were pure and people who had once lived a life of sin.  Jesus brothers were even in the mix and they had rejected His claim to be the Messiah. Yet somehow they are unified about one thing. 

They were hungry for the promise of God’s Holy Spirit. The Lord will always pour out His Spirit upon those that are living in unity. 

They were depending on Jesus and His promise.  They knew they needed God’s power.  They needed the Holy Spirit.  

Dependence 

This group of 120 gathered in the Upper Room knew this at their very core. The fullness of the Holy Spirit comes to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, to those that depend and rely wholly on God.

So let’s talk about…

2. What happened TO the disciples at Pentecost

In Acts 2, it says…
“ 1 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.” Acts 2:1-4 NLT

The word Pentecost means fiftieth.  The day of Pentecost was 50 days after the Jewish Passover, and it was a perfect time for the Holy Spirit to come.  Jerusalem was full of those gathered to attend the Feast of Weeks, one of three major annual Jewish festivals.  Jews of many nations gathered in Jerusalem to this festival.  This was an international event.  

As the apostles’ were praying, the Bible describes the sound of a mighty wind.  There were flames of fire, and the Spirit of God came on them.  

All of this may seem a little strange, but in the Hebrew or Jewish world this description or occurrence would have been totally understandable. 

First there was wind.  Often the word wind in the Hebrew and Greek language was used to describe the Spirit of God.  (The Hebrew word for “wind,” ruah, and the Greek word pneuma are both used for the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel used “ruah” to describe the Spirit of God moving over a valley of dry bones, so that suddenly there was thunder and the clattering of bones coming together. It all happened at God’s command, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live. . .they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.” Ez. 37:9-10) 

This coming of the Holy Spirit brought the winds of change to the disciple’s lives and left them with incredible spiritual life and power. 

Wind, Fire and the gift of language

Then there was fire. Fire is the symbol of God’s presence throughout the Bible, beginning with Moses and a burning bush and continuing right on to the consuming fire of Mt. Sinai. Fire represents holiness - God’s purifying presence.  The fire on the day of Pentecost represented God’s presence that can purify our lives and ignite a passion with us that God can use to change the lives of others.  
God’s presence wasn’t just one flame.  There were flames of fire that rested on each person.  The Spirit of God is now available to live in every believer.  
From this day forward, the Holy Spirit would be the key to a personal ongoing daily relationship with Jesus Christ. 

These disciples longed for God’s power in their lives.  The sound of a mighty wind came, the fire descended and they leap to their feet and begin praising God.  
 They even began speaking in other languages.   It says…

“4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.” Acts 2:4 NLT

This leads to the question -                                                                                                                                     
3. What happened IN the disciples at Pentecost

When we are serious about really longing for God’s presence and power in our lives, when we are serious about really depending on God and trusting Him, the Holy Spirit is able to work in us and through us.
 
These Jesus followers begin to do incredible things.  Read Acts 2-3 and keep reading.  They live differently.  They are able to share the story of Jesus with people from other nations.  This group of international people who were there now hear the story of Jesus in their own language.  It wasn’t an unknown language.  These people  hear the disciples speak in their own native tongue.  That got their attention.  In a crowded city where people from other places have gathered who speak in different languages, hearing someone speak in your language is a welcome sound.  

12 They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.” Acts 2:12 NLT

Not only were they able to share Jesus with people from other nations, but these disciples perform  miracles.  They start really love others.  They take care of each other and share with those in need.   They are aware of God’s presence in their lives and they are able to make decisions about where to go and what to say. 
People all around them are amazed.  And each day it says, the Lord added to their number those who came to know Jesus.  

The disciples were living out their mission with God’s power.  

*Illustration:  Sun Chip bag – The new mission statement of the corporate world seems to be or will soon be “Green is green.”  One of the latest “green” products is also one of the loudest. “Sunchips,” a yummy little whole grain snack food, has “trashed” its old plastic bag packaging for a new “green” container. 

The new Sunchips bag looks just about the same as any old bag of chips, but it is now completely compostable. Bury a Sunchips bag in the ground and in a few weeks, it is gone, sucked right back into the soil. Okay, that’s great for reducing landfill waste. Plus it makes eating a yummy, salty snack food seem like a good thing.  But the most amazing thing about the new Sunchips bag?

It is not that it is compostable. It is how LOUD it is. Pick up a bag and you’d swear it was wearing a microphone. There is even a disclaimer of sorts printed on the bag: “This bag is louder because it is compostable.” Every crunch and crinkle is amplified and resonates. Digging into a bag of Sunchips makes your ears hurt.
Lady at check out said, “Can’t steal those if you wanted.”

Going to rock concerts and wearing ear buds connected to a cranked up Ipod are nothing compared to the din made by a Sunchips bag. Those with a serious Sunchip addiction are the next big customer base for the people at Miracle Ear.
But the new sound of Sunchips does make you sit up and take notice. The sound is different, unexpected, and undeniable. Its loud noise calls attention to what makes it so different, so unique, among all the other chip choices. 

On Pentecost we celebrate a new sound. The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, and the sound became real in the way they spoke about Jesus and in the way they loved others.

These disciples were people who had been fishermen, people who had been outcasts, people who had lived a life of sin, some who had been rich, some who had been poor.  These were people who had faced disappointment and despair, betrayal, guilt.  But they were also people who had experienced forgiveness, the resurrection, and now the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit transforms their lives in such a way that people notice – this sound of love, this new message.  We still have this message today.  There are people around us who need that message.  

What does this mean? 

It means there is hope for us.  Because right here there are people who have felt like outcast, lived a life of sin, some rich, some poor, some who have faced disappointment and despair, betrayal, and guilty.  But there are also people who have experienced the forgiveness of Jesus.   The Holy Spirit brings new life to those who believe in Jesus Christ, and with that life comes power to live differently, to bring a new message.  To bring a message of hope that is understood by people who need hope, forgiveness, and the power to live differently. 
The Holy Spirit transforms lives in such a way that people notice.   
What is required of us? 

Persistence – To enjoy the full presence of the Holy Spirit understand that it will take perseverance in prayer.  It will take persistence in really hungering and thirsting for God to work in your life.

Unity – unity with others around you.  Is there someone you need to forgive?  Is there someone you are holding a grudge against?  Is their disunity between you and someone?  Deal with it.

Dependence – Depend on Jesus and His promise of the Holy Spirit in your life.  Another word would be  – emptiness. You need to acknowledge that we need Christ.  Recognize you need God’s power and the Holy Spirit.  Are you depending on the Holy Spirit?

God helps us have faith.  God helps us respond to the gospel message and that is how we become Christfollowers. Once we are following Christ there comes the opportunity to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  The more we acknowledge our inadequacy the more He fills us with His Spirit. This requires humility and confession. 

- It is saying, “God I need you.  I need you to keep changing me.  I need you to make me more like you.  I need you to help me love others like you.  I need you to help me overcome my addiction.  I need you to help me forgive.  I need you to give me the right words to say at home, to my neighbor, to my friend.  I need you to use me.  I need you to work through me.”  

Prayer

Song:  At the Cross

Send Out:  As you prepare to leave, know that you have access to God’s power through the Holy Spirit.  May you seek the Holy Spirit in your life.  May you experience the Holy Spirit and live a transformed life.
 
*Sun Chips Illustration from Leonard Sweet – The Broken English of Pentecost

 



2010/05/23