Pentecost Sunday
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Today is Pentecost Sunday. It the day we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Early Church to STAY.
Some churches recognize it as being part of the Christian Calendar with no relevance for today. I was raised in a good church, but it was a church that didn’t really celebrate Pentecost like many churches.
Kathy – I grew up in a church that believed in Pentecost... describe your church growing up... maybe with a story.
We don’t talk about this enough, but we are Pentecostal which means we seek after the fullness of the Holy Spirit just like they did at Pentecost and throughout the New Testament. We believe that God does miracles now like he did then, and like we have seen today.
We want to see everyone baptized in the Holy Spirit... prayer language... ... OK, you can breathe. Don’t be afraid of what God wants to give you. Our church… every church needs the power of the Holy Spirit working in it.
There are three different baptisms that the Bible talks about.
The Holy Spirit baptizes us into Christ.
The Holy Spirit baptizes us into Christ.
13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
The disciple baptizes us in water.
The disciple baptizes us in water.
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit.
16 John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
What’s the big deal about the Pentecost?
Pentecost was the birth of the church. Everyone was hiding (in what we call the upper room) until Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. let’s look at this for a bit.
After Jesus was crucified, he rose from the dead three days later. After that He walked around appearing to people for 40 days.
3 During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
At some point, Jesus told them,
4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.
After that, 120 believers waited in what we call the upper room for 10 days for the promise of the Holy Spirit to come. Over 500 watched him ascend, but only 120 did what he told them to do.
Write this down…
Pentecost was not an afterthought, it was part of the plan all the time.
Pentecost was not an afterthought, it was part of the plan all the time.
Pentecost changed everything. Everything Jesus died to make happen was now available to everyone.
Before Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured on people.
Before Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured on people.
The Holy Spirit would come on people for a certain task…
The HS came on Samson and he killed Israel’s enemies.
The HS came on Saul…
The HS came on Samuel… Ezekiel…
HS came on David when he killed Goliath.
However, Pentecost changed all that.
After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured into people.
After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured into people.
17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured into people to stay. He no longer came and went. Jesus sent him to stay.
We also need to know that…
The infilling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is different than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we receive when we are saved.
The infilling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is different than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we receive when we are saved.
It’s important to understand that the infilling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is different than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that occurs when you are saved.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
During one of His appearances to the disciples, Jesus…
22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
The disciples received the indwelling of the HS here, but they were not filled with the HS until Pentecost 40 days later. Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem until the promise of the HS comes from the Father.
They waited and He came and what a difference it made.
Later Paul would say…
4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
In America, we had something we call The Great Awakening. It began when Jonathan Edwards, read his sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, monotone and by candle light. the Holy Spirit exploded into America and a great revival was born.
Without the Power of the Holy Spirit, the message of the Gospel depends on our understanding and talent… and that’s not good. We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to live for the Lord and to share about the Lord.
Unfortunately, most churches today don’t have that power. Paul describes what that looks like…
5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
We do not want to be that kind of church… ever. We want to be a church where the Holy Spirit is working in people’s lives and using them to do great things for the Lord.
This morning, as we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the church, Let’s look at three aspects of what happened. The outpouring, the explanation, and the result.
Now I know some of you have not been raised in a church that taught you these realities.
For those that think it’s historical only … let me ask you. Is Salvation historical? Yes! Does salvation still occur? Yes! Just because you may not have been taught about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit doesn’t make it not true today just like it was in the New Testament.
The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
John the Baptist told of Jesus and the sending of the Holy Spirit.
11 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for His promise, the gift of the Holy Spirit.
49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
Jesus appeared over and over again and then told them they would receive POWER when the Holy Spirit came. Acts 1:3-8
3 During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. 4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” 7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus knew they would need that power. He knew we would need that same power. Without the power of the HS, we are lacking the power Jesus wants us to have.
Without that power, We are like a baseball player who hits a home run and stops on 3rd base.
Pentecost gives us power.
Pentecost gives us power.
Pentecost gives power to preaching. It gives power to witnessing. It gives power to teaching. It gives power to overcome sin. It gives power in every aspect of our lives. Even though the apostles knew the WOG, Jesus knew they needed power…
Even though the apostles knew the Word and wrote a lot about the word, Jesus knew that they needed the power of His Holy Spirit for them to change the world.
Pentecost gave them that power. The same power Jesus operated under as a man while here on earth.
38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Whose power did Jesus do good things with? Holy Spirit. Jesus needed the power of the Holy Spirit just like we do because while he was 100% God, he was also 100% man and while he was on earth, he did all of his miracles as a man filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is what Jesus told them to wait on.
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. 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.
pic of upper room
The apostles job was plan… wait on what Jesus promised. They didn’t know exactly what they were waiting on, but they waited.
For 10 days, after the ascension of Jesus, these 120 followers of Jesus stayed in a room and continued to pray and worship the Lord waiting for the gift Jesus told them to wait for. Can you imagine, a 10 day prayer meeting? For them, they didn’t know how long it would be… 10 days… 10 weeks or 10 years. That in itself was a miracle… 120 people praying for 10 straight days and focusing on Jesus.
Imagine what might happen if we all prayed for 10 straight days…
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost changed these 120 people.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost changed these 120 people.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit turned these 120 people around and turned Jerusalem upside down for Jesus. It turned Paul the persecutor into Paul the preacher.
After 10 days here is what happened. Acts 2:1
1 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.
Jerusalem was full because of the Feast of Pentecost which was 50 days or 7 weeks after Passover. The city was packed kind of like NO during Mardi Gras.
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.
The Spirit wasn’t poured in a select few or even just on the Apostles, the Holy Spirit was given to everyone present.
Can you imagine what it must have been like to have been there when this happened? WOW! You had faithful believers gathered together praying and expecting something. They were waiting as Jesus instructed them to do... having faith that God was going to do something powerful in their midst.
This particular day probably didn’t seem any different than the previous 9 days did, but little did they know what was fixing to take place.
Suddenly, the sound like a rushing wind filled the room. The sound was loud, but the wind wasn’t blowing. Imagine that you are there, and you look at your friend next to you and see a flaming tongue of fire above their head.
Something that looked like flames appeared over the whole group. Then it broke up into smaller flames and settled above the head of each believer… both men and women. The flames were distributed equally to everyone. These flaming tongues looked like fire but were not actually fire… no one was burned.
They all received the same measure of the Holy Spirit. Peter didn’t get more than Mary M or anyone else. Pastors don’t get more than church members. The Holy Spirit was distributed equally to everyone.
Then with jaw dropping wonder, a new sound filled the air. They began preaching the Gospel in other languages.
This is not the Heavenly Language or Estatic utterings Paul talked about in 1 CO 12-14.
So all these people were in town and heard these Galileans speaking in their own languages… it must have blown their minds.
Some on the outside thought they were drunk… they had no other explanation for what they saw. I think as the Holy Spirit was being poured out that there was GREAT joy in that place.
Next comes Peter’s explanation.
2. Peter Explains what’s happening.
2. Peter Explains what’s happening.
14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy. 19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. 21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25 King David said this about him: ‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 26 No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. 27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. 28 You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’ 29 “Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30 But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne. 31 David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave. 32 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34 For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand 35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.” ’ 36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” 37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
Acts 2:14–41 NLT. Then Peterstepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: (Joel 2:28-32)
17 ‘In the last days (days between Jesus 1st & 2nd coming),’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy (not just predict future events, but preach the Gospel). Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy. 19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. 21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Everyone who called on the name of Jesus was saved. John Newton once said,
When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there: The first wonder will be to see many people there whom I did not expect to see. The second wonder will be to miss many people whom I did expect to see. The third and greatest wonder of all will be to find myself there
When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there: The first wonder will be to see many people there whom I did not expect to see. The second wonder will be to miss many people whom I did expect to see. The third and greatest wonder of all will be to find myself there
Peter is explaining that this is what Joel spoke about in Joel 2::28-29
28 “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.
22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25 King David said this about him: ‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 26 No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. 27For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. 28 You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’ 29 “Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30 But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne. 31 David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.
32 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand 35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.” ’
36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” 37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Notice the pattern here.
1. Repent – Turn from Your Sins. Actually means to change your outlook or your mind. You change your mind about the life you are living.
2. Turn to God –Turn from your sin to God.
3. Baptized – Be Baptized in a Believer’s Baptism to state to the world you belong to Jesus.
4. Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit – He indwells you, but Pentecost is about HS filling you.
5. Be Filled with the Holy Spirit
39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God. 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
After he finished preaching, 3000 people accepted Jesus and were added to the church. Not a bad day!
Because of what happened the power of the HS did not stay within the 4 walls of the upper room. HS sent them out all over the place. Someone said we were not created to live under fluorescent lights... IOW, we are to get with it as far as sharing the Gospel.
Pentecost came and went public and the news spread like wildfire without FB.
3. The result of Pentecost was that the 1st century Church had power to change the world for the Lord.
3. The result of Pentecost was that the 1st century Church had power to change the world for the Lord.
These believers turned Jerusalem upside down. They did great things for the Lord while spreading the Gospel to everyone.
When a person has been baptized in the Holy Spirit, they have more power to witness for the Lord. Look at Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The result of Pentecost was that the early church had power like never before. We have access to that same Holy Spirit’s power today. He convicted people of their need for Jesus then and still does today.
God’s plan for us is the same as it was for the 120 then… to spread His Gospel with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Study: Peter Wagner has studied missions around the world. He discovered that where the Gospel was being spread most effectively ALWAYS has one common denominator: Where there was a Pentecostal Missionary, the results were always far greater.
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit makes a difference! in your everyday life… in your witnessing… in your parenting… everything…
Why Pentecost? It makes all the difference!
Why Pentecost? It makes all the difference!
Why should we want what God did then… now. why should we want to be baptized in the Holy Spirit?
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift from God.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift from God.
The HS is the gift that Jesus talked about.
If Jesus thought the disciples needed the Holy Spirit, we do too.
If Jesus thought the disciples needed the Holy Spirit, we do too.
If the disciples after spending 3 years with Jesus, seeing him raise up from the dead and walk around with them for 40 days afterward needed the Filling of HOLY SPIRIT, there is no doubt that we need that same power. HS gives us power!
We need the Holy Spirit so we can effectively share Christ with others.
We need the Holy Spirit so we can effectively share Christ with others.
We need the Holy Spirit so we can demonstrate the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
We need the Holy Spirit so we can demonstrate the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Anyone besides me need more of these?
There are a lot of reasons why we need the Baptism in the HS… why we need that same power that the early believers had. Here is one more...
Magician (and atheist) Penn Teller says that when Christians fail to evangelize, we’re showing that we don’t care for others:
“I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—... —how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?
How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that”
(Penn Teller, quoted in Justin Taylor, “How Much Do You Have to Hate Somebody to Not Proselytize)
Today, let’s let Pentecost remind us that we need the same power that the early church needed. They saw the Baptism in the HS as the normal experience of following Jesus.
The power that we need to live for Jesus … to parent better… to get though the crazy time we are living in… to grow our church… is not in a program, it’s in a person… it’s in the power of Holy Spirit… the power of Pentecost.
Too many people today are afraid of the HS. He is God… we don’t have to be afraid of him. I have heard people say that they don’t want to speak in tongues. I don’t understand why, but Paul said, 1 CO 14:18
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you.
That’s Paul under the power of the Holy Spirit saying he wishes we all spoke in tongues. The HS isn’t nutty. We need the power of the HS. Look at this scripture… 1 CO 14:4
4 A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.
Does anyone here besides me need to be strengthened?
Paul understood the benefits of speaking in tongues.
Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday and it reminds us of the reality that when we are Baptized in the Holy Spirit, we have new power that we did not have before.
The first century church saw the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as the normal Christian Experience for empowering believers to spread the Gospel.
The power we need to grow individually… to grow this church is not another program, it’s the power of Pentecost.
Don’t be the baseball player standing on 3rd base, refusing to run to home plate.
Remember the Pattern
1. Repent – Turn from Your Sins. Actually means to change your outlook or your mind. You change your mind about the life you are living.
2. Turn to God –Turn from your sin to God.
Pray Sinners Prayer -
3. Baptized – Be Baptized in a Believer’s Baptism to state to the world you belong to Jesus.
4. Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit – He indwells you, but Pentecost is about HS filling you.
5. Be Filled with the Holy Spirit – Ask anyone who wants to be filled to ask God to fill them with HS Now.
2 reasons why people don’t receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
1. Fear
2. Lack of understanding
You may be like others who have both.
Come forward for prayer