Pentecost - Filled

CONTEXT

Last week we heard about Jesus’ Ascension to heaven, 40 days after his resurrection. Jesus told his disciples they would receive the power to be his witnesses when the Holy Spirit came to them… “not many days from now.”

By the power of the Holy Spirit, they were going to share the message that the Son of God had died, been buried, then was risen from the grave, and ascended into heaven and that anyone who placed their faith in him would have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

10 days later, on the feast of Pentecost, when the Jews celebrated the giving of the Law through Moses, the Holy Spirit came.

SCRIPTURE READING

Acts 2:1–21 ESV

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

INTRODUCTION

Beautiful decorations. Sanctuary of the HS.

But what about us? Do we feel full of the HS?

I long for that!

Bumper sticker on a car in my neighborhood. Smiley face, caption underneath: dying inside.

Does that describe some of us?

We are called to be overflowing with spiritual life and dynamic, specially in articulate Jesus.

This sermon, how does the HS come into our lives?

EXEGESIS 1 - The Wind Comes as Promised

The disciples were all together in one place. Gathered together rehearsing the mighty things of Jesus, especially his resurrection and ascension.

Jesus had told them that they would be his witnesses. Message bearers.

But they had no power. They were uncertain and vulnerable in the face of the Roman and Jewish powers that had crucified Christ.

FAITH and PRAYER behind closed doors. Waiting and watching and praying. Jesus had said, you must pray and wait…and the HS will come “soon.”

Come Holy Spirit! Come presence and power of God!

Then on the day of Pentecost comes a mighty wind.

like we have here in OB…last week tornado warning, hurricane season.

It is a supernatural wind. There came from HEAVEN a mighty wind. Not just from the sky, but from heaven.

The Holy Spirit of God. Gods own spirit!

the wind over the deeps of creation brought forth life and order. (Gen. 1)

NOW coming to bring new kind of life…spiritual life.

Does not remain external to them. Fills them. v.4 they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Genesis: God breathed into the man and he became a living soul.

Now God’s Spirit breathes into them resurrection life of Christ.

We once we dead in our sins, but now we have been alive by the Spirit of God. (Eph. 2:5; Rom. 5:5)

The disciples obeyed Jesus, they waited, the prayed, they trusted, they were filled with the Spirit at the time set by God.

APPLICATION 1 - Pray/Wait for the Holy Spirit

W all have souls, spiritual people. Too often, sad dying inside.

full spiritual life comes from God. We need more God In our life.

It is a promised gift.

If we are not full of the Holy Spirit, we should ask God to fill us.

A gift that we ask for.

Jesus’ told a parable. How much more will the heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him for it. (Luke 11:13)

We ask not because God does not want to give it to us, but so that our desire for it can become clearer. I do want the Spirit. I want what I can only have as a gift.

Deepening of desire is also why we sometimes wait to receive the Spirit, as the first apostles did. They had to wait for 10 days.

10 days symbol: time to reckon with their need: Fear of Rome, anxiety about unworthiness or inability.

As we wait, we reckon with our deep need for God’s spirit.

Breathe exercise. Fill me with your Spirit. Standing in the breeze exercise: Fill me with your Spirit.

EXEGESIS 2: The Fire Comes as Promised

The HS comes as flames of fire

Tongues of fire appeared among them, and then rested upon each of them.

Fire a symbol of clearing the way for relationship with God.

Ancient Hebrews saw fire on the mountain to receive the Law.

Followed a pillar of fire in the night through the wilderness to the promised land.

Elijah called down fire from heaven to turn people’s hearts from idolatry back to God.

An angel touched the Isaiah’s lips with a coal taken from the fire to take away sin and speak judgment and hope.

John the Baptist said of Jesus: He will baptize you with fire and the Holy Spirit.

HS as Distinct tongues of fire.

They begin to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance. Not mystical, unearthly languages, but various human tongues.

Each apostle begins to proclaim Jesus. The one who clears the way — through death, resurrection, ascension — for relationship with God.

Not just for themselves but for the whole world.

A great crowd “gathered.” Diverse crowd of Jews from “all nations under heaven.”

Answer to the question: How are we to go into the all the world, we don’t even know their languages? In short, God says, I’ll make it possible. To each of you language: Miraculously fluent!

The NATIONS hear proclamation:

Each language is spoken. We hear them proclaiming the great deeds of God, each of us in our own language!

The content is all the same: the great deeds of God. Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.

The way to God is open! Finally the disciples were able to talk about Jesus, to proclaim about Jesus, the way they had been bursting to, since his resurrection.

APPLICATION 2: Talk about Jesus

Being filled with the Holy Spirit and talking about Jesus go together. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus and always points to him.

The hidden member of the Trinity, points away from Self to Jesus.

[Jesus said, the Holy Spirit will remind you of all that I have said and done. The HS talks about Jesus]

Often, my focus is “me”, or another person or board or committee or culture. Focus could/should be on Jesus.

We talk about Jesus the Holy Spirit is within and among us.

Just to say the name Jesus quickens the Holy Spirit.

Paul in Corinthians - no one can say Jesus is Lord apart from the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 1:3)

Just take a moment, say Jesus’ name to yourself.

Let’ s try it together. Jesus is Lord. You can feel the HS.

Turn to the person next to you: Jesus is Lord. 3x. Thrill of excitement, the HS.

Open my lips and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. (Ps. 95)

And open the ears of people around so that they can hear!

Increasing the HS in our lives by praying for the HS, by talking about Jesus.

EXEGESIS 3: Many Join the Church

When the disciples proclaimed were filled with the HS they talked about Jesus. Amongst each other, but also to the world.

The crowd had mixed responses.

The crowd asked on that First Pentecost morning. What does all this mean? Some in the crowd think it is a sign from God. Others that it is just some drunk revelers.

Peter dismisses the second. Pentecost celebrations did include eating and drinking, but that did not start to later in the day. They had not “jumped the gun” on the party.

Rather, it is a new Pentecost action of God.

Pentecost originally about the giving of the Law through Moses.

Now it is about the giving of the Spirit.

Peter teaches from Joel.

In the last days -- the fullness of days -- I will pour out my spirit on all flesh....and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved!

The first Pentecost gave the Law to the Jews. The New Pentecost gives the Spirit to all who ask.

The Law of the First Pentecost points out how man strays from God. The Spirit of the Second Pentecost says that God gathers together.

The Letter of the Law pronounces judgment. The Spirit of new Pentecost proclaims forgiveness.

Today is the day that salvation. Everyone who trusts in the Lord will be saved.

This is about salvation! Eternal life.

Later in the chapter (Acts 2:37) we read that 3,000 people responded to Peter’s message. And they prayed together, read the Scriptures together, and listened to the apostle’s experience.

Small band of disciples in a place, now a whole community emerging.

APPLICATION 3: Be in Community

Third way to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Be part of the community.

When I look back on my life — always in best spiritual condition when part of church. Not as good when on my own.

Not about some deficiency in me. It is about the nature of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit’s work is to draw people together with each other, with Christ and with God.

Paul in Corinthians: Christ is like the head, we are the body. We need to be connected. The Spirit in the one Body.

Jesus said, I am the vine, you are the branches. The HS the sap.

We need to be in community.

where the action of HS is overflowing!

Exercise: look around. Giving and receiving the HS. Send a blessing to someone.

The church, gathered here and now, is the visible sign of what awaits eternally.

Rev. 7:9-11: After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

CONCLUSION

On Pentecost we celebrate the Holy Spirit.

He is everywhere around us, within us, and among us.

wind: let us pray to be filled

fire: share the HS

surrounded: in community: overflowing with Spirit

PRAYER OF INTERCESSION

Let us unite our hearts and minds in prayer for our world, saying,

By your Holy Spirit, O God…hear our prayer.

For the church throughout the world: Inspire the sons and daughters of your church for prophetic witness to your truth, and upon old and young give clarity of vision to acknowledge your saving power in the world. By your Holy Spirit, O God…hear our prayer.

For nations of the world and its leaders: Overcome the babble of misunderstanding among the nations, and let all people hear in their own language and recognize in their own culture your unifying message of love.By your Holy Spirit, O God…hear our prayer.

For planet Earth, our home: By your Spirit, renew the earth, make us good stewards of its resources, and teach us to enjoy its abundance rightly. By your Holy Spirit, O God…hear our prayer.

For those in need of healing: Among those known to us, God, we pray for N. and N., Send your healing Spirit upon those who are sick in body or mind, restore them to health, and restore to them the joy of salvation. By your Holy Spirit, O God…hear our prayer.

For our neighbors and members of our civic community: Teach us to be good neighbors, to live in peace with one another, and in friendship share the joys and burdens of daily life. By your Holy Spirit, O God…hear our prayer.

For our children: Bless our children, protect them from danger, and help parents and caregivers nurture them so that they may mature in wisdom and grow in grace. By your Holy Spirit, O God…hear our prayer.

For our enemies: Bless our enemies and show us how we may do good to them for the sake of Jesus Christ. By your Holy Spirit, O God…hear our prayer.

In your mercy, Almighty God, receive our prayers and, according to your wisdom, provide all that we need; through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.