Pentecost

The Importance of Pentecost

In the church world today we are faced with choices. There are many holidays associated with Christianity. Over the years so many celebrations and remembrances have been put into the calendar that we could celebrate something nearly every Sunday. We do not choose to do that. We focus on a select few holidays that hold a special and a high place in our regard. We focus on special celebrations of Christmas and Easter as the two events we hold in highest regard. That is for good reason. The basis of our faith is on these special days. It is on the basis of the coming of God to earth, living as a man, dying for our sins and rising again victoriously. Without that we have nothing to believe in. We aught to celebrate these as we do. We spend a month or more in preparation of Christmas. The whole world stops and our sermons at church focus on Christmas almost exclusively. There are plays and dramas and parties and celebrations of Christmas that we do as a church to burn the importance and joy of that occasion on our minds.

At Easter it is somewhat similar. During the Easter season our sermons and services focus on the events of Easter and all the happenings leading up to that time. We have Palm Sunday. Good Friday services are common. Many Churches and organizations will hold Easter programs and Easter dinners. Some even give gifts of some type on Easter, to say nothing of the Easter baskets and indulgence is various candies and sweets. This joyous occasion is also burned on our minds. The holidays relating to Jesus birth, death, and Resurrection justly receive enormous attention in our church year.

We have other holidays that we often celebrate. We generally spend much of the month of February with a theme of love. We remember the heroic Saint Valentine and that he refused to give up on God’s plan for marriage even though the government outlawed it. Rightly so, this holiday does not have near the importance or pageantry as some others. Yet we definitely consider it worthy of yearly remembrance.

There may be a few other Christian holidays that are mentioned or alluded to throughout the year and there certainly are several more nationally focused holidays that find a special place in our hearts and our services. One of those lesser emphasized but still yearly remembered holidays is Pentecost.

Pentecost Sunday is today. We generally celebrate Pentecost with a Sunday morning message about the Holy Spirit coming that day and an encouragement and challenge to be sure that we have our own personal Pentecosts. Then we move on to the topics of the moment. There is no month long buildup. There are no gifts exchanged. There is no commercial holiday. There are no programs, no special dinners. Not much other than a one week focus on holiness and Spirit-Filled living. This is all wrong! We have not done this day justice! Like any good speaker I am not here to offer a practical solution but only to criticize what we have been doing in Christianity over the years.

Why is this day such a big deal? Why is it that I think we have wronged the holiday even though it is one of few that we observe? A perspective was recently suggested to me and I will suggest it to you. It may not be completely correct but it sure is some food for thought.

God is a Trinity made of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We struggle to truly comprehend this. I could give various illustrations about this but I want to mention why I think that our lack of understanding is a good thing, not a bad thing. I think that our inability to fully understand God is evidence of Him as the creator and as a highly superior being to us. What creation can fully understand the thing that created it? We, even the full collective knowledge and intelligence of all mankind cannot even fully understand the workings of the Human soul, body and mind. Why would would we expect to understand the one who designed and created us? Our understanding is clearly severely limited. Were we able to understand God entirely we would be serving a limited God. I am glad we cannot comprehend God because if we could he wouldn’t be that much of a God.

Knowing that God is a trinity allows us to perhaps look at our Christian holiday’s in a different perspective.

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We focus often on the result or on our part. I want to direct our attention to the first two phrases. God loved so God gave His Son. God the Father sent Jesus the Son. I do not want to assume how exactly the plan of redemption was formed and carried out on Heaven’s side but here it says that God the Father sent Jesus the Son to earth.

That means Christmas is a celebration of the Gift that God the Father Sent. In view of the Trinity Christmas is about the Father.

Jesus lived on earth and carried out the will of His Father. However we know that He had a choice. He could have rejected the plan and done something else entirely. Now there is whole debate about the humanity and divinity of Jesus and what He could and could not do. Yet we know His prayer in the garden. His begging for a different way, and yet the complete surrender to the plan. Jesus carried out the plan of redemption here on earth and became the perfect and victorious sacrifice with His death and resurrection. The events of which we celebrate leading up to and through Easter. So Easter is all about the Son and His work for us.

So then where is our month long celebration of the Holy Spirit? Where is our pageantry and remembrance of the one who dwells within us and gives us strength? Truthfully Christmas and Easter wouldn’t be much good without Pentecost. Without the coming of the Holy Spirit to comfort, cleanse, strength, guide, fill, and dwell with us Christs example and sacrifice would be in vain.

The Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost. He came to earth not just for a while. Not as an example, not as a sacrifice, but He came to fill those who would be filled! He is still here but His coming and His work gets just a brief mention one time a year.

So tonight lets talk about Pentecost like we talk about Christmas.

Pentecost Promised

Just like Christmas was foretold and promised so too was Pentecost. The Old Testament prophet Joel prophesied the coming outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions:”

All the way back in the Old Testament it was foretold that after Jesus came, then the Holy Spirit would come. Acts 2:16 “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;” confirms that Pentecost is indeed what Joel spoke of. There is no doubt that this ancient prophecy was a bout the Holy Spirit coming on the day of Pentecost. Just like Jesus came and fulfilled many ancient prophecies so too did Pentecost.

Jesus Himself is the source for some other prophecies about the coming of the Comforter. John 14:17–20 says “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.” Jesus tells his disciples that He is about to leave, but the Spirit would come, whom the world, or sinners, cannot receive, but they as His devoted servants would receive. Now the Spirit dwelt with them, whether by the bodily presence of Jesus or in the manner that He dwells with all Christians, but at that day the Spirit would dwell within them. Again Jesus in the same chapter says John 14:25–26 “These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

The disciples were rightly disturbed by the words of Jesus as He talked about leaving. He was their example, their guide and their teacher. He prophesied to them that He would send the comforter who would remind them of Jesus teaching and example and further guide and instruct them, teaching them in the way that they should go. It was after this time that Jesus died. They perhaps thought that in His resurrection he had accomplished these words, however in Acts 1:4–5 “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” and again in Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The final prophecies were given. Not many days hence!

Pentecost Performed

The prophecies had all been given. The disciples were ready to be recipients of the Holy Spirit. They were fully dedicated and consecrated to God. Their part had been accomplished. It was now time for God to do His part. Jesus had told them just before His ascension that the Holy Ghost would come upon them and would fill them. He had given them a command to wait for the promise of the father. They returned to Jerusalem and entered into an upper room and waited.

This is the key. When we have given all to God. When we have surrendered ourselves, when we have let go of all then it is time to wait in prayerful obedience. God did not tell them how long they would wait. Jesus did not tell them a step by step guide to be filled. I believe the actions of the apostles are the key. They waited in prayerful obedience.

They were told to wait and to remain in Jerusalem. Now if you remember these disciples had over the recent days and months seen their messiah crucified, they had seen the risen Lord and communed with Him and learned from Him. Then they had seen Him on the mount of transfiguration and they had seen Him rise into Heaven. They had heard His command to go into all the world and share the good news of redemption, and now they had been given a contradictory command. Wait. Their spiritual emotions and fervor was at an all time high, and they had a message to share that they had been commanded to share. I cannot imagine this waiting was what they desired or that it was very enjoyable. In their mind I imagine that they felt ready to conquer the world and they probably wondered why the Holy Ghost had not yet come upon them. The first day or so of waiting probably was not too difficult. Just wait a minute or two and then surely they would be filled with the Holy Ghost. But it did not happen that way.

I am afraid that we today have not learned the lesson of waiting very well. I think we feel that God must act when we determine that he aught to. The moment we feel like we are ready to be filled we expect him to fill us. Yet the apostles were by all accounts ready, but they were commanded to wait. And wait they did. Wait we must sometimes. Sometimes we must learn to wait on God and learn that God works in His timing and not our own. But our waiting is not to be complacent waiting.

While they waited in obedience they waited also in prayer. They did not fold their hands in complacency but they bowed their heads in prayer while they waited. I do not know the topic of their prayers, but I would not be surprised if it was full of requests for the Holy Ghost to come. In obedience they waited. In expectation and faith they prayed and in God’s time He answered.

We know the story well. When the day of Pentecost was fully come, so too did the Holy Spirit come. With the sound sound of a rushing mighty wind and with tongues of fire He came. That was and still is a purifying fire that comes to those who give themselves fully to God and wait for Him in prayerful obedience and expectant faith. That wind was and still is an animating, life-giving, empowering wind that come to those whom He purifies. When the dross is burned away, then the Spirit fill the temple. When the Spirit fills the temple it is noticed. The power of the Spirit flowed from them and they began to teach. People from all over the world heard in their own native tongues the words shared by these apostles and by Peter. It seems to me that the miracle was in the hearing and not the speaking however it does say that they all spoke in other tongues. Regardless this was not pointless chatter, not unknown languages. Not untranslatable exultation but words understood in languages by those present.

God’s presence impacted many. 3000 were converted. These apostles went on to live their lives for God. Living for Him and in most cases, dying for Him as well. This is the importance of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was sent by the Father and lived as an example and teacher. He accomplished the plan of redemption through His death and resurrection making possible our justification before God. The Holy Spirit came to purify the Christian and animate them into a new life completely guided by Him. He purifies first. Then He fills. Then He dwells. This is Pentecost performed.

Pentecost Prevails

Yet the story of Pentecost is not just a history lesson. It is not just a recounting of what happened on a certain day so long ago. It is a story of today. It is a story of now. For not only was Pentecost prophesied, not only was Pentecost performed, Pentecost prevails yet today. This was not a special circumstance that happened to the apostles and to those who believed in Jesus before His ascension and sending of the Holy Ghost. This is prevailing promise for you and I today.

We will not quite leave history just yet. As Pastor Ryan mentioned this morning there are many instances of the coming and filling of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. In Acts 2 the Apostles and the 120 in the upper room were filled with the Spirit. They had gone and preached and 3000 were converted. In Acts 4 after the healing of the lame man either another 2000 were converted bringing the total to 5000, or another 5000 were converted. After being jailed Peter and John returned to their company and then we find Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” Now many use this to prove the idea of filling and refilling. Yet I suggest that this is evidence of the prevailing work of Pentecost. Here we have a company made up of 5-8000 people, of whom 120 had been filled with the Spirit. Here are many who had been saved after the coming of the Holy Ghost to earth now being filled with the Holy Ghost. There is no reason to assume that the ones leading the meeting had somehow lost the Holy Spirit and needed refilled. All being filled more reasonably refers to the vast majority of those who had not yet been filled that to those who had already been filled and were just a few verses earlier referred to as full of the Holy Ghost. So here already in just a couple chapter we see this was not a special circumstance for the Apostles.

After the martyrdom of Stephen the gospel began to spread. Just down the road a bit the Samaritans recieved the gospel. These believers then recieved the Holy Ghost after the Apostles came down. Another proof that Pentecost prevails. Cornelius in Acts 10 was a God-fearing, just and devout man. A Christian who then recieved the Holy Ghost when Peter was yet speaking. The Corinthian Christians in Acts 19 recieved the Holy Ghost, purifying their hearts as He had done for the apostles at Pentecost. This goes on throughout the New Testament as various examples of the Holy Ghost filling believers after they are saved continue.

Not only do we have examples, we have commandments. In 1 Peter 1:15–16 we read “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” It is clear that we ought to be holy. It is clear by example that this is a second work. It is also clear by commandment that it is a second work and that it is a possible work. People who were already Christians are extorted to go on unto perfection and to be holy, to be sanctified, to put on the new man and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God would not command us to an impossibility so personal cleansing and filling must be possible today! And it is! A look through history shows many who have found this blessed experience. This doctrine holds an unbroken chain from the day of Pentecost until today.

Not only does the Holy Ghost cleanse and fill, He dwells. As He dwells within he comforts us, he teaches us, he guides us, He chastises us, and He strengthens us. Though His work we are made truly righteous and Holy and therefore become truly ready to enter Heaven. Through His dwelling within we are enabled to live for Him and to grow in the knowledge and admonition of the Lord. Through His guidance we move from immature babes in Christ to mature elders. Maturity should never be confused with the filling of the Holy Ghost. Yet true Christian maturity will not be found without the working of the Holy Ghost. One is purified and filled in a moment. One becomes mature through time and experience. Pentecost prevails. It is a promise that exist for us today. It is a reality in my life and it can be in yours.

So then of course the question that was asked of the the believers in Acts 19:2 remains “He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”