Blessing Our Community (5)
Notes
Transcript
Turn to Acts 2 and Exodus 19. Today is Pentecost- a very significant day for both Jews and Christians. We’ll spend the next several Sundays exploring Pentecost, its importance, and how it might apply to us as we seek to Bless Our Community.
After His resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for 40 days, appearing to His disciples and countless others. Before Jesus returned to the Father, He told the disciples to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 10 days later, the world was forever changed.
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.”
At first glance, this outpouring of the Spirit might seem like a strange, isolated event – there’s fire, wind, different languages supernaturally empowered, men from various nations - might leave us scratching our heads. Well, what do I often say? If you want to understand the NT, you have to understand the OT. So let's explore the OT.
So, what is Pentecost? Pentecost is one of three primary festivals or feasts that required all Jewish adult males to travel to Jerusalem (Exo. 23:14–17). 1) The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is connected to Passover and the deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. 2) The Feast of Harvest or Weeks or Pentecost in Geek, which is 50 days after Passover, is the Spring wheat harvest. Pentecost is also traditionally connected with Mt. Sinai when Yahweh made a Covenant with Moses and the Israelites. And 3) The Feast of Tabernacles, which is an Autumn harvest festival. This was to remind Israel that they once lived in tents when they left Egypt, they didn’t have much, but Yahweh provided for them and led them into the Promised land.
Pentecost – like I said, is traditionally connected to Mt. Sinai. So, let's look at what happened on Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19 and see if there are any connections with Acts 2.
while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:
‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
God called Israel to be a kingdom of priests. One of the roles of a priest is to reveal God. That was Israel's role, to reveal Yahweh to the nations - and now it is also our role. The Apostle Peter tells us that this priesthood has been expanded to the followers of Christ, and now we are to proclaim the wonders and goodness and love of God to our world. As priests, we are to live by higher standards and
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Day of visitation commonly refers to final judgment but may also refer to when someone puts their faith in Christ …. Those good deeds, those blessings, help lead people to Christ.
Back to Sinai. The Mt. Sinai event was the initial commissioning of Israel as priests to the nations. Remember, in Genesis 10 &11 the nations had been disinherited by God and given over to the sons of God, or this Divine Council (Deut. 32). So at Mt. Sinai, God, in essence, declared that even though humanity had rejected Him, and they were under the authority of the gods, Yahweh had a plan to redeem the nations – to bring them back, hence the list of nations in Acts 2.
That’s another role of a priest – to partner with God in redeeming the nations, redeeming the world, redeeming people.
Verse 16.
On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.
And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.
This is like an epic storm descending on this mountain and it’s windy, noisy, shaking, and thunderbolts of lightning and it’s very very frightening …! God made this grand entrance. Understand that fire often represents God’s presence. Lighting – might refer to the [PIC] brilliant dazzling sparkle you see when light reflects off gems – like diamonds and sapphire. Throughout Scripture, spiritual beings are often described as such. It’s probable that what Israel witnessed was not only God Himself descending on Mt. Sinai, but also a host of angelic beings.
Now, this is believed to have occurred 50 days after Israel left Egypt - 50 days after the first Passover.
Do you notice any connections between Mt. Sinai and Acts 2? In both events, God's people are together. Both are marked by loud trumpet like noise and wind, fire, and God's presence. Supernatural beings. Both events are designed to commission God’s people as priests to partner with Him in reclaiming the nations. That’s what Luke was trying to communicate – these nations in Jerusalem probably represented the disinherited nations.
Check this out – in Genesis 11, we have the Babel incident where humanity rejected Yahweh as their one God.
Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.
So Yahweh dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth ….” Jump back to
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.
Do you see what happened? In Gen. 11, God came down from Heaven, confused their language, and dispersed the people. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came down from Heaven, brought the people together, and they heard, in essence, one language – or one message.
The disciples were baptized in the Spirit and the Spirit empowered them to speak in tongues. We’ll cover tongues later, but for now let’s focus on the bigger issue – need and empowerment.
What did the men in Jerusalem need that day at Pentecost? It’s obvious they needed to hear the wonders of God proclaimed in their language by a bunch of “every day, ordinary, uneducated” men. When they heard what these “every day, ordinary, uneducated” men were doing, it created curiosity and drew them in, and prepared their hearts to hear the gospel which Peter eventually told. If they would have needed something other than tongues, like backflips, then God would have empowered the disciples to do backflips.
What was needed most in that community at that moment? Spirit empowered the disciples.
What is needed most in our community at this moment?
When the men in Jerusalem heard the gospel as presented by Peter, they wanted to know what to do. Maybe some here are wondering something similar? What do I do?
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Repentance and forgiveness are different. F is passive. R is a change of mind and direction.
Being saved and being filled are different.