Before The Fire Falls

Introduction

This mini-series of sermons, entitled “Pentecost,” does not have the sole purpose of remembering the promise of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, but of promoting the pursuit of it.

My desire this morning is not simply to tell the story of Pentecost as an event far away in time, distant from us, and inaccessible to ordinary believers. Rather, I want to present the promise of Pentecost as Luke presents it in the book of Acts: a promise for all born-again believers, a promise to be desired, pursued, and awaited.

Therefore, we will not speak only about what happened in Jerusalem two thousand years ago, but about what can happen—and what we desire to happen—today, in Toronto, right here in this place: power from on high, fullness of the Holy Spirit, and boldness in proclaiming the Gospel.

Today, more than ever, the Church of Jesus needs to reclaim the power of the Holy Spirit. All of us are dependent on the power of the Spirit of God. If the wind does not blow upon a congregation, that congregation is dead.

Ezekiel 37 illustrates perfectly this blessed dependence that the people of God have upon the Spirit of God. The bones remained bones, even though they came together. The bones remained bones, even though they were covered with muscles, flesh, and skin. Those bones became something different only when the Spirit of God breathed upon them:

Ezekiel 37:10 NIV

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Application

In the same way, like those bones, we can gather together and come close to one another in this place, but we would still remain bones. Eventually, we can “cover” our Sunday meetings with songs, programmes, and activities, but we will remain covered dry bones.

But if the Holy Spirit breathes upon us, then we will become a mighty army. The Church is dependent on the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Church has been propagated by the Holy Spirit, so we can only worship in the Spirit, we can only pray in the Spirit, and we can only preach effectively in the Spirit, and what we do must be done by the power of the Spirit.37

A. W. Tozer

Ten Days Before Pentecost

The verses that form the text for our sermon refer to the last ten days between the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Pentecost.

Luke tells us that before Jesus ascended to the Father, He appeared to His disciples:

Acts 1:3 NIV

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

From the day Jesus ascended into heaven until the day of Pentecost, ten days passed. During those ten days, the disciples waited patiently for the promise of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

During those ten days, God was already at work, shaping those disciples who were called to become ambassadors of the Gospel.

To be clear, the Peter we read about in these verses is not yet the courageous and Spirit-filled Peter presented in Acts 2. But he is no longer the cowardly and denying Peter presented in Luke:

Luke 22:61 NIV

The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”

Application

These ten days described in these verses remind us of the value of God’s preparation in our lives. Today, our attention is often captured by the finished product and not by the process that made it possible.

Yet Scripture teaches us that behind every victory, every triumph, and every chapter 2, there is a time of preparation. There is a chapter 1 from which we must learn and benefit.

This morning, let us pause in chapter 1—not only in Acts, in the preparation of the disciples, but also in your chapter 1.

God is shaping you. He is placing His hands upon your life to prepare you to receive the promise. Certainly, like Peter, you may not yet have the boldness that you will experience through the fullness of the Spirit of God. But thanks be to the Lord, you have arrived at chapter 1.

Sermon Outline

Before the tongues of fire, before the rushing mighty wind, before the three thousand conversions through one sermon, Scripture tells us about the events that characterized these ten extraordinary days.

During these ten days of waiting, there are several elements that contributed to the fulfilment of the promise of the Holy Spirit:

Jerusalem: The Place of Consecration

The List: The People of Weakness

Mary: The Posture of Prayer

Judah: The Purification of the Past

Matthias: The Provision for the Future

1. Jerusalem: The Place of Consecration

Acts 1:12–13 NIV

Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.

Everything began with the decision of the apostles to return to Jerusalem.

They returned to the place of greatest opposition, the place of persecution, the city where their Lord had been condemned to death and unjustly crucified.

Luke gives us specific coordinates, almost like a good GPS: the disciples returned to that upper room where, very likely, Jesus had celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples.

They returned to the most dangerous place, but also to the most precious place for the disciples, because of the last moments they had shared with Jesus.

Application

The disciples’ return to Jerusalem was not merely logistical or geographical; it was spiritual.

This return to Jerusalem speaks to us about spiritual positioning, a posture that emphasizes our decision to obey the command of Jesus.

Perhaps, like some of the disciples, we too have moved away from Jerusalem. We have lost the address of the upper room, that room which speaks to us of intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus.

This morning, let us return to Jerusalem. Let us reposition ourselves spiritually before God.

Joel 2:12 NIV

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Many believe that returning to Jerusalem simply means coming back to church on Sunday morning. Please, let us not deceive ourselves.

The upper room in Jerusalem does not represent one hour a week in a place. Rather, it represents our decision to consecrate ourselves to God. And then, the Holy Spirit will come upon us.

2. The List: The People of Weakness

Acts 1:13–14 NIV

When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

The names Luke reports in these two verses are surprising for one very simple reason: among these names, there is not even one superhero.

The list presented to us reveals a group of people who had failed miserably, people who had betrayed the One who had called them to serve Him:

Mark 14:50 NIV

Then everyone deserted him and fled.

This is a list that presents the triumph of human weakness: fragile men and women, insecure, incapable, and afraid.

The only thing they had managed to do was to stumble and be scandalized by one another.

Application

This list should not intimidate us. Rather, it is the demonstration that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not a prize for the most deserving, but a gift for all believers who recognize their personal need to receive power from on high.

Charles Swindoll said: “The people God chooses to empower are not perfect performers, but dependent followers.”

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift that Christ obtained on the cross for all of us.

It does not matter how many failures you have collected in your life. What matters is that you too desire to be part of the List of those who, although they have failed in many ways, still desire to be filled with power.

3. Mary: The Posture of Prayer

Acts 1:14 NIV

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

The list of the disciples gathered in Jerusalem gives us a precious detail regarding the composition of the group: there were not only men waiting for the fullness of the Spirit of God, but also women.

Luke becomes specific by highlighting that among these women there was also Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Acts 1:14 is the final New Testament mention of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This verse is the final picture of a woman whose story is deeply connected to an attitude of prayer.

In the Gospels, she appears in prayer; and in Acts, she concludes her biblical appearance in fervent prayer.

Application

Mary is remembered as a woman devoted to prayer.

Even though God did not answer all of Mary’s prayers in the way she may have desired, her final New Testament picture portrays her in prayer.

Question: If someone were to take a picture of me, what would that picture reveal?

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is intrinsically connected to prayer. In prayer, on our knees—this is the picture we want to see for our church.

Before rediscovering the power of the Holy Spirit, we need to rediscover the power of prayer.

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Prayer, Importance Of

“The church has many organizers, but few agonizers; many who pay, but few who pray; many resters, but few wrestlers; many who are enterprising, but few who are interceding. People who are not praying and praying. The secret of praying is praying in secret. A worldly Christian will stop praying and a praying Christian will stop worldliness. Tithes may build a church, but tears will give it life. That is the difference between the modern church and the early church. In the matter of effective praying, never have so many left so much to so few. Brethren, let us pray” (Leonard Ravenhill).

4. Judas: The Purification of the Past

Acts 1:18 NIV

(With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.

During those ten days, Peter led the disciples to reflect on the episode involving Judas: he had betrayed Jesus.

I am sure it was not easy for Peter to speak about what Judas had done against Jesus: betrayal, lies, money, corruption, and a tragic end.

Yet Peter had the honesty, strength, and courage to face the past and denounce it.

One of the symbols of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is fire:

Acts 2:3 NIV

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

The fire purifies and burns away everything that does not honour the work of God.

The fact that Peter denounced the actions of Judas shows how the Holy Spirit had already begun to prepare their hearts for the Baptism, purifying them from every impurity of the past.

Application

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not only an experience of power for proclamation; it is also an experience of purification.

We live in a time when churches often celebrate only their successes and victories, while avoiding reflection on failures, confession of errors, and the courage to denounce what is wrong.

But if the Church wants the wind of the Holy Spirit, it must also accept the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit.

Together with the apostle John, we do not want to avoid confessing what is wrong in the body of Christ:

1 John 2:18–19 NIV

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

Peter told the story of Judas. He confessed it. He brought it into the light.

Question: Is there any story that you need to bring before Christ?

5. Matthias: The Provision for the Future

Acts 1:26 NIV

Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

Peter did not limit himself to denouncing the tragedy caused by Judas. He also invited the disciples to look toward the future.

Infact, Jesus had prophesied about twelve thrones, not eleven:

Matthew 19:28 NIV

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Later, Matthias would be selected as the substitute for Judas.

If the story of Judas’ betrayal emphasizes the need for honest introspection on our part, the choice of Matthias reminds us and encourages us to continue the journey with Jesus, because God will continue to provide for His Church.

Application

It is true that the Church can still be wounded today by individuals who, like Judas, afflict the body of Christ, betray, damage, and deceive.

But it is also true that God has His Matthias ready!

God is not unprepared. His work must continue to prosper.

What joy the disciples must have felt when they realized that God had already prepared Matthias. Judas had tried to break that group of disciples, but God had Matthias in reserve.

Question: All of us have experienced the bite of Judas. Someone has wounded us. Someone has betrayed us.

But do not stop at the damage caused by Judas, because God has Matthias ready. The work of God must go forward.

Conclusion

Although they were not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, we already notice great differences in the disciples.

Positioning themselves in the place where God had called them.They had returned to Jerusalem

They were hungry to receive the promise.They were a group of failures

They were in prayer.

They were honest in admitting the evil that had happened.

God honoured them by giving them Matthias.

These men and women, filled with the Holy Spirit, turned the whole world upside down.