Jesus’ Pentecost Promise Fulfilled

Jesus’ Pentecost Promise Fulfilled John 14:15-26 Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit 15 “If you love me, [then you will] keep my commands.16And [because you love me] I will ask the Father, and He will give you Another Advocate to help you and be with you forever—17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.20On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.21Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” 22Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.24Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 25 “All this I have spoken while still with you.26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 20:19-23 Jesus Appears to His Disciples 19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.23If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Acts 2:1-11 The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost 1When the day of Pentecost came; they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” When I started ministry in South Africa, Ascension Day was celebrated as a public holiday. We would celebrate this day just like on Easter Friday and Christmas Day, by attending a thanksgiving worship service. Two Thursdays ago [30th May 2019] would’ve been the day that we would’ve gathered this year to remember and celebrate Jesus’ return to the Father. This might be an almost forgotten event in the Christian calendar, but it has significant theological consequences. In our tradition, I often hear people say that we focus on Jesus and more specifically on Him crucified. Friends, as important as the crucifixion is, we have to realise that it is not a standalone event. It is one of an overabundance of events that jointly represent the execution of God’s salvation plan. This means that we should honour all these events and that we shouldn’t deem one more important than the other. They are all equally important. Allow me to refresh your memory on this Pentecost Sunday regarding the connectedness of these events and the vital role that Pentecost played and still plays in God’s salvation plan. Please also note that all I’d like to do is to enable you to hear the echo of New Testament Scripture so that you can allow Scripture to dictate your response to God’s great and gracious plan. I’d like to take you back to a moment in time just before His crucifixion when Jesus said to His disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1–4 (NIV84) Think for a moment about the theological significance of this statement. Not only did Jesus give a reason for His impending departure; He also made it clear that if He didn’t return to be with the Father, His followers then, and you and I today, wouldn’t have a place prepared for us with the Father so that we can be with Him eternally, once that place is prepared. According to John, Jesus shared information about the necessity of His return to the Father with them more than once. Listen also to John 16:5–7 (NIV84) where Jesus reminded His disciples again: “Now I am going to him who sent Me… 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” Again, I’m saying to you: think for a moment about the theological significance of this statement: It is for the collective good of all believers that Jesus would go to the Father. For if Jesus didn’t return to be with the Father, believers, you and I included, wouldn’t have the Holy Spirit to be with us as Counsellor, Advocate, Helper, Teacher, Guide and FRIEND. The implication of this is far-reaching as you’ll see in a moment. Let’s continue with the story: Then Judas betrayed Jesus, and He was arrested, falsely accused of treason and heresy and illegally sentenced to death by crucifixion. Yes, because Jesus admitted that He was King, although His Kingdom is not from this earth, because He claimed to be the Son of God, Jesus was crucified on the Friday that was the day of the preparation for Passover. If you look closely, you’ll see that according to John, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the incensed Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” John 19:12 (NIV84) So, a frightened Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified. And the riotous mob crucified Jesus with two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle. I think the Jewish leaders high fived one another at this moment because they thought that they’ve finally gotten rid of “that little pest from Nazareth”. Oh, but how wrong they were! But like I said a moment ago, because it was the day of preparation for Passover, the Jewish leaders didn’t want to leave the bodies on the crosses. So, when one of Jesus’ disciples, Joseph of Arimathea, asked Pilate for Jesus’ body, he got permission to bury it. Then Joseph and Nicodemus, the member of Jewish ruling council who visited Jesus earlier in His ministry (John 3), took Jesus’ body to a new tomb in which nobody had ever been buried, and they laid Jesus there (John 19:38-40). And you all know that it was early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. (John 20) She rushed to the disciples to tell them that Jesus’ body was stolen. Peter and John ran to the tomb to check it out and found that Jesus’ body was indeed gone. Peter and John went home, but Mary Magdalene still lingered. It was then that Jesus appeared to her. She was so glad to see her Teacher that she laughed and cried all at once. She wanted to hug Him, but He told her: “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” John 20:17 (NIV84) So, she went and did as He told her (John 20:18). Later that same day, according to Luke 14:13-34, Using Scripture, Jesus revealed Himself to Cleopas and other disciples on the road to Emmaus. Their eyes were opened and they recognised Jesus. So, they returned to Jerusalem at once. They witnessed to each other: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” And when they arrived in Jerusalem, they found the apostles and said to them: “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” That same night Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples as well. They were overjoyed to see Him (John 20:20). A week later He showed Himself to Thomas who doubted their story when they told him the first time that Jesus is alive. But once he saw Jesus, Thomas stopped doubting and believed. He acknowledged then that Jesus is Lord and God (John 20:26-29). Friends, for the next 40 days after His resurrection on Easter Sunday, Jesus travelled with His disciples, preaching to them, teaching them about God’s kingdom and preparing them for His physical withdrawal from Earth and their ministry proclaiming God’s kingdom once He has returned to the Father. During those 40 days, Jesus opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures and prepared them to share this understanding with those who cross their paths. Because of these 40 days of teaching, they were equipped to witness that the Christ suffered and rose from the dead on the third day. They were emboldened to preached repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name to all nations. Jesus said to them: “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:46–49 (NIV84) According to Matthew, Jesus told them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18–20 (NIV84) He then led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven. Luke 24:50–51 (NIV84) Friends, Ascension Day is the commemoration of the day the event of Jesus’ literal ascension into heaven to return to the Father took place. Acts provide a clear account of Jesus’ final teaching to his disciples, how He taught them to preach the word of God and assuring them of His eventual return for the Second Coming, the day of judgement in which the virtuous will be saved and the wrongdoers condemned. Listen with me to the first three verses of this book: “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men 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.” Acts 1:1–3 (NIV84) Jesus taught them that they were going to receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on them; and that they would become His witnesses in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 (NIV84) After Jesus said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. “They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’.” Acts 1:10-11 (NIV84) So, they returned to Jerusalem, waiting for the other Paraclete to come. Friends, this whole story, to this point, is the origin of the Christian belief that Jesus will be with His followers even after His return to the Father. I’m sharing it with you this way [with text and verse] so that you can see that this is what Jesus taught and this is what the disciples believed. From the beginning of the Christian faith, followers of Jesus believed that Jesus promised to continue to be with them after the ascension. They accepted that He was no longer present in the flesh, yet they believed that He was still mysteriously present. And then Pentecost happened – an amazing event that still create a lot of discussions – even today. Listen to Luke: “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1-4 (NIV84) Many words described this mysterious event, but one of the most common and in my mind, the most descriptive is the word Spirit. This is the event where what Jesus promised would happen actually happened: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you Another Advocate to help you and be with you forever—17the Spirit of truth.” John 14:16-17 (NIV84) This is the event that Jesus talked about when He said: “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it known to you.” John 16:13-14 (NIV84) Yes, friends, at this event what Jesus promised would happen, actually happened: “…the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26 (NIV84) Suddenly, filled with and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit, the disciples started to witness about Jesus and God’s salvation plan, just like Jesus predicted. Just consider the theological significance of this event: From this moment onwards, all believers have another Counsellor, Advocate, Helper, Teacher, Guide and FRIEND that be with us forever, empowering us for ministry! But that is not all. This event also fulfils Jesus’ promise, according to John 14:18 and Matthew 28:20, that He would return to be with them forever. Yes, this is part of the theological significance that we should appreciate too: Since Pentecost Jesus is present in the here and now in our lives through the promised Spirit that came. Yes, because the Holy Spirit came as promised, Believers are not left behind in this world as orphans. Far from it: The Triune God indwells us – Father, Son and Spirit. Friends, the New Testament writers, although they came from a variety of backgrounds and wrote at different times, spoke of two important roles for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit drew us individually and corporately into the eternal life of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit brought the risen Jesus into the earthly life of each believer. But let’s continue with the story: Nine days after Ascension Day, [in other words today], Christians around the world celebrate Pentecost. This is the day that Acts 2 talks about, when the Holy Spirit descended on a gathering of early Christians, giving them the sudden ability to speak many languages, enabling them to proclaim the story of Jesus to the peoples of many nations who gathered in Jerusalem. Once again, I’m saying to you: think for a moment about the theological significance of this truth. If Jesus didn’t return to be with the Father and if the Holy Spirit didn’t come to be with us, as Counsellor, Advocate, Helper, Teacher, Guide and FRIEND, believers wouldn’t have been equipped to minister God’s truth to a lost world. One way to explain the mystery of Pentecost is to say that in the giving or sending of the Holy Spirit, Christ has found a way to enter us, to love us completely and to touch every part of our lives so that we can witness effectively and powerfully about God’s truth. He does not overwhelm us. His love does not destroy us, though we are wholly contained by it. Instead, Christ’s love enables us to be or become who we are – instruments in God’s hands, messengers of God’s salvation. Because in the active indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are becoming who God all along meant us to be. He is within us, yet He is not us, and we become more ourselves because He is within us. Friends, Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, enables us to understand that Jesus might be the unique Son of God, but through Him and the Holy Spirit, we have become the children of God too. When Triune God enters and dwells within us through the Holy Spirit, we become the living instruments that enable people to see God and know. We grow and quicken in the Spirit. The more the Holy Spirit fills us, the more we become the people God always wanted us to be. This is exactly what happened according to Act 2 when the disciples received God’s Holy Spirit, they spoke in many languages to communicate the story of God’s mighty deeds and many people came to faith. Do you realise that this is probably the most important ingredient of a Christian’s life – to be Spirit-filled? Listen with me to what Paul had to say about this. In 1 Corinthians 12:3-13 he reminds us that The Holy Spirit Manifests in the Lives of Believers to Enable Them to Live for the Common Good: 3Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 12Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptised by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.  And Romans 8:5-17 he reminds us that Those Governed by the Holy Spirit are Alive and are Obligated to Live as God’s Children: 5Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. 12Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 14For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Friends, do you fully comprehend what this implies? It implies that we can be the children of God, that we are witnesses of God’s salvation plan, that we minister to a lost world only because the Spirit came. Because the Spirit came on Pentecost, we are who we are – a people who testify that Jesus is LORD, a people whose lives show that we are obligated to live for His glory. For this very reason, I’ve always argued that all Christians are technically speaking Pentecostals [and not only those who identify their tradition as Pentecostal]. We, who call ourselves Evangelicals believe and can minister too only because the Spirit came to live in us. He brings us to faith and He empowers us to minister for the common good of all. Friends, it is all linked together – from Incarnation to Ascension. Pentecost concludes and completes the Easter season, because Jesus did not rise from the dead to roam the universe. He didn’t rise merely to return to the Father for His own sake. No, He rose from the dead to enter each human heart, to dwell there to grow and nurture a love for God and the lost that never dies, to initiate a mission that never diminishes. Through the Spirit that came on Pentecost Jesus says to each of us: “Because of Me, you will not die. Because My Holy Spirit has entered you, you will become immortal too.” It is the indwelling Spirit that equips us to become those who love each other with Jesus’ love. Now, this might sound a bit too difficult to handle for mere moral beings like you and me. But let’s just think it through properly. Friends, I’m sure you all will agree with me that none of Jesus’ disciples was flawless. Thomas doubted. Peter denied. John and James were constantly angry. Phillip was a bit slow. I’m sure you catch my drift: They were just ordinary, flawed people like us. And it is imperfect people, just like us, who, once empowered by the Holy Spirit, became perfect vessels to proclaim God’s salvation plan and kingdom rule. Allow me to hone in on Peter for a moment to drive this point home. He was not perfect as a follower of Jesus when he denied that he knew Jesus. Yet, after he received the Holy Spirit, he became bold and focussed. He understood what he had received spiritually, and he acted upon what he knew he had spiritually. Just listen to his sermons in Acts and his letters! Jesus had reminded His disciples on the night before He was crucified what He had taught them (go and reread John chapters 14 to 16), so Peter had been listening! But he didn’t have the inner strength to stand firm. Or like Jesus said; Peter didn’t yet know the “all truth” of John 16:13. But after the Spirit came on Pentecost, he knew enough to say to the lame beggar, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Acts 3:6 (NIV84) What am I trying to say to you? Friends, the Holy Spirit enabled Peter to understand that he had the authority of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to minister. Peter knew this because he had the Comforter in him (John 14:17). He was in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit came. Yes, he was “clothed with power from on high” when the Spirit came. Peter knew he had Christ within him, and he was in Christ (John 14:20). Therefore, this flawed man became a dynamic, efficient witness in spite of his flawed character. This was not a once off event; in Acts 4, after Peter and John were released from goal, they kept on preaching, and about 5,000 men became believers. Acts tell us that they were jailed repeated because they continued to witness, and let go repeatedly. The other apostles joined them, and they prayed, and God acknowledged their prayer by an extraordinary miracle. “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31 (NIV84). What a marvellous token of God’s presence and power! “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:33 (NIV84) Great power and great grace! In Acts 5 Peter and John were again jailed, and this time an angel opened the door and let them out, then locked the door behind them. Then the angel gave the apostles these marvellous words, “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.” Acts 5:20 (NIV84) Friends, what the Holy Spirit did for the first believers, He is still doing for us today – empowering flawed people to proclaim the full message of this new life. The “full message of this new life” does not refer to the Apostles’ Creed or the Articles of Faith. Some translations capitalise the word “Life” to indicate that it was the resurrection life of Christ that indwelled in the apostles since the Day of Pentecost that they were to speak about. And this is precisely what they did: “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” Acts 5:42 (NIV84) Friends, this is our mission too. Ever since Pentecost day, this is our mission. Ever since the Holy Spirit came flawed people can proclaim this good news. This is the impact of the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost day. This is what we should remember as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday today. We are empowered to minister. We can share with people the full message of this new life. We can share from house to house the good news that Jesus is the Christ. Through the work of the Holy Spirit in us, God is still drawing near to creation and breathes life into it anew. What an amazing ministry we have! What an amazing privilege to possess this commission. May their willing obedience to their calling be the example for today’s church to follow! Amen.