Pentecost - The Healing Message of Pentecost

The Healing Message of Pentecost

In each period of history God has ordained men to be ruled by his will.  The difference has been that his rule is unique in each period of time.  We call these periods dispensations.  The people of old have historically celebrated God’s announcement of a Dispensational transition.  We remember the Hebrew writer telling us in Heb 1:1.  What is being shared with us is that in each age God has declared his means of having a relationship with his people, and we find in every relationship there must be communication.  In the first dispensation God spoke to the families of the world through the heads or fathers of their family hence this period is called the Patriarchal Dispensation.

          In that period God spoke of the coming of another age.  He told Abraham in Gen. 12:1-3.  He would make him a great nation, Give him land and that from his seed would come He which would be the blessing of all the earth. 

          God began to work that promise through the unfolding of time and he brought forth Isaac, Jacob who bear the 12 sons who would be the heads or fathers of the 12 tribes which would later be tribes of Israel. 

          During the life of Joseph the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham God providentially moved His people into the land of Egypt.  Numbering about 70 members, they grew and had a population explosion which began to fulfill the promise God made with Abraham long ago, a multitude for to be a great nation. 

          Every nation in order to be established must have a Land and Law.  God willed that His promise be fulfilled and raised up Moses to deliver His people.

          We are allowed to see through scripture the transition of periods and the means of communication between God and man.  In sending Moses God will use him to deliver and establish His people and move them from a family religion to a National religion.  God will uniquely use the same methodology in sending Jesus to deliver and establish His people and move them from a national religion to an international religion.

          What did this mean to the audience of the text?  They had an affinity to their historical relationship with Jehovah.  They also knew that the Messiah was coming and when the Messiah came, it would be a time to celebrate the fulfillment of a seed promise that had been given an entire historical period before.  The seed would be the healing that no Sacrifice could give before.  The seed would be the bridge to God which would allow one to have a true Eden-type relationship with God which was lost at the dawn of man.

I.  The Parallel of Pentecost

            A.  The First Pentecost

                        1. It is a Dispensational transition

                        2. Moving from a family religion to a national religion

            B. The New Pentecost

                        1. It is a Dispensational Transfer

                        2. Moving from National religion to an International Religion

II. The Prophecy of Pentecost

A.    We have to remember that Pentecost was a feast that celebrated the first fruits of harvest and what we see on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 is the first fruit celebration of the harvest of God’s people.

B.     Foretelling of Christianity

1. Is. 2:2-4

2. Notice the setting

            C. The Foundation of Christ

III. The Preaching of Pentecost

            A. The Admonishment of the Disciples

                        1. Hear

                        2. Believe

                        3. Obey

            B. The Authority of the Doctrine

                        1. The Law was given

                        2. The Law was obeyed

                        3. The Law was continued in

          Exodus                                                                 Acts

Passover                                                                                 Passover

- Slain Lamb                                                                            - Slain Lamb

            - Necessity of the blood                                                          - Necessity of the blood

Pentecost                                                                                Pentecost

(First Fruit) - Barley                                                                (First Fruit) – Jesus

(Latter Fruit) – Rest of the harvest                                         (Latter Fruit) – Rest of the church

Moses as Lawgiver                                                                Apostles as Spokesman

            - Mount Sinai                                                                          - Mount Zion

            - God came in fire                                                                   - Spirit came in fire

            - God came in sound                                                               - Spirit came in sound

            - God spoke to the Elders                                                       - Apostles spoke to every nation

Law Written by the finger of God                                      Law given by the Spirit of God

Betrayed                                                                                 Betrayed

3000 Destroyed                                                                      3000 Delivered

The giving of the Law made them a                                    The giving of the Law of Christ

Theocratic nation.                                                                   Makes us a Christian

            - God is the Head                                                                   - Christ is the Head

            - Israel is the body                                                                  - Church is the Body

Men and women born into Covenant                                 Men and women born into Covenant

Spread to the seven heathen nations                                       Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the

Surrounding them.                                                                  Uttermost parts of the earth.