Pentecost: The Role of the Holy Spirit
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Pentecost. Perhaps you have heard of it before. It is a tradition that began in Judaism. The Feast of Pentecost is one of the three main Jewish Feasts of the year. It was the feast that took place 50 days after Passover. We see it mentioned in the Old Testament as the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew, which means “weeks”).
Christians borrowed the term Pentecost because it is the transliteration for the Greek word pentekostos, which means 50. Those with Jewish-Greek heritage would refer to the fiftieth day after Passover as pentekoste hemera, which means the fiftieth day. According to Acts chapter 2, Pentecost was the time the church received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was not something new. However, how it was manifested was something new to the the early church. It was prophesied that this type of manifestation was coming.
till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
and the desert becomes a fertile field,
and the fertile field seems like a forest.
“And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has said,
among the survivors
whom the Lord calls.
Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as the Counselor and Comforter being sent by the Father.
But the Counselor, 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.
On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came just as promised. It is recorded in Acts 2. As we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, we will look at the events that took place, how the people reacted, and what that means for us today.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Peter replied, “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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
As we look deeper into this passage, I want to show you the sound, the sight, the speech, and the salvation.
The Sound (vs. 1-2)
The Sound (vs. 1-2)
I have never seen the wind. I have seen things blown by the wind and I have seen the results of the wind having blown. I have felt the wind and certainly in these days of pandemic and limited access for haircuts, I have had my hair blown by the wind.
Have you ever heard the wind? Many times after a tornado touches down, the survivors say something like, “I heard a sound like a freight train.” The sound of a mighty rushing wind is one that you will never forget. The apostles of the early church heard a “sound like the blowing of a violent wind.” The Bible says it came from Heaven and filled the whole house. It was not the wind, but it sounded like it. They heard it. They experienced it. It is well known that there is great power in wind. The sound of the wind mentioned in Acts 2 symbolizes the great power of God. Jesus foretold about this great power of God.
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.”
He also speaks of it right before His ascension.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
It makes sense that the great power of God as it was manifested made a sound like the might rushing wind. It was the covenant fulfilled from the promises found in the Old Testament.
I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
What a beautiful promise of our Lord! God manifested His Holy Spirit with a sound. Acts 2:3 tells us that God also used sight.
The Sight (vs.3)
The Sight (vs.3)
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
They did not see fire, they saw what seemed like fire. It was not fire, but it resembled it. John the Baptist had said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:16). Now the apostles were experiencing the Feast of Pentecost which celebrated the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:18). The Ten Commandments were known as the fiery law. Ezekiel was called to a mission and it was confirmed by a vision of burning coals of fire (Ezekiel 1:13). Isaiah was cleansed by a coal of fire touching his lips (Isaiah 6:6-7). Jesus said that He came to bring fire to the earth (Luke 12:49). The Holy Spirit is like fire. It melts the heart. It separates and burns off the impurities. It kindles those things of God in our hearts and sets our souls on fire with the truth of the Gospel.
What seemed to be tongues of fire came and rested on each of them. It came to rest on them and in them. Likewise, when we accepted Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit has come and rested on us. If we call ourselves Christians, we are given the Holy Spirit to share the fire of the gospel in our corner of the world.
The Day of Pentecost gave the apostles a sound like the blowing of a violent wind and the sight of tongues of fire. It also gave them a speech.
The Speech (vs. 4)
The Speech (vs. 4)
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
As the Holy Spirit filled them, they were changed from the inside out. They experienced the fullness of God and His grace. They were sanctified, holy, heavenly and their fears and sadness were overcome. They received comfort and peace like they had never known before. They were given gifts and enabled with miraculous powers they would use later on in their ministry. Jesus told them this would take place.
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
Their speech became the overflow of their inward filling. The began to speak praises to God in languages they had not known. Yet the praise to God they spoke became the universal language of the church. It became, as one writer put it, “a public declaration of the wonders of God and it symbolized a new unity in the Spirit transcending racial, natural and linguistic barriers.” The apostles were part of a new, multiracial, multicultural church that was being born. These uneducated apostles began speaking the native languages of those visitors that had come to Jerusalem (Acts 2:8). What a beautiful example we see here of God equipping His ministers with the ability to praise Him in a way that others will come to Him! God through His Holy Spirit, gave the apostles a supernatural ability to speak in recognizable languages. This is quite the opposite of what happened in the Old Testament story of the Tower of Babel. The Bible says in Genesis 11 that the whole world spoke in one language. The men planned to use that language to build a tower that would reach to the heavens so they could make a name for themselves. God saw this ridiculous plan and confused their languages and the men were scattered in different groups. In Jerusalem on that Day of Pentecost, God used His Holy Spirit to supernaturally overcome languages to unite His people in praise. In Babel, earth proudly tried to ascend to heaven, but in Jerusalem, heaven humbly descended to earth! There is more to come!
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
This verse reminds me of what we can expect in eternity!
The Kingdom of God is multicultural, multi-national, and multilingual, and we all should remember that we are made in His image and therefore are equal in His eyes. God has given the opportunity to every person of every nation to receive the gift of His salvation.
The Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 did not come to separate and divide. Rather, the Holy Spirit came to empower and equip Christians to reach others all over the world with the Gospel of Christ. Sure on that Day of Pentecost there was the sound, the sight and the speech. But ultimately, there was salvation!
The Salvation (vs 38-39)
The Salvation (vs 38-39)
God desires everyone, everywhere to be saved. Salvation is readily available to anyone who will receive it. After being filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter declared the message and method: Repent and be baptized. Turn from sin and show your new life publicly. In the Name of Jesus, sins are forgiven. In the Name of Jesus the Holy Spirit is given. In the Name of Jesus, salvation is shared because it is available to anyone!
for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
The Holy Spirit and gave gifts of teaching, preaching, evangelism and prophecy according to Ephesians 4:11. Many of the apostles became part of churches all over the world in these roles. God is still calling out those today to continue to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
God not only provides for us the opportunity to be in a relationship with Him through Jesus, He provides His Holy Spirit to share how others can also be in a relationship with Him through Jesus. What a giving God we serve! What a loving God we serve! What a glorious God we serve!
The Bible tells us in this verse that when we turn from sin, ask for forgiveness of sin, and confess publicly that Jesus is Lord, we will be saved and we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then, the Bible gives us a phenomenal promise:
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
What a promise! We do not have to get saved then at another time receive the Holy Spirit! We get it all when we say yes to Jesus and receive Him into our hearts. When Jesus enters, the Holy Spirit enters. The Holy Spirit is for you. The Holy Spirit is for your children. The Holy Spirit is for all that are far off. Isn’t just like God to provide this for us? If you are a Christian and have come to the point where you have asked Jesus into your heart, you have a power that is ready to be utilized within you.
The Holy Spirit wants to fill you with the fulness of God and help you be fruitful. The early apostles had a sound, a sight, a speech and salvation. If you have Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you have the Holy Spirit within you and ready to unlock its power through you. All you have to do is say yes, I am willing!