Pentecost

Text: Acts 2:1-4

Introduction:

Today May 31st within the Christian Calendar is Pentecost Sunday.

I highly doubt anyone here would be comfortable being called a “Pentecostal” because of its present day meaning however, the principles and essential core doctrines established by this incident in the history of the Church should cause us to stop consider occasionally what really transpired that day.

Acts 2 introduces three of the most important keys to the entire book:

The fullness of the Spirit Acts 2:1-13

The evangelistic fervor and ministry of the church Acts 2:14-41

The community life of the believers Acts 2:42-47

Pentecost what is was, and what it did is the key that unlocks the entire book of Acts.

Three things I want us to notice about Pentecost this morning:

Pentecost a presented promise

Pentecost an energizing enduement

Pentecost a present possibility

Lets look at each of these Points of Pentecost this morning.

1. Pentecost A Presented Promise -

Pentecost Was Promised by the Old Testament -

Promised by the Law - Leviticus 23:15-21

About Fifty days - as Jewish Scholars count - after Moses and the Children of Israel left Egypt on that Passover night - God comes to visit them on Mount Sinai. It is a tremendous display of God’s power and glory. The entire mountain rumbles and shakes, thunder and lightning, and God thundered His Law to the People. Among of which is this passage of a great feast commanded by God to be held yearly.

The Feast of Pentecost as we know it today or Feast of Weeks as it is called in the Old Testament was a tremendous reminder to the People of God’s blessings.

We call it Pentecost because of the Greek Transliteration - It means fifty. They were to count, depending on whose tradition you were following, fifty days from Passover. (This is sometimes referred to as counting the Omar) Some taught that the day after Passover, others that it was the Sabbath following Passover.

On that fiftieth day they were to bring of the first fruits of their wheat harvest. They would according to Lev. 23:17 take their newly harvested wheat and grind it into flour, add leaven and bake two loaves

This is the only time as far as I can tell that leaven was allowed to be a part of their offering.

There was also blood sacrifices as everything in the Law had to be observed by shedding of blood. (Lev. 23:18-19)

We will look at how this feast pointed to and promised the Coming and working of the Holy Spirit momentarily perhaps you have already drawn some parallels.

But not only was Pentecost promised by the Law - Pentecost was also promised by the Prophets.

Promised by the Prophets -

Peter will later allude to one of the more familiar promises of Pentecost in his great sermon Acts 2:16 “This was spoken by the prophet Joel” Peter then quotes Joel 2:28-32 - God promises to “Pour out His Spirit upon All Flesh”

Now I want you to know that the Holy Spirit has always been active in filling and equipping people - but now He was fulfilling a New Role - similar to different roles in our lives. I used to just be Curtis Gordon a single man, then I got married 16 years ago in fact, and then I was Curtis Gordon the married man -I didn’t change who I was or my real identity but I added a role a new role as husband. Then came children I was still just as much Curtis Gordon but now I was also a father. I don’t go for all of this dispensationalism that comes from Calvinistic doctrine it limits the Reality of who God is and His capabilities - The Holy Spirit filled many people in the Old Testament and not just temporarily. Yes He “Came upon some occasionally” but not every time.

But this was a new role by the Holy Spirit as Another Comforter (Jesus was the First) To come alongside and aid, assist, and guide the Church as the Bride of Christ, to reveal Jesus Christ to us

Pentecost was also promised by Ezekiel three times Ezekiel 11:19, 18:31, 36:26 they were promised that God would “put a new spirit within you” Something that hadn’t quite happened before, something that was going to make a difference in their lives.

Pentecost wasn’t just promised by the Old Testament Law and Prophets -

Pentecost was promised by Jesus Himself

Luke 24:49 “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

That term endued means to be clothed with to be equipped.

Or how about John 14:16-17 Jesus promised to pray to the Father, and I love the confidence Jesus uses here, when he says, “and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.”

Jesus went on to describe the purpose of this Pentecost or outpouring of the Holy Spirit - “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:”

I just want to stop here for a moment and point out Jesus is putting a line of demarcation between the Disciples and the World - there was something different about them - what was it? They belonged to Jesus they were as we would say today converted.

Remember when the Disicples were sent out by Jesus to preach and heal they came back and were celebrating that even the “spirits were subject unto them”

Jesus gently chided them... “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20, KJV 1900)

Now that is interesting because I read later in the New Testament that having our names written in heaven is a requirement to enter Heaven - “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15, KJV 1900)

But then we find in Jesus High Priestly prayer John 17 another powerful proof that these men were in fellowship with God through Christ - listen to this:

“For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.” (John 17:8, KJV 1900)

Verse 9 Jesus says, “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” (John 17:9, KJV 1900)

Verse 12 - “I kept them in Thy name…none of them is lost, but the son of perdition...”

Verse 14 “They are not of the world”

I would conclude this morning that these disciples already had a right relationship with Jesus Christ and were in proper fellowship with the Father but Jesus says they need something more - there is something they are lacking in their life.

And He promises to give them what they were lacking through the out pouring of the Holy Spirit.

As a young person in High School there was a popular little game we would play sometimes called ‘Psych”. (It was really more of a way to be a jerk to your friends that a fun game)

It went like this: You would make up a story or make an offer that got your friend really excited and then you would dash all their hopes by saying “Psych!”

I saw this played out before by someone holding out a package of candy to their friend and say “here you can have this” and just as they were reaching out for the candy they would draw their hand back and say, “Psych!”

Its a cruel and mean game - this kind of misdirection and lying hurts so badly because we don’t like to be disappointed. We don’t like to be overpromised to and then undelivered to.

Yet sometimes life yells “Psych!” Our hopes get raised and then dashed to pieces at our feet.

But something I want to point out this morning - God never plays Psych!!!

God keeps His promises - and when he Promised Pentecost he Sent Pentecost.

So we have seen that Pentecost was A Promise Presented, but what was the purpose of Pentecost? What did it accomplish?

2. Pentecost An Energizing Endowment.

I pointed out earlier that the term “endued” means to gift, equip, or clothe. This is what Pentecost was all about. The Disciples already had a right relationship and fellowship with God but they needed something a gifting an equipping to be all that God needed and wanted them to be.

First of all remember that “Endued” puts the Baptism of the Holy Spirit into the realm of a Gift.

I struggle with people giving all kinds of directions and steps and things to do in order to “get the Holy Spirit”

I realize we must consecrate, we must believe - but at the end of the day - we do not earn or acquire the Holy Spirit God the Father in answer to the prayer of Jesus Christ God’s only begotten Son Endues or gives us the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

Not only is the Holy Spirit given as a gift but we have to remember that as Bro. Newport used to tell us - “The Holy Spirit never enters the heart empty handed” That is the second thing I want us to notice about “being endued”

Endued is and energizing and equpping

It energized them to witness

It equipped them to witness effectively and boldly. Even at the threat of torture and death.

These same men who just 49 days ago ran helter skelter were able to turn the world upside down.

Peter who just days before couldn’t handle the questions of a little servant girl boldly stood in front of thousands and proclaimed the Gospel loudly.

It energized an equipped them to live Holy Lives

Now I have talked before about how justification and sanctification is like a dollar bill they both come together. But these men were already justified and sanctified

But now they were as Paul would call it Thessalonians “Entirely sanctified”

God purified their hearts by faith is how Peter proclaimed the work of the Holy Spirit in outpouring in Acts 15:9

So we have seen so far that Pentecost was a Promise Presented, and that Pentecost was an energizing enduement but I also want us to notice one other things about Pentecost this morning:

3. Pentecost is A Present Possibility

I want you to know that the day of Pentecost wasn’t a momentary or temporary act. The Holy Spirit came and stayed. It has an abiding significance.

You could liken it to a town that installs a water system. From that point on every new home that is built in that town can connect to the water system.

The day of Pentecost the pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit was like the installation of God’s new source of power and equipping.

Every new Christian then has access to this great “Pentecostal Power” if you will allow me to use that term.

That is the first thing I want us to notice about Pentecost being a present possiblity

Pentecost is a present possibility for every believer individually.

In Acts 19 we find a fascinating story of about 12 men who were called Disciples and Paul led them to the Infilling of the Holy Spirit.

If you are here this morning and have not recieved the Holy Spirit baptism I want to remind you that it is a present possibility for every believer.

I know many people teach, “I got the Holy Spirit when I was saved” That is true for “Without the Holy Spirit you are none of His” or You can’t belong to God

But these Disciples who had the Spirit still needed something more. And I want to tell you on the authority of God’s Word this morning it is a Present Possibility for every believer individually.

But something we sometimes neglect ot teach and preach is that Pentecost is a Present Possibility for Every Believer Collectively.

Most every account in the New Testament of a Holy Spirit Infilling it is on a collective level. Not every one of course but most of them.

We are sometimes so individualistic in the Evangelical world that we forget the Possibilities of Pentecost on a collective or corporate level.

Part of the Symbol of Pentecost in the Old Testament was New Grain - Revival

If ever we need New Grain a Harvest it is today -and need I remind you that just because we schedule a three day, a seven day, a ten day series of services and call it a revival doesn’t mean that is what happens.

But I do know that We have the Potential right here for a fresh and new Pentecost - it is a Present Possibility for believers collectively.

I don’t know about you - but I am in need of such an outpouring such an infilling - such a move of God a fresh equipping a fresh energizing

Keith Drury in his book Holiness for Ordinary People that Bro. Joe David so adequatly and eloquently taught recently wrote,

“It’s hard to even imagine, isn’t it? We have so individualized and personalized the work of God, we can barely even conceive of corporate sanctification. But God would be pleased to respond to such a seeking church. He might just fill our entire collective church with the Holy Spirit at once, while we are all gathered at one place at one time. Boy! If he did, what would that be like? Well, it would be like the New Testament church.”

I want to challenge us this morning to know that

Pentecost was a Promise Presented

Pentecost was an Energizing Enduement

Pentecost is A Present Possiblity

As part of that challenge - I would like us to pray together for a present day Pentecost.

Would you pray with me - you can pray at your seat, you can pray around these altars - but lets pray together for the Present Possibility of Pentecost.