Pentecost Sunday
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
Today is Pentecost Sunday where we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church.
This event took place approx.1989 years ago give or take a few years.
The account of this great event is our text today.
Acts Chapter 2
Pew bible 729
Read Acts 2:1-13
1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
2 And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing themselves, and a tongue rested on each one of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.
5 Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.
6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.
7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?
9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty deeds of God.”
12 And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
13 But others were jeering and saying, “They are full of sweet wine!”
Are you ready for the Message today?
Alright!
It was no accident that Pentecost was chosen.
From an a certain point of view this would be the day that the greatest number of the Jews would be in town
The assembly was huge that day
There were Jews from all over the world
Let’s consider what happened that day
The Holy Spirit Came
The Holy Spirit Came
In the previous chapter which was about 10 days earlier Jesus made them a promise
7 But He said to them, “It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by His own authority;
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”
Jesus previous to this promised He would send them a helper. Recorded in John 16
Now before He leaves he reminds them of this promise to serve as a sign that they are to begin sharing the message of the cross
Then just as He told them the Spirit came
The disciples through the spirit spoke languages none them knew.
What a sight it must have been.
Not only do I see this as preparation for the message that was preached that day, but also as a sign of the message they where going to spread through out the world.
Remember Jesus was going to send them to the remotest part of the earth.
This ability would of course be needed this day as the people would respond to the message!
Some when the people saw this they came to the conclusion that the disciples were drunk.
Typical right! It has to be they were drunk, never came to mind maybe they are witnessing something more, something Spiritual! Something from God!
Others were amazed and perplexed! What does this mean?
The Fulfillment of Prophecy
The Fulfillment of Prophecy
The next thing that happens is Peter gives the first gospel sermon.
What a doozy it was too!
He starts by explaining that what they were seeing was not drunkenness, but a fulfillment of prophecy.
I would like to know what the reaction was to that statement!
To be told you are witnesses to prophetic fulfillment!
Peter then reminds them of a prophecy of Joel:
17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all Mankind; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, And your old men will Have dreams;
18 and Even on My male and female Servants I will pour out My spirit in those days, And they will prophesy.
19 ‘And I will display wonders in the sky above And signs on the earth below, Blood, fire, and vapor of smoke.
20 ‘The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 ‘And it shall be that Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Who were to receive the Spirit?
Look again at verses 17-18
17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all Mankind; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, And your old men will Have dreams;
18 and Even on My male and female Servants I will pour out My spirit in those days, And they will prophesy.
Sons and daughters, male and females
The Spirit would be given to everyone.
It was on that day too, all the disciples received the Spirit
15 For these people are not drunk, as you assume, since it is only the third hour of the day;
Even today we in the Church see this lived out was men and women receive gifts through the spirit to equip them for their place in the kingdom
From leading others to Christ all the way to being Pastors and leaders in the church
Men and women alike!
God calls both to serve in His kingdom!
I wonder what the teachers of the law thought of that as they are reminded of the prophecy and see in front of them men and women receiving the Spirit as a gift!
Develop for them!
The Message and the Altar Call
The Message and the Altar Call
For the first time the message of Jesus is preached.
Peter reminds them of things they already knew concerning Jesus
Testimony of Miracles
He was part of a predestined plan of the foreknowledge of God
They that crowd nailed him to the cross
God raised Him from the dead
Agony of death removed
He talks of David and His prophecy concerning Messiah
Peter declares that he and the other disciples are witnesses of these things including the resurrected Christ
Peter ends his message
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Wow just consider how many felt that day, guilty of killing the Son of God!
Many felt that guilt, knew what that meant
Brothers what are we to do?
The Altar call
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on urging them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”
Three Thousand Gave their lives to Christ that day!
Conclusion
With those three thousand the church was born.
In Jerusalem just as so many old testament prophecies told
With that the church continued to grow
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
Almost 2,000 years later the church is still here, a global presence to almost every country around the world
Still today men and women receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for their place in the kingdom of God
The Altar call is still offered and we offer it again and so we open the altars
Maybe you are asking as they did, what shall I do?
Repent! Give you life to Christ today! We offer that same invitation to you today!
Come and let’s pray at the altar today to bring christ into your life!
Maybe you have done that. The next step is given also by Peter, be baptized.
Declare the changed life you have in Christ!
Blessing At End of Service!
Go out in the power of the Holy Spirit! Proclaim the gospel throughout the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness in the power of the Kingdom and with seeds of justice and mercy.
May the Lord who raised Jesus from the dead bless you. May the God to whom our Lord ascended make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!
May the Spirit who is the unity of love between the father and Son, grant you peace forevermore.