Happy Birthday Church!

Read Acts 2:1-13 Happy Pentecost!

Introduction:

- A birthday is a good opportunity to meditate on God’s goodness on the life of the celebrant.

- Today (6/05/22), the Christian world celebrates Pentecost. That day may be considered the birthday of the Church. If the numbers are correct, the Church is celebrating 1992 years of existence.

- Pentecost refers to the 50th day after Passover; called Hag Shavuot by the Hebrews or the Feast of the Weeks. The purpose, according to Ex 34:22, was to celebrate the first fruits of the harvest, reason by which it was also called Yom Habbikkurim (day of the first fruits).

Exodus 34:22 NASB95

“You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

- An offering was presented by the priest and accepted by God.

Leviticus 23:10–12 NASB95

“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. ‘He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. ‘Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord.

- Therefore, Pentecost was a day for removal of sin and reconciliation with God. Now, Christ, the first fruits, the Lamb of God, had been sacrificed; the sacrifice had been accepted by God, and the sinner could be reconciled with God.

- Pentecost is a reminder of God’s faithfulness, love, care, , and mercy upon the believers’ life.

Pentecost reminds us of:

God is faithful fulfilling His promises.

Acts 2:17 NASB95

‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams;

Acts 1:8 NASB95

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 even to the remotest part of the earth.”

He promised the people that He would dwell among them.

Leviticus 26:11–12 NASB95

‘Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. ‘I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.

He promised to give them a new heart.

Ezekiel 36:26–27 NASB95

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Ezekiel 39:29 NASB95

“I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.

God’s desire for the nations to be saved.

5-8

Expressed in Christ’ sacrifice.

John 3:16

- Christ died for the sins of the world, and, on Pentecost, the world had sent its representatives: “men from every nation under heaven”.

- Contrary to what some churches practice today, the purpose of the tongues was that the nations could hear an explanation of Christ’s sacrifice, the gospel, in their own language.

Expressed in the Great Commission.

Matt 28:19-20

- Pentecost reminded the apostles of the orders they had received 7 weeks earlier. Right after His resurrection, the Lord told them to make disciples of all nations. Pentecost was the beginning of that harvest.

- The reason why the church no longer sees what happened at Pentecost is that the believers are not actively proclaiming the gospel.

Expressed by giving us His Spirit.

Acts 1:8 NASB95

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 even to the remotest part of the earth.”

- The promise about the coming of the Spirit clearly enunciates that is given to make us faithful witnesses to the nations…

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God’s constant presence in the believer’s life.

Acts 1:4–5 NASB95

Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

God never abandons His children.

- He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. He told the disciples that He would be with them and in the forever.

John 14:16–17 NASB95

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

- The title given to the Spirit is a testimony of His constant presence in the believer’s life: the Comforter (paracletos: someone called to be by your side).

His Spirit empowers us to live a holy life.

- It’s impossible to live a holy life if we do not know the truth. Without the truth, we live in darkness, and ignorance. The Spirit empowers us by leading us to all truth, and reminding us of the truth:

John 16:13 NASB95

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

John 14:26 NASB95

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

- It is that Spirit, that came on Pentecost, who produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness in us.

Conclusion:

- The celebration of Pentecost is a reminder of God’s faithfulness, of His desires for people to be saved, and His constant presence in the believer’s life.

Let’s live like in Pentecost, let’s allow the Spirit to control our lives, let’s open our lips to announce salvation to the nations.

Happy Birthday Church!