God Pours Out His Holy Spirit

GOD POURS OUT HIS HOLY SPIRIT (Outline)

June 12, 2011 -

Pentecost -

JOEL 2:28-32

INTRO: On the day of Pentecost the Lord poured out his Holy Spirit in a very special way. The Holy Spirit has always been involved with mankind since the very beginning of time. Without the Holy Spirit there is no faith. The most precious gift of the Holy Spirit is faith. Old Testament people had faith which wss the gift of the Holy Spirit. We do not want to have the mistaken view that the Holy Spirit only arrived in this world on Pentecost. "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (GENESIS 1:2). The Holy Spirit is eternal. The Holy Spirit is God. The prophet Joel speaks about the Holy Spirit.

GOD POURS OUT HIS HOLY SPIRIT.

I. God’s gracious gift for all flesh. II. God’s glorious gift for salvation.

I. GOD POURS OUT HIS HOLY SPIRIT AS A GRACIOUS GIFT FOR ALL FLESH.

A. Verse 28a. The Lord God describes a great and miraculous change to take place among his people.

1. Prophets, priests, judges, and kings were the ones who had a special outpouring of Holy Spirit.

2. Soon the Holy Spirit would come upon all people. The Hebrew is “flesh”. What a change!

B. Verse 28b. God would make no distinction among believers concerning vital matters of faith.

1. Men, women, young, and old would have faith to hear, know, and believe God’s word.

2. Prophesy means to proclaim God’s word. Prophesy rarely refers to foretelling the future.

C. Verse 29. Even servants, not generally Jewish people, would be given faith to know and believe.

D. The gracious gift of the Holy Spirit that our loving Lord pours out on us is faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. On our own we are lost and condemned creatures. We are born as the very enemies of God. We cannot come to the Lord on our own nor by our own reasoning or choice. It is the power of the Lord God Almighty that chose us first. This is what makes our faith so miraculous. Our faith is just like many other gifts. We do not earn our faith. We do not even deserve our faith. In spite of all that the Holy Spirit gifts us our saving faith. "Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit" (1 CORINTHIANS 12:3). To recognize Jesus is a gift. Those who curse Jesus must first recognize him.

E. On this anniversary of the first Pentecost we joyously remember and celebrate God’s gift of faith to each and every one of us. Again, the miracle of faith is seen in the very fact of our presence in worship. Many of us attend regularly. It is our blessed Sunday habit. We may not think much about it. But we all know how Satan would try to stop us from hearing the word of God. We know how easily Satan stops us from daily reading and studying God’s word. God’s power is greater than our own disobedience. God pours out his Holy Spirit on all flesh as a gracious gift. "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus" (EPHESIANS 3:6). All were once outside God’s kingdom but now we are God’s children.

F. What makes faith God’s gracious gift is the fact that our Lord God Almighty wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. As we look around in this world we do not see much mention of God as the Creator. We discover our world would rather have God removed from interrupting their lives. Without God people live lives that are also without hope. You can see the utter hopelessness on the faces of those who suffer loss or disaster. They often think there is nothing else left but despair. "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (COLOSSIANS 1:27). Christ lives in us by faith. May our hope shine!

GOD POURS OUT HIS HOLY SPIRIT.

It is the gracious gift of our Lord God Almighty for all flesh.

II. GOD POURS OUT HIS HOLY SPIRIT AS A GLORIOUS GIFT FOR SALVATION.

A. Joel is God’s prophet. God’s prophets proclaimed what God spoke. They preached God’s word.

1. Verse 30. These words describe future events. Jesus used these words concerning judgment.