Pentecostal Promises

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21; Luke 24:48-49; Acts 1:4-5 Call to Worship - Psalms 104:24-34

Theme: Holy Spirit - Pentecost Sunday -

1. The Fulfillment of God's Promise - The Coming of the Holy Spirit!

2. The Power of God's Promise - The Infilling of the Holy Spirit!

3. The Proclamation of God's Promise - New Life through the Holy Spirit!

INTRO:

Grace and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Good morning!

At the end of Luke's Gospel in chapter 24 Jesus tells His disciples:

"You are my witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:48-49 ESV)

And then again in Acts 1:4-5 we read - "And while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

In both passages Jesus shares that He has a plan. That plan involved his followers staying around Jerusalem for an unspecified period of time waiting for the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit into their lives. Just as they had been baptized in water so now they were to receive a baptism into God's Holy Spirit. This baptism would provide them the power they would need to be Jesus' witnesses for the whole world.

But until the Holy Spirit came they were to wait. They were to pray, enjoy a time of fellowship and wait.

How many of us like to wait? It's not something that a great many people enjoy doing. Did you know that the average person today spends around 4-5 years of their lives just waiting? We spend that time:

+waiting to fall asleep each night

+waiting for our smart phones or computers to down load the information we want

+waiting for the doctor or dentist and then for our prescription to be filled

+waiting for some type of medical test to come back

+waiting on the freeway or at an endless number of traffic lights

+waiting in the line while shopping or going to a sporting event or even a movie

One could say that a great part of our modern life today is spent waiting for this or for that.

So, we can understand what our disciples were going through in chapters one and two of the book of Acts. They were waiting. They didn't know the full extent of what it would mean to be "baptized in the Holy Spirit" and they didn't know the exact time table but at least 120 of Jesus' disciples decide to hang around Jerusalem waiting.

St. Luke tells us that on the morning of Pentecost that waiting came to an end. God's Holy Spirit was poured out in an amazing way. Listen again to verses 2-4:

"And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."

All of this of course caused quite a stir. People from all over the place wanted to know what in the world was going on. Peter stands us and shares the message of Jesus Christ and the Bible tells us that some 3,000 people came to faith and joined the Early Church. I think all of us would have to agree that what happened on Pentecost morning was well worth the wait. Can you imagine any church running 120 suddenly mushrooming to having over 3,000 after only one service?

This morning, I would like for us to look at three wonderful things that our passage shares with us. We see:

1. The Fulfillment of God's Promise - The Coming of the Holy Spirit!

2. The Power of God's Promise - The Infilling of the Holy Spirit!

3. The Proclamation of God's Promise - New Life through the Holy Spirit!

I. The Fulfillment of God's Promise - THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

That morning of Pentecost the Coming of the Holy Spirit was a fulfillment of God's Plan and Promise. A plan and promise that the LORD had shared with His Prophets:

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit." - Joel 2:28-29