This past Sunday was considered to be the Day of Pentecost
Did you look on your calendar?
What is it?
For ’day of pentecost’
Acts 2:1
And when the DAY OF PENTECOST was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Acts 20:16
For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the DAY OF PENTECOST.
What does that have to do with Me?
Well Amazing Things Happen!
The Day of Pentecost was and is a gift from God.
It was a moving of the Holy Spirit
When God sends forth the Spirit amazing things happen:
barriers are broken,
communities are formed,
opposites are reconciled,
unity is established,
disease is cured,
addiction is broken,
cities are renewed,
races are reconciled,
hope is established,
people are blessed,
and church happens.
Today the Spirit of God is present and we’re gonna‚ have church
So be ready, get ready...God is up to something...
discouraged folks cheer up,
dishonest folks ’fess up,
sour folks sweeten up,
closed folk, open up,
gossipers shut up,
conflicted folks make up,
sleeping folks wake up,
lukewarm folk, fire up,
dry bones shake up,
and pew potatoes stand up!
But most of all, Christ the Savior of all the world is lifted up.
Water Baptism and the Day of Pentecost
What were his commands?
What proofs did he show?
With the exception of our Lord’s command that the disciples wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit, the Bible does not record the specifics of either our Lord’s words or actions.
I believe there is a reason for this. Nothing needed to be added to the knowledge about the teachings and works of Jesus than that which is contained in the four gospels.
The nature and power of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God had been well documented in those writings. The time had come for the person and work of Holy Spirit to be revealed. His mission was, and still is, to reveal Jesus Christ to the world.
Without Holy Spirit all we would know about Jesus would be the historical records.
With Holy Spirit we are united to Christ and his life and power becomes ours.
Some of us are not. Some of us are missing out.
It’s like having a beautiful 1000 piece puzzle, a landscape of the beautiful Colorado Mountains at the beginning of spring. You have been working on it for weeks and you realize that 1 piece is missing.
Acts 1:1-47
Water Baptism and the Day of Pentecost
The Book of Acts opens with a description of meetings that Jesus had with His disciples before his ascension. Momentous days lie ahead and only Jesus knew this. Our Lord took time to give commandments and to speak about things concerning the Kingdom of God. He also showed them many infallible proofs that dispelled any doubts they might have about His resurrection from the dead. (Acts 1: 2-3). It might well be asked, what did Jesus say about the Kingdom?
Are you missing something?
It’s like spending time making your favorite pie alamode.
You mix the ingredients for the crust and roll it out.
You pick it up and put it in the pie pan and then put in the filling.
You put the top of the pie on and bake it.
The smell fills the house and then the timer goes off.
You open the oven and take out the pie and put it on the rack to cool down.
You open up the cabinet and get out a plate and open the drawer and get out the utensils.
You open up the freezer and realize that there is no ice cream.
The creative acts of God are described in the Bible as coming from all three persons in the trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
All three were present and active when the earth was created in the beginning. What can be termed as the re-creative acts of redemption also involve all three persons of the trinity.
The Father planned redemption and gave his son to the world as a love gift.
The Son readily accepted his Father’s will, left his place in glory, became a man, and died for the sins of the world.
The Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost to work tirelessly in both the church and the world. He fills the church and endows it with gifts. In the world he functions as the one who convinces mankind of its need for the gospel.
The word "Pentecost" was the name given to one of three principle feasts observed by the nation of Israel.
First, was the Feast of Passover, which commemorated the deliverance of Israel from oppressive and cruel slavery at the hands of the Egyptians. God delivered his people Israel by protecting them from judgment through the covering of their households with the blood of a lamb that was slain. The Feast of Passover began on the 14th day of the first month of the year and lasted 7 days..
Second, was The Feast of Pentecost, which was also called the Feast of Weeks, The Feast of Harvest and the Feast of First Fruits. It was an agricultural festival that began 7 weeks after the Feast of Passover. This was a time for joy and thanksgiving to God for his blessing and provisions. Special attention was to be given to the Levite, to strangers and to orphans and widows. They were invited to join in the celebration. (Deuteronomy 16:11&14). When Moses received the law at Mount Sinai it happened at the time of the Feast of Pentecost.
The Feast of Tabernacles was the third principle Jewish Feast and was held after the general harvest was gathered in. It was also called the Feast of Ingathering.
The events that occurred on the Day of Pentecost that we read about in the Book of Acts tie together provisions under the Old Covenants of God with provisions of God in the New Covenant.
Just as Jesus Christ is our Passover and was offered for the forgiveness and remission of our sins (I Corinthians 5:7), so too is He our Pentecost, the one who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:11).
Someday, He will be our Feast of Tabernacles when He returns to gather all His children to himself at the final harvest at the end of this age.
Can I get an AMEN?
We are a Pentecostal Church. We celebrate the Day of Pentecost without having requiremsnts as some churches do. Some churches believe that the only way to be truly saved is upon your asking the Lord into your heart you must then, speak in other tongues. It does not say that in the Bible.
Let us now look at seven events that took place on the Day of Pentecost when the church was born and in particular, let us note the significance of water baptism.
First, the day began with prayer. Prayer is the beginning point of every effective church.
It is the place where we must commence every work for God.
Second, Holy Spirit descended on the believers and filled their lives. His indwelling presence is absolutely necessary in any church that hopes to see God at work in the church.
Third, the person and work of Christ was clearly proclaimed. (Through the voice of Peter). Attention was given to the work of the cross and to our Lord’s present exalted position in heaven. Listeners were left with no doubt about the church’s position on the person of Christ. He was proclaimed as Lord of heaven and earth.
Fourth, great attention was given to the relationship that each listener had with Jesus Christ. The directness with which each listener was made aware that it was his/her sins that resulted in the death of Jesus Christ brought great conviction.
Fifth, what might well be termed life’s most important question followed the proclamation of the gospel. "What shall we do" (Acts 2:37) is the point to which the church must seek to bring every person that is within the sphere of its influence. Any thing short of this strongly suggests compromise and a dilution of the gospel.
Sixth, the church’s response to this question was unequivocal, leaving no doubt about its answer to the human dilemma. Repent and be baptized were the two things that were demanded. Nothing was added to these requisites. Never should the church attempt to do so. Repentance and water baptism are the prescribed means whereby a person embraces the risen Lord and appropriates the work of his cross.
Seventh, the proclamation of the results followed. Remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit were the new reality. Consciousness of this possibility created "gladness" (vs. 41). A joyful, praising and inspired people were the end result.
A church that produces anything less has missed something somewhere.
QUIET STRENGTH
"Several years ago engineers building a new bridge over the East River in New York, discovered that the wrecked hull of a ship, sunk many years before, lay right where the center piers were to be built. Powerful machinery was brought in to remove the ship, but it would not budge.
Then one of the engineers had an unusual idea-why not have the tide raise the ship!! Some strong cables were attached to the hull when the tide was low. The other ends were fastened to the barge above. As the tide came in, the barge gradually lifted the sunken ship. It was then towed out into the ocean and sunk at a spot that would not cause future problems."
God’s Holy Spirit is like the tide, it comes quietly, it comes in slowly, but it comes to us with enough power so that we might do the job God has called and led each of us to do.
There is a story about a sunken ship that illustrates the quietness of the spirit, but at the same time His Power in our lives.
Just as the Day of Pentecost in the Old Covenant was a day of celebration and praise for all to join, so too in the new covenant Day of Pentecost, all are included. Everyone can receive and rejoice. Of great significance in this regard is the fact that the languages that were spoken supernaturally on the Day of Pentecost included the languages of the gentiles, languages such as Arabic. (Acts 2: 9-11). No one is excluded from the new covenant Passover, Pentecost and Ingathering. The gospel is for the whole world.
The Lord has given me a message for someone here today about moving forward. Someone here may be waiting on the Lord for an answer. You may be waiting, you may have fasted for 40 days, you may be hanging on to something from the past that is your comfort.
No matter how long you wait, God has already given you the answer, you just need to obey.
You may not like to the answer, but He isn’t changing His mind. You must follow Him.
If your Lord God has told you to do something you must do it. He has a plan for your life and no matter how much you wait it will still stay the same. If the plan, His Plan is already there, you better step forward.
SLOW AND STEADY
Unless there is within us that which is above us, we shall soon yield to that which is about us.
- P.T. Forsyth
The power of the Holy Spirit is not just for salvation, but transformation, a process that might be slow and gradual. The difference might look like this: You can take ten gallons of gasoline and release a tremendous amount of power and energy by just dropping a lighted match into it. It makes a dramatic onetime impact. But there is another way to release the energy in that gasoline. Place it in the fuel tank of a new Honda, designed to get 30 miles to the gallon. The high tech engine will use that ten gallons of gasoline to take a person 300 miles or more. Explosions may be spectacular, but the sustained, controlled burn has staying power. You don’t want to be a flash in the pan, you want to make a difference in this world over time. You want to last for the long haul. You don’t want the Holy Spirit to just save you for heaven, you want Him to use His power to transform your life. You want Him to use you in this world for kingdom purposes. IN ME!
AMEN?
The proclamation of the gospel, great conviction, the salvation of many people, baptism in water, baptism in the Holy Spirit, and great joy and celebration were intricately woven together as the fabric of life of the early church. That same cycle of life is for the church today.
Let us bow our heads.
Someone here needs prayer for something very important, but first there is someone here who wants the Lord our God to take over their life for real.
If this is you, look up at me right now and we will pray together and accept the Lord in our lives and have Him make us a new person from this moment forward.
Come up to the front with me right now.
Those of you who are staying in your seats pray for these folks now.
Let us pray the sinners prayer together.
All of us please stand.
If you need prayer for something in your lives.
Come up here to the altar and we will pray together.
Closing Prayer.
Amen!
