“The Day of Pentecost, pt. 2 by Acts 2:1-2:4
A sundial was given to a group of people who lived in a jungle. They villagers loved so much that it soon became an idol, so they built a house over it to keep it safe and holy. However, the house kept the sun away from the sundial and everyone knows that a sundial without sun is useless.
With all they did to beautify this treasure, they actually caused it to have no purpose.
This story reminds us of how a “powerless” Christianity can treat the Holy Spirit.
IF He is thought of at all, He is treated as an emotional high or a theological concept to be debated and discussed, rather than the supernatural person He really is.
As we continue our journey to understanding the book of Acts and the church I want to look at the Miracles of Pentecost.
On this day we see the miracle of sound, of sight and the miracle of speech.
Pastor Jerry Shirley made this statement: “The Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost in a sound to awaken them, in a wind to move them, in fire to enlighten and warm them, and in tongues He made them speak.”
This statement pretty much sums it up. BUT this statement also reveals the need for a couple of questions:
Are we here @ EBC awake today?
Are we on the move for Christ?
Are we enlightened and on fire for God?
Are we using our tongues for to build the kingdom?
We’ll only be able to look at the first miracle today. The Miracle of Sound.
In the Bible, wind is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and I want to show you 3 reasons why this is:
1. Reason number one: Wind is invisible:
You can’t see wind. You can see the effects of the wind but not the wind itself.
You can’t take a picture of the wind… only the effects of the wind.
[John 3:8 NKJV] “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Some people have a problem with this, yet there are many things just as real as the wind and they believe in them even though they are not visible to the naked eye.
Let me ask a question: How many colors are there in a rainbow? The naked eye can only see 7 basic colors there. Scientists will tell you that if you look thru a special lens you can see thousands! They’re there, we just can’t see them!
Here is something I really want you to get a hold of. There is a difference in mouthing the words, “I’m a Christian” and really being one. A person who is saturated in sin can’t see the wind of the spirit sweep across their soul any more than you or I can see Him enter their hearts. BUT when we truly seek forgiveness, the Holy Spirit WILL enter our lives and you WILL SEE the difference!
This happened to me, on the day I asked Jesus into my heart. The Holy Spirit moved in and changes began to take place in my life. Because God’s Spirit is in me, I no longer desire to cuss, to lie, cheat and steal. I no longer have hatred in my heart for those who are not like me. I have no desire for some chemically induced high to make me feel better about myself and my life.
I did not see the Spirit when He arrived on the scene but I am a walking testimony of the evidence of the wind that blew through my soul the day I asked Jesus into my heart!
Let me get real personal with you this morning. Where’s your evidence? Do you have any? Is there proof that the Holy Spirit of God is living in you…?
Paul tells us in; [1Co 6:9-11 NKJV] “9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
Listen to these verses in the NLT
[1Co 6:9-11 NLT] “9 Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people--none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
In the old west, when there was a trial the townsfolk would come to courthouse to watch. The cowboy, packing his six gun, might see a sign as he walked up that read; “Check your guns at the door.” Maybe we need to put a sign on the inside of the doors saying, “Check your salvation at the door.” Don’t leave this place without Jesus. Check your life and be certain, before you walk out these doors the Spirit of God is living in you.
The wind is invisible so you can’t see it. But you can see the effects! You can always tell where the wind has been!
Driving in the wind… see the trees moving… feel the truck wiggle… can’t see the cause of all these effects.
Can people see the effects of the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit in you?
Wind is a symbol of the Holy Spirit because it is invisible;
2. Because it is unstoppable:
You can’t stop nor can you control the wind. As hard as science has worked and studied and with all our scientific capability, if a hurricane is approaching the shores of S.C., there’s nothing we can do to turn it! All we can do is to get ready for the impact!
A preacher was going to preach on the wind being a symbol of God so he thought to himself, “who would know the most about the wind? I know, I’ll talk to that old sea captain I know…he’ll know about the wind!…he sails by the wind.” So the preacher went and asked the old captain, what he knew about the wind and the captain answered, “I’ll tell you the truth, I don’t know much about the wind, it’s so mysterious…but I’ll tell you what I do know: I know how to set my sails!”
At EBC, we need to get things in order, and we saw that in chapter 1, but now it’s time for you and me, by faith, to figure out how to set our sails to catch the wind of the Spirit blowing through this place!
The Wind is Invisible; the Wind is unstoppable…finally
Wind is a symbol of the Holy Spirit;
3. Because it is essential:
You can’t get along without it! Wind is necessary for survival.
I remember the story of Ezekiel and Valley of dry bones,
[Eze 37:1-10 NIV] “1 The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "Sovereign LORD, you alone know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' " 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army.”
Do you know how many Christians there are in the world today? Approx. 2.2 billion… that is a vast army. Some 247 million Americans claim to be Christian… how many of those would be found in the valley of dry bones? With an army of this size, why is America allowing the gods of the world to take over?
I talked to someone the other day who told me how they were experiencing a loss of people because there’s a new sheriff in town. One man told him the reason he was going to the new church was because he could go on Sunday morning and he had no other commitments to the church the rest of the week. Is that what we’re looking for? A noncommittal Christianity…?
Has the wind stopped blowing?
Oh how I long to hear the sound of dry bones coming to life again, right here at EBC, as the Spirit of God brings us back to life!
In 2012 we were baptizing, almost monthly. What happened, just two years later? Have we become a valley of dry bones?
But I want you to understand something because this is not a pastor trying to guilt trip you into getting off your back pew and getting involved…
Our efforts are worthless unless the Wind of God breathes upon them!
I don’t want to hear “I can’t” I don’t want to hear “I don’t know how.” I don’t want to hear “But I worked all week, I’m too tired.” I don’t want to hear “I would but I might upset somebody” I don’t want to hear “I would But…” I just want to hear the wind blow…
Can you fly a kite without the wind? What good are those huge sails on a ship if there is no wind?
We have as much as hope of our lives being truly spiritual without the wind of the Holy Spirit as that mighty ship has of sailing with no wind.
Can you see the wind? No! But can you feel the wind?
Can you…can others see the effects of the wind?
Yes!! But only if His wind has truly blown through your life.
Invitation: Is there any evidence of the Wind in your life…? If not, won’t you come today and experience the Wind of God blowing through you. Blowing away the sin and shame. Blowing in a fresh start a new life, in Christ Jesus…
Jerry Shirley
