In Jesus Holy Name May 31, 2020
Text: John 16:7, Acts 1:4b,5 Pentecost Redeemer
“Promises Kept-Pentecost Fire”
“The Wizard of Oz was a classic film from 1939 staring Judy Garland. The characters, the Scarecrow was seeking a way to strength. The Lion was afraid to take charge of life and be a Lion. The Tin Man didn’t think his life was real. Dorothy was just lost. They were traveling together on the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, the home of the great Wizard who could grant all wishes. Upon arrival they discovered that the Wizard was a fraud.
The Wizard’s advice was to look inside yourself to find yourself. That never works. God says: Look inside yourself and you will find the Holy Spirit. The first will get you to Kansas. The latter will get you to heaven.
After the crucifixion of Jesus the disciples were hiding in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. They were experiencing the feeling of the Tin Man, afraid their life was empty their dreams unable to be fulfilled. They were like the Lion, afraid of everything. They were comfortable locked behind closed doors. Like the Scarecrow they had no internal strength. Pentecost would change their world, their lives.
Consider the genius of God’s plan. While on earth Jesus has been healing the blind. Restoring paralyzed limbs. Forgiving sins. He has been raising the dead, all accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Eternal God, which He possessed.
Now Jesus was promising to give that same Spirit of the Eternal God to each disciple. Their fear of life would be dissipated like the morning due on a hot day.
Their words would find strength and boldness to face the same powers that crucified their Lord. Pentecost was coming. They didn’t know it but Jesus did. Jesus was not a fraud. His promises would soon grab their hearts, minds and lips.
After His resurrection from the dead Jesus spent 40 days with His disciples which numbered about 120 in Jerusalem. He was about to return to heaven because His work on earth, was finished. His death on the cross had purchased forgiveness from the wrath of God against our broken commandments. His resurrection from the borrowed tomb of Joseph, guarantees the gift of eternal life to all who place their trust in Jesus. His resurrection would guarantee the promised gift of His Spirit to every believer. It would happen on Pentecost.
After His resurrection the disciples were curious. What are they to do now? Go back to their fishing business. Go back to their bakery store, their carpentry shop, their farming business? They wanted to know. So they asked Jesus if He was now going to restore the physical, geographical borders of Israel.
They wanted to know what was next. “Lord are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” You know, kick out the Romans and establish heaven on earth? Jesus said…no. I have another plan. “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set.” “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes…” You will tell my story. You will tell the story of God’s offer of love and forgiveness. You will tell people that peace with God, eternal life in heaven is not something to be earned but it is a gift by faith.
Wait in Jerusalem and you will receive the Holy Spirit which my Father has promised.” Did you hear that? They would be filled the same Holy Spirit, the same invisible presence of the Holy God, which dwelt in Jesus Himself. God the Father who bundled himself in swaddling clothes, so that we might know Him, was about to dwell in each believer. “In a few days you will be baptized with My Holy Spirit. He will empower you to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” Ten days later His Promise was kept. It was Pentecost.
Now I realize that for many Christians the event of Pentecost is like the words that King George of England wrote in his diary on July 4, 1776 the day the Declaration of Independence was signed in America. He wrote: “nothing of importance happened today.”
As you look around, do you see that anybody putting up Pentecost lights on their homes. Have you sent out your Pentecost cards. Have you noticed that nobody is singing Pentecost carols. No newspaper is telling us: “Only two shopping days left till Pentecost” there are no Pentecost parties. No Pentecost music being pumped though our shopping malls and elevators. No Pentecost trees, no Pentecost ornaments, and you have not driven all over town to get your child or grandchild the perfect Pentecost present. Yet we know that this year, Pentecost will change our world. Soon thousands of Christians will “stop sheltering in”, we will stop acting like the disciples behind locked doors, We will return to worship together.
After two and half of months sheltering in people are tired of “sheltering in”. They are flocking to the beaches. The stores and restaurants are beginning to open up. Our own church will open our doors next week. There will be a few guidelines for help you keep a “social distance”. We won’t have coffee but we will worship together again.
Pentecost is the celebration of the birthday of the Christian Church. It is the transition of the Holy Spirit from Jesus to each believer. The Same Holy Spirit that was moving over the face of the waters, the day the world was created, is the same Spirit that raised Lazarus and Jesus from the dead. He now dwells in each believer. Pentecost is the promise of Jesus fulfilled.
In the Upper Room, on the eve of His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, the eve of His arrest, trial and crucifixion, Jesus had promised: “I will ask the Father and He will send you the Counselor the Holy Spirit.” The “Counselor”, the Holy Spirit would come. (John 16:7-9) “When he comes He will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment;” ”When he comes, the Spirit of Truth, He will guide you in all truth.”
50 days after His resurrection, the Spirit of Jesus came in tongues of fire. Their fear of the power of Rome, their fear of the Pharisees, who had their Lord crucified, was gone. Boldness flowed from their lips. They told the story of Jesus, the purpose of His work on earth. Peace with the Creator of the Universe was now available because of His sacrificial death on the cross. Eternal life available.
Who is this Holy Spirit that Jesus promised? The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. God the Father creates. God the Son redeems and God the Holy Spirit brings people to faith. The Holy Spirit produces the character of Jesus in each believer. The Spirit of God enables an individual to believe the words of Jesus.
We confess in the definition to the third article of the Apostle’s Creed. “I believe that I can not by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to him, but the Holy Spirit has… “what?”… called me by the gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctifies and keeps me in the true faith, just as he calls gathers and enlightens the whole Christian Church on earth. And on the last Day He will raise me and all the dead. And give unto me and all believers’ eternal life.” Jesus said the Spirit of Truth, He will guide you in all truth.”
“Have you ever taken a trip with a tour guide? If you’re on a fishing trip, he’s the one who knows where the fish cluster. If you’re on vacation in a foreign land, he’s the one who knows where all the tourist attractions are. If you’re on a safari in the jungles of Africa, he’s the one who knows how to get you back home!
The tour guide keeps you from getting lost in unfamiliar territory. He plans your trip and plots your course. On Pentecost the disciples were launching an expedition …venturing out into unknown territory…they were going on a journey ….and taking their tour guide….the Holy Spirit!
Your Christian walk is a journey, is it not? And it often takes you into unfamiliar areas. Before you became a Christian, you knew how to operate in the world, but now that you’re saved by faith in Jesus, there is so much that you have to re-learn. The old ways of selfish habits have been dissolved…washed away…and you now face the task of CHANGE. Yes, it’s all so foreign to you, and it would be frightening too, if God had not made provision for a tour guide…… the Holy Spirit.” (C. Swindoll)
The power of God’s Spirit came upon the disciples for the purpose of “mission”. Power can be used in at least two ways. It can be unleashed or it can be harnessed. The energy in ten gallons of gasoline can be released explosively by providing a spark. Or it can be channeled through the engine with control burn and carry you 250 miles. Explosions are spectacular. Controlled burns have staying power. The Holy Spirit can work both ways.
Over the past weekend our son, daughter-in-law and their children came down for a visit. As always our grandson ran upstairs and took down the tiny train set to play with. This one runs on batteries a form of stored electricity. Some train sets run on electricity directly from you home outlet. If the train set uses electricity it must have a transformer that breaks down the 110 volts from the wall to lesser voltage. The reason for this is that if one plugged straight into the 110 outlet, it would fry the train to a crisp. The transformer, much like the tiny batteries allows the train to go around the track for hours on end. The batteries or transformer dispenses power at an appropriate level.
“When the Holy Spirit, the “Transformer” comes, He will take the majestic
power and truth of God and dispense it just the way you need it.
1) The Holy Spirit filled the disciples and they told the story of Jesus, His death and resurrection in different languages. The people were amazed. Luke writes; “Utterly amazed…Jews from all parts of the Roman empire heard the story of Jesus in their own native tongue. This was the genius of God’s plan. He knew millions of people from all over the world would be in Jerusalem. It was Pentecost.
2) The second work of the Spirit is to convict the people in the world of their sin. They sense, within their soul, the righteousness and holiness of God and know their life does not measure up. People are seeking peace of mind and soul.
When the story of Jesus is told. When ears hear the good news …..many a spiritual quest finds rest. It is the Holy Spirit who “draws seekers to the truth”. When that happens, they may have an emotional response in their heart…mind…and they know…. God is present.
3) God is at work in the world. God’s Spirit is at work in the hearts and lives of your unchurched, non Christian but God believing friends. As disciples of Jesus we have two major responsibilities:
a) We have a ministry responsibility love and serve one another.
b) We have a mission. Our mission responsibility is to care, love our
unbelieving friends which opens the door to tell His story.
On the Day of Pentecost. Fears of arrest dissipated like the morning mist on a hot day. On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit gave their voices a boldness of truth no one could deny. On the Day of Pentecost their hearts were given new understanding why Jesus had been born, lived, suffered, died and rose from death and the grave. Their lives were transformed. They no longer sheltered behind closed doors and windows. Neither will we. He is risen!
