Celebration of Pentecost
Acts chapter 2, John 10
Greeting-
Good morning everyone, it is good that you have come to worship.
I pray that you have an open heart and a willingness to let the Lord work in your life.
As all the churches prepare to reopen, each one uniquely facing their own challenges I am praying that we see a mighty move of His Spirit that brings a spark of revival to all and brings His presence into our hearts and allows him to do a good works!
Prayer-
Introduction-
I recently heard from a family that attended our church and moved three hours away a few years ago, because of the virus and churches having to quickly adapt their services, we went and put our sermons on social media and our church webpage. This allowed them to again connect with our church, but then they shared the service with a neighbor who cannot get out of the house because of physical limitations and now she is able to participate. I want to welcome those that are new to Rosedale and we are glad you are here and we look forward to the time that you will be able to worship with us.
Again Good morning -This morning is Pentecost Sunday-
Most Churches will be celebrating in some way, but most believers in those churches do not fully understand what Pentecost means.
There are a lot of churches in our area and around the world.
Some places have a church on every corner and most people pass them repeatedly throughout the week and do not enter them on Sunday.
The church is supposed to be the light in the city and make an impact to those people we come into contact with.
If we are suppose to be talking to people about the things of God, make an impact on their life for Christ, to get involved in their lives… How are we doing?
When you think Christmas, you think of the coming of baby Jesus.
When you think of the cross, you think of Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection.
But how many are interested or know the fact that Jesus went back to glory so that the Holy Spirit of God might come birth and empower His church.
Acts 1:8-
Jesus promises to give us power-“You will receive power”
We are promised power for the purpose of being his witness to this world.
That promise is to every believer.
On the day of Pentecost and every day after, the church of God should desire the presence of God in our life and willing to allow Him to empower us to do what we are called to do.
This morning scripture challenges all of us to allow the Lord to fill us with His Holy Spirit and for each of us that profess Christ to be a voice of the Good News in Christ.
Some believe that the Spirit of God only touches certain people…leaders, evangelist, people with a divine call on their lives, but that is not what scripture says.
God has touched what the world would call a nobody and made them somebody for the kingdom of God
The Old Testament as well as in the New Testament, we are told that the Spirit of God desire is to dwell (live within) in our lives.
There are certain things you can do in yourself because of talents, but there are certain things that God desires through you that will only be done if you allow the Holy Spirit to be working in and through your life.
Some of us read of God’s people in the bible doing great things and we believe that was “them” and this is “me”!
Before we read the text in Acts, I want us to look at what God word says about the working of the Spirit of God.
Genesis 1:1 you cannot start any earlier than the first verse of the Bible to see the Spirit of God working-
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, now the earth was formless (void) and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
At the time of the great flood- Genesis 6-7 God provided an ark of safety for Noah and his family to enter- the Spirit of God hovered over the ark so they would be safe.
6:18- “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark.”
7:5- “Noah did as the Lord commanded.”
8:1- “God remembered Noah”
Then God Almighty says that mankind needs a redeemer- The ark was a picture of the coming Jesus as Savior.
Prophesied in the Old Testament in Isaiah 7:14- “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son…”
New Testament-
Luke 1:35- Holy Spirit Talking to Mary of Jesus birth “The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will over shadow you (Hover over you) and you will have a Son”
Jesus speaking to the people crowded around Him said there will come a time when His work of redemption is finished (cross) and that He will go so the comforter will come.
That He must go so the comforter would come in his fullness.
In the plan of God for us the Holy Spirit of God has been involved… has hovered over His creation.
Genesis- “beginning”
Hebrew words meaning Hovering over- “to gently move”, ‘flutter like a mother caring for her young.”
Jesus Himself says-
“All this I have spoken to you while with you. But the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:25-26
“You have heard me say, I am going away and I am coming back to you.”
So when the 120 were gathered in the Upper Room, they came with a heart of expectation-
Pentecost- 50
50 days after the resurrection
10 days after the ascension of Jesus
Believers came with a heart ready to be empowered by the Spirit of God and ready to birth the church of God.
Acts 2:1-4 Read from Bible
They were in one Accord!
They were gathered together.
The Holy Spirit came to them as promised
Each one was equipped to speak the truth of God
Inside the Upper room they all received what they came for- the promised Holy Spirit of God.
Outside the Upper Room they had questions-
Reading verse 5-12 from bible
They could not understand how this rag tag group of believers there could speak to all of them in their native language.
They were utterly amazed and they were perplexed!
What does it mean? Verse 12
Apostle Peter stood up full of the Holy Ghost and power told them that these men are not drunk, they are empowered by the living God with His Spirit!
The words of the prophet Joel-
“In these last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people, your sons and daughters will prophecy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophecy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below…”
We are living in the day of revival! We need the mighty hand of God to fill His people and empower them to do the work they were called to do.
It all began in the upper room but these are the days the prophet foretold about-
The faithful are still being spoken to by the Lord and empowered by the Holy Spirit of God.
He is still drawing His people to Himself and commissioning them to speak to the world.
The winds of change are blowing again and he is calling us to “devoting ourselves to the apostle teachings.”
I believe this passage points us to the one fact that we must take away.
Believers filled with the Spirit of God will practice Pentecost as people who have received His Spirit.
We will see it in their lives- churches that are filled with the Spirit of God will impact their communities and be sharing the love and Joy of the Lord to those they come in contact with.
Acts 2:47- “They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
The four things you will see in a Spirit filled believer-
Devoted to the teaching of the Lord-
They will live the life that they profess.
They will be sharing the gospel. Maybe not always with a bible in hand, but definitely be living their faith and sensitive to others
They will not be secret agent Christians
They will be loving people and the things that break God’s heart will break their heart.
They will be making an impact in the community that God called them too.
They would not be satisfied that someone has not heard the gospel and given a chance to respond.
Fellowship with each other
They care about each other more than just a Sunday morning.
They were willing to share of their resources and their talents to each other.
Intimate friendship when you share a meal together in your homes.
They truly think of their church as family not just a place to attend or be entertained.
You invest yourself in others and kingdom of God
Worshippers of God
They desire to worship because they are hungry and thirsting for more of God.
They come with a heart of expectation that today as they come together that God would show up and minister to them.
Pray together
Allowing God to mold us and make more in His image
Selfless in the fact we are praying for others
Believing that what we cannot see is still possible with Almighty God.
Illustration-
The story is told about a little boy who was flying a kite. It was a windy day, and the kite kept going higher and higher. Finally it got so high that it was out of sight. A man passed by and saw the little boy holding onto the string. The man could not see the kite, and he asked the boy, “How do you even know you have a kite up there?” The boy replied, “Because I can feel it.”
Although we cannot see the Holy Spirit, we should be able to sense His work in our lives changing us into the image of Christ.
Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, "How can I get the air out of this glass?" One man shouted, "Suck it out with a pump!" Moody replied, "That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass." After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. "There," he said, "all the air is now removed." He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by "sucking out a sin here and there," but by being filled with the Holy Spirit.
D.L Moody said, "I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled."
Close-
Back in John chapter 16 Jesus addresses the disciples about Jesus going and the comforter coming. They had a hard time understanding.
There was persecution.
There was unrest and uncertainty.
There was confusion and fear, and anxiety of the future.
Jesus says to put their trust in Him and peace would replace all those negatives
Then he says that He must go so the Holy Spirit could come in His fullness-
As a believer, we must be emptied of self so we can be filled with Him. If you do not know Jesus as Lord, that is the first step. The second step is to trust in Him and know that he would never do things to harm us but only to help us through these times.
Allow Him this morning to be Lord of your life and surrender to the fullness of His spirit to lead guide, and empower you for the days ahead.
Pentecost is the celebration of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to empower us and guide us. When I am weak He is strong- only in the power of the Holy Spirit can we say that.
Amen.
Prayer-
