A NEW BEGINNING
Text: Acts 2:1 - 11, 17 - 21
Act 2:1-11 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. (2) And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. (3) Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. (4) All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. (5) Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. (6) And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. (7) Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? (8) And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? (9) Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, (10) Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, (11) Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." …… Act 2:17 'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
It was 1979 when Wayne United Methodist Church was holding their Wednesday night choir practice they had an unexpected visitor. He had heard the music outside the church so he opened the door, walked in and went to the altar rail to pray. Someone from the choir approached him and asked if they could help him. That is when they noticed that he didn’t speak the same language. There was another choir member who recognized that he was speaking Spanish. So they contacted a local high school Spanish teacher who began to understand him. He was obviously from another country. He must have had hunger pangs to connect with a community which was why he entered that church to pray. We came to find out that his name was Andreas. He not only found community, but was given a place to live and a job until he was able to get on his feet.
How does all this relate to the Pentecost story? Another one of the lectionary texts (Romans 8:22 - 27) seems to answer that question. The Romans text talks about hunger pangs for community. Many of us have had hunger pangs to return the community that Covid 19 took from us.
Today we will focus on barriers, baptism and breaking out.
BARRIERS
What do you think of when you hear the word barrier? Do you think of a wall, a fence, a boundary or an obstruction?
1) Cause: What caused the barriers in the first place? What caused our barrier between us and God? We don’t get out of the third chapter of Genesis before we understand that sin was the reason.
2) Obstruction: Sin was an obstruction for Adam and Eve. In Genesis 7 God hit the restart button and spared Noah and his family in the flood. Then in Genesis 11 mankind started trying to make a name for itself seeking in building the Tower of Babel. So God scattered people all over the earth and confounded their language.
Does the spirit of Babylon create problems for our world?
1) Kingdoms in conflict: We have two kingdoms that are in conflict with each other---- the world versus the Church.
2) New age: How would you like to have your cake and eat it to? Isn’t that the same thing as have it both ways? “The New Age offers a Christless Christianity, “blessings without any commitment, spirituality that is self centered rather God centered”. As someone has said “According to the New Age all that matters is what rings your bell”. (Russell F. Anderson. Lectionary Preaching Workbook. Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing, Inc. 2008, p. 234). How can a branch cut from its vine live (John 15:5)?
3) Homesick: How many are there in the world today who live life as if there is no afterlife? How many of them realize that they are spiritually hungry and yet starving to death? Isaiah 55:2 asks this question: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? (NRSV). How can feeding on the things of the flesh satisfy the need of a spiritual hunger? If they are miserable because they are homesick, then how can the things of this world satisfy them if this world was not meant to be their home?
BAPTISM
What does baptism offer us? Baptism offers us freedom in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Without Jesus we are without hope because Jesus conquered our major three enemies, sin, death and the fear of death.
1) Wages: We know that the wages of sin are death but that the gift of Christ is eternal life according to Romans 6:23.
2) Wars: There are two levels of wars.
A) There is the internal war within where the flesh is at war with the Spirit. Paul described this battle well in Romans 7:5- 6: “While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we are slaves not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit. (NRSV). Basically, Paul is saying that we are walking “civil wars.”
B) There is also the external war without. Consider Matthew 24: 6 - 8: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. (7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: (8) all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.” (NRSV). Does that not describe the world we are living in today?
3) Baptism is the remedy: Listen to how Paul describes how baptism is connected to the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Romans 6:1 -6: What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? (2) By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? (3) Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (4) Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (6) We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.
The story is told about the baptism of King Aengus by St. Patrick in the middle of the fifth century. Sometime during the rite, St. Patrick leaned on his sharp-pointed staff and inadvertently stabbed the king's foot. After the baptism was over, St. Patrick looked down at all the blood, realized what he had done, and begged the king's forgiveness. Why did you suffer this pain in silence, the Saint wanted to know. The king replied, "I thought it was part of the ritual." http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/b/baptism.htm [Source Unknown].
Did John the Baptizer say that Jesus would baptize us of water and the Spirit?
1) Water and the Spirit: In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptizer says "I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (NRSV).
2) Born again: What does it mean to be born again? It means that we have been given a new nature because of the Holy Spirit where we become new creatures in Christ! It means that we are no longer slaves to sin because we are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14 paraphrased). It is by God’s grace that we have been saved through faith and this is not from ourselves---it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).
“When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day's pay for his time, that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements, that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award--yet receives such a gift anyway--that is a good picture of God's unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God. http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/g/grace_gods.htm When someone gives you something you didn’t earn, buy or win we call it a gift.
BREAKING OUT
Why is Pentecost such a big deal in all of these things?
1)A gift: Pentecost is a big deal because of the gift of God’s grace and the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit for those who believe in God! The gift of the Holy Spirit regenerates us, indwells in us and makes us new creatures in Christ and empowers us as the Body of Christ in the world.
“Sometime back the Associated Press carried this dispatch: "Glasgow, Ky.--Leslie Puckett, after struggling to start his car, lifted the hood and discovered that someone had stolen the motor." Associated Press. http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/h/holy_spirit_power_of.htm Like that car, we are powerless without the Holy Spirit in our lives. Secondly, nobody can steal the power of the Holy Spirit from you!
2) The help of the Advocate: Jesus told us that unless He went away that He could not send us the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to do great things just like Jesus (John 14:12).
3) The Great Commission: Jesus told His disciples to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19).
What about adversity?
1) Seekers: Remember Andreas and how he came as a foreigner looking for Christian community? He might not have spoken the same language at first but there were others Spirit led and Spirit fed people who helped him find his way. Even though the language was a barrier the Holy Spirit spoke through the love of others to reach him. Incidentally, love is the very first fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
2) Opposition: Jesus told us that if the world hated Him (it did then and it does now) that they would hate us also. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus told His disciples to go and make disciples. So what are we to do when we face adversity by those who oppose us?
3) Fair-weather friends: Who wants a fair weather friend?
“A man was overheard as he was leaving his companion at the entrance to the Internal Revenue Service office: “As your tax consultant, I said in case of an audit I would accompany you to the IRS. I never said anything about going in with you”. (Michael E. Hodgin. ed. 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994, p. 179). What did Jesus say? The Lord told us that He would never leave us, nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6, Genesis 28:5, Hebrews 13:5).
4) After the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19: Jesus said that they should teach others to obey everything He commanded and to remember that He is always with us to the end of the age (Matthew 18:20) which reminds us that we are never separated from God’s love, “ Mat 28:20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (NRSV).
What about persecution?
1) God’s mouthpieces: Jesus answers that question in Matthew 10: 16 -20: "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (17) Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; (18) and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. (19) When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; (20) for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (NRSV).
2) The Paraclete: In John 15:26, Jesus uses the Greek word Paraclete which is translated as Advocate (NRSV), Counselor (NIV) or Helper (NKJV). Someone (Gordon Dalbey) once said “…when Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as Helper, he uses a Greek word, Paraclete, that `was an ancient warrior’s term. ‘Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs…so when the enemy attacked they could draw together back to back, covering each other’s blind side. One’s battle partner was the Paraclete.” Our Lord does not send us to fight the good fight alone. The Holy Spirit is our battle partner who covers our blind side and fights for our well being.’’ (Edward K. Rowell ed. Fresh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching. Grand Rapids: Baker House, 1997, p. 110). We truly exercise God-given wisdom when we walk with the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:12). The Holy Spirit even intercedes for us in our prayer life where we struggle with it (Romans 8:26). Others might say that they have our back and fail, but the Holy Spirit never fails in getting our backs!
Pentecost is God’s New Beginning! Pentecost reminds us that we are on duty for God in advancing His kingdom until Jesus comes back! That is why Pentecost is such a big deal!
In the Name of the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit. Amen.
