Sermon - The Day of Pentecost Changed Everything
Acts 2:1-41
Acts 2:1-6, 12-21, 36-41 “On the day of Pentecost[a] all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. 5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
12 They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. 13 But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy.19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke.20 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. 21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away[h]—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.” NLT
Introduction: When the day of Pentecost was fully come...The day had finally arrived! Pentecost was God’s choice time to allow His followers to be introduced to His great power. The feast of Pentecost was one of three annual Jewish celebrations which the men of Israel came to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. It was a time when Jews would gather from around the world, all coming to the homeland to offer sacrifices to God. And no man could appear empty handed. The Jews of that day were proclaiming that they had become all that God desired, fulfilled his purpose and claimed his promises. What a fitting foreshadowing of the New Testament Day of Pentecost!
Days before, Jesus himself had been crucified, and raised again, after showing himself alive 40 days, he ascended into heaven promising that the Holy Spirit would soon come. These 120 believers were waiting to be endowed with power from on high. They were about to be touched by the Spirit of God in a way that would change them forever. They would be the first of a vast multitude that would follow in their steps. Yes, they would be the first of millions upon millions who would experience this unique relationship with God the father. Just as the Israelites of Old at Pentecost declared, they had entered in and claimed their Promise Land, the disciples were about to declare, "we have entered in"! These new believers were entering everything God promised. All believers are now free to experience the fullness of all the good things the Lord our God has chosen for people of Faith.
We celebrate the birth of Jesus, and all the world pauses to celebrate Christmas with us. We celebrate His resurrection, many in the world recognizes Easter as a very special day on the calendar. But when Pentecost comes, hardly anyone realizes it. Yet, Pentecost is important, because Pentecost testifies that Jesus went to Father and the Father sent the Holy Spirit; it also commemorates the official birthday of the Church, and opens the door so that every believer has the wonderful opportunity of being a part of it.
Acts 2nd chapter records the official beginning of the Church. And right now, I want to read a portion of this chapter. Please listen as I read those verses.
Ac 2:1-6 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
Ac 2:12,13 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
Ac 2:36-41 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
It’s interesting that some of the people who were passing by reached the conclusion that the apostles must have been drunk. This tells us something about the spirit of excitement and joy that prevailed on that day. The joy and enthusiasm could not be hid.
I like the story about 3 prospectors who found a rich vein of gold in California during the gold rush days. They realized what a great discovery they had and decided, "We’ve a really good thing going here as long as no one else finds out about it." So they each took a vow to keep it secret.
Then they headed for town to file their claims and get the equipment necessary to mine the gold. True to their vows, they didn’t say a word to anybody. They filed their claim, bought the equipment, and headed back to their mine. But when they did, a crowd of people followed them.
And the reason was because the expression on their faces had given them away. Their faces were aglow in anticipation of the wealth that soon would be theirs. People knew that they must have found something very special. So a crowd followed them out of town.
Pentecost brought such unspeakable joy in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, that it could not be hid. They were glowing with excitement and bubbling with power, and all could see it. Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice!" The joy of the Lord was on full display. Pentecost was a once-in-history event, when the Church was official established as God’s official witness to the world. So let me share with you a few things that changed and we may learn from "the day of Pentecost."
1. The Birth of the Church Initiated
The day of Pentecost marked the official birth of God’s Church. Acts 2:1-3 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.”
First, the eternal Church was created by God. From the beginning of time, before the foundation of the world, God had in His mind the Church, a place to dwell among men. He promised that even the gates of Hades would not prevail against the Church. Jesus came into the world to redeem loss humanity. Born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, trained his followers and satisfied the demands of Justice. After his death, burial and resurrection, He returned to his Father. The Father sent the gift of the Holy Spirit to equipped the disciples for the ministry of the Church. The Church became a visible reality on the day of Pentecost. The disciples do not vote on whether to start the church. Did you hear what the Word said? It said, "Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from. . ." Where? "From heaven." God started the Church! God created the Church. God brought the Church into being, and it is His Church, not ours. It is essential for us to realize that. The Church may never be the most popular institution in the world, because the Church goes counter to popular culture. You see, God wants the Church to stand for the truth, to be unshakable in our presentation of the Gospel, because the Church belongs to God. It is His Church, not ours. The mission is His to determine, and ours to carry out.
2. The Purpose of Church Demonstrated
Secondly, the day of Pentecost established the purpose or mission of God’s Church. Acts 2:4-7 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?
From this text, we see that the purpose of the Church is to communicate the message of God’s love to a lost and dying world. The theme of Pentecost, believe it or not, is communication. It is really a shame that the whole idea of speaking in tongues has become such a controversial issue. When you read about Pentecost, the truth that comes to the surface is that God gave the gift of tongues to the apostles for one purpose, and that purpose was the communication of His Message in such a way that every person would have an opportunity to receive it. When you read the long list of nations, you realize that a language barrier existed. God wanted each of them to hear the message in his own language, He performed a miracle, and He gave the apostles the gift of tongues so that they could communicate His message. The purpose of the Church is to communicate His message. We must always be clear, the day of Pentecost marked the official birth of the church; and the day of Pentecost revealed the purpose of God’s Church. No matter how many methods we use, the purpose has never changed, and the moment you become a Christian, God commissions us to share this simple message with our little section of the world.
3. The Messengers of the Church Separated
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
The disciples were called to witnesses of “Me”, not witnesses of our club or group, but witnesses of God with a different lifestyle and different message. “God loves you and is looking for you.” Our message is one of reconciliation, grace and hope. It is a divine invitation for all can be reconciled to God. The God’s message of transformation was accompanied by demonstrations of God’s power. Those who embrace the message are transformed by its power. Those who are saved by the blood of Jesus and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are members of the family of God, separated from the world with an assignment to communicate God’ s message of love and forgiveness to a lost and dying world. We are messengers set apart for the purpose of God. Notice the text says, “ye shall be witnesses unto me.” The power of God comes to transform us into witnesses. The power we received is first and foremost, the power to become children of God. Long before we receive power to do, believers receive the power to become. John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
Believers are transformed into witnesses because they have personally embraced the message of good news and have experienced God’s transforming power. A witness can only testify to what he has seen, heard and experienced. Firsthand experience is a minimal qualification for an acceptable, credible witness. On the Day of Pentecost, The Birth of the Church Initiated, The Purpose of Church Demonstrated, The Messengers of the Church Separated, and Finally The Boundary of God’s Church Was Extended.
4. The Boundaries of God’s Church Were Extended.
Ac 2:37 -42 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
The result of the Holy Spirit’s work on the day of Pentecost established a unique, growing fellowship of believers. On that day, there were 3,000 new converts, and suddenly the apostles and the new converts shared a new kind of fellowship that had never been shared before. They received the Peter’s message that Christ was crucified for their sins and that through faith in Christ their sins could be forgiven. They repented of their sins and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. They were forgiven and received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Suddenly, they were part of a new society. They had come out of a world of religion, bondage, and superstition. They’ve come out of a world of selfishness, greed, and dishonesty. Now they’re part of a new fellowship of love, sharing and caring. Suddenly a whole different atmosphere prevailed because here were 3,000 changed people that God had made different and new. They were "born again." Their number quickly grew to 5,000, and then into multitudes as the Church spread throughout Jerusalem. People were added to the church daily. The church was different from anything else in the entire world and the Church must always be that. Most institutions are only interested in what they can get from you, but the God’s Church wants to give to you. Many institutions will take advantage of you, but the God’s Church is where you can come and hear the truth, be ministered to, find acceptance and have needs met.
The boundaries of God’s Church were expanded to include different people, different cultures and different classes. God’s Church is an oasis in the midst of a desert, a shady tree on a summer day, a cup of cool water to the thirsty soul; a place to come and to know that you won’t be rejected, that you’ll be accepted and loved, as brothers and sisters in the family of God.
On the Day of Pentecost, the Birth of the Church Initiated, the Purpose of Church Demonstrated, the Messengers of the Church Separated, and the Boundary of God’s Church Was Expanded.
The world changed after Pentecost because of the Church’s influence on the world. And it ought to be the same today. The church stands as a unique fellowship of believers of light in a dark world. It is still place that welcomes those who are lonely, tired, rejected and the like. The church is still a place where sinners can be saved. The church is a place where the bound can be set free and the church is still the place were saints are prepared for ministry and eternity. Because of Pentecost, we can come without pretending. We can just come to His transforming Power with all of our warts, blemishes, scrapes and scratches. In the presence of God, we will find transformation, love, and acceptance, because that is what the Church is and does. We are the family of God.
