Pentecost WBC 19/5/2 am Acts 2:1-21
Pentecost is the middle of 3 annual Jewish ‘Harvest Festivals’
= the ‘grain harvest’
- called ‘Pentecost’ as is 7 weeks (or 50 days… hence ‘Pente’) after Passover
- the previous Jewish Festival which commemorates their Exodus from Egypt, and the Passover lamb that was slain)
So- had to do with Harvest Festival
Also- had BECOME a celebration of the giving of the law at Mt Sinai
- = supposed to have happened 50 days after Passover
Some make big links between these two aspects of the festival and what happened here:
- harvest (3000 saved!)
- law giving Jer 31:33 "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.
- And as the law was given on Sinai with Earthquake, wind, fire, angelic voices
- So, here, we have wind, fire, tongues
Others: particularly Pentecostals, make a similar connection between the ‘revival’, seen here, the giving of the ‘word’ (ie Mt Sinai) and the Spirit
- in that we will see similar ‘awakenings’ when the word and the Spirit come together
The understanding of Pentecost linking harvest and law (but now it’s inside as Jeremiah promised) is a real possibility, here
- This is the fulfilment of so many OT passages of promise
And the balance… power of word and Spirit IS what God want’s as well
- like a train on two tracks
And though Peter (or Luke) don’t expand on these links
- chrysostom (347-407 Bishop) did
- "the time was come to put in the sickle of the word; for here, as the sickle, keen edged, came the Spirit down’
THIS is where the harvest began. This is where things changed gear. This is where the change (INSIDE!) started
- the transforming power of the HS
People
Who are the people involved in this?:
= the 120
- in the upper room? Dunno
- whatever: all together. A sense of unity, expectancy, waiting
and 3000 (plus!) others
- an international community of Jews. Devout. Serious. God-fearing Jews … on pilgrimage
- need to understand, these were 3000 Jews who had been waiting to be converted all their life! God had brought them to this point
- (may want 3000 to be converted in one day, here- but culturally it’s a bit different!)
- man! God certainly knows when to send His HS, eh? Kairos moment! Opportune time!
- They were from ‘every nation under heaven’
- Doesn’t mean Aborigines and Native Americans were there
- = from all the graeco-roman world. Their world
- it’s important to Luke’s readers that they understand the diversity of these folks backgrounds
- as they will then understand the miracle of the event that happens
- so he goes on to record the nationalities present (to emphasise the diversity)
- parthians, medes, elamites – folks from the West, scattered there during 8CBC Assyrian exile and 6CBC Babylonian exile
- Asia minor, Turkey
- N Africa. Egypt (where they left 15CBC)
- Rome
… from the whole of the Diaspora. Where the Jews had been scattered/dispersed over centuries of trouble/persecution
Why is this important?
Well- the nature of the phenomena Luke emphasises tells us
Phenomena
There is
- wind (or something that sounds like that), here
- => power… I reckon
- fire (or something that seems like that), here
- => purity (cf JTB ‘Baptise with HS & fire.. winnowing fork in his hand. Is 6- the coal that symbolises purity)
- other things? Accusation of drunkenness? We’re not sure what they were
- but it teaches us not to try and nail things down. Unusual things might happen when the HS’s around
- anyway: Peter explains- the pubs aren’t even open, yet
- and people would fast before morning service at this festival, anyway
- so, just as well we’re not told what these phenomena were (or we’d have denomination or ‘manufacturing’ built on them’
- but it’s a great way of getting a crowd! God’s PR!
But the main phenomena he unpacks is
- tongues
- = a word called ‘glossolalia” (either: ‘languages’ or ‘tongues’)
In fact: there are two miracles happening here wrt tongues
- 1= the miracle of speech. The fact that they can speak these words
- Galilleans were not known for their linguistic ability
- Couldn’t even speak their own language properly, apparently!
- Dropped syllables
… yet alone other languages
- looked down on by Jerusalem people as ‘provincial backwater’
- not surprising God chose them (like the shepherds!)
2nd= A miracle of hearing. The fact that they can be understood by the hearers
- each of them hearing in their OWN language
Some would say “they were speaking gibberish and hearers only imagined they heard one or two words that sounded like praise in their new language”
- but I can’t agree with that
- = anti-supernaturalist. Anything I don’t like or understand can’t be true!
- We can’t deny that supernatural things DO happen… even if we hardly see them v often. They are happening.
- Cessationalists: they have the gospel on ice- I want it on fire
- “ we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own language”
- =not ‘odd words’… occasional words. = wonderS!
- Besides, Luke is a doctor and historian of the first rate.
So- why is this important? Why does Peter make such a big deal of it?
- because it’s a reversal of a major event… curse even
- BABEL! (Gen 11)
- People got to big for their boots, tried to make themselves bigger than God… climb to heaven
- God confused their language. Split them up linguistically
- … and scattered them all over the place
- increasingly they were at odds with each other. Divided
There: they tried to climb up to heaven. Got cursed.
Here- heaven comes down. God comes down. Blesses them and unites them. Removes all barriers
- one language… the language of God.. love (even!). One community- the church: brothers and sisters drawn together (soon shown living in harmony and power Acts 3)
- one era. The era of the HS in His fullness
- now: no issues of barriers of race, colour, language, gender to us or God
- supernaturally overcome
- Illustr: tonight’s service. It’s a work of the Spirit when different people come together because of Jesus
- Now: the Spirit is poured out on:
- Men, women, sons, daughters
- Rich men & servants, young and old
- ALL FLESH
He is available to ALL. YOU.
- surely this is the most important point of this morning
- this is not a clinical… intellectual… half-hearted… mainly HEAD thing
- = powerful. Experiential. For YOU
So- what are these tongues?
- probably they are the ‘tongues of men’ Paul describes in 1 Cor 13 (ie human languages)
- when Paul writes 1 Cor 13 some time later- there is no suggestion that this kind of tongues have ceased
- there are stories of it
- probably, by my reading, they are different from the tongues of 1 Cor 14 (the ‘tongues of angels?’)
- where no one will understand unless someone interprets
- (note: = not ‘translates’)
- to me this seems to be the more common use of tongues
- = someone given a gift of the HS to express their hearts, worship, Spirit to God, by His HS
- or to people around, when interpreted
Anyway- enough theory!
- it’s time to take God at His word… and apply this.
How can we apply it>?
- the HS brings phenomena. CAN be a sign of him moving, or can be artificially induced. They are not important (and are glossed over, here)
- the HS unites people. Brings down barriers. IS a sign of Him moving
- you: if at loggerheads with someone, today, let the HS in and let Him reverse the Babel in your relationship
But He also brings:
Power
He brings power
- we live in the age of the HS, when Christianity is not mere talk (less the cross be emptied of its power)
- BUT POWER TOO. The power of the HS
- There’s no shortage of it… Him
- No reticence on God’s behalf to give Him to you
- = a matter of asking, seeking, knocking (cf 3000 on pilgrimage, here)
- you may have had a touch of God’s HS (cf Jn 20:22 ‘breathed on them’)… but there’s more: Pentecost
- no need to be
- lacking… dowdy in PRAISE
- here- He releases in praise
- timid in PROCLAMATION
- phenomena, unity with people, praise may be signs of being filled with the HS
- but power for proclamation is the KEY ONE
communion:
- as normal if you would like
- or come up front to be prayed for and receive communion. Jesus. The Spirit of Jesus
- You can never get much of anything done unless you go ahead and do it before you are ready!
Release your power O God
Your eye is on the sparrow
Come down, O love divine
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