Pentecost

Questions and Answers

Acts 2:1-13

 

Opening Words: We find ourselves today making our annual visit to the second chapter of Acts. The timeline in the text is important. Jesus has now been resurrected for fifty days. For the first forty of those days he walked the face of the world and taught about the Kingdom of God. When the last teaching is complete he ascends into heaven leaving the disciples alone. For ten days they wait for something to happen. During that anxious period their hearts must have been filled with questions. Then the day of Pentecost came and their questions were replaced by more questions. Let me call the message Questions and Answers.

 

Acts 2:1-13 1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" 13Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."

 

You know the story. In 1863 a group of English settlers, the Pilgrims, in Plymouth, Massachusetts decided formally thank God for surviving the harsh winter of 1862. It was not an original idea. Others settlements along the east coast had done the same thing. However, the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving that we remember. The first Thanksgiving lasted three days. The Pilgrims wanted to thank the local Indian tribe for their help so they invited them to a feast that came after worship. Everyone present must have had a wonderful time. They had such a wonderful time that it became an annual event. Today, Thanksgiving is one of the most loved holidays on the calendar. Airports are filled with travelers so everyone can be home on the forth Thursday of November. Is their anyone here that doesn’t understand or like Thanksgiving?

 

So why are we talking about Thanksgiving in May? The answer is simple. If you can understand the concept of Thanksgiving then you understand the concept of the Hebrew holiday of Pentecost. Both are celebrations of the harvest. Our Thanksgiving is rooted in history. Their Thanksgiving Day or Pentecost was rooted in the Bible. Leviticus 23:15-16 says, “From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.” This is day after the seventh Sabbath after Passover so this is Pentecost. However, this is not a day when we thank God for the abundance of the harvest. It is a day when we remember how God decided to do something new. It is the day that we remember how God unleashed the Holy Spirit and create a new organization called the church. Let us look at the text today and discover what the Bible say about the most famous Pentecost in history.

 

We are in the second chapter of Acts. The first verse tells us it is the day of Pentecost and the disciples are all together, including Judas Iscariot‘s replacement, Matthias. This is not surprising because Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem (Acts 1:4). For it is in the Golden City that they will be baptized by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). That baptism happened suddenly. The author of this text, Luke, tells us the Holy Spirit was evident in two ways. First, there was a violent wind. The Holy Spirit was always symbolized by wind. (Ezekiel 37:9, 14, John 3:8) Second, there seemed to be tongues of fires that separated and came to rest on each one of them. Verse four explains what had happened. It says, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit…” The word ALL is important because it was the first time the Holy Spirit was given to everyone. In the Old Testament it was limited to a select few. The manifestation of the spirit was that each one began to speak in a different tongue.

 

I hope those words sound familiar to you. After all, we visit them every year. However, I am not concerned that you understand these words. I am more concerned that you appreciate these words. The words are the key to our revival. Let me be blunt. The church is not just struggling in our time, the church is dieing. in our time is struggling. There are many reasons why the church is dieing. The core reason is the church don’t appreciate or understand what happened on that first Pentecost. Why don’t we understand or appreciate Pentecost? The reason is simple. We don’t understand or appreciate the Holy Spirit. So today I want help you understand and appreciate the Holy Spirit. I going to do that by asking and answering three questions. These questions are not advanced questions on the deeper points of theology. They are basic questions about the Holy Spirit. They are questions that you may have. So if you are ready to begin say, “Amen!”

 

Who?

This is question number one. Who is the Holy Spirit? The answer is really quite simple. You can answer it with one word: God. The Holy Spirit is God. In order to completely understand the answer, that the Holy Spirit is God, consider two things.

 

First, the Holy Spirit was not created or revealed at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has been with us from the very beginning. Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’" The key word in that verse is the word us. The us in that verse is the trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is timeless because the Holy Spirit is God.

 

Second, the Holy Spirit is part of the trinity. What does that mean? We believe in a triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe there is one God with distinct manifestations. When we speak of God the Father we are speaking of God as the creator. When we speak of God the Son we are speaking of God the redeemer. Jesus was the incarnation of God, God in human form, who came to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. When we speak of God the Holy Spirit we are speaking of God the life giver. The Holy Spirit is not a thing, the Holy Spirit is a person. When I come home for supper and my family is waiting for me my wife doesn’t say it is home. She says he is home.

 

Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is God! The deity of the Holy Spirit is clearly seen in scripture. Look at these facts with me. When Christ is born; the Spirit is His forerunner. When Christ is baptized; the Spirit bears witness. When Christ is tempted; the Spirit leads Him up. When Christ ascends; the Spirit takes His place. What great things are there in the character of God which are not found in the Spirit? What titles which belong to God are not also applied to Him? He is called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the mind of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of adoption, of truth, of liberty; the Spirit of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge, of godliness, of the fear of God. This only begins to show how unlimited He is. Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is God! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

What?

This is question number two. What does the Holy Spirit do? You can answer that question with one word: change. It is as true today as it was on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit historically has made order out of disorder, clarity out of confusion. How many examples do you need?

 

Just look at the disciples. The twelve didn’t have a clue. They followed Jesus around for three years but they didn’t have a clue. I am not sure how that is possible. They were present for every miracle. They were there for every parable. They heard about the Kingdom of God from the Master, himself. Peter, Andrew, James and John were even on the mountaintop when Moses and Elijah appeared, the great law giver and the greatest of the prophets. They heard their endorsement of Jesus but they didn’t have a clue. Then the Holy Spirit came into their lives and everything changed. The pre-Pentecost Peter who denied Christ three times was touched by the Holy Spirit and preached to the crowd. According to the text 3,000 were saved that day. It wasn’t just Peter. The same thing is true of all the disciples. Each was changed or transformed by the Holy Spirit and went on to do great things for God. The disciples would tell you the Holy Spirit changed everything!

 

Just look at the history of Methodism. The founder of the great Methodist movement John Wesley didn’t have a clue. He was raised in a Christian home. His father, Samuel, was an Anglican priest. His mother, Susannah, may have been the greatest parent in the history of the world. She taught them how to survive in this world and be prepared for eternity. Jesus Wesley had everything you need in life to be a success but he didn’t have a clue. Until he was thirty-five years old he only knew failure. He went on a great spiritual quest and on May 28, 1738 he was touched by the Holy Spirit. The only thing he ever wrote about that day was a simple phrase, I felt my heart strangely warmed. His words are not impressive but his life after that experience are. From that point on he got it. He took the whole world on as his parish and changed history. If we could resurrect John Wesley he was tell you the Holy Spirit changed everything! What does the Holy Spirit do? The Holy Spirit brings life and change. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!“ That leads me to my final question.

 

Why?

This is question number three. Why is the Holy Spirit important to us? You can answer that question that question by one word: revival. 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." That is the story of our church today! Have you ever considered everything that we own? We own so many things that we are having a hard time storing it all but we aren‘t going anywhere. Why? Because we don‘t have a motor. We have a shortage of nothing but the Holy Spirit, the giver of life!

 

This is an incredible time to be in the ministry. I can honestly say it is not the same old thing. My job has changed completely in the last twenty-five years. Things are not getting easier. They are getting harder. The world has changed and the last group that like change is the church. They church, as a whole is dieing, we have missed entire generations, and there is a desperate spirit in the air. Everyone is looking for a quick fix to the problem but there are no quick fixes. We seem to be damage down to our DNA. The answer is not always a new pastor or a new style of worship. The answer is not always a new sign or an expensive advertising campaign. The answer is not always getting more involved in the community or less involved with the denomination. The problem is more basic or fundamental. How many churches do you know are disorganized and confused? How many churches do you know are don’t have a clue?

 

I want to end this message this morning not with a story, poem or quote. I end this message this morning with a challenge. I challenge you to go home and pray about the Holy Spirit. Pray that you experience the Holy Spirit. Pray that you not just understand the Holy Spirit with your mind. Pray that you experience the Holy Spirit in your heart. Pray that you empty yourself of all self pride so the Holy Spirit and fill every dark corner of your heart. However, be prepared. For once you experience the Holy Spirit everything will change. Disorder will be changed into order. Confusion will be changed into clarity. In the days of the disciples the Holy Spirit came and changed everything. In the future may the same thing happen in our time. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”