Pentecost: Acts 2

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0:00 For the rest of us though, I want to think about the story of Pentecost and maybe let's see. I'll start just by reading the story of Pentecost for you which comes in Luke's account of the Acts of the Apostles, the book of Acts. Number two, remember Acts is like this narrative story about what happens after the ascension

0:31 of Jesus. They are at the very beginning the start of the way of Jesus. And in Acts chapter two, the story moves on and it says, when the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind. And it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And it divided tongues as a fire appeared to them and nested one are on each one of

1:02 them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And now there were dwelling in Jerusalem, Jews and devout men from every nation under heaven and at this sound the multitude came together and they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speaking his own language and they were amazed and astonished saying, are not all these who are speaking Galileans. How is it that we hear each of us in his own native language?

1:37 Parthians and Medes, Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Capidocia, Pontius and Asia, Firga and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene and visitors from Rome both Jews and proselytites, Cretans and Arabians and Arabians and we hear them all telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God and all were amazed and perplexed saying to one another, what does this mean? But others mocking said they are filled with new wine.

2:10 But Peter standing with the eleven lifted up his voice and addressed them and said, men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give ear to my words. For these men are not drunk as you suppose since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel and in the last days it shall be God declares that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall

2:41 prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams and even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy and I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs in the earth below blood and fire and vapor and smoke and the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes and the great and magnificent day and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth a man attested to you by God with mighty works

3:17 and wonders and signs. God did through him in your midst as you yourselves know this Jesus delivered up according to your definite plan and foreshadowed by God and foreknowledge of God. You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men but God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it and Peter goes on. As a famous story for us and understandably so it says that Pentecost was like this feast

3:51 day, one of maybe seven or so feast days, but a big one. They would come in, it was a harvest festival, so they would come in, you heard that when Luke the writer of the Acts the Apostles mentions all the places where people had come from. Rome is a long ways away and the converts and the Jews from Rome came and from the Asia and from Egypt all coming into Jerusalem. Of course they're coming there because there's a temple there and in the center room of the

4:21 temple is where the presence of God is and at Pentecost it's the end of the harvest and they're bringing their first fruits of the harvest to make an offering to the God, the God of creation and life, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and this is the only place they can do it because God is located right there at the temple. And so wherever they come from they bring their first fruits with them and they're all then assembled and the town fills up with people and they come from all over the place and then it says that they were there near the temple and a sound like a mighty rushing

4:57 wind comes which is so interesting because you know when God appears in places it's not always like really dramatic. Remember that the famous story about Elijah on the mountain he's going to meet with God, God says come out and I'll come by and he's not in the fire and he's not in the earthquake, he's in the still small voice. And remember like when he's calling Moses he doesn't call Moses miraculously and loudly

5:27 in front of all these people, he calls him in a burning bush that only Moses sees. And so God doesn't often come in these big undeniable ways even in the person of Jesus. We learn that Jesus is in many ways forgettable and unremarkable from Nazareth and Bethlehem and carpenter. But when the Holy Spirit comes Luke describes it as a mighty rushing wind, released.

6:03 Enough that it caused a commotion in town and brought everybody to him. And I've thought about it before and just to mention to you now I don't know where this like original primordial spirit of life has been bent up or kept back until this point. But you know we know that the Spirit of God hovered over the waters at creation, that God the Father imagined a world out of nothing, God the Word was spoken and through the Spirit

6:36 the Hall of Earth was created, that the Spirit of God is this powerful and effective aspect of the God itself. Not some emissary but the essence of God itself out to accomplish the will of God the Father. And so it's there at creation, it's breathed into Adam and Eve at the very beginning to animate the bodies that were formed out of dust and launch humanity into the world. It overshadows the prophets in specific times.

7:08 Jeremiah complains it's like a fire welling up in my belly. It says that the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary at the incarnation much as it overshadowed the waters of the deep at creation. Okay so we know that the Holy Spirit has been active through the story of Scripture in different places but never before have we heard of this. And so the kind of spirit aspect of God the essence of God released for the first time

7:40 for something new set loose into the world and it is unmistakable. All the people of God gathered in Jerusalem notice the commotion and something new happens. It's appropriate that we put up some red banners for a week right and mark the day. Though you and I have only lived on this side of Pentecost indeed Pentecost is a line after which

8:15 everything is different. And so to really understand the way in which it's different I want to look at this prophet Joel that Peter quotes for us. So Joel is in the Old Testament and I have to confess to you guys. I mean I know Joel is a prophet, a minor prophet, and I know roughly where the minor prophets are but I could not tell you the order of the minor prophets.

8:48 So if you got a paper copy you got to do like I did this morning just to kind of thumb through and find it. You got to go after the major prophets. The major prophets are Isaiah Ezekiel Jeremiah. But if you get to like Habakkuk and Zachariah you've gone too far to the right you got to go back to the left. I'm looking now it's after Hosea and after Daniel. The prophet Joel. Here's the thing about Joel.

9:18 Joel is just about the most a contextual prophet we have. Meaning we can't cross reference him. A lot of the prophets we can cross reference with chronicles versus second chronicles and first second kings to figure out where they show up in the history of Israel but Joel we can't really do that. We're not 100% sure where he was at. Now context clues from what Joel has recorded. We are pretty sure that he was speaking to the southern kingdom.

9:50 You remember how that goes after David? The Israelites split into two. The 10 tribes in the north become Israel. The two tribes in the south take Jerusalem and become Judah. The 10 tribes are conquered and dispersed first. Two southern tribes in Judah are dispersed second. They have more good kings than the northern kings though neither one of them have a majority of good kings. They have a majority of bad. And so Joel is speaking probably to the southern kingdom of Judah when God is telling them,

10:22 hey guys destruction is coming. And remember the context here. God had set apart Israel so that he would have a special relationship with them. And then the whole world would look at Israel and see because their life makes sense. They only have one God. They don't steal from each other. They don't kill each other. Their life just makes sense. They would look at them and be reminded that they also ought to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And so God too in order to draw renown to himself pushes out the other nationalities that are there

10:57 along with their gods sets up Israel and says, now I give you this land. So the reason they get conquered is because they end up living like everyone else. And no one when they look at Israel gets the idea that their God is any better than anyone else. And so no one is finding their way to God. And in order just to make sure that people know that God's not just weak or a failure, he prophesies before the destruction comes. The spirit of God comes to Joel and says, hey people, here's what God's about to do.

11:29 And Joel has this theme, the day of the Lord is coming. The day of the Lord is coming. And the day of the Lord in the prophet of Joel is all about these locusts are going to come and just tear up the land. And we know that one of the kingdoms, I think it was the Assyrians, had locusts as one of their kind of key things. And so a lot of people think that this is a reference to this nation that's going to come and just devour the whole place.

12:00 So the first several chapters of Joel, he's speaking on behalf of God, saying, look guys, I gave you my presence, the tabernacle on the temple. I gave you the sacrifices to restore right relationships so that you in proximity to me could live the life you were made for and all the world would see it and be reminded that God is good.

12:31 And tragically, you have trouble believing that I have your best interests at heart. And you live like the rest of the world and now no one is finding their way to me. So let's start over. I've got to demonstrate that, right? So that's what Joel's talking about. But what I want to pull you to here is the second part of Joel chapter 2. Verse 18.

13:02 Joel is looking toward what's coming. He's described the desolation. The locusts are going to come and take everything and nothing will be left. And then the Lord became jealous for his land. Chapter 2 verse 18. And the Lord answered and said to his people, Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied. And I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.

13:33 I will remove the Northerner far from you and drive him into the parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea and his rear guard into the western sea. And the stench and foul smell of him will rise for he has done great things. Verse 21. Fear not, O land. Be glad and rejoice. For the Lord has done great things. Fear not, you beasts of the field. For the pastures of the wilderness are green and the tree bears its fruit and the fig

14:07 and the vine will have their full year. Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God. For he has given the early rain for your vindication. He has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, and that shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper and the destroyer and the cutter and my great army which I sent among you.

14:40 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you and my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel and that I am the Lord your God, and there is none else, and my people shall never again be put to shame. He has spent chapters saying you guys blew it. I asked you to be at my treasured possession a kingdom of priests and a holy nation that all

15:13 the world would be drawn back to me and you blew it so you're getting desolation. And just as he's done describing the desolation he says, Ah but hope is not lost. Do not despair land, do not despair beasts, do not despair o children of Zion. You will eat well again. And I was thinking this is a theme for the people

15:46 of God in the story of scripture. That just when you think the people of God have blown it beyond measure starting at the very beginning look at there they're about to be exiled from Eden, the like prototype of perfection. They have lost it. They have they are removed from the tree of life separated and moving out into death. And just as they get it of course God promises

16:17 I'll restore and repair. And over and over again Joel is not uniqueness. Isaiah does it, Jeremiah doesn't. Ezekiel does it. So many of the prophets say destruction is coming but do not despair. Your God does not abandon you to the grave neither do those who put their hope in the Lord and in shame but in deliverance. Over and over again in the story of scripture whenever you

16:51 think the people of God have failed so far God promises an answer will come. Ah I wonder if you have ever felt like you have just eaten the pie right. And the kids talking about what is temptation eat the pie mom tells you not to eat.

17:25 Eat in the pie. Blown the opportunity. Failed the friend. Dropped the ball. The people of God throughout the story of scripture continually find themselves in places of failure and hard times come. And hope is promised.

18:00 Joel finishes the hope with this declaration of something that could not be imagined. And this is verse 28 of chapter 2. And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions and even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out

18:33 my spirit. And I will show wonders on the earth right. Verse 32 and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape as the Lord has said and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls. The prophet Joel described this thing that nobody could have imagined that the creator God

19:04 perfection and justice, mercy and generosity, creativity and hope. The source and thought, the beginning and the end, the origin right and the culmination of all things that this God would somehow find a way to release its spirit out onto people somehow. Release its spirit out young and old men and women enslaved and free would get the spirit of God, Joel said.

19:42 In the time of Joel and in the time of Pentecost people know they might need provision, protection, forgiveness, justice, mercy, generosity of God and when they do they know they've got to load up their sheaths of wheat and walk for days or weeks to get to the temple and make the offering. The notion that the spirit of God would be poured out on all people would have been kind of

20:17 crazy. Right. And so when God finally does it, we remember it. That it might give you some hope. I was trying to think of like how could I demonstrate to you that you might have the spirit of God

20:55 on the side of Pentecost already. You know, you don't, I don't know what like that the mighty rushing wind, the spirit of God pent up wherever God dwells infinitely, released for the first time out into the world. Like and coming into people for the first time, Peter preaches the sermon in Jerusalem and 3000 people believe him when they had no concept of following Jesus before. Now they recognize that death can't hold him. This is because the spirit

21:26 of God has come into him and I wonder what it feels like from one side of that to the other. From no spirit of God in dwelling to spirit of God in dwelling. I wonder what the difference feels like. You and I may not know that difference and so it might be hard to put our finger on it. And so I was looking at John the gospel of John chapter 16, where Jesus describes the spirit of God in John chapter 16 verse 46-ish. Let's see. No. John chapter 16 verse 7. I don't know where

22:10 that other verse idea came from. Yeah. Actually, let's start at 4b. That's what it is. It's 4b, not 46. A lowercase b can look like a six Paul. It's not my fault. My vision is fine. It's my handwriting. I did not say these things, Jesus is talking to his disciples. I did not say these things to you

22:40 from the beginning because I was with you. But now I'm going to him who sent me. And none of you asks, hey, where are you going? But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Verse 7, nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is two-year advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. This is important. I've thought several times, and I've said it here before, wouldn't it have been

23:12 cool if resurrected Jesus just hung out? And we had this great, ageless Jesus of Nazareth, glorified body we could go eat fish with, like the dudes in the upper room, like you could make your pilgrimage, not to Mecca, but to the risen Christ. Lovely, right? And faith would be sight. Come on. But Jesus says, I know you're sad that I'm saying I got to go back to the one who sent me. But unless I go, I don't send the helper. If I do go, then I do send the helper. And you can

23:45 pray like the kids. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. And so Jesus is saying, part of the reason he ascends is that they might unbound and release the great Spirit of God at Pentecost. And then he goes on and says, and when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment, concerning sin because they do not believe in me, concerning righteousness because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer, and concerning judgment because I was the ruler of this world or because the ruler of this world is judged. He's saying,

24:20 when you get the Spirit, you'll know internally right from wrong. Jeremiah describes it as, you'll take out your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh, one that's malleable and has the capacity to align with God about what is right. In other places, they say that it will be like the law written upon their hearts. Jesus is saying, when the Spirit comes, you'll have something new inside of you that allows you to align with God on how the world ought to work. If you find yourself

24:52 in line with God's sense of justice, God's sense of generosity, God's sense of mercy, God's sense of honor or dignity even, the dignity of all humanity. If you find yourself in line with those things rather than selfish and self-aggrandizing all the time, rather than myopic about your own point of view, it's because you have the Spirit of God. Thanks to Pentecost. Okay, last bit, then we'll wrap. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth

25:29 comes, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you, and all that the Father has is mine. Therefore, I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you. The Holy Spirit gives you a heart of flesh and allows you to align with God and gives you the capacity to see what is true, that this world is

26:02 not enough for you, that a future has been secured on the other side of death, where every tear is wiped away, and every sorrow set aside, where the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, general self-control that you experience now multiplies on into forever, where you are not defined by the some of your worst choices and basis instincts, but your greatest potential is realized to the glory of God. You come into your own glorious pulses,

26:37 changing from glory into glory. You have the Spirit of God because you can align with God about what is right and true, and because in fits and starts and little glimmers by some miraculous move of God, you believe what is true, that you are headed to life eternal with Jesus of Nazareth. Let me pray that the Spirit of Pentecost take root in each of us. Hey, good Lord, thank you

27:11 for Pentecost and the gift of your Spirit. Root that Spirit in our hearts and minds this morning that we might settle into your truth and align with your justice. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.