Sola Fide Lutheran
May 11, 2008 - Pentecost

Acts 2:1-21

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2     When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.  6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.  7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?  8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?  9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,  10 Phrygia 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!”  12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.  15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!  16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 ”‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’


Acts 2:1-21                                                                                                                                                      May 11, 2008

 

Excitement is the over streaming of joy and exuberance that comes from a certain event in time, or from a certain stimulation. This is a paraphrase summary of Webster’s definition of what excitement is.  Today being Mother’s Day perhaps an example of excitement we might want to use this morning is that of a young lady who has just gone to the doctor and has been told that she is pregnant for the first time!  There is joy, excitement, uncertainty and even a little fear.  The young couple knows that sometime in the future a baby will be born, they don’t know exactly when, where, or what the circumstances will be but they do have the assurance from the doctor that in the “near future” she will have a child.  9 months later the doctors say, well any day now but we can’t tell you exactly when!  Feelings of expectation, uncertainty, joy, and excitement constantly run through the mind of those young parents waiting for the “big event.”  Then the child comes, quickly, no warning the child is there.  The waiting is over the child is born and the family is so excited that they cannot help but share their joy and excitement!

 

Imagine it was much like that for the disciples.  Jesus promised them two months before Pentecost that he was going to send the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, to them.  This was read in our Gospel lesson for today.  Ten days ago as he was ascending to heaven he reminded them that the Holy Spirit would be coming.  They didn’t know when, or how, but they knew the Holy Spirit would make all things clear when he arrived.  The wait was now over, the Holy Spirit was sent and now the disciples experienced

The Excitement of Pentecost.

This excitement though wasn’t only for them, but is for all believers of all time, this includes you and me. The excitement is that Christ promised he would send the Holy Spirit and he did.  The pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was the event that sealed the deal that Christ did not abandon his people, on Ascension, but rather went to heaven so that the Holy Spirit could be sent to each of us as promised.

 

The term the prophet Joel uses to describe the coming of the Holy Spirit is “the Holy Spirit will be poured out.”  Prior to Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was active in converting hearts, but he worked here and there, blessing only a few with the ability to understand and proclaim salvation to others. These are the believers of the Old Testament.  In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit’s distribution of gifts was more like a sprinkling or scattered showers than a pouring.  

 

The picture Joel paints for us of the Holy Spirit’s work among post-Pentecost believers is that of a continuing rain shower.  Think about it, when it is really raining, you walk outside and what happens, you get wet.  If you stand in the rain shower you get soaked, so soaked that your clothes cannot shed or absorb the water and you are drenched.   This is the picture that is painted of how the Holy Spirit is sent to his people.  He is not rationed, but poured out, so that the person cannot help but drip, overflow and confess all that he has made known to us (Jn 14). 

 

The first to benefit from the out pouring of the Holy Spirit were the Apostles and disciples who were gathered in Jerusalem.  Imagine, hearing the sound of a hurricane, yet there being no wind.  Seeing what appeared to be little flames of fire on top of your neighbors head, yet there was no scorching.  Then to top all that he gave them the ability to all of a sudden speak multiple foreign languages as if they were born in that country! I think I might be a little excited, how about you? 

 

The Holy Spirit had a marvelous display of his power and presence on that first Pentecost.  The events were such that they caused people all over Jerusalem to ask, “What does this mean? We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own language?”  The purposes for these gifts were to aid the early church in reaching out as fast as possible to as many as possible.  It did not glorify them or act as the membership card, it was simply a gift he gave to them.  Since then the Holy Spirit hasn’t blessed his church with those gifts believe me, if God would bless me with the instant knowledge of Mandarin (Chinese) or Spanish I would be thankful but he hasn’t. 

 

The Holy Spirit was poured out on us at our Baptisms and, as a continual rain shower, keeps pouring himself upon us.  The greatest gift in the world that the Holy Spirit grants to anyone is that he takes up residency within a sinner, flooding them with Christ’s forgiveness.

 

This often leads me to ask, “Who am I that God would choose me to be his own? Who am I that the Holy Spirit would be living in my heart?”  I am not perfect.  I have my sinful nature living within me and he really doesn’t want to be evicted.   He likes getting me to do things I know I shouldn’t be doing, and then burdens me with guilt when I get caught!  I am a wretched sinner whatever would God want to do with me? Why would he choose me?  Why did he choose you?

 

You see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the greatest gift because he did choose you. While you were still sinful, Christ died for you. He knew what he was getting when he chose you. He knew the work that would need to be done, the daily struggle he would help you with. He knew it all and still chose you to be his own and to be the portable temple of the Holy Spirit.  The continual out pouring of the Holy Spirit is that daily he strengthens you, washes you of your sins, and points you back to Christ. 

 

The Holy Spirit’s occupation of your heart causes some unnatural changes to occur.  Think of Peter and the disciples. They went from being deadbolt disciples, ones who hid behind locked doors, to men who boldly confessed and witnessed to the work of Jesus.  The same changes begin to occur within you!  As the Holy Spirit is continually poured out on you, he works on you.  The changes he works within you are  like a building project. The work is slow, sometimes not even noticeable, but he promises he is working.  He promises to help us live no longer for ourselves but to live our lives with excitement to the Lord!

 

As the parents come home from the Hospital and the child begins to grow their excitement doesn’t die off, it builds and grows.  So it is with the excitement of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit strengthens your faith and builds you up when you are regularly in the Word and receiving the Lord’s Supper.   He builds you up that you may have a personal excitement about life. 

 

He helps you get up in the morning and despite whatever may be afflicting you, to smile and say, “Today is a great day, because Jesus loves me!” This may not be your thought every morning but the Holy Spirit is working to make is so.  His work in your life is to assure you that your sins are forgiven and to move you to be excited that because Jesus died for you, you want others to know he died for them.  These are the wonders of God that the disciples were declaring in multiple languages that first Pentecost!

 

Think about what happens if you are out in the rain for a long time? When you come in all those around you notice a difference. If you shake their hand, their hand and shoes and pants get wet. If you give someone a hug they become drenched. The floor gets soaked. You are a walking witness to the fact that it is raining outside.

 

This is the way we are encouraged and enabled to live our lives. Not as walking dripping sponges, but as living witnesses.  The Holy Spirit has been poured out on you; he is living within you and is working to help you declare the wonders of God.  The excitement of Pentecost is all about the Holy Spirit making Jesus known to others.  First he used the disciples and now he is equipping you.  

 

Think about how easy it is to tell a neighbor, a coworker, your family member about the long awaited child you were just blessed with.  New parents are so overjoyed that they just emanate, or spew forth joy to everyone they come in contact with.  The Holy Spirit is working in your heart, that you might with the excitement of a new parent declare the wonders of God with those you meet.  Be ready for it, welcome it and as it happens give thanks that the Lord has poured out on you his Spirit.

 

Amen. 


 
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Sola Fide Lutheran, 1307 Webb Gin House Road
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