connecting

PENTECOST

May 11. 2008

PHIL SHAEFER

Introduction: This is Pentecost Sunday, the Feast of Pentecost, which we have been celebrating in the New Covenant for 19975 yrs.  It was established by God through Moses in the wilderness.

There have been times in my life:

  • When I have had a unique awareness of God’s presences in my life.
  • Times when I just want to be in his presence, just to be with him.
  • Times when the scriptures come alive; the words become true, come alive to me, the words become animated--when they  captured my attention, my imagination.
  • Moments in time when I am writing notes, insights, and thoughts down that were coming from God himself.
  • Times in my Christian experiences when I have a strong emotional sense that God loves me, apart from anything I can do or have done. It melts me and satisfies me, just being in His presence.
  • There are times when I have this tremendous love for others, when hurts and offences are no longer the focus of my attention--when issues of the past are no longer significant.
  • There are times when I see others as God sees them, in a different light--in a new perspective. Where I have appreciation for who they really are. For how much God loves them.
  • Times when I have a strong sense that I’m being led along by the

Spirit of God.  All I really have to do is to relax and let him really lead me. I don’t have to work it up or do something.

  • There are times when I have energy not born from myself, where doing the work of the Lord is a joy to my soul.
  • Times when telling others about Jesus is natural and satisfying because I’m aware of who He is, that he is the Lord of my life.
  • Moments when tensions cease, when unrest goes away, when doubts aren’t there before us.
  • There are times when things get done, there’s just a momentum, a sense of being borne along by something more than planning or by my best efforts or the efforts of others.

1. Key Scripture: Acts 1:4-8     “And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised. “Which” He said, ”you have heard of from me; for John baptized with water but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Vs.8- “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Jesus is saying “John baptized with water into repentance. Jesus’ disciples baptized in the name of Jesus for salvation, but you will be baptized again, with another baptism, with the Holy Spirit, soon- not many days from now 
Jesus is referring to the Feast of Pentecost, which was 10 days away. The disciples are to meet and pray, not knowing how many days it will be.

2. Acts 2:1-4   “And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came fro heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”

When the day of Pentecost came the disciples were energized, changed, rearranged and empowered. They were filled with Holy Spirit, they ushered people into the kingdom of God.

Jesus went to the cross at the Feast of Passover, which we call Easter. God orchestrated it on the feast recalling when Israel was led out of bondage from Egypt.  40 days later, Jesus was ascended up into heaven. He told his disciples to wait, to hang in there until they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. They didn’t know for how long.

Jesus is saying to them, “this is what the day of Pentecost is really all about, it is the harvest, the Feast of the First Fruits or the early harvest.”
God makes it clear on Pentecost that He is bringing fruitfulness to the church.

On Passover, there was the sprinkling of the blood of the lamb, a type of the blood of Christ. Now God is giving a true fruitfulness. God is coming to everyone who calls on the name of the Lord

3. Acts 2:14-18   “But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea, and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give heed to my words.
For these men are not drunk as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken of through the prophet Joel;
       “And it shall be in the last days” God says,
         that I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind;
         And your sons and daughters shall prophesy.
         And your young men shall see visions,
         And you old men shall dream dreams;
         Even upon My bondslaves, both men and women, I will
         In those days pour forth of My Spirit
         Of my Spirit, and they will prophesy.”

The Holy Spirit is now not limited to only a few, but to all flesh. God wants them to see what spiritual fruitfulness really is, what it really looks like. To see that this is what Pentecost really is.

The word baptize comes from the primitive Greek word BAPTO.
It means to WHELM, to cover, to submerse, engulf completely, to dip, to moisten, to stain. God is saying, I am going to dip you, cover you, whelm (overwhelm you).  And you will know when you’ve been dipped.
Example--an ice cream cone. You may say “I am fine as a plain vanilla or chocolate cone, I don’t need anything else.” But when you are dipped, there is something else covering and overwhelming you. Whether chocolate or sprinkles or whatever it is it makes you different now. It makes you special. I’ve got a whole lot on me now when I’ve been dipped!

Question- Have you been dipped (overwhelmed) in the Holy Spirit?
When the Holy Spirit comes on you it is something different to your normal everyday walk.
I’m not getting into doctrine about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit--not arguing about when or were the Baptism comes. There are different views:

Martin Lloyd-Jones- a conservative, evangelical said “ It’s clearly a second experience for all to have. When you get it, you know it!

Wayne Grudem, a conservative evangelical said “Let’s just change the terminology around a little bit, to clarify it. Let’s just rearrange the language about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Let’s just give a rational explanation of it; take out the unexplainable and the controversy.

John Wimber, a charismatic known for signs and wonders, healings etc. said the Baptism comes just once at conversion. That it is a single experience, which comes at the beginning of our relationship with the Lord.

Martin Lloyd- Jones said ”Restrained? Quiet? Simple? Uncomplicated? These people were overcome, changed forever! The city was shaken! They got filled, they prophesied, they spoke in languages that they had not learned.”

What is funny is that Martin Lloyd Jones and John Wimber should have been arguing from the opposite camp.

The Baptism may be the initial event, but the Scriptures clearly do not stop with one time. They say that there are many fillings:
4. Acts 4:8-  “ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit…”
5. Acts 4:31- “ ... and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak…”
6. Acts 6:3- Select seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit, and of wisdom...”
7.Acts 7:55- “But being full of the Spirit, he (Stephen) gazed intently into heaven…”
8. Acts 9:17- “ Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so tat you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
9. Acts 19:6- “ And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.”

Question: Have you ever spoken in tongues? Have you ever prophesied?
There was a time when I knew something new was happening to me, when something was on me. But it is not only something to be remembered from someplace back when, it is to be lived out in the here and now.

Question: When was the last time you sensed you were being carried along by the energizing power of God? When was the last time you prayed in tongues or prophesied?

Acts 19:2 says “Did you receive the Holy Spirit since you believed?” This is a question that we have to ask ourselves everyday, if we are going to walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Question: Do you KNOW that you’ve been filled with the Spirit since you believed? When was the last time?

Question: Who needs to be filled?
You do.  I do.  We all do. Ask ourselves, do we leak?  Maybe it does leak out, dissipate. Maybe it is like the manna in the wilderness. God gave it to them one day at a time so they could be dependent upon Him for their daily food. They were not to store it up, but to receive more everyday. The life God has called us to live is not to be lived based on a past experience, nor on our own strength or best efforts. We are to live in daily dependence on Him. We need His daily power.

Question: Are you stuck in a powerless life?
It’s time to get unstuck. We are living in the era of the Holy Spirit, the New Covenant. Jesus continues to pour out His Holy Spirit on us.

Question: When was the last time you were filled with joy, energy, freedom, peace, and spiritual boldness? When was the last time you had a renewed faith and belief that your prayers would be answered?

Question: Do you find yourself being negative a lot, living in doubt, self- absorbed?

Question: How do you define being filled with the Holy Spirit?
It is to be God absorbed, not self-absorbed! YOU don’t matter when you are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Question: Are you weary of being filled with you, with being full of yourself?
We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, with someone who is greater than ourselves. Defensiveness, insecurity, and hurts go away when the Holy Spirit fills me and grips my soul.
            
11. Ephesians 5:17- “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” (be constantly being filled)

12. 2 Tim. 1:6-For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”
Paul is writing to Timothy saying, keep praying for yourself and for others to be filled with the Spirit, to stir it up, to fan it into flames, to get out of yourself, to walk in the Spirit, to have a fresh newness of the life of God. Live in it daily.

Today is Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit came down on the church. We are responsible to keep this always before us. Keep coming to God and keep getting filled with the freshness, the energy, the love and all the good stuff of God!