Sermon

Sunday 4th June, 2017

Heathmont Uniting Church

EXPLORING THE HOLY SPIRIT…….

WHY PENTECOST IS SO IMPORTANT?

Introduction

Pentecost invited us to consider Joel’s prophesy in regarding the announcement of the ‘Outpouring of the Holy Spirit’:

In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people
Your sons and daughters will prophesy
Your young men will see visions
And your old men will dream dreams
In those days I will pour out my Spirit
Even on my servants –men and women alike-
And they will prophesy (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28-29)
…and today – now – we gather together to listen that God’s remind us that on the day of Pentecost He literally poured out His Spirit

The spirit that we read about in Genesis is God’s life giving Breath. It was God’s creative power in this world from day one. It’s a mysterious wind – a very powerful wind…. and we read about so many references about God’s Spirit in the Old Testament – coming to ordinary people and do extraordinary things with them. - (one good example is the story of Samson – Lord’s Spirit took control of him - but he failed after Delilah’s prompting and God left him).

Our journey with the Holy Spirit continue…………….

From the OldTestament we pass on to the New Testament …….there Jesus came as an ordinary son of Joseph and Mary – Jesus was born as The Spirit filled Mary – He was born – baptised with the Holy Spiritand fulfilled his Father’s Will – He was crucified, ascended to Heaven………and left His Followers the disciples very confused!What on earth we are going to do now Jesus had died!

It is important for us to understand that Jesus was first baptised with the Holy Spirit -

Why did Jesus need to be baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit?
  • Example for us of what we should do! (after we received the Holy Spirit –confess and baptised)
  • His confirmation that He is the one send from Heaven
  • Dependence of God….

- there is only one word that describe my parents ‘LOVE” they are not there anymore but – LOVE never fade away! God so loved the world that he given his only Son……..

Our journey with the Holy Spirit continue…………

Pentecost is a new beginning – happened on the 50 days after Easter – to day we commemorate the arrival of the Holy Spirit in our midst (Act 2:1-4). Christians across the world are celebrating the Pentecost. In fact, not all Christians recognise this holiday. It is not as well-known or as popular as the Christmas and Easter – Today we celebrate the ‘great beginning of the Church; the day the Holy Spirit first came and confused and frightened disciples.

Christ had promised His Apostles that He would send His Holy Spirit, and, on (Pentecost they were granted the gift of Holy Spirit). John 14:8-17 Jesus has only a limited time on earth, and He has to make provision for the future and equip those who are to continue His mission. His disciples are His future. They are just ordinary people – “ ‘I won’t be with you any longer’ says Jesus. ‘But I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you always be with you’

God’s people had drifted so far from Him that they had even killed His Son. But does God leave it at that? Does he wash His Hands for His people and say ‘Enough is enough’

NO!like the father of the Prodigal Son he is still there waiting with open arms for his loved ones to return to Him. And the blessing comes to those who make that journey in the Spirit, the One promised by Jesus…… the Spirit of the Old Testament who empowered the prophets; the same Spirit who raised up ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Isn’t that just what happened at Pentecost?…but …Who are those ordinary people (the disciples – fishermen, tax collectors, tradesmen, tent maker – suddenly capable of extraordinary things – they preached with confidence, spoke the Word of God so powerfully that lives were changes, brought the healing touch of God to broken lives, lived lives that were transformed to the point where people saw them and convicted and convinced.

How could they, small bunch of ordinary people carry on the message and mission of Jesus when there were face with a hostile world that put this same Jesus to death on the cross?...... Is this the Turning Point of the whole Gospels and the Bible – This is the day that the Lord has made – we must rejoice and be glad in it!...... The gifts of the Holy Spirit empowered them( knowledge, confidence, wisdom……)

What actually happened on that day of Pentecost? How the Disciple collaboratively put their thought and prayers together!

The Acts of the Apostles – The event is recorded in chapter 2:

  • The followers of Jesus gathered together in one place
  • All of a sudden, a sound came from heaven, like a strong wind filling the house where the followers had gathered.
  • Something like tongues of fire rested on their heads
  • And they were filled with the Holy Spirit
  • The Holy Spirit gave them the ability to speak in other languages –

(2:12) – they delivered the messages of God in other languages and for those who heard the messages in their languages were amazed.

THE PRESENCE AND THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

– we consider how did the disciples reacted – what did they do on that particular ‘Day’ before the outpouring of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has already come and baptised every person who is saved (1 Corin 12:13. We cannot duplicate the miracle of that day……….what are we to do!

1 They (Disciples) united in purpose: (fifty days they have been planning…waiting..thinking…)

.Unity with One Accord

One striking characteristics of the early church in the day of Pentecost wat that they were together ‘With One Accord’ – accord to have one mind. All the disciples (120 of them) 1:15 to seek the face of the Lord. – unity was the calling card of the early church. We need that unity ‘ with one accord’ and we should seek unity in the same area.

  • They waited in the Lord together
  • We are to work together, for the glory of God, carry out his will in the world
  • we may have different ideas, but once a consensus is reached, we should break out of our huddle and stand together!

They united in Prayer

  • they prayed together and they prayed with and for one another
  • nothing builds unity in a church more than carrying one another’s burdens to the Lord in prayer – Gal 6: 1-5 There is a bond that develops between people who pray together.
  • When we pray for others, we are less focused on ourselves and our own problems Phil 2:1-4

United in Power

  • They were filled with the Holy Spirit – the unity of the early church came about because they were all right with God and filled with the Spirit of God. What was the result – they preached the same message, (2:11) they believed the same themes; they carried the same burdens – they love the same thing – God and his will.

United in Performance

…all filled with the Holy Spirit….and began to speak……the followers – each one was busy doing their own part!

  • God call us to serve –He saved no one to sit. He saved us all to server – a Faith that won’t work is not real James 2:18
  • No task is unimportant or small; each vital to the success of the church Psalm 2:18…..I rather be a door keeper in the house of the Lord then dwelling in the tent of the wickedness…prayer, workers, cleaner, mum & dad, Sunday school teachers.

Reflecting on the Spiritual Significance of Pentecost..

There is no simple, one size-fits-all answer to this question, because Pentecost knits together several themes, emphases, and experiences.

  • The presence and the power of the Holy Spirit.

What happened on the Pentecost continues to happen to Christians throughout the world today – we are to live with it, we can duplicate the conditions that existed among the people of God on that day –how?

Church being united in purpose, power, in prayer and performance. The disciples all 120 (1:15) were united in their desire to seek the face of the Lord……..we should seek in the same areas.

Christian are meant to live in the presence and power of God. The Holy Spirits helps us to confess Jesus as Lord, empowers us to serve God with his Spirit; binds us together as the body of Christ, helps us to pray. The spirit is helping us to live like Jesus – Gal 55:22-23 but the fruit of Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Again such thing there is no law.

  • The gathering became the first Church: The central Role of the Church in God’s Work in the World.

the Holy Spirit descended on individual followers of Jesus as they were gathered together in Jerusalem – the first Christian Church grow and grow. The Holy Spirit is not only given to individuals, but also in a sense to gather people of God – such like us here today. The Community of God’s people is central to God’s work in the world. Pentecost invites us to consider our own participation in the fellowship, worship, and mission of the church.

-IT invited us to reflect on our commitment to live as an essential member of the body of Christ (Church) using our gifts to build the church and share the love and justice of Christ with the world

Relate to last week messages!

How Pentecost helps us to wider our understanding in the ‘cultural diversity’ country.

Despite the diversity of the people gathered, there is a unity of understanding.

We are often divided according to language, race, and ethnicity. Pentecost challenges all of us to examine own attitudes in the regard, to reject and repent of any prejudice that lurks within us, and to open our hearts to all people, even and especially those who do not share our language and culture.

Yes, we all know it is not easy – but it is essential to our calling.

Conclusion:

Peter preached a sermon to help the people understand what had happened.

He cited a portion of a prophecy from Joel:

In the last days, Gods say

I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.

Your sons, and daughters will prophesy

Your young men will dream dreams

In those days I will pour out my Spirit

Even on my servants – men and woman alike-

And they will prophesy (Acts 2:17 and Joel 2: 28-29)

For the first time in history, God began to do what he had promised through Joel, empowering all different sorts of people for ministry. This mean that every Christian would be empowered by the Spirit. The Church of Jesus Christ would be a place where every single person matters, where every member contributes to the health and mission of the church – Ehp 4:11-6

Pentecost asks us these questions: It is a challenge for us!

Am I serving God through the power of the Spirit?

Am I exercising the gifts of the Spirit in my life – both in the Church community or as I live for God in the world?

…Pentecost invites us to renew our commitment to fulfilling our crucial role in the ministry of God’s people in the world.

Pentecost – The Holy Spirit is a free gift ….where God calls us into a life of transformation …we need God’s Spirit to change our perspective to Christs way of thinking…..so we have to change our thinking. Once we do this Galatians 2:20 describes this change as being ‘crucified with Christ’ while we still live-the difference being that Christ is now doing the living within us!

And What About Us….So where does all this leave us?

  • God seeks to free us from the captivity of our own ways of thinking. God’s works in a mysterious ways through our rich diversity.
  • Has the power to transform our life – a gift, a Helper, from our Father in Heaven. Its gives us the opportunity to draw closer to God, to have a spiritual relationship with Him, to understand more about His will and His purpose for us is. The Spirit enables us to discern new directions for our lives, enables us to discern truth from error and enables us to service to others by all sort of means – through our administrative talents, door keeper, by being a church treasurer - by giving freely to those whose need is greater than ours – and by caring for the physical and spiritual needs of others. We can do all these things because the Spirit, as he dwells within the life of the believer, develops the character of Jesus in our lives.

THE FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

  • It is this character that is expressed in the ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ that we read about in Galations 5:16-26: The fruits of Love, joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.

Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:7, ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear………….” – obviously God’s Spirit is a serious gift – an uplifting, transformative gift, it is available – it is something we need to think seriously about incorporating in our life – ready for a true change – a change that involves God in our life.

AMEN