Pentecost Acts 2:1-13 May 23, 2010

Sermon Pentecost 5-23-2010

Greg Hansen
What are you doing? Working on the sermon. What is it about. Pentecost. Puzzled look. It’s a church holiday. Oh good does that mean that we don’t have to go to church?

Origins of Pentecost
Pentecost "the fiftieth [day]") Pentecost is celebrated seven weeks (50 days) after Easter Sunday, hence its name. Pentecost is historically and symbolically related to the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot, which commemorates God giving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai fifty days after the Exodus. Among Christians, Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus as described in the New Testament Acts of the Apostles 2:31 [3] during these Jewish "fiftieth day" celebrations in Jerusalem. For this reason, Pentecost is sometimes described as the "Birthday of the Church".

What happened in acts 2
The story begins in luke 24

luke 24:46He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." 50When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

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[a] 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.[b]"

followed by peters sermon

interesting things to think about these scriptures…..
Tarry in Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high
What kind of power
What were they expecting
What they got

What are the symbols of Pentecost?
Wind
The holy spirit moves from high pressure to low pressure
Weather reporters

fire
The symbolism of fire
Set a person on fire and people will come from miles around to watch them burn.

a story of an English bishop who visited a sleepy little parish along the river Thames. The village priest was discouraged and depressed, not really accomplishing very much. Finally, the priest confessed, 'Bishop, I can't say that we are setting the Thames on fire.' The bishop looked him sternly in the eye and said, 'Young man, I am not the least bit concerned about setting the Thames on fire. What I want to know is, if I take you out and drop you in it, will you sizzle?'

people will come from miles around to watch you burn

fire cleanses, purifies, consumes

results of Pentecost
Evangelism is the core
we are compelled to tell the story

The church with out evangelism is nothing but a club

Christianity is unthinkable without evangelism

We are impressed when we read that the Lord added over 3,000 people to the church on that first Pentecost. “Yet I have heard that on a world scale the Lord adds more than 3,000 people each day nowadays to the number of those who are saved

Another result of Pentecost is that He makes you relevent
the Holy Spirit does not make you an ivory tower. He does not make you better than others.
He makes you relevent.

Another result of Penetcost is that we see that He invites the impossible. The paradigm shift

Pentecost tells us that it is no longer business as usual - God wants you, lock stock and barrel.

When the Holy Spirit comes in he does not take sides, he takes over


It was Pentecost Sunday. As the congregation filed into church, the ushers handed each person a bright red carnation to symbolize the festive spirit of the day.

The people listened attentively to the reading of the Pentecost story from the book of Acts: about how the disciples had heard “what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven,” about how the Holy Spirit had appeared: “like tongues of fire.” Then came the sermon.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon us,” the preacher began.

“Like a powerful wind from heaven!” shouted a woman sitting in the first pew. Then she threw one of the red carnations toward the altar.

The preacher began again. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon us.” The same woman’s voice rang out: “Like the tongues of fire, like the tongues of fire!” And she threw a red carnation toward the altar.

The preacher looked straight at her and said, “Now throw your pocketbook.”

To which the woman replied with conviction: “Preacher, you just done calmed the wind and put out the fire.”


If you want to get serious with God, well, God wants to get serious with you.

Another way to say this is that the Holy Spirit wants us to do Extraordinary things

The extraordinary things that happen to us when we are seized upon by the holy spirit

This is the power that changes the world. Fills people with faith.

He invites you to do that which you would not normally do-
sit around and pray, leave your comfort zone

finding a life that is significant.

Application
Are you open to a visitation of the holy spirit in your life
Are you willing to stop long enough to listen?

Great churches are built
The world is changed
Lives are touched by those who answer these questions by saying yes. I am open, I am willing.
Let us pray