May 15, Pentecost

Lesson: Acts 2.1-21

Sermon Title: Spirit and Power

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INTRODUCTION:

Ernest T. Campbell tells the story of an Anglican bishop who was asked to preach at a Christian conference in England. (1)

For many weeks he did not respond to the invitation. Finally, the corresponding secretary for the conference wrote this insistent note:

"We must know," he said, "if you are coming. We need to make our plans."

The bishop wrote back that he was waiting for the guidance of the Holy Spirit on the matter, and he would let them know his decision in four weeks.

An exasperated secretary fired back this letter: "Bishop, please don't bother. Cancel the invitation. We are not interested in having anyone speak at our conference who lives four weeks away from the Holy Spirit."

  1. Pentecost signals the arrival of the Holy Spirit.

    1. The Holy Spirit has been present, but not in the spirit and power of Pentecost.

    2. Pentecost creates endless, unimaginable possibilities.

      1. At the opening of the TV series Star Trek you hear the voice of William Shatner, Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise exclaiming:

"Space...The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before……"

      1. Pentecost provides the power to go where no man, woman, or child has ever gone before.

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MAIN BODY:

  1. Pentecost is so much more than:

    1. Being together in one place.

    2. The sound like the rush of a violent wind filling the entire house where they were sitting.

    3. It is more than divided tongues of fire appearing among the disciples and resting upon them.

    4. It is more than speaking in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability.

    5. It is more than the conversion of 3,000 in one day.

    6. It is more than the application of the Gospel Commission in Matthew:

18b"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age," (Matthew 28.18-20, NRSV)

    1. Pentecost is the source of the spirit and provides power to achieve the vision Jesus annunciated to create a united people pressing the claims of the Gospel, the "Good News."

  1. What does Pentecost provide:

    1. Let us read John 15.26 (NT, page 878).

26"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf," (John 15:26, NRSVA).

      1. The Holy Spirit has a message, but it is not a new message.

      2. The Holy Spirit has a message, it is the message of Jesus.

    1. Turn to John 16.4 (NT, page 878). Let us read:

4"But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you," (John 16:4-15, NRSVA).

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  1. From these two passages we can develop an understanding of the Holy Spirit.

    1. The Holy Spirit is the Advocate.

      1. The English translation does not do justice to the mean of the ancient language.

        1. The word is par-ak'-lay-tos: An intercessor, consoler:--advocate, comforter.

    2. The Holy Spirit is the one who comforts.

Roger Dow and Susan Cook in Turned On (2) tell a wonderful story of one who provides comfort:

"A room-service waiter at a Marriott hotel learned that the sister of a guest had just died. The waiter, named Charles, bought a sympathy card, had hotel staff members sign it, and gave it to the distraught guest with a piece of hot apple pie.

"'Mr. Marriott,' the guest later wrote to the president of Marriott Hotels, 'I'll never meet you. And I don't need to meet you. Because I met Charles. I know what you stand for. ... I want to assure you that as long as I live, I will stay at your hotels. And I will tell my friends to stay at your hotels.'"

      1. The Holy spirit comforts by supplying, in his absence, the presence of Jesus.

      2. Jesus comforted those he met, especially the distressed and the needy with words of cheer and acts of kindness.

      3. We will be the recipients of such acts of kindness by those who demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus.

    1. The Holy Spirit is the one who teaches.

Phil McCombs is a teacher of Drivers Ed. He relates a story that occurred with a student driver at the wheel. (3)

"I don't know how you do this job," the girl says. "It would be scary."

"Yeah," the man says. "Some individuals are really scared."

"Don't you get scared?" she asks.

"Naw," he says. "It's not in my vocabulary."

"What if I swerved?"

"I would grab the wheel and bring it back over." His tone is comforting.

In fact, Patrick Norris, driving instructor, has just done this. Meghan Huggins, 16, novice driver and sophomore at Wheaton High, had wandered over the line, and the instructor's left hand--with a calm, quick flick--had corrected the mistake.

He hadn't scolded, berated, panicked--had simply asked gently: "What are you doing over there? Aren't you watching the lines?"

His attitude seems to be that it is the job of novice drivers to make mistakes, be corrected, learn. Indeed, with nothing more said, Meghan drove for the next hour without again crossing the line.

Throughout, Mr. Norris maintained--much like a psychologist, and quite unlike many nervous parents--an unwavering positive regard for his student.

"Easy," he would coach. "Slow up ... gentle ... keep your foot on the brake .... Excellent!"

      1. In John 14, Jesus reveals that he is leaving and the disciples will no longer see him.

      2. In an almost enigmatic statement Jesus says those who love him will have a revelation of him.

      3. Judas, not Iscariot, asks how this can be.

      4. In John 14.25, Jesus replies:

25"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you," (John 14:18-26, NRSVA).

    1. The Holy Spirit is the One who reminds.

Alida Ward read an interview with an Army chaplain. (4)

"Last month(April, 2003), back when American troops were still heading across the sands of Iraq toward Baghdad, toward what, they didn't know, I read an interview with an Army chaplain, whose responsibility it was to care for the young and overwhelmed soldiers of the First Brigade. What do you tell them? he was asked. He pointed toward the stars, and said, 'I remind them, we sleep under the same stars as Abraham did, on his journey of faith with God.'

"'I tell them the story of Daniel, he said, here on these same sands, Daniel who never lost faith and kept serving his God under the oppression of King Nebuchadnezzar.' What the chaplain was saying was that there was with him, with his young soldiers, a great cloud of witnesses, from far, far back in the annals of faith, people of faith whose love for their God didn't waver and whose lives still bore witness in the sands of Iraq to the faith which still upholds and strengthens, still gives life and hope. 'Run with perseverance the race that is set before you," the Scripture says, "for we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.'"

      1. The Holy Spirit reminds us of what we know of the teachings of Jesus.

      2. The Holy Spirit reminds us of the true nature of Christian conduct.

      3. The Holy Spirit reminds us of the need for developing positive and constructive relationships.

    1. The Holy Spirit is the One who helps.

Robert Brow in Electricity: A parable for Pentecost, relates the trials of people who are strangers to our way of life: (5)

"A couple from a jungle in Africa arrived in Kingston, Ontario, and were given a fully equipped home to live in. They were handed the keys, but no one thought of explaining about the electrical appliances. During the month of July they went to bed when it got dark and rose with the sun. They collected wood and were able to cook in the fireplace. They found water came from the taps, and they did their washing in the kitchen, and dried their clothes on the line.

"But by November they were cold, miserable and very frightened. Happily some friends came to visit, found the house in darkness and they flicked on the lights. They showed the couple how they could set the thermostat to heat the house and use the electric stove for cooking.

"The next week they learned about the washer and dryer, the vacuum cleaner, how to answer the telephone and dial their friends. The television helped them find out about Canada, and how people survived the Canadian winter.

"The couple from Africa discovered that they were living in a house in which they were free to enjoy light, and heat, and the many appliances needed for the Canadian winter.

"On the Day of Pentecost the early Christians began to experience the light and power available to them by the power of the Holy Spirit."

      1. We have the "Book", but we need help understanding the "Book."

      2. The Holy Spirit helps with understanding.

      3. We have power, but we need "Power."

      4. The Holy Spirit helps with power.

      5. We have talents and skills.

      6. We need to identify our talents and skills.

      7. The Holy Spirit helps us to identify them and to develop them so that we can use them, with the Spirit's help, to live the proclaimed Gospel.

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CONCLUSION

  1. The invitation of the Holy Spirit is to come.

    1. The result of the presence of the Holy Spirit is to go.

    2. It is how we go.

      1. We do not go as we have come.

      2. John Piper in Desiring God (6) puts it this way.

"The fuel of worship is a true vision of the greatness of God; the fire that makes the fuel burn white-hot is the quickening of the Holy Spirit; the furnace made alive and warm by the flame of truth is our renewed spirit; and the resulting heat of our affections is powerful worship, pushing its way out in confessions, longings, acclamations, tears, songs, shouts, bowed heads, lifted hands and obedient lives."

    1. Or in the words of a prayer by W. D. Taylor

God of the day and night, of sunshine, rain, wind, of snow and cloudy days;
God of a cold north wind and a warm summer breeze;
You are above all and in all and beyond all and around all.
God, remind us again that you invite us, everyone, all the time, into a deeper friendship with you.
Sometimes, God, when we don't know what to say or we're so upset we really can't say anything, we come to you.
We come, O God, with good intentions, and we come with uncertainty. We come in prayer with:
petty irritations,
hurt feelings,
broken promises,
pain or sorrow,
or discouragement.
We've come with some broken relationships, and at times, some mean-spiritedness and even anger.
We come overwhelmed, too.
But, Lord, remind us even when we are overwhelmed or
discouraged, sad, lonely or depressed, you hear and respond in your way.
Help us to discern your way, to know you are responding.
Guide us and talk to us in ways that we can
hear,
listen
and know you are speaking!
Grant that your love and promises of new beginnings and new
opportunities, and freshness and starting over are more than a wish,
BUT REAL,
right now, in and with your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Amen!

1. Thanks to Hal Brady, "A One-Page Summary," 7 dune 1992, Dallas, Texas.

2. Roger Dow and Susan Cook Turned On (New York: Harper Business, 1996).

3. Phil McCombs, "Teaching the Crash Course," The Washington Post, June 14, 1999, C1.

4. Alida Ward, "Cloud of witnesses," May 25, 2003, Greenfield Hill Congregational Church Web Site, Geenfieldhillchurch.org.

5. Robert Brow, "Electricity: A parable for Pentecost," June 8, 2003, Model Theology Web Page, brow.on.ca.

6. John Piper, Desiring God (Portland, Ore.: Multnomah Press, 1986), 66.

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