This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Today we are celebrating the Day of Pentecost, which is a really wonderful festival in the church year, where we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit.
So, first of all, today, let’s go through the events of the Day of Pentecost, and call to mind what actually happened. These events of the Day of Pentecost are recorded in Acts, chapter 2.
Pentecost was an occasion which already existed in the lives of the Jewish people. We read at the beginning of Acts 2: When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. The day of Pentecost was already an occasion when people gathered together, and this year, they happened to be doing what they normally would do. In the Old Testament, Pentecost is called the Feast of Weeks, and it was a harvest festival where they presented a grain offering of new grain to God. The word Pentecost comes from the word “fifty”, and refers to the fact that it was 50 days after the Passover. On this occasion, too, the Jewish people often celebrated the event where Moses received the Ten Commandments. So, just as the Jews celebrated the receiving of the Law of God in the ancient times, so also Christians celebrate the same festival, Pentecost, as the time when the apostles first preached the Gospel.
So, let’s look at what happened on this day. First of all, we read that there were a number of impressive miracles that occurred. We read that there was a mighty rushing wind, and that tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them, and that they began to speak in other tongues, or languages, as the Holy Spirit granted to them.
We read that there were all kinds of people there who had gathered from all different parts of the world where Jews had been scattered, all the way from modern day Iraq, Turkey, Egypt and other parts of north Africa, Arabia, Crete, and even from Rome. Some of these people were Jews, because of their family lineage, and some of these people were Jewish converts—or as they are called, “proselytes”. We know, that even today, there are many Jewish people, who don’t live in region of Israel in the Middle East, but there are Jewish people in Europe, and in Russia, and America, Australia, and in all kinds of places all throughout the world. In a similar way, there were Jews who were living in all kinds of different parts of the world even back then, and they had travelled to Jerusalem for the festival. And although they all spoke different languages, depending on where they were from, they were able to hear in their own language. This is the miracle that is spoken of in our reading.
A little comment: some people in what we call “Pentecostal” churches speak about “speaking in tongues” as a kind of way of speaking to God, which is their own language, which is not necessarily understood by anyone. Sometimes when they gather together and pray, people “speak in tongues”, and go into their own ecstatic way of speaking. What happened here on this occasion was not something like that, but rather, the apostles were actually speaking in actual languages that people could actually understand, just like if someone today were speaking French, German, or Arabic, or something like that. What happens in our read is something like the opposite of what happened at the Tower of Babel. On that occasion, people wanted to build a tower all the way up to God, but God confused their languages and couldn’t understand each other. Here, God comes down to meet them, and instead of confusing their languages, he enables people who all speak different languages to be able to hear the Gospel in their own language. The question of the people here make it very clear what was going on. They said: Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?... We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.
Another little comment about what is called “speaking in tongues”. Perhaps it would be a good idea on another occasion to really study this issue together as a congregation and understand what the New Testament says about these things. There are a few different passages which speak about this, in the Book of Acts, and also in some of the Epistles, like 1 Corinthians. However, we all know that there is a thing called “Pentecostalism”, which over the course of the last 100 years, has almost taken over as the most dominant form of Christianity in the world. We cannot ignore it, and it is really worth our while to understand it. However, there’s a couple of things to say about it: the Pentecostal movement as we know it is really a thing that has only about 100 years. Before that, hardly any Christian writers talk about speaking in tongues. There were many wonderful preachers in the centuries before who certainly were not in any way without the Holy Spirit. But also, something which is very common to see, is that there are many people who claim to “speak in tongues”, however, they actually don’t know what they are saying. On the Day of Pentecost, all kinds of people from different countries, all knew what was being said in their own language. Sometimes, in Pentecostal churches, people are encouraged and trained to “speak in tongues” by just saying something and getting their lips moving, until it happens. This is all very dangerous, because there are similar things that go on in Hinduism and other pagan religions. If you don’t know what you’re saying, how do you know that what you’re saying isn’t from the evil one? Let me say it again: what these people do just isn’t what happened on the day of Pentecost.
On the other hand, we are shown something here that is truly amazing. It shows us that the Gospel really isn’t confined to the Hebrew language, but should go out to all people, from all nations, in all languages. We should pray that this would happen more and more, and that the Holy Spirit would bless and empower all kinds of people with the gifts needed to be able to bring the message of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins won by him to people who haven’t heard it before, and even in new languages.
Now, it turned out that on this occasion, that some people were amazed by this whole occasion, and wanted to know what was going on, and wanted to know about the significance of this occasion. And at the same time, there were also people there who thought that the apostles were drunk, and they said: They are filled with new wine.
Once again, it is very clear what was going on from. There are some people today, in some Pentecostal and charismatic groups, who talk about being “drunk in the spirit”. They carry on as if they are drunk, and laugh, and make jokes, as carry on in a kind of silly way, and then preach like this, and flop around, roll on the floor, and all kinds of things like that. This is not what happened on the day of Pentecost. There are movements and things like this which do amazingly untold damage to the Christian church. What happened is that there were people there who saw that the apostles were speaking to people from all kinds of different places in their own languages, and yet, these people didn’t believe it, and so they just dismissed the whole thing and said that the apostles were drunk.
By the way, I should say, that there are many people who do attend Pentecostal churches who are wonderful Christians, who can sometimes be great people of prayer, who read the Bible regularly, attend church regularly, and who do all kinds of good works, and engage themselves as Christians in politics, and all kinds of things. I’m not trying simply to criticise these people in a general way—we all know that there are many Christians in other churches that have all kinds of things right, and do many good things, and sometimes, can be our very good friends. However, it’s important for us to be clear about what happened on the Day of Pentecost and what didn’t happen. The Bible speaks very clearly about what happened, and sometimes, we are so used to Pentecostals talking about these events, but in such a way that they almost carry on as if there were certain things that did happen that really didn’t happen. So, we have to be careful that we don’t rewrite history, but that we stick to the text of the Scripture, of the Bible, and listen to what it actually says.
So, also on the Day of Pentecost when these things happened, Peter stood up and preached a sermon. And there are many wonderful features about this sermon, and what he spoke about. First, he explained what was happening. He refuted the accusation that they were drunk—they weren’t drunk. After all, it was only nine o’clock in the morning, the third hour of the day. But then he said that this occasion was prophesied in the Prophet Joel: a day when God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh.
Secondly, in this little sermon, he quotes the Old Testament a number of times. He quotes the Prophet Joel, but also Psalm 16 and Psalm 110. This reminds us the occasions where we read at the end of Luke, after Jesus rose from the dead. It says: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Later these people say: Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures? Later, when Jesus visited another gathering of his disciples, it says: Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. So, we read on the occasion of Pentecost, how Peter and the Apostles became Spirit-filled interpreters and preachers of the Bible. It means for us, that if we want to understand the Old Testament, we should interpret it through their Spirit-filled interpretation.
Thirdly, we read that Peter preaches about the life of Jesus. He speaks about the fact that Jesus came and lived a life just like us among everyday people, and performed great and wonderful miracles. But then he was crucified, was killed, he died, and was buried. And then, he rose from the dead, and was raised and ascended and exalted to the right hand of God the Father. He also mentions that what is happening, on the Day of Pentecost, is the gift of Jesus Christ which he was poured out on us today. He says: Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
But then, the last thing about this sermon of Peter is that he accuses them with the Law of God. He doesn’t just say to the people who are listening that Jesus was crucified, but he says: You crucified him! He says: This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. Then at the end of the sermon, he says: Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.
Now this is a very important part of the events of the Day of Pentecost. There are many Christians, and what we might call “liberal” Christians, and this is almost a much more frightening, much more terrible and destructive error, which has done so much damage to Christianity, even over the last 2 or 300 years. But it is a different spirit, and it is not the Holy Spirit. There are many things that we could say about this, but there are many people who read the Bible, but they don’t believe that it is the inspired, holy Word of God. They don’t believe that it is the Holy Spirit’s inspired Word which should transform them by the renewing of their minds. And so, instead, they read the Bible but only in such a way that they agree with things in it which they already believe. If there’s something that offends them, or calls them to change their minds, they reject it. They read the Bible no differently from if they were reading Shakespeare. Sure, if I read Romeo and Juliet, there are plenty of things I agree with, and plenty of things I don’t agree with, and that’s it. Who cares!
What is the thing that is most commonly rejected in the Scripture? What is the thing that many Christians just throw out, sometimes without knowing it? It’s the Law of God. There is a word for this, which is “antinomian”, or “antinomianism”, which means “against the Law”. It is a pernicious, destructive curse in the church. Because the Law of God is good, and we are bad. It is not that we are good, and the Law of God is bad. We need the Law of God to show us our sin, the depth of our sin, the extent of our sin, so that we come to see our great need for Jesus Christ, who is the world’s only Saviour, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. If we don’t know our sin, we won’t see our need for salvation. Sin is always sin—it can never be just given a different name and changed into virtue.
And so, we see that Peter at the end of his sermon, makes an accusation. He points to the crowd, and he says: You did it. You are in the wrong. Look at what you’ve done. And the same thing applies to us: we weren’t there in these times. But we share the same sinful heart that all of the Jewish people and the Romans had. Jesus died for their sin, and he died for our sin. Our sin was also borne by Jesus on the cross, and also, our sin did it, it pinned there, it caused it, even though the crucifixion happened in the past, and we are in the future. Yes, just like them: you did it. You are in the wrong. Look at your heart and see what you have done. It’s as if Peter says: God has done something wonderful and amazing, but you have done something terrible.
And so, what do we also read happened here on this Day of Pentecost? We read that the people repented. It says: When they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And we read that Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise if for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who were received his word were baptised, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
So, let’s look at what Peter does and where he points these people. He tells them to repent, to confess their sin to God, to acknowledge that they were in the wrong, and to turn from their own hearts and to turn to the living God.
And how should they meet the living God? He tells them to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, and that they would receive the Holy Spirit.
Now, this is this another important thing, which is so misunderstood today. There are many people who separate two things—they say, water baptism and Spirit baptism. They treat water baptism as a kind of empty thing, but which is a testimony to people that they have repented and received Jesus as their Saviour. There are many people who think like this, but also some people who further and say that what is important is a kind of “Spirit baptism”, a kind of supernatural spiritual experience, where they feel God’s presence in a special way. Sometimes, people even say that this Spirit baptism has to include speaking in tongues, but not the kind that actually happened on the day of Pentecost.
Now, it’s true that the events of the Day of Pentecost are called by Jesus a baptism with the Holy Spirit. He says: for John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. The Holy Spirit was poured out on them like water. In Joel, it says: I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. But then, when these people asked what to do, what did Peter say? He told them to be baptised, with water, water connected with the Word, in the name of Jesus Christ, and that when this happens, he says: you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
So, the gift of baptism is not an empty thing. Yes, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the apostles in an amazing way, which happened on this occasion. But then in the power of that same Holy Spirit, they told the people to be baptised, and promised them to receive the Holy Spirit through it. This is just what Jesus meant when he spoke to Nicodemus about being born again by water and the Spirit.
They receive the Holy Spirit, because the Word of God is connected with the water, and Holy Baptism enables people to come into the kingdom of God, and in such a way that they can point to something where God worked on them, that didn’t involve all the complicated sinful goings on in their heart. Just as the blood of Christ landed on the ground on Good Friday, so also the water landed on you on the Day of your Baptism. The water was applied to your body however it happened—whether you were washed or immersed, or had water poured on you, or sprinkled on you—and the word of God entered your ears and the ears of all the people who were there to witness it. And then our whole life then is a life of repentance: of confessing our sin to God, and trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin.
Even Peter says on this occasion: For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. Many of us were baptised as little children, because our parents brought us to be baptised according to this promise: for you and for your children.
And so, we read that on the Day of Pentecost, that those who received Peter’s word were baptised, and that there were added about three thousand souls.
And so, let’s remember a few things about this Day of Pentecost. We see that on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples and the Apostles: to show the authority which Jesus had given to the apostles, and to show the great blessing of the church gathered around the teaching of these apostles, as the living eyewitnesses of Jesus. We should also keep the apostles, whose writings we have compiled in the New Testament, as our teachers, and that in their teaching is the wonderful blessing of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Second, the Holy Spirit was poured out on them to empower them in their preaching and evangelism and mission, just as happened here with Peter. We should also pray for our pastors, that the Holy Spirit would empower them in their preaching, in their speaking, and the whole church in our conversations and discussions with people.
Thirdly, the Holy Spirit was poured out so that those who heard this preaching empowered by the same Holy Spirit would believe it, receive it, keep it, rejoice in it. We see that many people did receive it—not as an automatic thing, because many people didn’t receive it, but mocked the apostles. And, so we should also pray that the Holy Spirit would fill all of us as we hear the Word of God, that we may also receive it, and become living temples of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit.
And then, also, we see that the Holy Spirit was poured out so that people would repent and convert to Jesus Christ, and believe in him, for the salvation of the souls. And so, we should also pray that the Holy Spirit would fill the hearts of many more people, just as he has filled us, that they would receive Jesus as their Saviour, that they would be baptised, and be gathered in the church around the preaching of God’s Word in its truth and purity and in the right administration of the sacraments.
So, let’s thank God for exalting our Saviour Jesus Christ to his right hand, and that the Father and Jesus Christ have poured out the Holy Spirit upon the church, even including us, so that we might believe in Jesus Christ, trust in him for the forgiveness of sins, and receive the wonderful promise of everlasting life together with him in his kingdom. Amen.
And the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment