Pentecost 1997 - People on Fire!

Reading: Acts 2:1-13
 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

I.   Waiting together

     A.  As Jesus Told them to do

           1.  In Acts 1:4-5

           2.  They weren’t supposed to do anything until God’s timing was right.

     B.  Waiting for the Gift

           1.  They weren’t just waiting, they were waiting for something: The Holy Spirit.

           2.  The Holy Spirit is a promised gift.

           3.  They weren’t supposed to work out how they might become more deserving of the Holy Spirit — they were just supposed to wait for God to keep His promise.

     C.  Waiting means Waiting

           1.  We don’t like waiting — it takes up time.

                 a.  We tend to get frustrated waiting 10 minutes. The disciples waited 10 days.

                 b.  There is something spiritually significant in waiting for God to act before we set out to act on His behalf.

           2.  In our frustration from waiting we sometimes take matters into our own hands (like Saul 1Sam.13:7-14).

           3.  We will only wait, if we believe that what we’re waiting for is worth the wait, and if we believe that what we’re waiting for will actually come.

II.  On fire From the Lord

     A.  No self-induced Frenzy

           1.  All over the world, in many religions (including Christianity) people whip themselves into a frenzy and call it a spiritual experience.

           2.  Not to minimize or belittle expressive and flamboyant worship styles.

                 a.  Only to suggest that it’s not appropriate to get people all excited so that the Spirit will come.

           3.  No self-induced peace either, though

     B.  God’s fiery Presence

           1.  God comes in fire

                 a.  As with Moses and the burning bush, the bush burns but isn’t consumed.

                 b.  God came down on Mt. Sinai as fire in Exodus 19:18.

           2.  Where normal fire uses up energy, God’s fire energizes those it touches.

     C.  All were filled

           1.  The Holy Spirit came on all 120 — not just the apostles.

                 a.  Men and women, young and old (2:17,ff)

           2.  From that point on all who come to trust in the Jesus receive the Holy Spirit as Paul says in Eph 1:13 ...having believed you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

III. Tongues are for Proclaiming

     A.  From huddle to Scrimmage

           1.  In these first 4 verses we see a shift from a huddle to a scrimmage.

                 a.  They began gathered together.

                 b.  After they’re touched by the Spirit, they disperse throughout the city to spread the word about Jesus.

           2.  Which part is the more significant: huddle or scrimmage?

                 a.  Both are necessary, since they would never have gone out unless they had been waiting together to received the Holy Spirit.

                 b.  But the Spirit comes to empower them (1:8) to go out.

     B.  The Message is Understandable

           1.  The Holy Spirit empowers them to speak in such a way that the listeners can understand.

           2.  One of the most important principles of mission and evangelism is that the message of the Good News in Jesus Christ must be preached in such a way that the listeners understand it.

                 a.  This means using every means at our disposal to do that:

                       (1)      We speak in the language of the people.

                       (2)      We use the cultural forms people are used to.

                 b.  This means that we don’t change the message — only the way it is communicated.

           3.  The Holy Spirit reverses Babel, when God confused our languages so that we couldn’t do things without Him.

                 a.  With the help of the Holy Spirit the Church is unstoppable.

     C.  What does this Mean?

           1.  Those who observed this happening knew it was significant — it meant something but what?

           2.  Were they just drunk (drunkenness explains a lot of weird behavior! But I’ve never heard of someone being more understandable after a couple of six-packs! Let alone speaking in languages they’ve never learned!)

           3.  What this means is that Jesus promise to the disciples (and us) in verse 8 has come true.

                 a.  Jesus promised to empower us to bring his message to the world.

                 b.  Jesus is a promise keeper!

The Bottom Line:

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