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Pentecost - God In us, Not Beside Us
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In Acts 2, wind rushed, fire fell, and the Church was born. But Pentecost isn’t just a moment in the past, it’s a model for today.
In this sermon, we explore what happened to, in, and through the apostles, and what must now happen in us.
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Transcript
Introduction to Pentecost Sunday
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey, welcome to Office Theology Podcast. In this specific one, we have a sermon that I preached on Pentecost Sunday that I think is super important. hope it challenges you and encourages and brings some clarity on what Pentecost is and what it means for us today. Today is Pentecost Sunday.
00:00:16
Speaker
If you don't know what that is, Pentecost is more than just a descriptor for a type of Christian, if you did not know. What type of Christian? or A Pentecostal one or a Pentecostal one? It is actually um a huge moment in Scripture.
00:00:30
Speaker
it's a It's a moment of outpouring that changes the trajectory and launches the church. So today we're going to unpack what Pentecost is. So there are moments in history that do more that do more than mark a time. They make a time.
00:00:47
Speaker
Pentecost is one of those moments. It's not just a date on the church calendar. It's a day that heaven invaded and touched
Significance of Pentecost
00:00:57
Speaker
earth.
00:00:57
Speaker
The ordinary people that were filled with extraordinary and supernatural power. The wind and the fire and the languages. It all points to something deeper and it's this.
00:01:09
Speaker
That the arrival of God's spirit to dwell in his people not just around him anymore. And as we turn to Acts 2, we didn't come to study a relic of the past or a history moment.
00:01:21
Speaker
We came to encounter the God who still sends his spirit, who still fills us, and who still empowers us today. Pentecost didn't just end in Acts chapter 2.
00:01:34
Speaker
It continues every time God's people are emptied of themselves and then become filled with the spirit of God. So that being said, let's read Acts chapter 2.
00:01:44
Speaker
And my thought behind this, I'm like, I can't just read 1 through 13 because I'm like, that's just the initial filling because then it also leads to witness. So that's Peter's sermon. And then also leads to conviction, which is the end. So all that to say, let's read 41 verses.
00:02:00
Speaker
We always read the text in context because that's where it makes sense. I'm going to get off that high horse and move over here. When the day
Acts 2 Reading and Events
00:02:10
Speaker
of Pentecost had arrived, verse 1.
00:02:12
Speaker
They were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house they were sitting. And divided tongues as a fire appeared to them and rest on each one of them.
00:02:28
Speaker
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Verse 5. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven,
00:02:41
Speaker
that the sound of the multitude came together, they were bewildered. I know we use that word often. Try to use it this week. Because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.
00:02:55
Speaker
And they were amazed and astonished, saying, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each of us in his own native language, the Parthians, the Medes, and the Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, and Judea, and Cappadocia, and Pontus, and Asia.
00:03:14
Speaker
this text This portion of text reminds me of Old Testament. How well do you know your names and cities?
00:03:20
Speaker
And Phrygia and Pamphylia, I'm sure I'm butchering that, sorry if I am, Egypt and parts of Libya and belonging to Cyrene and visitors of Rome, both Jews and proselytes and Cretans and Arabians.
00:03:32
Speaker
We hear them telling our own tongues the mighty work of God. And this is what it did when they heard their own language. And they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, what does this mean?
00:03:44
Speaker
That's a great question. But others mocking said they are filled with new wine. And Peter's like, hold up.
Peter's Sermon and Fulfillment of Prophecy
00:03:52
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Verse 14. But Peter, standing with the 11, lifted up his voice and addressed the men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give your ear to my words.
00:04:03
Speaker
For these people are not drunk as you suppose since it's only the third hour of the day. That's a hilarious statement. Because he's like, if it was like 5 o'clock somewhere, maybe that could argument could be made. But he's like, no, it's not happening.
00:04:20
Speaker
But this is what the other this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel. So he goes back to scripture. He says this. In the last days it shall be God declares that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.
00:04:32
Speaker
And on your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. And your young men shall see visions. And your old men shall dream dreams. And even the male and the female servants. And in those days I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy.
00:04:46
Speaker
And I will show the wonders in the heavens above and the signs on the earth below, the blood and the fire and the vapor of the smoke and the shun the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes to the great and magnificent day.
00:05:01
Speaker
And it shall come to pass that everyone, everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Verse 22, we're getting there. Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, the man attested to you by God, with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst. And as you yourselves know, this Jesus delivered up according the to the definite plan of the foreknowledge of God.
00:05:27
Speaker
You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. Peter's not holding back right here. God raised him up, loose in the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
00:05:40
Speaker
Death does not hold Jesus. For David said concerning him, I saw the Lord always before me, and he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart will be glad, and my tongue will rejoice, and my flesh will also dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One seek corruption.
00:06:00
Speaker
For you've made known to me the paths of life, and you will make me full of gladness with your presence. Verse 29, we're chipping away. Brothers, I say to you with confidence about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried in his tomb is with us to this day, being therefore a prophet and knowing that God has sworn him an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on the throne, Jesus' descendant of David.
00:06:28
Speaker
jesus is the descend of david For he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh seek corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses, being therefore exalted to the right hand of God, having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit.
00:06:47
Speaker
He has poured out this to you yourselves, are seeing and hearing. He's saying, everything prophesied that you know about in the Old Testament, in the text, in the Psalms, in David, is happening before you.
Transformation Through the Holy Spirit
00:07:01
Speaker
He's teeing this up for ah real good job right at the end. For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself said, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at the right hand until I make your enemies a footstool.
00:07:12
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Verse 36, let all in the house of Israel therefore know that a certain God has made me both made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.
00:07:24
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He's letting those words hang. It's the very person that the Jews have been longing for. The Messiah has come and they crucified him. Verse 37, this is the appropriate response when you hear the gospel.
00:07:39
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Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart. And Peter said the rest of the apostles, and the rest of the apostles said, brothers, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins. And listen this, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
00:08:01
Speaker
those prophesied For those promised is for you and for your children and for all, who are all far off, everyone whom the Lord has called to himself. And with many other words he bore witness and continued continued continue to exhort them, saying, Save yourself from this crooked generation.
00:08:18
Speaker
So those who received his word were baptized, and they were added about 3,000 souls. Woo! What a day. That's a packed morning for sure.
00:08:32
Speaker
But you see, we read all of that because that's important for the context of answering this question of what is Pentecost.
00:08:41
Speaker
Pentecost is a story of heaven's arrival. A fulfillment Jesus' promise. A manifestation of divine power that birthed the church.
00:08:53
Speaker
In Acts 2, we are given a window into what happened on that extraordinary day. What happened in the hearts of the apostles and what happened through the spirit-empowered witness. Today, I want to
Symbolism and New Covenant
00:09:04
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explore a few things. It's this, what happened to the apostles, what happened in the apostles, what happened through the apostles, and ask this final question, what must happen in us to experience this today?
00:09:18
Speaker
So first, what happened to the apostles? We see when the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. Pentecost was one of the major feasts on the Jewish calendar.
00:09:30
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Fifty days after Passover, hence the name derived from the Greek 50th, it marked the Feast of Weeks, a harvest celebration and a remembrance of this. Listen to this.
00:09:41
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It's a remembrance of giving the law on Mount Sinai. Why is that important? It was a perfect time for God to pour out his spirit but and and to give something new, not a law on stone tablets, but the spirit of God written on hearts.
00:10:00
Speaker
The disciples have been waiting and praying and expecting. Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem until they received the promised Holy Spirit. And listen to this.
00:10:11
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Their obedience created space for a divine encounter. So when he said to them, go and wait, their obedience of being there waiting, and not knowing for how long or when the gift of the Holy Spirit or the promise the Holy Spirit come, all they knew and the instruction they had from Jesus was wait.
00:10:31
Speaker
How good are we at waiting? In a microwave culture, we want crockpot results. That was the lame analogy, but let's go with it.
00:10:44
Speaker
You see, they had no plan. They no power of their own. Only faith, emptiness, and expectancy. Could it be that's what the Holy Spirit's calling us to live in now?
00:10:58
Speaker
What I love about God and how he shows up is I feel like he's a suddenly God. I feel like sometimes you're like, is there anything happening in my life?
00:11:09
Speaker
Is there any good, have are there any anything going on? Like, God, where are you? Then suddenly he shows up. Right? And we see this in so in several ways in in Acts chapter 2.
00:11:21
Speaker
First we see is the wind. It's a sound of violent, rushing wind that filled the house. This was not a gentle breeze. It was a supernatural roar, a heavenly hurricane, if you will. The book the Hebrew word ruah and Greek word pneuma is is the word used for wind, which also means spirit.
00:11:42
Speaker
The moment is a deliberate echo, of Ezekiel's vision in Ezekiel 37, where the breath of God breathed life into a valley of dry bones.
00:11:55
Speaker
That same breath that once hovered over creation, the same breath that revived a dead army has now rushed into a room of expectant believers.
00:12:07
Speaker
So my question is, is your heart expectant for the the breath and the wind of God to breathe into you? The wind was not simply an audible event, but it was a divine invasion.
00:12:19
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It symbolized the arrival of new life, new power, of and of God's uncontainable presence. Just as the dry bones came alive to the Spirit's breath, so did the church at that moment, and so can you today.
Apostles' Internal Transformation
00:12:35
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The second piece we see is this, fire.
00:12:40
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Here we go.
00:12:42
Speaker
Tongues of fire appeared, separating and resting on each one. Fire had always been a symbol of God's presence. From the burning bush where Moses met God, to the fiery summit of Mount Sinai, to the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites at night, fire represents divine glory, divine guidance, and divine holiness.
00:13:10
Speaker
But now for the first time, the fire does not settle on a place, but it settles on a people. Not just one or two, but all of them. And the imagery is radical.
00:13:21
Speaker
God is no longer localized in a tabernacle or a temple. He is present in and indwelling in his people. This fire purifies, this fire empowers, and this fire ignites.
00:13:33
Speaker
It's a blazing reality that Emmanuel, God with us, is not burning beside us, but now burning within us. And so this moment that the fire rests on each individual is a massive moment.
00:13:46
Speaker
You no longer have to go somewhere to experience the present and transformative transformative nature of God, but now he chose to make his home among us, even more so in us.
00:13:58
Speaker
And so that moment, this Pentecost moment, is a huge deal because no longer are you to live and work this life out on your own strength, but by the indwelling power of the Spirit of God.
00:14:16
Speaker
Man,
00:14:20
Speaker
what a gift. What a gift. Because the reality is how many of us walk in this room under the banner of Christian faith doing it all in your own efforts. That's exhausting.
00:14:34
Speaker
And that is not the way that is meant to go. The other piece that we see is speech. They began speaking in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. This so wasn't just, in this moment, it's just not muttering or unintelligible noise because the Greek word teaches us that these are known languages for the purpose of something.
00:14:52
Speaker
Languages that people gathered in Jerusalem could understand. This is what we have to realize. What the Spirit enabled was not just miraculous speech but missional clarity. These Galileans were not trained linguists suddenly proclaiming the mighty works of God in native tongues from people all over the known world.
00:15:10
Speaker
They were given that ability for the sake of the gospel to move forward. But listen, as Pentecost reversed Babel,
00:15:20
Speaker
The miraculous moments reversed the curse of Babel where human pride once scattered and confused languages, the Spirit now unified and communicated across every barrier.
00:15:33
Speaker
This is a significant moment.
00:15:36
Speaker
Because Babel is when people became prideful, so God confused their languages, but the but the baptism and filling of the Spirit reunited this and reversed the brokenness that Babel created.
00:15:49
Speaker
It was a divine announcement for this. The gospel is for all people of all nations and all tongues. In short, the Holy Spirit descended visibly, audibly, and with supernatural power. The Spirit fell on them, and in that moment, God declared that he was not distant.
00:16:05
Speaker
He was here among us with his people.
00:16:09
Speaker
Now we must ask what happened in the apostles. It says, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. It says, The external signs of Pentecost were astonishing.
00:16:21
Speaker
Wind, fire, languages. But the internal transformation was even more profound.
Spirit-led Church Life
00:16:28
Speaker
This is why. The Spirit just didn't fall on them. It filled them.
00:16:36
Speaker
So we have to ask this question. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
00:16:45
Speaker
In Acts, the answer is actually very simple and very clear. It's power.
00:16:51
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How do I know that? Because it came from the words of mouth with the mouth of Jesus in Acts 1.8. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses.
00:17:03
Speaker
That promise was fulfilled in Acts 2. The same disciples who fled in fear now stand firm in boldness. Peter, who once denied even knowing Jesus, now preached fearless with authority.
00:17:17
Speaker
His message pierced hearts and 3,000 people were saved and baptized that day. Listen, the filling of the Holy Spirit gave them not only courage, but supernatural capacity. All that God desires us to be and to live in is outside of your capacity.
00:17:35
Speaker
To live in the fruits of the Spirit, to operate in the gifts of the Spirit, to operate in any of these things is beyond your ability to do so. It requires a supernatural capacity that can only come from a dwelling of the Holy Spirit within you.
00:17:51
Speaker
In the chapters to follow, we see the same power at work. In Acts chapter 3, we see the healing of thelo of the beggar at the gates. In Acts chapter 4, we see the kind of the confronting of hostile rulers.
00:18:03
Speaker
Acts chapter 5, they endure beatings and persecution with joy. That is a capacity I do not have apart from the Spirit of God. and turning cities upside down for the sake of gospel, Acts 17.
00:18:15
Speaker
And when they faced threats, they didn't retreat. They prayed and they moved in and asked the Spirit to fill them again and to give them boldness, Acts chapter 4. See, the Spirit filled them with God's presence and his purpose.
00:18:30
Speaker
It united them as one body. It transformed their fear into a fire that cannot be extinguished. They were no longer hiding in the midst of threats, but they were advancing.
00:18:40
Speaker
The church wasn't born just through the spirit. It was carried by the spirit. Let's think about that for a moment.
00:18:50
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In this moment, the church was birthed. But it wasn't a moment of now that you are at this place, now I hope you figured out along the way, but the church, your life, your Christian faith is carried by the spirit of God.
Spirit's Witness and Power
00:19:05
Speaker
What a relief, because I'm terrible at it by myself.
00:19:10
Speaker
Because I get all my preferences, I get all my comforts, I get all my accusations, I get all my offenses and insecurities and the baggage that I bring from living life so far, and I mix that in sometimes with my Christianity or my following of Jesus, and I call that following Jesus.
00:19:28
Speaker
Whoops. No. It takes an emptying. It takes an emptying of myself. You see, Pentecost made them different.
00:19:43
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How do you know if you're filled with the Holy Spirit, are you different than you were?
00:19:49
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It made them bold. It made them powerful. Not by human strength, but by the spirit of the living God that dwells within them. Now we got to ask what happened through them.
00:20:01
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When they heard this sound, a crowd came together. The Holy Spirit didn't just come to comfort thats the disciples, but he came to commission them. What began in the upper room did not stay there.
00:20:13
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Oftentimes we think these experiences, radical moments of being filled with the Holy Spirit is for you in this moment. This text tells me otherwise. What started in the upper room definitely did not stay in the upper room or else we would not be here.
00:20:30
Speaker
The spirit moved them into a new identity, which is witnesses. Acts chapter 2, the crowd gathered not because of a marketing plant plan, but because of divine power. They're not like, how can we get everybody in town and have this nice little marketing thing to get everybody here to hear about this?
00:20:47
Speaker
It was not because of human efforts, because of because of divine power. Jews from every nation were in Jerusalem for Pentecost. They heard the disciples declaring the mighty works of God in their own language.
00:21:00
Speaker
Listen to this. What drew them was the sound of spirit-filled speech, but what held them was the power of gospel truth. So what may draw people to you is your ability and your relationship with the spirit of God to be able to communicate certain things, but what holds people is not your ability to the spirit, but it's the gospel of Jesus Christ that holds them.
00:21:22
Speaker
Acts 2 shows us how the apostles, once hidden behind locked doors, stepped into the streets of Jerusalem with supernatural boldness. The same Peter who den denied Jesus now stands and declares that Jesus is risen Lord and reigning King.
00:21:37
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This was not a product of personality. It was the product of the overflowing of the Spirit of God.
00:21:44
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Why still have the personality? Well, that's not really a factor.
Experiencing Pentecost Today
00:21:49
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Holy Spirit will meet you in that. What was their witness? Just real real quick, five things that I noticed from here.
00:21:57
Speaker
Their witness was empowered. The Spirit gave them words and the power to say what needed to be said regardless of consequences. It was clear. Peter didn't resort to vague inspiration and emotional appeals.
00:22:10
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He explained exactly what was happening using Scripture, the foundation of our faith. He quoted Joel 2 to show this outpouring of the Spirit was foretold.
00:22:21
Speaker
He cited Psalm 16 to show Jesus' resurrection was promised. He referenced Psalm 110 to show that Jesus now reigns at the right hand of the Father. It was a Bible-saturated message that gave clarity to the confusion that someone saw.
00:22:36
Speaker
Third, it was Christ-centered. Jesus was the focus from the beginning to the end. Peter spoke of his miracles, his crucifixion, his resurrection, his exaltation. He declared Jesus is not just a good teacher or a martyr, but he is both Lord and Christ.
00:22:52
Speaker
The centerpiece of Peter's witness is the person and the work of Jesus, and that's the center of our witness. Any gifts or abilities or testimonies you have is actually not about you. It's about him.
00:23:07
Speaker
their word Their witness was convicting. Verse 23 and verse 36 says, Jesus, this Jesus you crucified. Peter didn't soften his message.
00:23:19
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He held up the cross as both an indictment and an invitation. His words pierced their hearts, not because they were harsh, but because they were true.
00:23:30
Speaker
And lastly, it was effective. The Spirit took Peter's words and used them like arrows. Verse 37 says, they were cut to the heart. What shall we do? And Peter gave clarity and compassionate answer.
00:23:42
Speaker
Repent and be baptized. You'll be filled with the Holy Spirit's.
00:23:49
Speaker
This is what happens when the Holy Spirit works through ordinary people, powerful proclamation, bold truth, and supernatural fruit that all is outside of our capacity. The church was born through spirit-filled witnesses, not through strategy, but through surrender, not by cleverness, but by courage.
00:24:07
Speaker
And what happened through the apostles in this time, God wants to do through us.
00:24:14
Speaker
Before we answer this question, what must happen to us I think sometimes Christians will sit on the sidelines and see all these miraculous things taking place. Hear about this person over there, this happening there, at this community over here, this is happening.
00:24:30
Speaker
And they feel like they're in the sidelines just cheering on these super Christians that are filled full the Holy Spirit like you go. And for some reason, we've excluded ourselves.
00:24:46
Speaker
Why is that?
00:24:49
Speaker
When we read Acts chapter two, do you actually believe that this could be your lived experience?
Self-emptying for Spirit Fulfillment
00:25:00
Speaker
Because I know sometimes if I'm honest, and as I was reading through this, this whole idea, when they were cut to the heart, I felt deeply convicted because I'm like, what I read and the boldness that I see and the confidence that they have, I see a gap between what I read and my lived experience. Anybody else?
00:25:15
Speaker
else? And what do you do with that difference between what's read and what you hear about in your lived experience? Well, it's a simple invitation. Repent.
00:25:27
Speaker
That's it. And when I look at this, I just want to encourage you, like, man, don't just sit on the sidelines cheering everybody else on.
00:25:36
Speaker
The Spirit wants to and will empower you the same way He's empowered Christians for millennia now. to be a part of of of spreading the gospel and bringing the gospel into your context and your place.
00:25:51
Speaker
But to do that, we must ask this question. What must happen in us? When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart. See, the Spirit pierced their defenses. The word broke through.
00:26:03
Speaker
They saw their guilt and their need for a Savior. And 3,000 were saved and baptized today. Listen to this. Pentecost is not just a historical event, but it's an invitation for today. The same spirit who filled the disciples wants to fill us as well, but he fills, listen to this, is empty, and he ignites what is surrendered.
00:26:26
Speaker
We're not just spectators in this story. And somehow we've chalked up to, you're the pastor, man. I want to watch what you're doing from a distance. I don't want that. I'd rather do this all together.
00:26:40
Speaker
This is the easy part. This is the fun part, right? We're going to gather together. And the Spirit comes and convicts and challenges us in moments like this. But it's when we're all together filled with the Spirit out there together is where we see the transformation come.
00:26:54
Speaker
The same Spirit who filled the disciples wants to fill us. way But once again, he fills what is empty and he ignites what is surrendered as an offering. We're not spectators of the story. Pentecost is not just a moment in the past but a model for the present.
00:27:09
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So what are those things? The first one, we must be empty.
00:27:14
Speaker
The apostles felt their need. that that I imagine when they're waiting those days between Jesus' ascension to the the the descending of the Holy Spirit, the ascending of the Holy Spirit, they probably felt the John 15, 5, apart from me, you can do nothing.
00:27:37
Speaker
If we are so full of ourselves, our plans, our pride, our preferences, if we're so full of our comfort, we either knowingly or unknowingly have said this, Spirit, there is no more room for you to pour yourself out in my life.
00:28:05
Speaker
I feel like Like, that's actually lot of my life.
00:28:13
Speaker
And I bet I'm not the only person that feels that way. That we look through our life and it's so full of us and our things and our schedules and our comforts and our desires and us, us, us, us. us We have filled our life to the brim full of Brennan.
00:28:35
Speaker
how can the Holy Spirit fill my life when I said there's no more room?
Empowerment and Witnessing
00:28:44
Speaker
So we have to have the desire of John that teaches us that you must increase and I must decrease. How much of our life is just consumed with you?
00:28:59
Speaker
and we're like, man, we want this this experience with the Holy Spirit. We want to live this Christian life. We want to live an act-style Christian faith and Christian life. But my question is, does your life have margin for that type of life?
00:29:11
Speaker
Or is your life so full of what you desire and your comforts that unknowingly, maybe we've said, that sounds great, but there's no va there's no more room here.
00:29:23
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So we must be emptied. But the power of us emptying ourselves and all of our stuff is that the Spirit will fill us with His power, with His purpose, and His priorities.
00:29:36
Speaker
Second, we must be expectant. They waited, they watched, they prayed, and most importantly, they believed that Jesus would come through on His promise. This is not passive resignation, but active anticipation.
00:29:52
Speaker
Expectancy is the soil in which revival grows. What do I mean by this? Sometimes revival is just thrown out as this big Christianese hot button word. Revival just means a reviving.
00:30:06
Speaker
So when we have expectancy, we believe that God will show up and he can show up and he will revive that which is dormant. He will revive your ah your sleepy way of life. He will revive your priorities. He will revive your comforts. He revive all that you are.
00:30:22
Speaker
So when we expect and have this expectancy of Jesus, I believe that you will come and revive these parts of my life. He will.
00:30:32
Speaker
But when he does, do we have the margin to hear him, to see him, and most importantly, will we yield to him whatever he asks?
00:30:42
Speaker
Ugh, it's tough. but I desire it. When we believe God can move and will move, we create space for him to do just that. Faith is not just wishful thinking. Actually, let me rephrase that. Faith is not wishful thinking.
00:30:59
Speaker
It's confident as assert assurance that God will keep his word and he is faithful to his promises in his time. Third, we must be filled.
00:31:10
Speaker
God fills the humble. He empowers those who acknowledge their need. To be filled with the Spirit is to be guided by His influence, by His voice, and equipped by His power.
00:31:22
Speaker
Listen, it is not having more of the Spirit in your life. it's about having It's about the Spirit having more of you. See, the Spirit of God is not like, I wish I could move more than I can, but you're not willing or letting me do so.
00:31:39
Speaker
He can move however and as powerful as he desires. So the question is not, will my life have more of the Spirit, but will my life be given more to the Spirit? It's not about having more of it.
00:31:51
Speaker
It's about the Spirit having more of us. Every room of our heart must be open and every corner surrendered. And lastly, we must speak. Acts 1.8, what was the purpose of the the Holy Spirit? To be witnesses.
00:32:06
Speaker
Every gift of the Spirit, every fruit of the Spirit, every miraculous moment, everything that the Spirit enables is unto one thing, witness to the glory of God.
00:32:18
Speaker
And when we make the gifts, the purpose or the main thing, we miss the whole purpose of the gifts or the fruit. We don't desire the gifts over the gift giver.
00:32:30
Speaker
Or the miracles over the one who, over the miraculous one. The Spirit gives us gives us utterance not just in languages but in witness. We are not silent but we are willing. The filling of the Spirit always leads to speaking of Christ. It's a witness of your faith.
00:32:49
Speaker
Boldness replaces fear. Clarity replaces confusion. And testimony replaces timidity. whether through preaching, conversation, writing, simple acts of love in your family, in your marriage, wherever you find yourself, spirit-filled people speak up for Jesus.
00:33:08
Speaker
To be filled is to overflow. It's to have a fire that purifies and a wind that propels.
Prayer for Spirit Renewal
00:33:17
Speaker
It's to be so saturated with Christ that he spills out in joy, boldness, and love. We walk into a world that is ablaze with a divine presence carrying the hope that Pentecost carries into every corner of our lives. I want to invite the worship team to come back up as we come to a close in response.
00:33:40
Speaker
And I would encourage you to to to tune in a little bit more. Maybe today you feel like one of those empty disciples.
00:33:52
Speaker
Like you're just waiting and wondering. Between the ascension of Christ and the the promise of the Holy Spirit that there' they're just wondering, they're just waiting. And is this promise of God ever going to come?
00:34:07
Speaker
Maybe you've been trying to live the Christian life in your own strength, that your cup is too full of yourself, that you have no room for the Spirit to pour himself in. Or maybe you're like one of the 3,000.
00:34:20
Speaker
They're hearing the gospel of Jesus for the first time, and you feel deeply convicted. Like you want a life that is full of hope and peace and joy and assurance and purpose and and all of these amazing things that that come with following Christ, but you're sitting like, man, I want that.
00:34:39
Speaker
What's beautiful about all three of these individuals that I just described is the invitation is the same. Repent. Come back to Jesus. Believe that he is good and faithful to his promises and be filled with the spirit of God who empowers you to live the life that he's called you to live.
00:35:02
Speaker
So in some way we're saying this morning, Lord, here's our cup. And may we pour out all the things that we've filled it with for ourselves and empty it to be filled with you once again.
00:35:16
Speaker
The key to Christian life is this, it's not effort, but it's emptiness.
00:35:22
Speaker
You cannot effort your way into what we see in scripture, but an empty life produces what we see in scripture because it's a dependence on the spirit of God to transform us and to do so.
00:35:39
Speaker
Now don't get it twisted, I'm not like, well, reading my Bible is an effort, so I'm not gonna read my Bible. That's not what I'm saying, don't even try.
00:35:48
Speaker
It's not about achieving more in your faith, but receiving more from the Holy Spirit.
00:35:54
Speaker
I think sometimes the topic of the Holy Spirit, people are like, I don't know what to do with this conversation. Well, first off, the Holy Spirit is God.
00:36:13
Speaker
Secondly, he's the promise. He's the comforter.
00:36:19
Speaker
He's our advocate.
00:36:22
Speaker
It's the same power that raised Christ from the dead now dwells within us.
00:36:32
Speaker
I think some people resist because this is what it means. You lose all your control.
00:36:38
Speaker
And oh, do we love our control.
00:36:44
Speaker
And will we at some level reject the feeling of God in our life for some mirage of our control.
00:36:54
Speaker
So I would plead with you and beg with you as much as humanly possible on this Pentecost Sunday to pour out your cup so that he will fill it with him.
00:37:12
Speaker
Come to this place saying, here we are, Lord, fill us up. We need the wind of God again. We need the refining fire of God again in our life to burn the things off that are not of him.
00:37:27
Speaker
We need to be cut to the heart again. We need the joy that overflows, the truth that pierces, and the love that unites.
00:37:40
Speaker
Now, if you're in here this morning,
00:37:44
Speaker
It'd be lost on me to not give an opportunity to pray for those of you who desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
00:37:53
Speaker
So if you're here this morning, you're like, Brennan, I don't know if I have been, it's a no, I have not been. When you desire to be filled with the presence and the and the the wind and fire of the Holy Spirit, i just want to encourage you to do something. Put your hands out in front of you.
00:38:12
Speaker
That's you and you want that.
00:38:15
Speaker
just want to pray this over you. Or maybe you're in here like, I need to be filled again. I need a refreshing fill of the Lord. just want to pray this over you.
00:38:26
Speaker
Holy Spirit, would you come?
00:38:31
Speaker
Would you enter into this moment?
00:38:35
Speaker
Breathe your life into these dry bones.
00:38:42
Speaker
Would you ignite our hearts with holy fire?
00:38:48
Speaker
Would you speak through our lives with this divine clarity
00:38:54
Speaker
that on this morning that we would surrender all that we are and what we're holding on dearly to you?
00:39:04
Speaker
Because Jesus, we don't want to live a life of a sideline faith, but we want to live a life that is bold and empowered by the filling of your Holy Spirit.
00:39:17
Speaker
So Holy Spirit, would you come?
00:39:20
Speaker
And would you immerse us? Would you fill us? Would you baptize us for the sake of your gospel? of your power and of your deeds and will being done.
Conclusion with Communion
00:39:37
Speaker
So we thank you that you are faithful
00:39:42
Speaker
to show up to hearts that desire.
00:39:50
Speaker
We love you and we thank you, Jesus. So fill us once again your mighty name. Amen.
00:40:02
Speaker
The only reason we're even able to be filled with the Spirit of God is because the finished work of Christ.
00:40:11
Speaker
So communion is not just an add-on to this. It's actually the pivotal moment we're able to experience this.
00:40:19
Speaker
That Jesus, when he was with his disciples, he took the bread and he broke it. Gave to each one this my body which is given for you. When you do this, do this in remembrance of me.
00:40:30
Speaker
Let's eat and remember Jesus.
00:40:35
Speaker
The same way he took the cup. Say, this is my blood which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins. When you do this, remember me. Let's drink and remember Jesus.