Good morning to all of you who struggle to make sense of this thing we call a Faithwalk in our Lord. For those of you who wonder what makes us different from the rest of the big world, and what binds us with parts of it.
Today the Christian Church observes and celebrates the unleashing of our God’s Holy Spirit into all of our reality. Pentecost!… As a result, all of humanity has a choice to make each and every moment, hour, and day. Do we exercise our free choice to accept the invitation of God the Son into our lives, … open our hearts to God’s Holy Spirit, … in order to build and house the Temple of our God, … Father of all that is Holy and good!
Additionally, today our Jewish friends also remember today. Brothers and sisters around the world today observe Moses giving the Ten Commandment from God at Sini on Pentecost. Please let me summarize The Law, based on, Exodus 20:3-4, 7-8, 12-17;
1)3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
2)4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything …
3)7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God
4)8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
5)12 “Honor your father and your mother,
6)13 “You shall not murder.
7)14 “You shall not commit adultery.
8)15 “You shall not steal.
9)16 “You shall not give false testimony
10)17 “You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Scheming to get stuff)
So, what does the Ten Commandments have to do with God’s Holy Spirit? Why would I go there when we Christians are observing the Holy Spirit on this day of Pentecost. Well, my thought is that no one here has done a great job or even a fair job of observing and following the law. A code that has instructed all of humanity what right and wrong are.
How can we ever hope to go deeper into God’s rules for life, without His Holy Spirit to illuminate our way? You see the only way I can ever get past not: murdering, stealing, lying, cheating and scheming to get stuff, not to mention having other gods (namely myself), and taking His name in vain, … is by having the power of His Holy Spirit in my life. Allowing God to help me work on my attitude issues.
The Holy Spirit opens my mind to the Lord’s instruction and helps me to understand what Jesus was teaching to the religious leaders of His day. Please let me read to you Matthew 22:36-40;
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Our willingness to follow the Lord’s instruction here by employing God’s doctrine of love, will help us to anticipate all rules, all laws, and society’s needs in healthy productive ways. Now, instead of murder, adultery, stealing and the like, we now are working on ridding our minds of the anger of grudges, hurts, and ego, plus working on ending our selfish scheming to get stuff, or that which belongs to others.
Yes, the day that God unleashed His Spirit for anyone who wanted to walk in and with the Lord is called Pentecost. The gathering of the first fruits of the wheat harvest. We are that harvest in the Lord that offer rivers of living water to other people searching for something better in life but not sure just what it is.
I am certain about this my beloved family in God, you have it within you to give life, no more than just life, eternal blessing in and with our God, by sharing His Good News with other people. Fulfilling what was not yet available when our Lord was speaking at the festival in today’s Call to Worship; that Carmon read from, John 7: 37-39:
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Pentecost is fifty (hence Penta as in pentagon or five sided) fifty days after the Passover. Seven weeks ago, our Passover (Easter) took place, where our Lord’s sacrifice, resurrection, and glorification, culminate in the unleashing of the greatest power in our world, the Holy Spirit of our awesome, incredible, majestic God of Heaven, Earth, and Universe beyond!
And Out of Mist and Time, His Blessings continue to Refine! By growing, maturing, and enabling all of God’s family (through the Holy Spirit), into a closer relationship in and with God, His family, and even other people out there looking for Him.
The depiction of God’s unleashing work in our world is provided in today’s Message Reading from Luke’s narrative in Acts: 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 tonguesas the Spirit enabled them.
*Pease let me interrupt briefly to say; this must have been marvelous and terrifying at the same time. Whenever God has decided to mix with humanity (after Adam and Eve’s fall from grace, outside of Jesus’ ministry), the result is petrifying, devastatingly great fear. The Rabis teach that the children of Israel at Sini we so scared that they thought God was going to pick up the mountain and slam it upon them. And yet, we are drawn, pulled to the narrative out of curiosity and wonder. Perhaps because we are the recipients of God’s Spirit. Continuing now at verse 5;
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia 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!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
** You see; being a cynic is not a modern invention. Each generation of God’s family must overcome the cynicism of the flesh, and the filters of apathy (just not caring) from a world busy chasing itself, and never finding satisfaction. Our narrative from Luke’s work Acts of the Apostles continues. Reading from Acts 2:14-21;
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
*Jumping in to only add; unfortunately, in our sick society, it’s always wine-thirty somewhere, and Peter’s comment would have carried greater weight in his own day. Another reason why we need to ask, and then bask in God’s gifts of the Spirit in our own time. On to verse 16;
16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people. ( … )
**These are the last days my family! We don’t have to worry about all of the scarry stuff coming if we are in a relationship in and with our Lord, trusting in and walking in and with Him… God’s Spirit will lead people to search for the Lord. Let His Spirit guide you into sharing His Good New with the people He places in your life. Your neighbor! Continuing now halfway through verse 17;
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
The Sun turning dark, and the moon going bloody, pales in comparison to the fact that: 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’… Everyone! I didn’t say that… Peter did, being guided by… God, the Holy Spirit… Everyone! …Not just the people who think like, look like, talk like, or kiss up to…you! And the Holy Spirit helps us to discern what I just said, so that instead of being offensive, it’s an outright blessing of reassurance for all who are looking for mercy.
Because of what God did on Pentecost all those years ago, mankind have been equipped with gifts and tools that help us follow in the footsteps of our Lord. Our understanding of the beauty of our God’s world, and new insight into His word, aid us in our growth and maturity in Him who leads our way through discernment.
Scripture becomes more meaningful when our minds are opened by His Holy Spirit. Case in Point. Let me read to you a psalm and see how it resonates after our asking for God’s Spirit to open us to his word.
Father in Heaven thank you for another opportunity to dive into your word. Lord, we pray that you would open our hearts and minds to your word and will. Not for our glory, but to Glorify your name Father! Amen!
This passage shows how great, powerful, and majestic God is, and how little the creation is in comparison. Reading from, Psalm 104: 24-34;
24 How many are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
27 All creatures look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the Lord.
How wonderful it is to be able to share our lives with other people who also stand in wonder about all that our glorious Lord has done, will do, and is working in our lives right now. The spirit gives each of us the ability to experience God in our own special way, and then communally as a family when we are together.
My hope for all of you this Pentecost Sunday, is that you will have a chance to enjoy your God with someone else this week, and then in due time, alone with the true spark of your life, Jesus Christ. You will be aided in your attempts to understand His will in your life by the Holy spirit: leading, pleading, prompting, and encouraging you on to ever greater heights of glory, strength, and bliss along your way.
God bless you my beloved, in His precious name,
Amen!