Sermon Info
Summary
Today’s sermon is based on Acts 2, the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the new church.
Content
The Day of Pentecost
Pentecost occurred in Jerusalem during the Feast of First Fruits, a celebration of early harvest. Jerusalem was filled with people from all over the region. The Day of Pentecost was an incredible display of God’s power, as well as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. A great wind filled the air, tongues of fire descended from heaven, and people were suddenly given a gift of speaking foreign languages. Peter gave a brief but tremendously moving message, and three thousand people accepted Christ and were baptized.
What God is saying through this text?
Although we remember Pentecost as a day of dramatic action, we need to remember that God is always working, even when we do not acknowledge His presence. Events in our lives do not happen haphazardly; God has a perfect plan and design for our days. It was no accident that those who had witnessed Christ’s resurrection were present in Jerusalem at that moment and were able to witness to foreign visitors in their heart languages. And it is not by accident that we live and work where we do; God has a purpose and desire for us to speak to those around us in language that touches their hearts. Our words need to include our experience with Christ, and also the Word of God, which will, like on the day of Pentecost, resonate with listeners. Peter’s sermon was short and perhaps not remarkable. What was remarkable was that it had been bathed in prayer, and God responded dramatically with three thousand followers. This paradigm is an example for us: God does the majority of the work, and what we say or do is not what brings the results—God does. Like in Acts, people will respond when our lives are completely immersed and dependent upon God, empowered by the Holy Spirit to work and speak. Our church today is the continuation of this work of the Spirit begun 21 centuries ago at the celebration of First Harvest, and we are part of that Harvest that continues.