The Lutheran Hour
-
"God Wants to Transform Your Life"
- No Sermon MP3 No bonus material MP3
-
Text: Acts 2:1-21
-
PRAYER:
Blessed Lord Jesus, shortly before You ascended into heaven, You promised to send Your Spirit to comfort, strengthen, and give direction to all Your followers. So, at this hour we pray, send Your Spirit into Your Church and into the hearts of believers all over the world and bring about, as only You can, a new Pentecost. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Three years ago on May 3, 1999, across central Oklahoma, thousands of people heard the sound of a loud rushing wind. Within hours, even within minutes, television commentators were announcing to the world that this loud rushing wind had been an “F5 tornado” — one of the strongest ever recorded in history. This Oklahoma tornado caused loss of life and destruction so great it will be remembered for centuries with great awe and lingering fear.
In the Bible in the book of Acts, we read 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven there occurred what is called Pentecost. On that day, followers of the crucified and resurrected Christ were all gathered together in one place. “Suddenly,” the Bible says, “there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind” (Acts 2:2).
Now, some may have thought this loud rushing sound was a tornado. But it wasn’t. The sound may have been somewhat the same, but the effects were totally opposite.
The Oklahoma tornado caused destruction and grief. On the other hand, the rushing wind at the first Pentecost brought joy. The Oklahoma tornado brought death to the community. The rushing wind at the first Pentecost brought new life to the believers in Christ in Jerusalem.
This same life-giving and soul transforming wind began to blow forth from Jerusalem 2,000 years ago and over the centuries has breathed “new life” into individuals and the Christian church.
The New Testament Pentecost involving Christ’s followers was not the first time God gave His Spirit to His church. For generations, throughout the Old Testament, God sent His Spirit unto His people. In the book of Job 33:4 we read, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” In Psalm 104 we read, “You send forth Your Spirit, [O Lord] and You renew the face of the ground” (Psalm 104:30). In Ezekiel 37:14 we read, “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life.” In addition, there are many more references about how God sent His Spirit among and into His people of the Old Testament.
However, in the New Testament, on the Day of Pentecost, 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven, God sent His Spirit among His people in a very special way. So, as you prepare to commemorate and celebrate the joy of Pentecost with Christians in every nation, listen as I read the record of the first Pentecost from the Bible.
“When the day of Pentecost had come,” the Bible says, “the followers of Jesus were all gathered together in one place. Suddenly from heaven, there came a loud noise like a violent wind. The noise,” the Bible says, “‘filled the whole house’ where Jesus’ followers were gathered.”
Just as suddenly, there appeared on the heads of each person a little “tongue of fire,” perhaps like the fire of a candle. But that’s not all. Still another miracle occurred! The Bible says at this first Pentecost there were gathered many people from different parts of the world. Yet, miracle of miracles, they could all understand each other’s language.
Present the Bible says were “Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia. They came from Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene. Plus there were visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs” (Acts 2:9-11) all gathered in one place and all speaking their own language. Again, the miracle was this: had you been there you could have understood every person in their own tongue. Impressive! Astounding! Yes, unbelievable!
Well, the Bible says, “as these people from many countries continued in amazement and great perplexity, they said to one another, ‘What does this mean?'”
This is also the question you and I need to ask at this hour. What did the first Pentecost of 2,000 years ago mean and what does the Pentecost spirit mean today for teenagers in Atlanta; for senior citizens in Montreal; for grade school children in Boston; for baby boomers in Texas or California? What does the great Christian celebration of Pentecost mean in your life? What is God saying in a very practical way?
Well, first of all, without the Spirit of Pentecost, the Christian church is little more than an empty shell, and you and I are as lifeless as a cold statue of stone. Without God’s Pentecost Spirit, church membership would be no different than membership in the Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, the 4 H Club, or membership in a local political party. However, when the Spirit of Pentecost comes into your heart and life and into your soul, you will be affected not only “somewhat” but totally. Yes, you will be totally transformed as St. Paul says in Romans 12.
As you eagerly await to hear about the Pentecost blessings God has for you in your life, let’s read briefly to what happened at the first Pentecost 2,000 years ago. Because what God gave Christ’s followers 2,000 years ago, He wants to give you also today.
Now remember that at the first Pentecost, people were gathered together. They began to speak in various tongues. Those in attendance said, “What does this mean?” Then, the Bible tells us the apostle Peter stood up, raised his voice, and said, “Men of Judea and all those of you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men [speaking in all kinds of languages] are not drunk as you suppose. No! What you see and what you hear now happening was spoken of through the prophet Joel. ‘And it shall be in the last days, that I,’ God said, ‘will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and old men shall dream dreams.'”
Next, St. Peter explained to this group of people how God had arranged for their salvation. Peter said: “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God, with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst just as you yourselves know – this Man [Jesus] was delivered up by the predetermined plan and the foreknowledge of God.” But what Peter next told these folks hit them like a bombshell. He said, “This Jesus you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”
Now let’s notice one thing very clearly. At the first Pentecost, Peter was not talking about some vague event that was interesting but disconnected to the people that day. No! Peter told it like it was and it hit the congregation of that day square in the eye. “By your sins,” he said, “you nailed Jesus Christ to the cross.” But now, an even greater question arises. How did these people respond when they were told they, by their sins, had nailed Jesus to the cross? The Bible says, “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, brethren what shall we do?’ The Bible then says that Peter said to them, ‘Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For this promise,’ Peter said, ‘is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself'” (Acts 2:37-39).
This is why Pentecost is so important to you. You see, there are many today who have pictured God in various ways. For example, some today see God as an old Grandpa sitting in a rocker stroking His long, white beard. Others picture God as a stern judge or even a dictator waiting to slap people down every time they do something wrong. Maybe you see God this way — as someone always watching and accusing.
On this Pentecost, let me invite you to see God in another way — the way God has revealed Himself in the Bible. You see, God is a loving and concerned Divine Physician. This Divine Physician uses the medicine of His Word to first show you your sin, also to cleanse you from sin, and then to heal you from your sin. Your spiritual Physician, who revealed Himself and how He works in the first Pentecost, wants to heal you. Thus, Pentecost is the uncomfortable and painful reminder that it was your sins that nailed Jesus to the cross. Jesus did not end up on a bloody cross by accident. Your sins nailed him there. This is what Peter told the first followers of Jesus 2,000 years ago and this is what God’s Word is saying to you today. When you see the symbol of a cross, it’s not just some simplistic religious decoration. The cross is a solemn and sobering reminder of what your sins have done to Jesus; Your sin of being moody in the morning instead of being friendly to other family members or acquaintances around you; your sin of receiving juicy bits of gossip and then passing it on from your mouth; the sin of not assembling with other Christians regularly every Sunday to permit your gracious God to apply to your heart His soap of His Law-centered Word to loosen the dirt of sin from your heart and the Word of His Gospel to cleanse and heal you (Psalm 107:20).
You see, friends, when Peter first spoke these words the Bible says, “those gathered at the first Pentecost were ‘pierced to the heart'” (Acts 2:37). Yes, they saw their sin graphically before their eyes and by recalling the bloody crucifixion of Christ, they saw the horrible consequences of their sin.
“What shall we do?” they asked Peter. Terrorized by inevitable consequences and eternal damnation of their sin, they said, “What shall we do?”
So today, God wants you to be “terrorized” also by your sin. But, your gracious heavenly Father does not want you to despair. Instead, your heavenly Father, through His Pentecost Spirit, fervently, lovingly and graciously desires to draw you into the outstretched arms of His forgiving Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the blood of Jesus Christ shed on Calvary’s Cross and only that blood has the power to cleanse you from all your sin.
St. Paul writes in Romans, “Having now been justified by Christ’s blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Jesus” (Romans 5:9).
The apostle John writes: “If we walk in the light as He Himself, Jesus, is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus God’s Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
In the book of Revelation 1:5 we read that Jesus has released us from our sins by His blood.
Then, to celebrate Pentecost means more than merely commemoration of an historical event. To celebrate Pentecost means to be open to God’s life-changing Spirit. To celebrate Pentecost is to look at the bloody cross of Christ and to see your shameful responsibility in Christ’s death.
But, even more important, friends, to celebrate Pentecost is to receive God’s GOOD NEWS that all your sins are forgiven in Christ’s blood. This is the Good News that God’s Spirit wants to assure you of total forgiveness and your new power for living.
To truly celebrate Pentecost then means to be baptized so your sins are washed away. This promise, the Bible says, is for you, and also for your family and your children.
Make this week a special week. Celebrate not only by looking back, but especially by looking ahead and enjoying a life knowing that God is in charge of your destiny and each time you stumble or fall God forgives you for Jesus’ sake. Live in this joy, my friends. Live in this Pentecost joy and live also in the everlasting hope. Celebrate. Yes! Celebrate the Pentecost, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX for May 19, 2002 Q&A 6936 God Wants to Transform Your Life May 19
ANNOUNCER: Talking more about the blessings of Pentecost, Dr. Wallace Schulz is in the studio. I’m Mark Eischer. Dr. Schulz, in your message today you centered on the great church festival of the Pentecost. I was impressed to hear this is not just a joyful celebration of a past event, but Pentecost really has great meaning for every Christian today.
SCHULZ: Mark, I sincerely hope this is what came across in the message today. There is so much involved in celebrating Pentecost. I remember as a child going to special Pentecost services in our small church in rural South Dakota where I grew up. The pastor always had a unique and pointed message for Pentecost. We also had special hymns. I am sure you had the same in your church.
ANNOUNCER: Yes. Do you recall any of those hymns?
SCHULZ: One I recall especially was a hymn written by Dr. Martin Luther called, “Come Holy Ghost, God and Lord.”
ANNOUNCER: Could you recite some of the words?
SCHULZ:
“Come Holy Ghost, God and Lord, With all your graces now outpoured, On each believer’s mind and heart, Thy fervent love to them impart. Lord, by the brightness of Thy light, In holy faith Your Church unite, Of every land and every tongue, This to Thy praise, O Lord, our God be sung. Allelujah, Allelujah.” Then the second verse goes like this: “Come Holy Light, Guide Divine, Cause the word of life to shine. Teach us to know our God aright, And call Him Father with delight. From every error keep us free, Let none but Christ our Master be. That we in living faith abide, In Him our Lord with all our might confide. Allelujah, Allelujah.”
ANNOUNCER: Dr. Schulz, compared to other church festivals, such as Christmas and Easter, Pentecost seems to be tragically overlooked.
SCHULZ: It is a tragedy that most people nowadays, even those who call themselves Christians, do not know this week is the week of Pentecost. Now, the greater tragedy is this: Pentecost is such a clear reminder that God is in control of all we do. He is the One who sends His Pentecost Spirit into our hearts and lives. We are not the ones who save ourselves from the curse of our sin. God does all of this. The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians, “By His doing [by God’s doing] we are in Jesus Christ.”
ANNOUNCER: And St. Peter, in his Pentecost sermon, made a special point of saying that God’s Pentecost promise of forgiveness is a promise our heavenly Father makes to the entire family.
SCHULZ: That’s right.
ANNOUNCER: So, this is really a tremendous encouragement that God is promising to come into your family with His special blessing of forgiveness, a forgiveness which covers past grievances and grudges.
SCHULZ: Pentecost is the great celebration of assurance. And in a day and age when people are searching and stumbling around confused about religion, we can, on this program, say this simply doesn’t have to be. Through God’s revealed Word and His Spirit, God comes to us. We don’t have to grope around and try to find Him. This is the work of the Spirit, the Pentecost Spirit. Jesus also said the Spirit will convict us of our sin. In fact, Jesus said the Spirit convicts the entire world of its sin. As a result of this conviction of our sin, God opens us up to the healing power of His Gospel. He is our Divine Physician. He not only prescribes the medicine we need of His Law and Gospel but He brings it to us through His Spirit. He activates it in us. He cleanses us. He heals us and gives us an eternal hope. Finally, we celebrate in Pentecost the almighty power of God, the rushing wind of the Spirit, and the convicting and healing power of God’s holy will and Word. Therefore, to all our listeners today, be part of the worldwide celebration of Pentecost, because this involves you. This is one of those great celebrations in the Christian church which reminds you how God cleanses you from sin and restores you to Himself; gives you the power of the Spirit, and a hope that is eternal.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Dr. Schulz. The next Lutheran Hour message is titled, “God’s Mystery is God’s Blessing.”