Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:05 And the day of Pentecost is a day when we remember and celebrate and freshly remind ourselves of that very same power that exists today. It's never waned, it's never been diluted. It's never over. The generations become less significant. The Holy Spirit has not got old. He's not got tired. He's not worn himself out. He has not given away all his gifts and hasn't any left for people today. The Holy Spirit. He is as powerful now because we can say the same about the Spirit. Who's the third member of the Trinity? Triune God, the Father, the Son and the Spirit. Jesus says in Hebrews is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the Spirit. Amen is the same yesterday, today. Amen. Amen. And forever. And let's read a few verses on Acts two. This is not gonna be a 40 minutes sermon, so don't worry. 37 minutes. <laugh>. No, this is just a thought in our response and conclusion.
Speaker 1 00:01:27 Acts chapter two, when the day of Pentecost had arrived. I love that. When it arrived, when it arrived, have you ever waited patiently for something? Do you remember those days when you were a child and Christmas was like a month away? Do you remember the anticipation the night before and then it arrived? A lot of arrivals are fairly predictable. There are others like I remember when we were expecting each of our children, you sort of want to keep your diaries flexible for like a few weeks either side, cuz you, you've done the prep, but you're not quite sure when it's gonna happen.
Speaker 1 00:02:36 But it said here, when the day of Pentecost had arrived, now we know reading the story that it arrived. I wonder what the disciples felt. I wonder how in that upper room where they had no idea of timeline, how long they thought they were gonna be there for. They didn't know. They didn't know if it was gonna be hours. In fact, the previous words, Jesus, wait in Jerusalem and I'll send the Holy Spirit. And then they get to Jerusalem, they get to the upper room and they're praying, okay, God, when it's been an hour and a half now when, two hours When I found over the years that the timing of the Lord rarely, rarely matches my expectation. That's true. But I've found every time that as I've surrendered and submitted to the process, that I'm always able to look back and see. He had the right time and my expectations didn't.
Speaker 1 00:04:01 But I wonder whether some of us, if we'd been in the upper room, we might have started again a little bit edgy about the way time was progressing. Maybe there were things we had to attend to. I wonder if some of the evangelistically wired people in the room were like, we need to get out there guys. Come on, let's just do it. We remember what Jesus said. Let's go and do it. Shepherd in. People would've been thinking, we need to get some food for these people in this room, teachers are saying, you know, this is the words of Jesus prophets. When is it gonna happen? Dunno when. But I guarantee you, when God speaks, the day arrives.
Speaker 2 00:04:49 Amen. Amen.
Speaker 1 00:04:51 Always arrives. But there are some conditions. We have to be in the place of faith.
Speaker 2 00:05:02 Good. I
Speaker 1 00:05:06 Think if they'd slung off the Tesco Express
Speaker 2 00:05:10 <laugh>,
Speaker 1 00:05:12 If they'd found other things to do, if they'd abandoned their posts because of disappointment, they would've missed it. I always remember as a teenager going to a big Christian conference and some friends were with me and the service was going on a bit, to be honest. And we had people to see things to do, girls to chat up. <laugh>, my friends did
Speaker 3 00:05:48 <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:05:53 And I was convinced by them that we should, should leave the meeting. I think I might have been part of the convincing group as well, to be honest. So we sat in the cafe area, just lounging around, chilling with me mates. Where's everyone else? We felt like we were leaving during the last song. Where is everybody? Horton? No one around. It's been 20 minutes. Where is everybody? What's going on? And then about three quarter of an hour later, people started pouring into the cafe buzzing. What's what's happened? They said, oh, wasn't that incredible? What wasn't? What incredible. The healing. Did you see that girl with no eyes in her sockets? Did you see her get here? That was amazing. Oh, I missed it cause I was chilling with me mates.
Speaker 1 00:07:01 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, and there's a song that William Booth, I believe was the author of, he said, we need another Pentecost. Send the fire. Today. I get the sentiment of the song, but the reality is we don't need another Pentecost. We just need to po posture ourselves, position ourselves in faith, and know that the spirit has arrived. He's here. And in this season, the most profound and the most significant thing that you and I can do is to go through the detail of our lives. And if there's anything that's not posturing your life in faith to be in the place where God wants you at the time, God wants you there, it's time to get rid. Do away with, move on from, because they were together in one place with one heart.
Speaker 1 00:08:18 And I'm not gonna give any more commentary other than to say that this was a special feast, that there would've been many people in Jerusalem. It's a big courtyard area. Outside the temple could have held about 72,000 people. It was a big area. Lots of people gathered from lots of different places, and these disciples weren't outside with the others. See, this was a festival that celebrated the given of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Previous to that it was a celebration of the first fruits of the summer harvest. So there are many people there in this place. That's why in the later part of the story, we see there are people from all over.
Speaker 1 00:09:03 I love the scenario of similarities here, that the given of the Torah was 50 days after the Israelites were brought out of Egypt. 50 days. The day of Pentecost was 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus. I love that. The law took life. In fact, on that day, you remember when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets. Do you remember what the people were doing? They'd made a golden calf. Do you remember what Moses did with the tablets? He broke them. And do you remember there was a plague that come on the people. How many people died that day? 3000. How many people on the Pentecost found life? 3000.
Speaker 1 00:09:57 You see, God makes all things new. The law brought death, but the spirit brings life. Yes. And he sets our, sets us free. I love that. In the timing of God, there's no accident. God wasn't hanging around thinking, oh, I'm gonna wait for a few moments. Just keep them waiting. God's got perfect timing, perfect timing, God history. We see that. We see her in Passover, that Jesus fulfilled the Passover. Passover was that celebration. The mixed track didn't be in extracted from Egypt. And Jesus fulfilled that. And we see how God, through his spirit brought life. There's no accidents in the timing of God when it arrived.
Speaker 1 00:10:45 Dec evening, I'm gonna look at the overflow of what arrived. We're gonna look at tongues, baptism in the Holy Spirit, and we're gonna be praying for people along those lines. But you and I, temples of the spirit of God, let's stand together, shall we? The law reminded people that they couldn't attain to what God called them to. But the Spirit sets us free Later in the book of Acts, Luke, the writer says in him, we live and move and have our beer. Amen. Amen. He's our everything. Praise God. He is our everything. Amen. Temples of the Spirit. He's not coming just to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling in worship. He's not come just to give you a gift of tongues. He has come to empower you with heaven's authority and rule. He's come to give his church. Amen. That spirit that's full of life where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. Amen. Amen. Church, it's time to live in the freedom of being filled with the spirit of God. Amen. No longer be bound by the chains of the past. That's right. No longer live in Egypt, no longer live subject to the condemnation of the law by the Spirit brings life.
Speaker 0 00:12:25 Amen. Amen.
Speaker 1 00:12:27 Holy Spirit, thank you for filling your people. Come and fill us afresh.
Speaker 0 00:12:38 Yes.
Speaker 1 00:12:39 Fill these temples with your glory. Oh Lord, we pray that we might honor you with all of our lives. As Nita prayed, may our minds, oh God, be filled with the spirit. Yes. May our thoughts be inspired and captivated by the Spirit. May freedom rule in our minds, may our words be words that are filled with the life of the spirit. No more discouragement coming out of mouths, no more attacking others coming out of mouths. No more back biting, coming out of mouths. No more bitterness coming out of mouths, but our words will be words of life because they breathe by the spirit of God. May our eyes see by faith we pray, praise God. May the spirit of God fix our eye sight that we will not no longer walk by sights, but by faith. Yes. May I hear in, oh God, listen to the voice of the spirit. Yes,
Speaker 0 00:13:43 Lord.
Speaker 1 00:13:44 Hallelujah. That we might perceive the whispers and the shouts of the Spirit.
Speaker 0 00:13:51 Yes,
Speaker 1 00:13:55 Lord, these hands, may they be your hands. Minnie's feet be your feet. Yes
Speaker 0 00:14:02 Lord.
Speaker 1 00:14:05 We don't want to just be temples that are removed and remote, but temples that are embracing the world around us with the presence of the Lord and above all else God, our hearts of God come Holy Spirit, as the church comes out full of the strength and the empowerment of the Lord. Unapologetic.
Speaker 0 00:14:39 Yes, Lord,
Speaker 1 00:14:41 I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but it is the power of God and to salvation. Yeah. I'm not ashamed when people say these people are drunk on new wine.
Speaker 0 00:14:56 Praise God.
Speaker 1 00:15:00 Lord, may your people be filled with the joy and the presence and the power and the life of the Lord this week. Lord, may we set other lives free. Yes. By being your hands and feet. And so Lord, we consecrate this new season, this new journey of the church before you.
Speaker 1 00:15:19 It's more than just a change of time. Lord, we believe in some ways that it's a bit like when Moses struck the rock and water flowed over the past few years. Lord, we've sensed the miracle of water flowing. But Lord, we sense that you've asked us for, not because it's any better, because you've asked us we wanna obey. You've asked us now to speak to it. You've asked us to do things differently and we consecrated to you. Give us ears to hear what the spirit's saying. And may we fall on our faces in utter obedience to we pray in the name of Jesus. And all God's people said, amen. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah.
Speaker 0 00:16:03 Halle.
