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Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. In our study of the book of Acts we have been talking about the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, where the disciples of Christ were anointed with the Holy Spirit and given the gift to speak in other known tongues so that ALL might understand the Gospel and have it speak through their own mother-tongues (their heart languages) so that it might touch and resonate with them at the deepest possible level. And a crowd gathers because of this mighty outpouring and they want to know what all of this means. So Peter has been explaining how this coming of the Holy Spirit proves that Jesus (whom they crucified) was indeed the Messiah because Jesus had foretold that all this would happen following His ascension. And Peter goes on to show from the Old Testament how Jesus is the fulfillment of all the prophecies of the Messiah they had been waiting for. And it says…
Acts 2:37-41 (ESV)-- 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 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 you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Church on Fire-- [When trying to motivate Christians, Billy Sunday used to speak graphically of the well-known village atheist, who was seen running vigorously to a burning church building, intent on joining with others in subduing the flames. A neighbor, observing him, exclaimed facetiously, “This is something new for you! I never saw you going to church before.” “Well,” the atheist replied, “this is the first time I have ever seen a church on fire.”] OUCH!!!! The Source of Spiritual Power-- Some time ago I was asked a very difficult and troubling question by someone. And that was: Why is it that the Church (at least in America) seems to be losing its ability to affect culture; at least to the degree it has in times past? And you know that is an excellent question, especially as we talk about Pentecost; when the Holy Spirit came and birthed the Christian Church. And you saw so much change; this upheaval of culture. We look and see the explosion of growth that took place in the early church; how people were changed; how communities were changed; how cities were won; then nations; and eventually much of the world. Christianity spread like an uncontrollable wildfire. But now often we find ourselves struggling to maintain the ground we already have, much less gaining new ground. And the ground we have seems to be slipping away day by day. What is the source of spiritual power and how can we have a fresh outpouring of that power so that we can start gaining more ground? Relationship With The Spirit-- First of all, the key to having spiritual power lies in our relationship to the One from whom spiritual power comes; the Spirit of God. When the Holy Spirit came, He consecrated the Christian Church, setting it apart as holy unto God. It was no longer conformed to the pattern of the world, but became conformed to the image of Christ. It was in and through the Church’s being set apart to Christ and conforming to His image that it found its spiritual power. So the question comes down to this: “Are we truly consecrated to Christ?” Do our minds, our hearts, our patterns of behavior, our use of finances, and especially our use of time reflect a life consecrated unto God? Does what I fill my mind with build me as a Christian or steal the opportunity for God to give me something truly good. Time-- As a pastor, I have found that one of the chief causes of relational discord between couples is caused by a breakdown in communication. When we cease to communicate and give of our time, we lose closeness and intimacy with our spouses. And this is true in our relationship with God as well. I am finding more and more that the most sacred and important thing we can give God is our time; time in the Word; time in prayer; time in communal worship and fellowship. In and through these means of grace we are brought into the very presence of God; and it is in His presence that we discover His power made available to us in Christ Jesus. That is what these early Christians were discovering as it says in… Acts 2:42-47 (ESV) The Fellowship of the Believers-- 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Being Consecrated-- Now we will explore these practices more in the coming weeks. But the bird’s-eye message I want you to catch today is that these disciples lived life in such an incredible way as a result of a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit. And these verses give us a window into the hearts of what was driving these early believers; an energy and excitement that flowed out of their being consecrated to Jesus Christ. The Individual-- Let’s go back to the question we asked earlier. How does change (lasting change that can truly transform culture) take place? Well, it comes through Christians who have consecrated themselves (who have set themselves apart) from the world to Christ Jesus. And that begins on a personal level; with the individual. A man who has had an incredible impact on my life in and through his preaching and his writing is Dr. Dennis Kinlaw. Of all devotionals I have used over the years, his devotional This Day With The Master is the one I come back to time and time again; because it is both profound and yet simple enough for people like me to understand it. And in it he says this… People, Not Institutions-- “We live in a day when most people believe that institutions are the determining factors. They declare that if we could just change institutions, then we could change society. This is the appeal of the politician. Scripture tantalizes us with the amount of space it devotes to individual people rather than institutions. People seem to be the tools that God uses to bring change. The implication is clear. Ultimately, persons determine institutions; institutions do not determine persons. The decisions that are made deep in the heart of an individual in the intimacy of aloneness with God are the decisions that will be historically significant for deciding the future.” Personal Consecration-- The key to bringing spiritual power back into our churches and lasting change to our culture lies in our first becoming consecrated to God in our own personal lives; making the decision to conform to His image and to receive a new mind, a new heart, and a new nature. And that is something only the Holy Spirit can do. Awaiting The Spirit-- Now I really want to clarify this because Jesus was very adamant that the disciples wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit. And that was (partially) because they did not yet have the spiritual equipment needed to accomplish all that He intended for them to accomplish. Because keep in mind the message of the Gospel is more than just information; about knowing what Christ did on the cross; more than about knowing that He rose from the dead. It’s not just about embracing these doctrinal statements as being true; no, it has to go further than that; to where we experience those realities in our own lives. Yes Jesus died on the cross, but then he tells His disciples (and us) to take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24-25). Yes, He rose from the dead, but (as Colossians 3:1 says) we also have been raised with Christ. Our old self has died with Christ and we are given a new resurrected self. Christ’s death and resurrection are realities that you and I participate in. And the same is true of Pentecost. Pentecost is more than just an important event to remember. It is a present reality. Not Then, But Now-- And that why it is always so dangerous to preach a message on Pentecost, because we always talk about it in the past tense and never allow it to gain access to our present. But Christ wants Pentecost to be every bit as real and present in our lives today as it was then. Christ wants you to have a Pentecost in your home that changes your relationship with your spouse for the better; that enables you to be a better parent; that empowers you to be a spiritual leader in your home; that gives you victory over temptation and keeps you holy in Christ Jesus. Pentecost can happen to any of us right now; if we but remain open for the Holy Spirit to actually apply Christ’s death and resurrection to our own hearts. An Attractive Love-- I’m telling you, it was more than doctrine that drew all these people to become followers of Christ; it was doctrine enfleshed in these disciples; a transformation that was unexplainable except by the mighty work of God that drew all these people to early Christianity. And whether it was through their fellowshipping together, their praying together, their eating together, their compassionate acts of ministry, their selling what they had to meet one another’s needs, the thing that marked these early Christians the most was their absolute love and willingness to serve one another. Now this was a fulfillment of what Jesus had said all the way back in… John 13:35 (ESV)-- 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Love Caused Growth-- Well here the world is beginning to witness that love in the lives of the disciples. And that love is making them hungry to know just what all this Jesus business is about. And in discovering the secret, it says (verse 47) And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. A Pentecost for Us-- All this because of a personal Pentecost in the lives of each of these disciples. And I want to tell you today that the power of Pentecost is available to you as well. You can have done in your heart and life exactly what happened to these first disciples. All it takes is a willingness to surrender your life to Christ. So let us surrender to Him today. Amen.
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Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. I am so glad you could join us today as we continue our study of the book of Acts. You will remember that last week we talked about the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost and Peter’s explanation to the crowds of what they were witnessing. And it is that explanation that Peter continues in our passage today. He says in…
Acts 2:22-35 (ESV)-- 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ How It Happened-- Now the first part of Peter’s focus here was on what was happening. The Holy Spirit had come. And next [He explained how it happened: Jesus was alive]. Now Jews and proselytes to Judaism had come from all over the empire to celebrate Passover; and many of them stayed for Pentecost as well. And so everybody there was keenly aware of the events in and surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus. They had heard of His miracles, and had known (and in some cases witnessed) His arrest, His trial, and His crucifixion. Many of them had no doubt heard of the empty tomb, though the religious leaders had put out an official statement that Jesus’ disciples had stolen Jesus’ body in order to convince people that He had been raised from the dead as He said He would be. But Peter counteracts that statement with four major proofs of the resurrection: Proof 1: The Person of Jesus (vv. 22-44)-- And the first of these regarded the person of Jesus Himself. The people knew that Jesus was a teacher from Nazareth who had performed many signs and miracles. And those signs pointed to who He is. You will remember that Nicodemus (a member of the Sanhedrin) acknowledged this all the way back in John 3:2 when he said: “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” They Were Witnesses-- And so this crowd is filled with witnesses to many of these signs as well, and to what and how Jesus had taught (with that amazing divine authority). These things were not done in a corner (as Paul states clearly to Festus and King Agrippa in Acts 26:26). Everyone could see that God’s hand was on Jesus in a special way. And yet (as Peter reminds them) Jesus died (which would ordinarily look like defeat). But Peter (interestingly) describes Jesus’ death in terms of pain/pangs (meaning “birth pangs”) thereby [suggesting that the tomb was a “womb” out of which Jesus was “born” in resurrection glory (see Acts 13:33).] Proof 2: The Prophecy of David (vv. 25-31)-- Now [Peter’s second proof was the prophecy of David (vv. 25–31). He quoted Psalm 16:8–11 {(which talks about One who was released from the power of death;)}, verses that obviously could not apply to David, who {at this time} was already dead and buried. {Rather, what Peter says is that David was a prophet; and} Being a prophet of God, David wrote about the Messiah, that His soul would not remain in hades (the realm of the dead) or His body in the grave where it would decay.] So (as always) there is a pointing back to the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The Old Testament supports the resurrection of the Messiah. Proof 3: The Witness of The Believers (v.33)-- Now [The third proof {Peter offered} was the witness of the believers (v. 33) {themselves}], who (think about it) had just spent 40 days with a resurrected Jesus. Now you can say they were all hallucinating a resurrected Lord. Some modern theories suggest that there was a certain type of hallucinogenic mushroom that all of them were smoking (I’m not kidding) that caused this group hallucination. But any psychiatrist will tell you that people rarely hallucinate the same thing (and certainly not all at the same time). And here we would be talking about 120 believers all hallucinating the same thing simultaneously. And this is further complicated by the fact that the disciples were not even expecting Jesus to rise from the dead and had to themselves be convinced that it was true (Mark 16:9–14; Acts 1:3). And they had nothing to gain and really everything to lose (facing official opposition and even imprisonment and death) for embracing and teaching a resurrected Christ. So why would they do this if they knew it to be false? While there have been people throughout history who sacrificed themselves on the basis of false information, few (if any) did so knowing their belief to be false; and that’s the difference. But that is what the disciples would have been doing if they had stolen the body. Nobody does that. And so all this points to the reliability of the disciples as credible witnesses. They can be trusted! And this is further evidenced by their message being backed up (repeatedly) by miracles in and throughout the book of Acts, which we will see as we proceed. Proof 4: The Presence of The Holy Spirit (vv. 33-35)-- Now the fourth proof Peter offers is what the people are here experiencing: [the presence {and power} of the Holy Spirit (vv. 33–35). Follow his logic. {Peter is saying that} If the Holy Spirit is in the world, then God must have sent Him. The prophet Joel (whom we mentioned last week) promised that one day the Spirit would come, and Jesus Himself had promised to send the gift of the Holy Spirit to His people (Luke 24:49; John 14:26; 15:26; Acts 1:4). But if Jesus is dead, He cannot send the Spirit; therefore (because the crowds can see the Holy Spirit at work) He must be alive. Furthermore, Jesus could not send the Spirit unless He had returned to heaven to the Father (John 16:7); so, Jesus has ascended to heaven! To back up this statement, Peter quoted Psalm 110:1 {(which talks about One who would sit at the right hand of God)}, a verse that certainly could not be applied to David (note Matt. 22:41–46).] So Peter’s conclusion is clear. Jesus is the Messiah, He had risen and sits at the right hand of God, and has sent the Holy Spirit. Seeker-Friendly or Confrontational?-- Now there is a lot of discussion among many churches today about how to be more seeker-friendly; how to make your church a place new people will feel comfortable and safe. And the one thing they say you never ever want to do is sound judgmental or condemning. Why? Because you might offend someone and they won’t come back; and if they don’t come back, how will they ever find a relationship with Jesus? But I love this first sermon of the Christian Church that Peter preaches because Peter ignores all that “let’s try to be nice” kind of philosophy and preaches exactly how Jesus Himself had preached. His message directly confronted their sin. Now in verse 23 Peter says (basically) “Jesus is your Messiah, but you crucified Him!” And he says again in… Acts 2:36 (ESV)-- 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Not General, But Specific-- Now he could have presented this message in a general sense. He could have said that the cross was the place where Christ (as the sinless lamb of God) died as a substitute for the sins of the whole world. But no; Peter doesn’t gloss over the painful reality of how personal all of this was. They (Israel) killed their own Messiah. That (more than the any other atrocity every committed; greater than the holocaust; greater than any mass extermination ever committed on this planet); nothing even compares to what Peter said these men and women did. They killed the Son of God! Can you imagine preaching a message like that? Peter did. Why? Because it is often only when we come to grips with the full weight of our sin that we are willing to then seek forgiveness and restoration from that sin. Niceness doesn’t save people. A Gospel watered down to not offend anyone can’t save people. It is only through Christ crucified for you and for me that we can be saved. And that is why we also need to be confronted by the fact that it was for our sins that held him there on the cross. The Soldier’s Hand-- One movie that has had a great impact on the world is The Passion of The Christ, a film directed by Mel Gibson. But one interesting behind-the-scenes fact about that movie is that while the crucifixion scene was being filmed, and the soldier was getting ready to drive the nail through the hand of Jesus, the camera moved to a closeup shot of the soldier’s hand. But it was actually Mel Gibson’s own hand that hammered the nail into Jesus. And Mel Gibson wanted to drive home the point (literally) that all of us are responsible for the death of the Son of God. Now the people here (after hearing Peter) have happen to them exactly what always happens when the Gospel is presented as it is meant to be presented. It says in… Acts 2:37-41 (ESV)— 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 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 you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Their Season of Grace— Now unfortunately we don’t have the rest of Peter’s sermon. But it’s core message was one of repentance. Believe, repent, be baptized as a sign of that repentance and come and follow Christ. And we see that for these first Christians, it meant radical change; a change in their hearts; a change in their minds (through the Holy Spirit) that re-oriented the entire way they did life. And we will explore this more in the coming weeks. But God’s message to you and to me today is exactly the same. Peter said to the people “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” (v.40) You will remember that during Israel’s 40-year banishment in the wilderness, [the new generation “saved itself” from the older generation that rebelled against God.] [{And similarly here}…the nation {of Israel} would have about forty years before Rome would come and destroy the city and the temple and scatter the people. History was repeating itself.] And yet God was giving grace (another forty year period) to repent, believe, and be saved. And we see here that three thousand people did so. Our Season of Grace-- Now you and I are in another season of grace. And from the signs of the times it looks like that time of grace is coming to an end. God’s judgment is coming. And so now is the time to examine ourselves and ask ourselves, "Have we truly repented; have we truly let go of all our sin and chosen to follow Christ with all of who we are. Have we embraced the Spirit-filled life? If not, or if you are not sure, then Peter’s message of believing, repenting, and following Jesus is for you today. Tell Christ that you are giving your sins to Him today, that you receive His forgiveness, and that you (with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength) will follow Him. If you commit to do that today; if you give yourself to Christ like that, the Holy Spirit will enter into your life and your life will be altogether changed; altogether new. If you haven’t done that, do it today. Amen. Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim.
In our study of the book of Acts last week we talked about the outbreaking of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, where the disciples of Christ were anointed with His presence and given the gift to speak in other known languages so that ALL might understand the Gospel and have it speak through their own mother-tongues (their heart languages) so that it might touch and resonate with them at the deepest possible level. And we will continue speaking about the giving of the Holy Spirit today. Now this event naturally drew a crowd, many of which immediately recognized that something supernatural was taking place. And so naturally they wanted an explanation. And some hecklers try to write off this phenomenon as being the drunken ravings of these supposedly intoxicated disciples. It says in… Acts 2:13 (ESV)— 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” Divine Inebriation-- Now it is ironic that the mockers of the crowd should accuse the believers of being drunk, because of how completely opposite being drunk is from the filling of the Holy Spirit. During ancient times people saw drunkenness as a way of connecting with the spiritual world. We remember from our study of the book of Esther how much alcohol permeated the culture and dramatically affected countless people. The king banished Vashti while in a drunken stupor. And that was because [{as} The Greek historian Herodotus explained…the Persians drank as they deliberated matters of state (cf. 3:15 ), believing that intoxication put them in closer touch with the spiritual world.] And that is likely what King Ahasuerus was doing with his leadership as they were preparing to march against Greece. They thought you could be more spiritual by being drunk. And when we look at many of the [ancient writers, especially the Jewish philosopher Philo, {we find that they in fact} depicted divine inspiration as a form of spiritual inebriation.] Now I want to stress this to you because there is a tendency (even today) to see being filled with the Holy Spirit to be kind of like getting high. Rather than a focusing of the mind on God; an engagement of your mental faculties on Him and His truth, it is sometimes seen as an emptying of the mind (like pagan meditation) in order to connect yourself with the spiritual flow of the universe, as in many of the religions of the Orient. Now I’m not saying that alcohol is always involved, but the reason it sometimes is is because it supposedly gets the mind out of the way so that your spirit can more easily connect with the flow of the universe. That is what eastern meditation is largely about. Yoga is an excellent example of this. Emptying the mind and putting your body in pagan positions of worship to allow the flow of the universe to flow through your body more easily. In China, there is the art of Feng-Shue, which is all about ordering everything (your life, your home, your country) in such a way so as to allow the Chi of the universe to flow through it most easily. Buildings are often constructed with Chi in mind. In fact (I kid you not) there are buildings in China with holes in the middle of them as part of their construction that were designed with Chi in mind, so that the Chi could more easily flow through the building. Star Wars Theology-- George Lucas, in creating Star Wars, drew heavily from these eastern pagan religions when developing his concept of the force. In the very first Star Wars film, there is a famous conversation between the Old Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi and the young Luke Skywalker. And Luke asks Obi-wan about the force. And Obi-wan says, “The force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.” Now that is eastern pagan philosophy. That’s why Darth Vader’s helmet (if you notice) is shaped exactly like the headdress of a Samurai. George Lucas admitted that this is because he is a Samurai; obviously one who has embraced the dark side of the Chi (the “yin” vs. the “yang”). Full-Mindedness-- But all this is deeply pagan and at complete odds with what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Aside from the fact that the Holy Spirit is a person; not an impersonal force, rather than an emptying of the mind, Christians are to fill their minds with God’s Word and to meditate on what it says about God. It is an active thoughtfulness. And drunkenness (and any supposed enlightenment that drunkenness might produce) is part of a larger system that is at odds with Christianity to the core. This is why Paul places the two in contrast in… Ephesians 5:18 (ESV)-- 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, Self-Control-- When a person is inebriated, he/she loses control and ends up doing things they would normally be ashamed of doing. Think of Noah; how he became uncovered in his tent after becoming drunk. Think of Lot’s daughters, who made their father drunk and committed incest with him; and they became pregnant with Moab (father of the Moabites) and Ben-ammi (father of the Ammonites). Interesting to think how two of the greatest persecutors of Israel came out of a man’s decision to allow himself to become drunk. However, a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit of God is characterized by self-control; a self-control that brings glory to God (Galatians 5:23). And though alcohol may give you a temporary exhilaration, the Holy Spirit can give you lasting joy; lasting fulfillment. Now at the suggestion of the gift of tongues being an alcohol-induced thing, Peter immediately stands up and denounces this false judgement. It says… Acts 2:14-15 (ESV)— 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 9:00am-- Now the Jewish day starts at 6:00am, so it was only 9:00am. People don’t usually drink at that hour and [Orthodox Jews did not eat or drink before nine a.m. on the Sabbath or on a holy day, nor did they usually drink wine except with meals.] So Peter immediately shows how that explanation does not make sense. Plus drunken people babble, a word that comes from Babel, where language was initially confused. But here (as we mentioned last week) we see a reversal of Babel. There is understanding; there’s coherence (nothing like a drunken stupor). And so Peter says in… Acts 2:16-21 (ESV)-- 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Joel Not Fulfilled— Now it is important to note that Peter was not saying that Pentecost was a fulfillment of this prophecy given in Joel, at least in its entirety. The signs and wonders Joel here describes have not yet come about. We see in its original context that Joel was not writing about Pentecost but rather the nation of Israel in the end times, in connection with “the day of the Lord.” Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit has led Peter to see in this prophecy a present application for the Church. Peter said, “This is that same Holy Spirit that Joel wrote about. He is here!” Now that would have been astonishing for these Jews to hear because they had been under the impression that God’s Spirit was only for a select and privileged few. And yet here they were witnessing [120 of their fellow Jews, men and women, enjoying the blessing of the same Holy Spirit that had empowered Moses, David, and the prophets.] The Desire of Moses-- You will remember that when Israel set out from Mount Sinai to go to the promised land, the people started to complain about the manna they were tired of eating and began hungering for the food of Egypt; and God became angry with them. And Moses also was tired of their grumbling and complained to God about his having to care for all these grumblers. And so God tells Moses what to do. It says in… Numbers 11:24-29 (ESV)— 24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it. 26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” A New Age of The Spirit-- You see, Moses had a dream; and that dream (which was also God’s dream), was to see a people (a community) anointed by the Spirit of God and being used by God as His instruments to reach a lost and broken world. You see Moses saw the power of what was happening. And His heart began crying out for that reality to be experienced by all of God’s people. And then later down the road comes this incredible prophecy from Joel about the Spirit of God being poured out on all flesh. Moses’ dream would be fulfilled! Now while the full prophecy of Joel is yet to be fulfilled, we see that the arrival of the Holy Spirit has come. [It was indeed the dawning of a new age, the “last days”] in which God has put His Spirit upon men and women to minister to them, to prepare them for the coming of the Kingdom of God (which means enabling them to live lives like Christ; lives of victory over sin), and also empowering them to complete Jesus’ commission of reaching the world with the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. And that presence of the Holy Spirit of God is available to all who come to faith in Jesus Christ. When we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and frees us from all worldly entanglements so that we can be like Jesus. Do you want to be like Jesus today. Well that begins by our saying yes to Him and allowing the Holy Spirit into our lives. If you haven’t done that, do so today. Amen. Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim.
Heart Language— You know, I remember after my wife Tanya and I first got engaged many years ago we sat down with our dear mentor, friend, and former professor Dr. Gareth Cockerill, who actually performed our wedding ceremony. And I will never forget one piece of advice he offered me. He told me, “Cameron, one of the things you are probably going to want to do is you’re going to want to learn to speak Tanya’s native language.” He understood that she could speak English fluently, but he said, “The reason you want to do this is because her original language (and this is true of anybody’s native language); her native language is the language of her heart.” He said, “If you want to speak her heart language, you need to learn her native language.” Now I had learned some phrases, but I did not really know her language. But he said there is something about hearing a message (especially an important message like a love message) in your own language that speaks to your heart in such a profound way. More Than Understanding-- And you know, he had a point. Now does the Holy Spirit transcend language? Yes. Can He overcome language barriers. Absolutely. But here in Acts chapter 2 while the Holy Spirit does transcend and overcome the language barrier, I find it interesting that the Holy Spirit doesn’t bypass our language. He didn’t just somehow impress the truth of what the people were hearing upon their hearts to where they just somehow understood what was being said. No, He pay respect to all languages in allowing all people to hear the Gospel in their own native tongues. The scripture is very clear on this point. It says… Acts 2:5-12 (ESV)— 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” Known Languages-- Now I’d like to point out that [The listing of specific countries and ethnic groups proves…that these utterances were known human languages.] This was a use of known tongues that brought clarity of understanding, not a mysterious tongue that might cause confusion and division. Some denominations teach that if you do not speak in a heavenly kind of tongue, you are not a genuine Christian and are going to Hell. Tongues is your confirmation from God that you are saved. However, nowhere in scripture does the Bible say that you need to speak in tongues to be saved. Apart from it being listed with the spiritual gifts (which were understood to be distributed differently amongst Christians), the gift of tongues is not required by any of the early church fathers; it isn’t required by any of the creeds of the early church. In fact, if you look at the text, you will find that what might be interpreted as a kind of secret tongue is not mentioned once in the entire account of Pentecost. That kind of tongue; “tongues of… angels”, as referenced only in 1 Corinthians 13:1, (if it comes on the scene at all; at least in the way some say it does) it most certainly doesn’t come on the scene until after the Church has already been established; but even then, that is debatable. More likely Paul is merely using that phrase “tongues of…angels” as a hyperbolic way of saying “eloquent speech”; not an actual heavenly tongue. Now you can disagree on that, and that’s okay. We ought to feel free to disagree with one another without letting issues like this to divide the Church. But no matter where you stand on the gift of tongues, what is not up for debate is how tongues is to be understood in this passage; because Luke is very careful to emphasize the known places (and therefore the known languages) of the people who were hearing the Gospel in their own native tongues. After The Heart-- Now why did God want this? Why not just empower people to be able to understand what the disciples were saying. Well, it’s because (as someone once put it): [one has not really heard the message of the gospel until one has heard it in one’s own language.] God wanted people to not just understand the Gospel cognitively, but for it to be spoken to them in such a way so as to touch their hearts and resonate with them at the deepest possible level. God wanted to speak to their hearts; not just their minds. Babel’s Undoing-- Now there is another element to all of this; and it has to do with the ancient city of Babel. You will remember the story of the Tower of Babel in the Old Testament. And that is a story that very much centers around the rebellious nature of people. Nimrod, if you remember, leads the people into sin by instead of scattering and filling the whole earth (as God had commanded) choosing instead to settle in a plain and to erect for themselves a massive ziggurat that would be the center of their society and worship. It was to be their ladder to God and a symbol of their strength and power. Yet God, interestingly comes down to see the tower (which in itself is humorous; that He has to step down) and decides to frustrate their language. And so He does; He confuses the language of the people, which is why we speak so many various languages today. So you have rebellion which leads to a fracturing of our very language. But here in Acts 2, immediately after the Holy Spirit enters into the life of the Church, there is a reversal of Babel. And I think what God may be doing (at least in part) is He’s giving us a visual sign that the inner rebellion of man has now been cleansed by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of God. It was an outward sign of an inward work; and one that foreshadowed a day in which that fracturing of language which was caused by that rebellion will be altogether restored and we will all speak the same language; the language of the Spirit, which will be the cultural language of heaven. Healing Our Rebellion-- And so the miracle we see here is more than just audible; it is a sign of an inner transformation of the lives of the disciples. The Holy Spirit isn’t just an anointing power to help make our evangelism effective. No, He is a Person of God who comes into our lives in order to mold and reshape us; to purify and refine us. Tongues happened here in Acts chapter 2 because when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, He cleanses us of that pride and self-will that was the cause of that language break to begin with. And God knew that the disciples would never be able to impact the world the way He wanted them to without their first experiencing the cleansing, holy-making power of the Holy Spirit. And the same is true of us. If we are to be true Christians, then we must allow the Holy Spirit of God to set us apart completely to Him. And that involves full surrender. Remote Access-- When we visited my wife’s mom and sister in Ukraine a number of years ago, one of the things that we brought for them was a computer; a computer that we hoped would open up their world and allow them to communicate with friends and family more easily. And it did. But teaching them how to use the computer was an interesting process because they had never used one before. And Tanya’s sister would sometimes click on something and something would pop up and she would not know what it meant or what she should do. Now when I was there, it was very easy for me to simply fix whatever issue she had as it arose. But now that I am back here in the U.S., fixing her computer is much less straightforward. But there is a tool that I use to help us overcome that problem. It is a program on my computer and hers that (when I initiate it) will cause a code to appear on her screen. And when she gives me that code over the phone and I put it into my program, that program gives me full control over her computer. My screen changes and shows what is on her screen. And I control everything her computer does. But she has to give me that code. If she doesn't then I can’t access her computer and I cannot fix her problem. Our Access Code-- You know, I find our walk in the Spirit to be very similar. We receive a new element in our hearts upon conversion; we receive the Person of the Holy Spirit. He is given to us as God's means through which He can access all the dysfunction in our hearts. But we have to give God the go-ahead; we have to give Him the code; we have to say, “Lord, you can assume full control over my life.” It is only then that we can become true disciples and also true missionaries of the Gospel. A White Funeral— I remember a phone call I had several years ago with my Grandmother on my dad’s side, who began talking with me about my late Grandfather’s life and ministry. And she began telling me about his early days in and around the time he was in seminary. And she told me that he would go out in evangelistic groups into the community to share the Gospel. But before their leader would send them out, he would always tell them, “Make sure that before you go out that there is nothing that you have not surrendered to Jesus. Make sure that there is nothing you are holding back.” Now that had an enormous impact on my Grandfather, who realized that sin that was not dealt with in his own life could affect both his anointing to preach the Gospel and also the ability of the people he would be ministering to to receive it. And so he began learning about and pursuing a life of holiness before God. And it was during this time that my Grandfather had his experience of entire sanctification, where he fully surrendered all of who He was to Jesus and committed to walking in the Spirit and to allowing the Holy Spirit to empower him to live a holy life. And (from the many conversations I had with him over the years) one thing I realized was that that surrender to the Holy Spirit was not about trying to muscle out sin. That would never be how he would describe it. For him it meant that the Holy Spirit created in him such a love for Jesus, there wasn’t room for anything else. And looking back, in talking about the moment he chose to fully surrender himself to Christ (it was too sacred for him to talk about often; but when he did) he described it as his “white funeral”; a death, yes; but a glorious death; the day he died to himself; when he learned to hold nothing back from Jesus; when he emptied his hands of everything so that he could embrace Christ fully. Embracing Surrender— Now let me tell you; that is the work that God wants most to perform in your life and in mine lives. And I’m sorry to say many people (Christians included) can go years; even decades in the Church without ever knowing the wonder of what it means to live a life fully given over to Jesus Christ; and the life and freedom that comes from that. That is why I want to encourage you today to commit yourself to Christ and to living a life of surrender to the Holy Spirit; choose to be entirely His. When we do, we give God the access code to our hearts; and He can do great things in us; and He can do great things through us. Let us embrace that surrender today. May we come to experience in our lives the fullness of God that comes from the surrender of every area of our lives to Him. And may He use our anointing (our personal Pentecosts) to draw all people unto Himself. Amen. |
Rev. Cameron Ury graduated from Asbury University in 2007 with a B.A. in Bible and Theology. From there he continued his studies at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS. It was there that he met his wife Tanya, who graduated from WBS with her M.A. and M.Div. degrees. Cameron and Tanya got married in 2009. Cameron then graduated with his M.Div. degree with a pastoral concentration in 2011.
After shepherding churches in both Mississippi and Ohio, they joined the ministry team at Renton Park Chapel in January of 2018, where Cameron serves as Senior Pastor and Teacher. Cameron is also the founder and host of Lechem Panim, a weekly radio show that airs on KGNW 820AM "The Word Seattle". The ministry of Lechem Panim is centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through Bible study, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Archives
January 2021
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