Lord of the Nations Pentecost Sunday 2024 Acts 2:1-21;Ps 104:26-36; Rom 8:17-27; John 15:26-27; 16:4-15
https://www.daleappleby.net/index.php/mp3-sermons/51-recent-sermons/1202-pentecost-2
Introduction [] = omitted from sermon
[It is indispensable to Christian authenticity that] we must interpret Pentecost as a climactic event in [the Spirit’s unfolding of] the life of Jesus through the unfolding of his identity in Incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and his outpouring of limitless power (Matt 3:11; Rev 4:11; 5:12; 12:10 etc.). The Father from eternity has been working to a plan to maximise his glory and ours (Isa 42:8; John 17:5). Whereas the [Western] Church often bypasses the glorification of Jesus’ humanity [in his being lifted up to heaven] (Acts 1:9; 1 Cor 15:45), our liturgical calendar celebrated the Feast of the Ascension of the 9th of May, for the ascension sets the framework for understanding what God did once for all (Heb 9:26 etc.) at Pentecost. Acts 2:32-33 is a [climactic] key to Peter’s preaching on that Day; “ This Jesus aGod raised up, band of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore dexalted at the right hand of God, and having received from ethe Father fthe promise of the Holy Spirit, ghe has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” In ascending triumphantly into heaven, “the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5) receives from the Father “the inheritance of the nations” (Ps 2:7), a sort of title deed he took up for his glorious universal rule from Pentecost onwards [forever (Isa 49:6; Mark 13:27; Acts1:8; 13:47; Rev 5:1ff.)].
The Lord promises in John 15, “But swhen the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, the will bear witness about me. 27 And uyou also will bear witness, vbecause you have been with me wfrom the beginning.” This promise is progressively coming true on earth. Pentecost is “the birthday of the Church”, but our common “miniaturisation” of Jesus means we often miss the universal dimensions [of the gospel] presented at Pentecost in the gift of the Spirit of God to all his people.
Exposition: Acts 2:1-21
“When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (vv.1-4)
Whereas most English translations blandly read (NIV, ESV, NRSV etc.), “When the day of Pentecost had came”, the older more literal and dynamic tradition “when the day of Pentecost had fully come” (KJV etc.) captures the sense that everything pictured and promised symbolically/typologically in the Old Testament practice of Pentecost [/“feast of weeks” (Ex 34:22; Num 28:16; Deut 16:16: such as celebrating the giving of the Law)] is coming to completion (ἐν τῷ συμπληροῦσθαι being “filled up”). On that day, the apostolic band, who in Acts 1:14, “with one accord gwere devoting themselves to prayer”, were united in awaiting expectantly for “the promise of the Father…being baptised with/in the Holy Spirit ” (Acts 1:4-5). Whereas under the era of Law, Jews and God-fearing Gentile proselytes were in a legal [or external] covenantal unity (cf. Acts 8:5-17; 10:1-48), the emerging Church cf. Jer 31:31=34 united by the love of the Spirit (Rom 15:30), was expecting great things from God . Brothers and sisters in Christ, what has the Father promised you [by his Word and in his Spirit] and are you praying for it expectantly, not only personally but corporately with others, until it is fulfilled? One of the great needs of both the Church today, including our own and parish, is for ongoing community prayer.
The Spirt of God fell (cf. Acts 10:44; 11:15) “suddenly…from heaven” because that is how he established the revelation that he is as much Lord [and God] as the Father and the Son (2 Cor 3:18; Nicene Creed). The visitation “like a mighty rushing wind” connects with the creation story in Genesis 1:2, when “the Spirit of God/ruah Elohim= mighty wind” was hovering over the face of the waters. Pentecost witnesses to nothing less than the coming of a new world order. [One already established in the glorification of the humanity of Jesus]
God’s mighty divine presence “filled the entire house”, not simply the disciples, for the creation itself awaits “with eager longing the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom 8:19). Whilst expectations born of the Spirt of God in the New Testament are characterised by rich joy (Rom 5:3; 1 Pet 1:8), the present age is also a time of “groaning in the Spirit” (Rom 8:23. 26) until this corrupt and perishing world becomes the kingdom of God and Christ (Rev 12:10). Things in the natural world will always seem to get worse, when will it rain?, and just ask Donna about our trials this week[, until this world finally passes away (1 Cor 7:31)]. When the house was filled with the Spirit of the glorified Christ (Col 1:27), “divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” “Divided tongues (diamerizomenai, διαμεριζόμεναι)” would remind the first readers (in Greek) of the ancient time when, according to the Old Testament, “the Most High agave to the nations their inheritance, when he bdivided (diamerizomenai, διαμεριζόμεναι) mankind, he fixed the borders1 of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God” (Deut 32:8). Under the previous pre-Pentecost dispensation angelic powers (cf. Eph 3:10; 6:12) had governmental authority over the nations of the earth, now, with the complete triumph [in resurrection and ascension of ] of Jesus as Lord of all (Acts 10:36) every governmental power in heaven and earth must submit to his rule through the Church [which is seated with Jesus in heaven] (Matt 28:18-20; Eph 2:6; Gal 4:26; Col 3:1-3; Heb 12:22-24; Rev 7:14; 19:16). The fact that the tongues “rested” on them reminds us that the people of God share in the permanent relationship the Son of God with the Father (Matt 3:16; John 1:32-33).
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The word used for “other tongues” here (heterais- glossais) is NOT the same as the word used in Acts and 1 Corinthians (glōssais only) (Acts 10:46; 19:6; 1 Cor 12:10, 28, 30; 14:2 etc). the impartation of Pentecostal tongues was unique because (Acts 2:6ff.) they were intelligible known foreign languages (Acts 2:6ff.). “as the Spirit gave them utterance” means they spoke like Jesus did (e.g. Luke 4:18ff.) only when inspired by the Spirit (cf.2 Tim 3:16), this is quite a challenge to most of us. E.g. when I get angry and frustrated! (JY to students, when I kick the dog I am not filled with the Spirit)
Verse 5, “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.” This takes our thinking back to the judgement at the Tower of Babel. Whereas the rebellion of Babel led to “confusion” of languages (Gen 11:7 cf. Acts 2:3), the tongues at Pentecost lead to an amazement (2:7, 12) already witnessed in the Gospel stories following Jesus’ miracles (Matt 12:23; Mark 2:12; 5:42; 10:24, 32). The outpoured “Spirit of grace” (Zech 12:10; Heb 10:29) reflects unity in the Lordship of Christ (Acts 10:36; 1 Cor 8:6; Eph 4:5). The proclamation of the stunned crowd “—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” (2:11) points to a rendition of the miraculous works of God in creation, Flood, the Exodus from Egypt, the conquest of the Promised Land and so on (cf. Heb 11). But these Christians [were first and foremost witnesses of the many great works (John 14:12), and] in the power of the Spirit would soon testify to God’s greatest act for human salvation, to the mightiest of all God’s deeds (Rom 4:25), the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (Rom 1:4; Eph 1:19-20; 3:20; Phil 3:10; Col 2:12; Rev 5:6). There is much more to Peter’s following sermon than usually noticed.
6 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,”
Whilst most of what Peter quotes comes from Joel 2, the expression “in the last days” is derived [uniquely in Greek] from the new temple vision of Isaiah 2 (verse 2), where, in agreement with Joel 2, all groups of people, not merely prophets, priests and kings, receive the Spirit to prophesy. [This fulfils Moses’ ancient longing, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (Num 11:29).] As Jesus expresses his reign over the global Church a community emerges who in the unity of the Spirit are fit to govern “all things” in Christ (Matt 19:28). Just as all parts of the then known [gentile] world were represented at Pentecost, today it is increasingly obvious that the Body of Christ exists in an end-time era of consummation (cf. 2 Tim 3:1; Heb 1:2; James 5:3; 2 Pet 3:3). For example, in the last few years, following the COVID pandemic, various floods, famines, revolutions and wars (cf. Matt 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), we have witnessed in Perth ecumenical prayer gatherings, such as Love Myanmar, Love India, Love Iran, Love Afghanistan, and [with momentum building,] as I see it anyway, we are building towards a mission-focussed 24/7 prayer hub. [(Some flowing from the World Prayer Assembly held here in October 2023)]. The radical nature of Pentecost means children of old ages, old people, men, women, and all classes (Acts 2:17-19) are now equipped to “prophesy”, (cf. Rev 19:10) that is, to bear Spirit empowered and guided testimony to Christ as Lord (Rev 19:10; Rom 10:9). No one is left out of God’s great Spirit-empowered move.
Conclusion
God’s project to have a people[/Body/Bride] equipped (cf. Eph 4:7-16) to rule the cosmos with Christ [forever] was launched with new glory at Pentecost. This is the day when the ministry of Jesus publicly shifted from one on earth to one from heaven, from one of limited expanse to one, quoting Paul, in the “the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, [that gyou may be ] filled with all hthe fullness of God.” (Eph 3:18-19). The glorified life of Christ is the substance of the Spirit’s revelation because through death, resurrection and ascension Jesus has taken our humanity into the limitless expanses of God (Athanasian Creed). How then can it be that the Church in the Western world is so spiritually stunted? Whilst so many of us are keen of Jesus, and pray to him fondly, and others are growing in the things of the Father, [and learning to talk to him intimately as our Father (cf. Rom 8:12-17)], most are uncertain or hesitant about the fullness of the Spirit and the signs and wonders sent from the heavenly Jesus (1 Pet 1:12; Heb 2:3-4). Peter, commissioned by Jesus to lay the foundation of the universal Church (Matt 16:16-18cf. Eph 2:20), declared at Pentecost we have been baptised into an age when “19 (God) will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapour 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.’ These signs in the bible are not observable meteorological phenomena but [more than literal] apocalyptic witnesses (cf. Isa 13:10-13; 24:1-6, 19-23; 34;4; Ezek 32:6-8; Joel 3:15-16; Hag 3:6-11) pointing to the end of an age of wickedness and the dawn of a new age of glory. The Spirit of Pentecost inspires us to testify with power (2 Tim 1:7) that the old creation is passing away and a new creation is being birthed in Christ (1 Cor 7:31).
In walking along the beach at night in Bali about 30 years ago (only time I’ve been there and I have no desire to return, beach just down from where I guy dropped his pants in front of me) I came across a stretch of beach whose surf was powerfully illuminated by a series of search lights whose floodlighting was placed to take our eyes off them so as to focus totally on the energy of the waves. This is like the Spirit’s infallible total focus on the glorified humanity of the Son of God. Only in the power of God’s Spirit can we look away from the murky chaotic waters of life (Isa5 7:20; Jude 13; Rev 13:1) to the outpoured energy of the Spirit (Isa 32:15; Ezek 39:29; John 4:14; 7:37-39) given to complete the Lamb of God’s painful victory [for his Bride] the Church (Rev 19). This is a call to a worldwide cross-and-resurrection centred vision (Rev 5:6). In Jesus, history repeats itself.
[Groaning in prayer together must be a Spirit-inspired reality.] When the little churches in China grieved the eviction of all Western missionaries in 1949, and the tiny Iranian church trembled before the apparent triumph of militant Islam in 1979, few anticipated that these nations would come to hold the fasting growing churches in the world! [God’s ways never change.] The spiritually downtrodden prayer deprived people of God in our affluent increasingly ‘woke” Australia can receive an enduement of power from heaven (Acts 1:8) to join other Spirit empowered peoples across the world in renewal and revival, for Christ’s sake. If, as Romans 8 teaches (vv.26-27), the Spirit himself groans like a woman in labour to give birth to a new creation, our failure to pray with him [in unity with Jesus in Gethsemane\,] points to our desperate need to become Spirit-filled people. Did we not hear Mark tell us last week, “we cry, j“Abba! Father!” 16 kThe Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then lheirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, mprovided (x2) we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Rom 8:15-17). Let us pray.