St Theodore's

Wattle Park

Sermon of the Week
Look up the passage

27/5/07

Pentecost: 'Enter the Most Interactive Being in the Universe'
By Garrett Edwards Acts 2:1-24

Illustration: Pirates of the Caribbean video clip

Open/Background

We've just finished up a four week series on the Trinity at the Evening Service that we have and it's very fortunate for me that Chris finished off the series last week with the Holy Spirit. Thanks Chris, it was a big help.

He spoke on the different roles of the Holy Spirit, of how the Holy Spirit was intimately relating to those of us who follow Jesus, how he would travel with everyone, never leaving them, always giving guidance.

How he inspired and helped us to know what was right, how the Holy Spirit would be there convicting people of the truth of God. That it was the Holy Spirit's responsibility to convince people about God, not ours.

What a relief that is coming in to this talk. I'm definitely relying on the Holy Spirit to speak to you and to show you the truth because I know that what I say is not going to be perfect.

We come now to a mammoth task: of trying to understand what the day of Pentecost means to us today.

Anything to do with the Holy Spirit is always bound to be a little tricky and I have given up trying to explain the intricacies.

So I'm going to leave that to the Holy Spirit himself to give us understanding today.

We will learn that because of the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit now lives within the Christian; He guides, teaches, protects and coaches the Christian towards excellence in our spiritual journey.

We will see that the Holy Spirit is God; He deserves our worship, our obedience, our allegiance and loyalty.

We will learn about His Power and Glory. We will see the important role He has played in human history through the ages.

We will find out how He works in hearts to bring people to Christ.

We will see how The Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ are inseparable in the saving of people. We'll learn how important He is to us every day of our lives.

The day of Pentecost is one of the most important days on the Christian Calendar. What is it?

It's the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out on to the disciples and then on to everyone who believes in Jesus as the Son of God

In the first chapter of Acts we see that Jesus has ascended into heaven and he has told the Disciples that he will send the Holy Spirit to the and that when he comes, they would receive power and that they would then go fearlessly into the surrounding nations and even to the ends of the earth, as witnesses telling people, proclaiming to the world who Jesus Christ was and what he had done for all people.

And then he was suddenly taken up to heaven taken from them. For forty days after the resurrection, Jesus appears and disappears seemingly at will.

When he's around, his followers listen hungrily to every word he says, to all his explanations of what has happened

And when he leaves they dream of the new Jerusalem of the new kingdom that is going to appear. Just think of it, Jerusalem, all of Israel, free at last from Roman domination.

The disciples wanting and expecting a kingdom much like the great kingdom of David in the Old Testament want what people always do in a kingdom:

Plenty of good food for everyone, great jobs and lots of money and of course a powerful army to keep the low-life enemies at bay.

No matter how many times Jesus has tried to explain the invisible kingdom and the purpose of his death on the cross, it never seems to get through to them.

Jesus gives them strange orders. He tells them to simply go back to Jerusalem and wait. He tells them not to leave the city, until the Holy Spirit arrives.

At last one of the disciples, probably frustrated by the wait asks him, 'Lord, are you now going to restore the kingdom of Israel?'

No one is prepared for what happens next, Jesus just brushes the question aside, deflecting attention away from Israel to a much broader plan. The neighbouring countries, all the way to the ends of the earth! He says something else about the Holy Spirit and then suddenly he's in the air disappearing into a cloud.

Christians everywhere believe that all of history revolves around the life of Jesus. Which is true, but he left after 33 years on this earth.

And he even says in the Gospel of John that it's a good thing that he is leaving so that they can receive the Counsellor.

Can you just imagine the disciple's reaction? What, no restored kingdom, no freedom for Israel? He's leaving Rome in power? And who the heck is this Holy Spirit anyway?

Well they found out soon enough. Thousands of pilgrims are hanging around Jerusalem for an important Jewish festival and the disciples are gathered in a small group indoors, just as Jesus had asked them to.

Then with the sound like a violent wind there are suddenly flames of flickering fire hovering over their heads and then they all start talking gibberish.

What an entrance! What an entrance! Have you ever been to a concert or seen a show where the rock star flies into the stadium in a helicopter?

Or how about the Commonwealth Games. Do you remember when the tram came flying in at the opening ceremony? I didn't see it, but I can just imagine how awesome that would have been!

O how I wish I could enter in that way! I can just imagine it, you're all sitting there and then suddenly the building starts to shake. You look outside and the trees are nearly being ripped from the ground

And then flames of fire shoot down from the ceiling. And suddenly I appear. O that would be so cool!

One of my favourite super heroes is the human torch. You know the guy who just ignites into this massive fire ball and shoots around the sky – yeah he's cool!

What an entrance. I bet even Jesus was a little jealous, 'O man, when I come back I'm on little fluffy cloud, Why can't I arrive in a storm and fire, huh?'

Role of the Holy Spirit until This Point

Well the Holy Spirit doesn't just arrive on the scene at this point. He hasn't just been kickin' back in heaven while the Father and Son do all the work.

He's been busy as well. He's active throughout the entire Old Testament. Whenever God does something, whenever He raises up a leader for Israel, the Holy Spirit was there helping the guy or girl out.

At the very beginning he was around. He created: hovering over the formless mass. Beautiful isn't it, as if he is a caring mother, watching protectively, or an artist over a canvas about to start on his masterpiece.

He guided God's people: He was with Moses as he led Israel out of slavery. The Holy Spirit fills Joshua as he then leads them into the promised land.

He inspires the prophets: He is there when Samuel takes on the mantle of Priest and Prophet.

He gave power to Israel's leaders: He's there for David as he builds the kingdom of Israel. The Holy Spirit fills the prophets giving them dreams and visions and words to encourage and to discipline the people of Israel.

He is there when Jesus is baptised and shows off a little in a scene where we get to see the entire Trinity together, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit flying around in the form of a dove.

Perhaps he is the busiest member of the Trinity. Forever interacting with creation, busy inspiring, guiding and strengthening those God was using,

Filling those few specific people who were faithful to God. But never was he poured out so freely on everyone who believes, never until this day, the day of Pentecost.

Significance of Pentecost

That is the significance of Pentecost. No longer was the Holy Spirit going to be reserved for those special few.

Now he is upon anyone who receives Jesus as their Saviour. No longer does he fill people for a time and then leave them, now he is with us forever.

The day of Pentecost fulfilled so many prophesies: we go back to the 'Valley of Dry Bones' that Roy shared with us a few weeks ago, where Ezekiel is given this strange and vivid dream about the destroyed nation of Israel receiving new life. God said that he would give them His Spirit, to live in them.

Then the prophet Joel tells of the day of Pentecost hundreds of years before it happens saying, 'I will pour out my Spirit on all people.'

And then John the Baptist, in speaking of Jesus says, 'I have baptized with water, But he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'

That's a great image isn't it? Being baptized with the Holy Spirit, If any of you have seen a baptism or have been baptised yourself.

And remember, this isn't the traditional Anglican form of Baptism here,

This is no sprinkle of water on the head, this is the whole nine yards here, full body immersion, all of you, completely drenched!

It's a full on thing! Being completely submerged in water, having it completely envelope you, and you come out soaking wet from head to toe.

Remember that Joel didn't say The Holy Spirit will be sprinkled out. The Holy Spirit isn't in a salt shaker, He's in a high powered hose here. Completely, generously poured out!

If you are a follower of Jesus, You have been BAPTISED with the Holy Spirit. His Spirit has been poured upon you! You have been completely enveloped.

The difference is that the Holy Spirit doesn't dry off you if you don't let him. He will remain with you forever.

No wonder Paul says that if we have chosen to follow Jesus we have a new life.

A life where we are guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Do you feel like you have such an intimate relationship with Almighty God?

Do you truly believe what we are told here, that the Holy Spirit lives in us? So intimate. Do our lives reflect that?

When I was doing my internship at Youth Dimension, The director, Rob Coyle, was sharing with us his reflections on the Holy Spirit and told us that 'He is the most interactive being in the universe.'

There are estimates that say there are about 2.3 billion Christians in this world, 2.3 billion and everyone of those who are sincere are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Everyone of us in this room who confesses to follow Jesus has the Holy Spirit living inside us.

You are the Kingdom of God. You see the disciples didn't have a clear picture of what the kingdom was. Their view was too narrow: The nation of Israel.

But Jesus told them to look beyond, to the neighbouring nations and indeed the ends of the earth.

The Kingdom of God was so much bigger than the disciples had ever imagined. The physical dimensions of this Kingdom weren't to be made of bricks and mortar, but of flesh and blood, of the souls of every person who follows Jesus Christ. We are the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is here and now, and it is still to come, when Jesus returns on his cloud.

The Role of the Holy Spirit from This Point On

So what is the role of the Holy Spirit today? What's his job description? How should our lives be affected by Him living in us?

He teaches: Jesus said, "But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

He hears and speaks "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.

He encourages, He counsels, He convicts us of our sin. He prays for us, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, Because the Spirit intercedes for the saints In accordance with God's will."

He sends people out on missions and He experiences grief. If we are truly sincere about being Christians, followers of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will be living within us,

Changing and maturing us in our faith. Paul names some of these traits in his letter to the Galatians listing the fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

These should be easily identifiable in our character. What are the areas that we need to ask for help in? If you're at all like me, You probably need help in most of these areas.

These are the characteristics that should have replaced Those such as sexual immorality, impurity, anger, hatred, jealousy, selfish ambition, drunkenness. Are any of these areas in our own lives that we need help in?

This is the role of the Holy Spirit, 'He loves us just the way we are, but loves us too much to let us remain that way.'

If we have made the choice to be a follower of Jesus, we must realize that it is going to require change in our lives.

Following Jesus will require a 180 degree turn around in our personal lives. And that is too hard for us to do.

We are sinful by our very nature, It is a part of us and Jesus knew this when he told his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit to them.

He knew that we needed help that we couldn't change by ourselves and he doesn't ask us to.

The role of the Holy Spirit is to confront us with the changes that we need to make and then to help us to make those changes.

The famous Olympic champion Turned Chinese Missionary, Eric Liddel made it his life's ambition to live by the four absolutes:

Absolute Honesty, Absolute Purity, Absolute Unselfishness and Absolute Love. Looks like an impossible task doesn't it?

In looking at this list, does a single one of us in this room think it is possible to live accordingly?

But Eric knew he wasn't alone, and when he made this his life's goal it was because he realized that he was going to get all the help he needed, if only he could hold onto that goal.

Close

The day of Pentecost, one of the most important dates on the Christian calendar.

When Jesus ascended to heaven He didn't leave us here on earth alone, orphaned. He didn't leave us alone, expecting us to do the impossible alone.

He sent us someone who would always be with us. It is the Holy Spirit who convinced everyone of us to follow Jesus,

It is the Holy Spirit who shows us what areas of our lives we need to work on. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us courage to step out and tell someone that we're a Christian.

It is he who gives us words to say when we talk to others about God. It is his responsibility to challenge, to inspire and to guide.

All we need to do is be willing to be used, And that, unfortunately is much harder than it sounds isn't it?

But if we truly believe, Then I guess we just need to trust that the Holy Spirit will change our hearts and our attitudes as we mature in our faith. And I find that a very encouraging fact. What a relief.

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	Sermon of the Week	Look up the passage
	27/5/07
	Pentecost: 'Enter the Most Interactive Being in the Universe' By Garrett Edwards	Acts 2:1-24

	Illustration: Pirates of the Caribbean video clip
	Open/Background
	We've just finished up a four week series on the Trinity at the Evening Service that we have and it's very fortunate for me that Chris finished off the series last week with the Holy Spirit. Thanks Chris, it was a big help.
	He spoke on the different roles of the Holy Spirit, of how the Holy Spirit was intimately relating to those of us who follow Jesus, how he would travel with everyone, never leaving them, always giving guidance.
	How he inspired and helped us to know what was right, how the Holy Spirit would be there convicting people of the truth of God. That it was the Holy Spirit's responsibility to convince people about God, not ours.
	What a relief that is coming in to this talk. I'm definitely relying on the Holy Spirit to speak to you and to show you the truth because I know that what I say is not going to be perfect.
	We come now to a mammoth task: of trying to understand what the day of Pentecost means to us today.
	Anything to do with the Holy Spirit is always bound to be a little tricky and I have given up trying to explain the intricacies.
	So I'm going to leave that to the Holy Spirit himself to give us understanding today.
	We will learn that because of the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit now lives within the Christian; He guides, teaches, protects and coaches the Christian towards excellence in our spiritual journey.
	We will see that the Holy Spirit is God; He deserves our worship, our obedience, our allegiance and loyalty.
	We will learn about His Power and Glory. We will see the important role He has played in human history through the ages.
	We will find out how He works in hearts to bring people to Christ.
	We will see how The Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ are inseparable in the saving of people. We'll learn how important He is to us every day of our lives.
	The day of Pentecost is one of the most important days on the Christian Calendar. What is it?
	It's the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out on to the disciples and then on to everyone who believes in Jesus as the Son of God
	In the first chapter of Acts we see that Jesus has ascended into heaven and he has told the Disciples that he will send the Holy Spirit to the and that when he comes, they would receive power and that they would then go fearlessly into the surrounding nations and even to the ends of the earth, as witnesses telling people, proclaiming to the world who Jesus Christ was and what he had done for all people.
	And then he was suddenly taken up to heaven taken from them. For forty days after the resurrection, Jesus appears and disappears seemingly at will.
	When he's around, his followers listen hungrily to every word he says, to all his explanations of what has happened
	And when he leaves they dream of the new Jerusalem of the new kingdom that is going to appear. Just think of it, Jerusalem, all of Israel, free at last from Roman domination.
	The disciples wanting and expecting a kingdom much like the great kingdom of David in the Old Testament want what people always do in a kingdom:
	Plenty of good food for everyone, great jobs and lots of money and of course a powerful army to keep the low-life enemies at bay.
	No matter how many times Jesus has tried to explain the invisible kingdom and the purpose of his death on the cross, it never seems to get through to them.
	Jesus gives them strange orders. He tells them to simply go back to Jerusalem and wait. He tells them not to leave the city, until the Holy Spirit arrives.
	At last one of the disciples, probably frustrated by the wait asks him, 'Lord, are you now going to restore the kingdom of Israel?'
	No one is prepared for what happens next, Jesus just brushes the question aside, deflecting attention away from Israel to a much broader plan. The neighbouring countries, all the way to the ends of the earth! He says something else about the Holy Spirit and then suddenly he's in the air disappearing into a cloud.
	Christians everywhere believe that all of history revolves around the life of Jesus. Which is true, but he left after 33 years on this earth.
	And he even says in the Gospel of John that it's a good thing that he is leaving so that they can receive the Counsellor.
	Can you just imagine the disciple's reaction? What, no restored kingdom, no freedom for Israel? He's leaving Rome in power? And who the heck is this Holy Spirit anyway?
	Well they found out soon enough. Thousands of pilgrims are hanging around Jerusalem for an important Jewish festival and the disciples are gathered in a small group indoors, just as Jesus had asked them to.
	Then with the sound like a violent wind there are suddenly flames of flickering fire hovering over their heads and then they all start talking gibberish.
	What an entrance! What an entrance! Have you ever been to a concert or seen a show where the rock star flies into the stadium in a helicopter?
	Or how about the Commonwealth Games. Do you remember when the tram came flying in at the opening ceremony? I didn't see it, but I can just imagine how awesome that would have been!
	O how I wish I could enter in that way! I can just imagine it, you're all sitting there and then suddenly the building starts to shake. You look outside and the trees are nearly being ripped from the ground
	And then flames of fire shoot down from the ceiling. And suddenly I appear. O that would be so cool!
	One of my favourite super heroes is the human torch. You know the guy who just ignites into this massive fire ball and shoots around the sky – yeah he's cool!
	What an entrance. I bet even Jesus was a little jealous, 'O man, when I come back I'm on little fluffy cloud, Why can't I arrive in a storm and fire, huh?'
	Role of the Holy Spirit until This Point
	Well the Holy Spirit doesn't just arrive on the scene at this point. He hasn't just been kickin' back in heaven while the Father and Son do all the work.
	He's been busy as well. He's active throughout the entire Old Testament. Whenever God does something, whenever He raises up a leader for Israel, the Holy Spirit was there helping the guy or girl out.
	At the very beginning he was around. He created: hovering over the formless mass. Beautiful isn't it, as if he is a caring mother, watching protectively, or an artist over a canvas about to start on his masterpiece.
	He guided God's people: He was with Moses as he led Israel out of slavery. The Holy Spirit fills Joshua as he then leads them into the promised land.
	He inspires the prophets: He is there when Samuel takes on the mantle of Priest and Prophet.
	He gave power to Israel's leaders: He's there for David as he builds the kingdom of Israel. The Holy Spirit fills the prophets giving them dreams and visions and words to encourage and to discipline the people of Israel.
	He is there when Jesus is baptised and shows off a little in a scene where we get to see the entire Trinity together, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit flying around in the form of a dove.
	Perhaps he is the busiest member of the Trinity. Forever interacting with creation, busy inspiring, guiding and strengthening those God was using,
	Filling those few specific people who were faithful to God. But never was he poured out so freely on everyone who believes, never until this day, the day of Pentecost.
	Significance of Pentecost
	That is the significance of Pentecost. No longer was the Holy Spirit going to be reserved for those special few.
	Now he is upon anyone who receives Jesus as their Saviour. No longer does he fill people for a time and then leave them, now he is with us forever.
	The day of Pentecost fulfilled so many prophesies: we go back to the 'Valley of Dry Bones' that Roy shared with us a few weeks ago, where Ezekiel is given this strange and vivid dream about the destroyed nation of Israel receiving new life. God said that he would give them His Spirit, to live in them.
	Then the prophet Joel tells of the day of Pentecost hundreds of years before it happens saying, 'I will pour out my Spirit on all people.'
	And then John the Baptist, in speaking of Jesus says, 'I have baptized with water, But he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'
	That's a great image isn't it? Being baptized with the Holy Spirit, If any of you have seen a baptism or have been baptised yourself.
	And remember, this isn't the traditional Anglican form of Baptism here,
	This is no sprinkle of water on the head, this is the whole nine yards here, full body immersion, all of you, completely drenched!
	It's a full on thing! Being completely submerged in water, having it completely envelope you, and you come out soaking wet from head to toe.
	Remember that Joel didn't say The Holy Spirit will be sprinkled out. The Holy Spirit isn't in a salt shaker, He's in a high powered hose here. Completely, generously poured out!
	If you are a follower of Jesus, You have been BAPTISED with the Holy Spirit. His Spirit has been poured upon you! You have been completely enveloped.
	The difference is that the Holy Spirit doesn't dry off you if you don't let him. He will remain with you forever.
	No wonder Paul says that if we have chosen to follow Jesus we have a new life.
	A life where we are guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Do you feel like you have such an intimate relationship with Almighty God?
	Do you truly believe what we are told here, that the Holy Spirit lives in us? So intimate. Do our lives reflect that?
	When I was doing my internship at Youth Dimension, The director, Rob Coyle, was sharing with us his reflections on the Holy Spirit and told us that 'He is the most interactive being in the universe.'
	There are estimates that say there are about 2.3 billion Christians in this world, 2.3 billion and everyone of those who are sincere are filled with the Holy Spirit.
	Everyone of us in this room who confesses to follow Jesus has the Holy Spirit living inside us.
	You are the Kingdom of God. You see the disciples didn't have a clear picture of what the kingdom was. Their view was too narrow: The nation of Israel.
	But Jesus told them to look beyond, to the neighbouring nations and indeed the ends of the earth.
	The Kingdom of God was so much bigger than the disciples had ever imagined. The physical dimensions of this Kingdom weren't to be made of bricks and mortar, but of flesh and blood, of the souls of every person who follows Jesus Christ. We are the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is here and now, and it is still to come, when Jesus returns on his cloud.
	The Role of the Holy Spirit from This Point On
	So what is the role of the Holy Spirit today? What's his job description? How should our lives be affected by Him living in us?
	He teaches: Jesus said, "But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
	He hears and speaks "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.
	He encourages, He counsels, He convicts us of our sin. He prays for us, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, Because the Spirit intercedes for the saints In accordance with God's will."
	He sends people out on missions and He experiences grief. If we are truly sincere about being Christians, followers of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will be living within us,
	Changing and maturing us in our faith. Paul names some of these traits in his letter to the Galatians listing the fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
	These should be easily identifiable in our character. What are the areas that we need to ask for help in? If you're at all like me, You probably need help in most of these areas.
	These are the characteristics that should have replaced Those such as sexual immorality, impurity, anger, hatred, jealousy, selfish ambition, drunkenness. Are any of these areas in our own lives that we need help in?
	This is the role of the Holy Spirit, 'He loves us just the way we are, but loves us too much to let us remain that way.'
	If we have made the choice to be a follower of Jesus, we must realize that it is going to require change in our lives.
	Following Jesus will require a 180 degree turn around in our personal lives. And that is too hard for us to do.
	We are sinful by our very nature, It is a part of us and Jesus knew this when he told his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit to them.
	He knew that we needed help that we couldn't change by ourselves and he doesn't ask us to.
	The role of the Holy Spirit is to confront us with the changes that we need to make and then to help us to make those changes.
	The famous Olympic champion Turned Chinese Missionary, Eric Liddel made it his life's ambition to live by the four absolutes:
	Absolute Honesty, Absolute Purity, Absolute Unselfishness and Absolute Love. Looks like an impossible task doesn't it?
	In looking at this list, does a single one of us in this room think it is possible to live accordingly?
	But Eric knew he wasn't alone, and when he made this his life's goal it was because he realized that he was going to get all the help he needed, if only he could hold onto that goal.
	Close
	The day of Pentecost, one of the most important dates on the Christian calendar.
	When Jesus ascended to heaven He didn't leave us here on earth alone, orphaned. He didn't leave us alone, expecting us to do the impossible alone.
	He sent us someone who would always be with us. It is the Holy Spirit who convinced everyone of us to follow Jesus,
	It is the Holy Spirit who shows us what areas of our lives we need to work on. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us courage to step out and tell someone that we're a Christian.
	It is he who gives us words to say when we talk to others about God. It is his responsibility to challenge, to inspire and to guide.
	All we need to do is be willing to be used, And that, unfortunately is much harder than it sounds isn't it?
	But if we truly believe, Then I guess we just need to trust that the Holy Spirit will change our hearts and our attitudes as we mature in our faith. And I find that a very encouraging fact. What a relief.

St Theodore's

Wattle Park

Contact us

Check our Mission Statement

Our Mission Strategy

Our 5-Year Plan

Preaching Program

Home

Last Week's Sermon

Index of Sermons

Receive each week's sermon by email

Receive each week's
sermon by email