Church Sermon - May 15, 2005

Rev. Bernt P. Tweit

First Lesson; Acts 2:1-21
Gospel Lesson; John 16:5-11
Sermon Text; Joel 2:28-29

Today is the festival of Pentecost. It has its origins all the way back in the Old Testament Church. In the Old Testament, all the Jews were required to go to Jerusalem, for Pentecost. And, we even know exactly when it took place. It took place 50 days after Passover, (Pente means fifty). And so, the people got together in Jerusalem for Pentecost. In the early Christian Church, it was while they were in Jerusalem for Pentecost that the Holy Spirit came upon them.

Well, in order for us to understand the gift of the Holy Spirit today, it is important for us to know how the gift of the Holy Spirit was given in the Old Testament. And so, let us examine that, first of all.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit did not work through everybody. But, the Holy Spirit worked through particular people, mostly prophets, priests, and kings. Think about the work of a prophet. The Holy Spirit would come to that prophet and reveal to him what He wanted him to know. And then that prophet, in turn, would go and share with all the people what God had revealed.

There was a time when Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were squabbling a little bit, because God was coming to Moses. And God addressed the three of them and said, "When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions and I speak to him in dreams." (Numbers 12:6)

Here God’s Word tells us how it is that the Holy Spirit worked in the Old Testament. It was through dreams and visions.

Or think about the prophet Isaiah. Scripture tells us in Isaiah 6, God came to Isaiah in a vision and He called him to be a prophet. The same with Zechariah. In Zechariah, chapters 1-6, God came to Zechariah in a vision and called him to be a prophet.

The gift of the Holy Spirit was also given in dreams. God wanted Joseph to know that his brothers, one day, were going to bow down to him. And so, God gave Joseph a dream. In that dream Joseph was dreaming of harvest time. His sheaves grew up nice and tall, and the other sheaves (his brothers) bowed down to him. In another dream he dreamt that the sun, moon, and stars bowed down to him (his mother, father, and brothers would bow down to him). God wanted Joseph to know that his brothers would bow down to him. He revealed that to him, through dreams.

Remember in the Old Testament, God the Holy Spirit came to a particular person and then they, in turn, shared it with all of the people.

That is how God, the Holy Spirit, worked in the Old Testament. Now, today, we begin by looking at how it is that the Holy Spirit works in the New Testament.

Joel, in our text for today, tells us. In the very first line of our text he says, "And afterward, I will pour out my spirit." That word afterward means that the Messiah’s work was done. When Peter spoke these words, the work that Jesus came to do, was already done. Jesus was born. Jesus had lived. Jesus had suffered. He had died. He was buried. He rose again. And, He ascended into Heaven.

Now Joel, prophesying about the future says, "I will pour out my spirit." The Hebrew word for pour out is shafud. We see the difference of how the Holy Spirit works in the New Testament. It is an outpouring. It is a flood. It is a pouring rain, (just like we had yesterday). You see, in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was like an eyedropper, or a turkey baster, going to a particular person, and revealing to them His Will. They in turn, would share with all of the people. In the New Testament now, it is like a flood. The floodgates are open and God the Holy Spirit outpours to all of us. It rains over all of us. It floods over all of us.

Unfortunately, there are some church bodies that say that the gift of the Holy Spirit is given when people raise their hands toward heaven and they start speaking in an unintelligible language. They say that every Christian should speak in tongues. And yet remember, that is not how God the Holy Spirit works. Even in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit didn’t work through people’s unintelligible language. He worked through dreams and visions. And in the New Testament, God the Holy Spirit pours Himself out to us through God’s Word. That is how the gift is given.

Why is the gift of the Holy Spirit needed for us? Joel also shares that answer with us today. He says, "And afterward, I will pour out my spirit on all people." The Hebrew word for people is basar. This is the very same word that God used in the days before the flood. God saw how wicked the people had become. God said, "Every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was evil all the time." (Genesis 6:3,5) Every inclination of the thoughts of his heart of basar, of flesh, is evil all the time."

We know what happened. The people perished in the flood that God sent to cover the world. That helps us today to understand our natural condition. It is we, who are basar. We are flesh. Peter, in I Peter 1:24, tells us about flesh. He says, "All men are like grass. All their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall."

Every inclination of our thoughts of our heart is evil all of the time. As we look at them in comparison with the Ten Commandments, it becomes very clear how evil our heart is, how sinful our heart is. The Second Commandment says, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain."

We may not speak God’s name in vain, but every inclination of the thoughts of our heart is evil all of the time.

The Fifth Commandment says,

We may say to ourselves, "I have never killed anybody." And yet, as we see the anger and the hatred in our heart, we see every inclination of the thoughts of our heart is evil all of the time.

We may say, "I have never stolen anything," as we consider the Seventh Commandment. And yet, as we look at the desires of our heart, we see the coveting. Every inclination of the thoughts of our heart is evil all of the time.

This makes the gift of the Holy Spirit glorious, as it comes to us, who are basar. Which makes it all the more glorious to see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to us in the New Testament age.

Do you know that it would be true to say that Mrs. Pape’s kindergarten class knows more, more fully about what the Holy Spirit has to say, than even the great prophet Moses, than even the great King David, than even the great prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament? And, if it were possible, if it were possible, one of Mrs. Pape’s kindergarten students could go back and share with Moses, and David, and Isaiah, more than even they knew about our Savior. You see, the Holy Spirit has been poured out to all of us. We now are Children of God. That’s what Paul tells us. He says, "You are all Children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Him have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."

"Your daughters and your sons will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, (even the poor people have had the Holy Spirit poured out upon them) both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days."

This morning we are reminded of what the gift of the Holy Spirit has done to us. The gift of the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us, has brought us to faith. We have come to believe in Jesus as our Savior, through God’s Word.

On that first great day of Pentecost, in the New Testament Church, Peter stood up and he preached a sermon, as the Holy Spirit came to him. The Holy Spirit, through Peter, reminded the people that it was because of their sin that Jesus died on the cross. A number of them looked at Peter. They were cut to the heart, scripture tells us. They said, "What shall we do?"

Peter said, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38-39)

The gift of the Holy Spirit has been given to us, once again this day. The Holy Spirit has outpoured Himself to us through His Word. We, who are sinners, who know that we have a Savior, who know that eternal life has been won for us, have received that Word. May we share that Word with others, so that the same phenomena may help in today’s day and age, as it did back on that very first day of Pentecost. May the LORD add to our number daily, those who are being saved.

Amen.

Top of Page || Church Sermons || Return to Home Page