Pentecost 2017

Readings:
Leviticus 23:15-22
Acts 2 1-13
Ephesians 2:11-22

“What does this mean?” (Acts 2:12)
 
​Jewish Feast of Weeks/Pentecost is Fulfilled in The Church’s In-gathering (Eph. 2:11-22)

• Two Loaves…Jew and Gentile become “one new man”. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two v.15
• Baked WITH yeast/leaven…both Jew and Gentiles are sinners saved by grace.
• Wave offering…symbolic act of sanctification…set apart for sacred use.

A Change of Dispensation

• Law- 3,000 die (Ex. 32:28)
• Grace/Church- 3,000 live (Acts 2:41)

A Change of Levitical Order

• Levites established as assistance to the priesthood
• Now is the “Priesthood of Believers”
• "…you also like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Pet.2:5)
• “But you are a chosen people a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet.2:9)
• “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father…” (Rev. 1:5-6)
• The Levites (Num. 8:11, 13, 15, 21) and the Two Loaves (Lev. 23:17, 20) were both a “wave offering to the Lord”…representative, offered to God, consecrated and given back to the people for their use.

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​A Change of Babel’s Sign of Judgement to Jerusalem’s Sign of Grace

• After the Tower of Babel incident, as an act of both judgement and mercy, God changed the languages of people and scattered them over the earth.
• At Pentecost this is seen in reverse: “God fearing Jews from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2: 5) “…heard them speaking in his own language…his own native languages” (v.6,8); “…we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues”

A Fulfillment of Jesus’ Promise to Send the Holy Spirit

• John 14:16; 25
• John 15:26
• John 16:7-16
• Acts 1:4-5

A Spiritual Outpouring Analogous to The Kingdom Prophesies of Joel 2

• Acts 2:17-21 are not a fulfillment of Joel 2, though Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32
• The historical, contextual, grammatical, and dispensational elements are unfulfilled in Acts 2, however when Peter says “this is that” (note: not “this fulfills”), he is saying that “this” event should not surprise you for you know “that” Joel spoke of such literal fulfillment of these kinds of things in the future Millennial Kingdom.

Reversal of Satan’s Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness

• Satan says to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God turn these stones into bread” (Matt.4:3)
• Jesus in effect says ,” Because I am the son of God, I turn bread into stones”
• We are “living stones being built into a spiritual house” (1Pet.2:5)
• We are “built on the foundation of the (NT) apostles and (NT) prophets, with Christ Jesus himself the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling/habitation (Lit. ) in which God lives by His Spirit. (Eph. 2:20-22)
• Habitation is STRONGS NT 2732: κατοικητήριονi. Only two occurrences in the Bible, here and in Rev. 18:2 speaking of Babylon being “…a habitation of demons”
• With just two uses of this word, it suggests that there only two “habitations/dwellings”; either God’s or Demon’s. Which one are you being built into today?

The Way Is Now Open Into Eternal Life

• You and I cannot live the Christian Life. There is only ONE Christian Life and it is the Life of Jesus lived IN the Father.
• Eternal Life is not simply endless existence it is “Knowing (not just a once off knowing about, but knowing  in an ongoing and ever deepening experiential way) the One True God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent” (John 17:3)
• The Christian Life is “Sharing in the Son’s communion with the Father by the Spirit”. We do not know God by ourselves (John 1:18; 7:28-29; 17:25-26). The only access we have to the knowing of God which is eternal life, comes through the Son sharing with us what he knows of the Father, dwelling in His bosom. The instrument of Jesus sharing His knowledge with us is the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Divine Trinity, indwelling us personally. Have you received the Spirit?
• Pentecost means eternal life is possible for sinners like you and me. No Pentecost, No eternal life. Period.
• It is now possible to “put to death the misdeeds of the body” BY the Spirit (Rom.8:13)
• This Spirit we have received does not make us slave again to fear, is “The Spirit of Adoption/Sonship by which we cry out ‘Abba-Father’. (Rom.8:15-16)

 
“What Shall We Do?” (Acts 2:37)

“Repent” (Aorist Active Imperative) a command for you yourself to change your mind and believe the apostolic testimony once and for all. v.38

“Be baptised” (Aorist Passive Imperative) a command to let yourself be immersed once and for all. v.38

“Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit” (Future Middle Indicative) subsequently you will receive unto yourself and on your own behalf the Gift of the Holy Spirit of promise. v.38; John 20:22

• Eph. 1:13-15 Lit. “And you also, in Christ, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; having believed, you were marked in him with a seal (ownership and security), the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.
• Have you heard and believed? Then you have been indwelt.

“Save yourself from this corrupt, (Grk. Lit. crooked, perverse, unfair, warped and twisted) generation”. v.40

“Keep on being filled with the Spirit” Eph. 6:18

• Indwelling happens once. Filling happens many times and we are to keep full of the Holy Spirit. How?
• Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit” Eph. 4:30

• How? 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin", Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

“Keep in step with the Spirit” Gal. 5:25

• How? Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

“Do not quench the Holy Spirit” 1 Thes.5:19

• How? Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.

“Do not lie to the Holy Spirit” Acts 5: 3

• 3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."

“Maintain the unity of the Spirit” Eph. 4:3

• I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called—5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

“Discover the Spirit’s gift to you and use it” 1 Cor. 12

• Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good v.7

“Don’t Blaspheme the Holy Spirit” Matt. 12:31

• And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
• There is only one “unpardonable sin” and it is to resist and reject the Holy Spirit’s ministry of truth/ reality to you.
• Blasphemy 988 blasphēmía (from blax, "sluggish/slow," and 5345 /phḗmē, "reputation, fame") – blasphemy – literally, slow (sluggish) to call something good (that really is good) – and slow to identify what is truly bad (that really is evil); "Switches" right for wrong (wrong for right), i.e. calls what God disapproves, "right" which "exchanges the truth of God for a lie" (Ro 1:25). See 987 (blasphēmeō).  HELPS Word-studies copyright © 1987, 2011 by Helps Ministries, Inc 

Conclusion:
The Jewish Feast of Pentecost celebrated the gathering in of the wheat harvest by taking wheat, grinding the individual grains into flour and combining both the yeast of sin and the oil of the Holy Spirit to produce two loaves prophetically representing Jew and Gentile in the One New man called the Church; the habitation of God by His Spirit.
 
Today we celebrate this “two becoming one” in another unique expression. Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of the Six Days War (June 5-10, 1967) and the Reunification of Jerusalem to Israel. From the establishment of the Jewish state on May 14th 1948 until 1967, Jerusalem had belonged to Jordan. But after Israel was attacked by three Arab countries, Egypt, Syria and Jordan and once again miraculously defended herself, Jerusalem was taken back from the attacking Jordanians and has been in Israeli territory ever since.
 
While control of the city of Jerusalem remains divided and a “cup of trembling” to all the nations that seek to interfere with it, the coincidence of this 50th anniversary with Pentecost is unique and makes us even more alert to the next Jewish Feast, the Feast of Trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets in type represents the Rapture of the Church from this world and the unfolding of the apocalyptic events of the Book of Revelation until the time when the Jewish nation will say “Baruch haba be’shem Adonai”…Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
 
Are you waiting and watching for the blessed hope…the glorious appearing of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ? (Titus 2:13)
 
May this Pentecost remind us “what these things mean” and “what we should be doing” as we look expectantly for His coming for us.
 
The Lord be with you.