Prophecy of Pentecost

Prophecy of Pentecost

Whitsunday

Collect of the Day: O God, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity

Old Testament: Joel 2:21-32 (KJ21)

21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord will do great things!

22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness spring up, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.

23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for He hath given you the early rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the early rain and the latter rain in the first month.

24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm and the caterpillar and the palmer worm, My great army which I sent among you.

26 And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of theLord your God that hath dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be ashamed.

27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am theLord your God, and none else; and My people shall never be ashamed.

28 “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions;

29 and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit.

30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth— blood and fire and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

You’ve probably seen on a television program like Cops or Alaskan State Troopers the police administering a breathalyzer test. The person under suspicion blows into a tube, and the analyzer estimates the person’s blood alcohol level. Sometimes the test indicates the person is guilty of driving under the influence. Rarely the person has a medical condition or is having a medical event that causes him to appear to under the influence.

It might have been nice if St. Peter had had a breathalyzer machine available on the Day of Pentecost, because some people accused disciples of Jesus of being drunk.

1. Pentecost

1.1. Jewish people came from all over the Roman Empire to celebrate festivals such as the Feast of Weeks. The Greek name for it was Pentecost, taken from the Greek word for fifty, because the feast began on the 50th day after the sabbath of Passover week.

It was on this day that the remarkable events we read about Acts 2 this morning. The 12 Apostles and probably many of the 120 disciples mentioned in chapter 1 were meeting together, possibly in the Upper Room. Suddenly there was the sound of a rushing wind. At the same time there appeared a tongue that looked like it was on fire. It divided and rested on the heads of those present.

If you have read the Old Testament much, you may have observed that wind and fire are often associated with the special manifestation of the presence of God. This case was no exception. These were signs of the presence of God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. All of those present were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Holy Spirit enabled them.

When people heard the sound of the wind and heard these disciples speaking, they came to see what was happening. All of them, wherever they came from, and whatever their native tongues, heard these followers of Jesus speaking in the  languages of the countries from which they came. They were proclaiming the mighty works of the Lord that had been accomplished in the life and ministry of Jesus, especially his resurrection.

1.2. These listeners were baffled. They knew most, if not all, of these Christian disciples were from Galilee and that their language was Aramaic, a form of Hebrew. So they said, “How is it that we hear these Galileans speaking in our languages, languages they had never learned?” They were amazed and perplexed and asked, “What does this mean?”

However, there were some other people who scoffed and said, “These people you’re listening to are drunk.”  But they weren’t. Peter, accompanied by the other 11 Apostles, stood up and said, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these men are not drunk as you suppose, since this is only the third hour of the day” - or about 9:00 in the morning.” These people were not under the influence of wine but of the Holy Spirit.

Peter then interpreted this event for them. He knew his Bible and said, “What you are witnessing is something foretold by the prophet Joel.” He quoted part of what we read from the prophet in today’s Old Testament reading. The manifestation of the Spirit in the wind, of fire, and speaking in tongues, or foreign languages was remarkable. But it was also remarkable that a Jewish prophet has prophesied it 500 years earlier.

2. Prophecy

2.1. To understand Joel’s prophecy we have to go back 500 years before Pentecost and put ourselves in the places of Joel and those who experienced his prophetic ministry. Joel lived in Jerusalem and, though not a priest, was a prophet associated with the Temple.

The memory of judgment was or should have been fresh in the minds of the Jewish people. The Lord had sent the Babylonians to conquer their land and to exile many people. Now some had returned and were trying to get re-established in the land. But recently another disaster had taken place. Swarms of locusts had invaded and left the land bare. Why? Joel says it is because the people again have turned away from the LORD. Joel warned that the devastation caused by the locusts was a harbinger of a coming the day of the LORD - a day of judgment. The only way to avoid it was to repent and return to the LORD.

But Joel also had a message of hope. The LORD would return in mercy to his people and the land  with its crops destroyed by locusts would be productive again. But the LORD would do something much greater than restore the land to produce crops. Joel prophesied a wonderful thing which Peter said was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.

2.2. What did Joel prophesy?

Three things:

2.2.a. The Gift of the Spirit

28 “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions;

29 and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was present and at work in the Old Testament. He was active at creation shaping the world as the LORD spoke his will. He gave gifts to kings to enable them to rule. He inspired prophets to speak the Word of the LORD and guided some of them to preserve those Words in writing. He gave believers the gift of faith and enabled them to live according to God’s Word. But the impression we get is of the Spirit’s work in the Old Testament is that it was temporary and partial. He came upon people to equip them for a particular assignment. He did just enough in all believers to make and keep them believers.

But now on the day of Pentecost Jesus fulfills his promise to send another Helper, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would work in all Jesus’s followers as Jesus worked in the lives of his 12 disciples. He would pour out the Holy Spirit on his whole church. He would fill every believer in Christ. He would work not in a few but in all - not only men but also women, not only the old but also the young, not only the free but also the servants and handmaids. All the servants of the LORD will know the LORD, receive the Word of the LORD, and serve the LORD.

Peter said to those who witnessed the 120 disciples testifying to the works of the LORD in languages they had not learned, “What you are seeing is the beginning of the new age that the prophet Joel predicted. These are not drunk men and women but Spirit-filled followers of Jesus.”

You and I live in the age that began on Pentecost. All of us have the Holy Spirit living in us, sanctifying us, equipping us. The church is equipped to reach the world for Christ and to reproduce itself throughout the world.

Sometimes Susan and I marvel at the lifestyles of our kids. They accept as normal things we could not even imagine when we were at the place in life they are. When we used to go out to eat, we never ordered an appetizer. Our kids think you cannot order a meal unless you first have an appetizer. We as Christians sometimes lose sight of the blessing we enjoy. But an Old Testament believer would say to us, “You have no idea how good you have it to live in the age when the LORD has poured out his Spirit on all his people.”

2.2.b The Last Days

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

These “signs” in the heavens say to the world, “The day of the Lord is coming soon.” They are not necessarily literal but point to a cataclysmic change in the universe that means “the end is near.”

Peter quoted this part of Joel’s prophecy to say, “All the works of Jesus and now the coming of the Spirit are telling you that the last age has begun. The turning point in human history has come.” Now is is the age of grace, but the age of grace will end in the Day of Judgment. Christ has come; he has poured out his Spirit on the church; when he comes again it will be to judge the quick and the dead.

2.2.c. Universal Salvation.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

Whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered - saved. Peter says, “The LORD has given this gift of languages today, because he intends to proclaim the saving work of Jesus Christ and call all to believe and repent to to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.” Later Paul made clear that this promise was truly universal - not just for Jews who spoke different languages but for all people everywhere. All who call on the name of the Lord for salvation through the work of Jesus.

Here’s the bottom line. I can say to you, and you and I can say to everyone, “D you want to be saved?” Call on the name of the LORD.” All who call on the LORD, all without exception will be saved. No ifs, ands, and buts. Call on the name of the LORD by putting your faith in Jesus and you will be saved.

Jesus meets us at this, his Table. He says, “I died for your sins. I rose so you could be declared righteous. I ascended so  that you could go to heaven. I have poured out my Spirit so that you can call on my name and then declare my mighty saving works to the world.