“The Spirit at Work in the Open Heart”

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21

Pentecost is the day when glory came visibly and suddenly and unmistakably into the lives of humanity.
We had known about the Father, but we were scared silly over his call on our lives; we had met Jesus and he seemed to be an amazing guy, but we didn’t quite know what to do about his teachings, and then Jesus tells us that another was going to come and we didn’t have a clue as to what this Spirit – this Counselor – this Advocate – this Comforter was actually going to do for us.
But on this day, it all began to come together for the Church.

Pastor Peter Gomes writes:
The point of the divine encounter with the human is never that we should become divine ourselves, little gods; that was the problem in Eden, remember? The point and achievement of the divine encounter with the human is that the human become fully human, that is, that we become more fully what we are meant to be ...
--Peter Gomes, in a Pentecost sermon, cited by Eugene C. McAfee in The Place Belongs to God (Cambridge: Harvard College, 1995), 69.

There were about 120 of the faithful who were still gathering in Jerusalem after Jesus’ ascension, waiting to experience this next encounter with the Divine. I imagine that they were continuing to encourage each other, with all waiting expectantly for this Spirit to come into their midst. But how would he arrive? Would he come as an infant, as Jesus had? Would he come as a mighty warrior to overthrow Rome, and the nation believed? What would he look like? What would he do? What will it mean for our lives? How long must we wait?
And then the day came when they would have to wait no longer.

Read Acts 2:1-4

Now before we get into the Spirit’s grand entrance, we need to take a moment to consider “why Pentecost, why this day?” This wasn’t a new celebration for the followers of Jesus - it was a Jewish holiday to celebrate the first harvest – the first fruits of the field – and it was a time to celebrate the Lord’s goodness. People had come to Jerusalem from near and far to offer their sacrifices and gifts to their great Jehovah. It was the beginning of the yearly harvest, and it was important to honor the Lord for his graciousness.
And what better time for the Holy Spirit to break in to our lives?

And break in he did! We’ve heard reports from folks recently who had experienced the rushing wind of a tornado, and the description of the Spirit’s Wind sounds very similar – Young’s Literal Translation tells us that “there came suddenly out of the heaven a sound as of a bearing violent breath”. It was the Breath of God – the Spirit of God – and he had burst onto the world and beared down on us in such a way that no one could ever forget or deny!
And with the Breath came tongues of flame – the Message says it “came like a wildfire that spread through their ranks”. Fire has always been seen as a cleansing – In Isaiah 6:4-8, the prophet proclaims that he is unclean and unworthy to carry the Lord’s word to the nation, and so an angel takes a burning coal from a brassier on the altar and touches his mouth with it, and then Isaiah is told that “his guilt has been taken away”.

The Breath of God would come roaring into our souls to breathe into us a newness of life unlike any other. And the Breath brought a cleansing fire that would prepare all for the new ministries and missions that we would be called to live. And what would come of it?

Read Acts 2:5-13

The Jews who were in the vicinity that day couldn’t help but miss the commotion that was going on in that house. And they recognize the men as Galileans. And if they could see the men who were speaking in this multitude of languages, then the Holy Wind must have moved the entire assembly outside. They could no longer remain sequestered in hiding.

Here is the first work of the Spirit – it refuses to leave you where you are, comfortable and safe inside your personal walls. It takes you to the very place where ministry can happen unobstructed. The point is that ministry does not come to us – we must go to the ministry!

Now, at the beginning of this message, one of the questions that I offered regarding the coming of the Spirit was “What will it mean for our lives?” And the crowd asks that very question, too. They had never experienced, or even heard, of this phenomenon before, and I’m sure that it shook them to the core. They had to be wondering what this incredible happening would mean for them personally.
Of course, there are always the skeptics and jokesters, and on that Pentecostal day, they were there in force. But to be honest, I expect that the accusation of intoxication was due as much to their own personal nervousness as it was to unbelief, but there will always be unbelief!
But the two questions – “what does it mean?”, and “are these guys drunk?” – brings Peter to the fore, and he begins to give them a lesson in faith.

Read Acts 2:14-21

[Some time ago, there was] a news report about an Army veteran who had been receiving benefits from the government - he had been wounded in Vietnam and was now on permanent disability. One day, out of the blue, he received an official notification from the government of his own death. Needless to say, this was quite a shock!
The vet wrote the government a letter stating that he was indeed very much alive and would like to continue receiving his benefits. The letter did no good. He then tried calling the government. (Have you ever tried to call the government? This required the patience of Job and the persistence of Noah!) The phone calls didn't change the situation either.
Finally, as a last resort, the veteran contacted a local television station, which ran a human-interest story about his situation. During the interview, the reporter asked him, “How do you feel about this whole ordeal?” The veteran chuckled and said, “Well, I feel a little frustrated by it. After all, have you ever tried to prove that you're alive?”

The second work of the Spirit – it is the solid proof that you are truly alive in Christ Jesus. And it’s interesting to note that Peter doesn’t even mention the speaking in tongues as evidence of the Spirit. He speaks of prophesy, and visions, and dreams. He speaks of heavenly wonders, such as the sun becoming dark and the moon turning to blood. And he lets them all know that the miracle that they have just witnessed is a new sign of God’s presence in the world, and he offers them the possibility of one more sign for everyone personally – salvation for all who call on the name of the Lord.

This was, indeed, a revelation to the people that day. Salvation had always been seen as the blessing that would come when you lived as blameless a life as you could, and then offered sacrifices in the temple to care for the sins you had committed. You lived your life in the law, as well as in the interpretations that the learned men handed down to you. Most of these people had never even heard of salvation by faith, but here it was, and the Spirit was beginning to work in their lives.

And here is the third work of the Spirit – it turns the unbelievable into, not just the believable, but the expectant. It isn’t simply that we now believe that something could happen, might happen – we believe that it will happen. And that is the hope of Psalm 42 – that in the midst of our pain and struggle and failure and fear, God is still working in mighty ways.

Read Psalm 42:1-5

Opening our hearts to the working of the Spirit, placing our hopes and dreams and visions in him, trusting that, in faith, all things are possible. That is the promise and hope of God! In last week’s reading, Jesus was telling his disciples that if they would but open their hearts and minds to the hope and promise of new works by God, that nothing would be impossible for them.

The Spirit will never be understood until that day when Jesus returns to make all things new, and even then, we might not completely understand, but we will be able to believe and rejoice without hesitation or doubt.

So why wait? Believe and rejoice in this very moment! Claim the salvation and eternal life that will come by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Discover the glory that is there for all who will keep their eyes set on his cross, and their sails raised to catch every puff of the Holy Wind. Let the Spirit blow through the walls that you have created, and feel the uplifting of his power as he carries you on new wings! Let his Holy Fire touch you and refine you and prepare you and anoint you for the ministry that waits for you this very day.

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” And we all know that this beautiful and precious name is Jesus. Call on him today, let him work within you today.