Pentecost 2012

Pentecost b          May 27, 2012

Genesis 11            Acts 2:1-21            John 15:26 – 16:15

Read the story of Tower of Babel: Jesus Story Bible

1.    Confusion & DisUnity: Tower of Babel

Ø  building a staircase

Ø  be close to God, appear as God

Ø  be seen by others

Ø  Purpose: Confusion & DisUnity.

§  people were doing things on their own

§  without God

§  God wanted them to be in relation with him.

§  People wanted to be in relation with God

§  but the people forgot to communicate with God

v Clarity & Unity: Acts 2

1)   History of Pentecost - "Fiftieth Day"

·        Jewish holiday (which commemorates God giving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai fifty days after the Exodus.)

·        Mt Sinai - Giving of the Law

Ø  Burning Bush - God spoke to Moses...

2         2)   Purpose: Clarity & Unity

·        "Tongues" in the Bible means: an instrument of speaking or a human language that communicates.

·        "Speaking in Tongues" or "neo-Pentecostal tongue" is a modern day practice of speaking in meaningless ecstatic (emotional - ecstasy) utterances, which do not constituted communication.

·        "Unknown tongues" are also understood as meaningless ecstatic utterances.

·        The modern day movement of "speaking in tongues: started in 1901

-      1 Corinthians 14:10-19 ("how can they join you, if they don't know what you're saying")

-      God is not a God of disorder. 1 Cor 14:33

3         3)   Among Christians, Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the twelve apostles and other followers of Jesus as described in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1-31.

·        For this reason, Pentecost is sometimes described as the "Birthday of the Church."

v Evidence of the Holy Spirit

Ø  Speaking in Tongues

Ø  Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23

"²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

r        Ø  Participation: 2 Peter 1:3-8 (vs 4 = Participation)

a.    no longer dispersed.

b.    no longer fighting on our own.

c.    no longer the "Lone Star" the Maverick...

         Ø  Pentecost, The Holy Spirit has come.

·        the helper, the comforter, the counselor

4) Holy Spirit has come: 

v Pentecost is God's answer to the problem of confusion and disunity.

v Pentecost seeks to bring unity.

v The baptism of the Holy Spirit - extends the boundaries

§  includes the Greeks, the gentiles, the Ethiopian Eunuch

v At Pentecost, heaven humbly descended to man in the third person of the Trinity, reconciling the irreconcilable.

v God's answer to Babel was the birth of the church

v At Babel, the languages were confused; at Pentecost, the languages were understood.

v At Babel, the people were dispersed;

§  at Pentecost, united

v While Babel depicts earth's divided nations, Pentecost brings all peoples together as one people of God!

v The old humanity with Adam as its head, has now been superseded by the new humanity with Christ as its Head.

v At Pentecost, Jesus replaced what Adam erased. The ecstasy of community has been restored, and the Trinity rejoices.

        

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

As you Go, May you be filled with the Holy Spirit, Sanctified through and through.Go and Love!