Kaleo San Diego Church > Sermons > Power for Transformission

Power for Transformission

David Fairchild
Mar 4, 2007
Series: Acts

TEXT

Acts 2:1-13: “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians--we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.’ 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ 13 But others mocking said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’”

INTRODUCTION

This morning on the Union Tribune website there was an article written by Sandi Dolbee in the religious section that said that Protestant churches (those are were not Roman-Catholic) are losing their influence in America because they are afraid to evangelize.

She stated that between 1960 to 2000 membership dropped five million people in the mainline denominations even though population increased 100 million over the same period of time.

In discussing this with someone who has surveyed these churches, the most obvious reason was that churches felt powerless and were embarrassed and afraid to tell someone that Jesus Christ was the only way to the Father.

The answer for these denominations, given by Martha Reese who conducted the survey, is to build programs and hire people to focus on outreach.

What struck me about this article wasn’t the numbers, though alarming, it was the reason for no longer bringing the Gospel to the world: fear and embarrassment. What these churches are attempting to discover is the key to catalyze a movement so that they would go out and evangelize. They’re looking for some change outside of them to cause them to be more courageous and confident.

It isn’t that these denominations don’t have any financial power; it is that they lack the power that the early Church had.

It is a known historical fact that the beginning of the Christian movement began with a rag-tag group of uneducated, poor, politically powerless, economically challenged, and socially anemic followers of Jesus. They were the marginal people living on the margins of society within the margins of the Roman Empire.

Within two centuries this group became the most dominant influence in the Roman Empire—so much so that Rome was overrun by lovers of Christ and the Roman Emperor Constantine declared His allegiance to Christ, stopping what was to this point great persecution for Christians.

The most powerful empire this world may ever know was toppled without military power or political power by followers of Christ. This group wasn’t emptied of their power as they grew; they were filled.

When we read the book of Acts, we see that something happened to them after Christ rose from the dead and ascended to the Father’s right hand. They didn’t spend themselves in their own power and intelligence, they received something that came and transformed them. They were filled with some transcendent power and energy.

They were filled and burning, but weren’t burned out. They were aflame for Christ, but didn’t flame out. What were they filled with that causes such great power? This passage tells us that it was the Sprit of God at Pentecost.

What is the Spirit of God? How are we filled with it? We learn what this power was by asking what Pentecost was all about. Pentecost was already a celebration which was taking place when the Spirit of God came down to the Church. What was Pentecost all about?

STUDY

I. What is Pentecost?

Verse 1: “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.”

There was already a Pentecost. The day that Pentecost arrived; it was already a special day. If we understand what this day was all about, we’ll understand why the Spirit came on that day and what the Spirit did and was doing in them that was so significant.

There were two ways in which the Jews celebrated Pentecost. The two meanings of Pentecost were:

1- The Feast of the Firstfruits

In this agrarian culture, harvest was incredibly significant. When the firstfruits were brought in and eaten, thanksgiving was made to God for their firstfruits as they celebrated God’s goodness towards them.

Usually the harvest happened 50 days after Passover. This is where we get the word Pentecost. It meant 50 days. It was 50 days after the Passover, which fell on a Sunday.

2- Delivery of God’s Commands

This also came to be celebrated by the Jews as the time when celebration was made for their being delivered from bondage by the Egyptians. It was 50 days after their redemption that God gave the Law through Moses to His people at the foot of Mt. Sinai, which established them as God’s people. It was a celebration of God meeting Moses face to face to give him the Law.

This was also 50 days after Christ was crucified, which marked the establishment of the Church as she celebrates the true firstfruits and receives God’s power to go into the world as ambassadors.

What does this teach us about the purpose of the Spirit coming and what it meant to be filled?

When the Spirit of God fills you, you are brought into the presence of three things:

1- The presence of the future
2- The presence of the Lord
3- The presence of the nations

I- The presence of the future

What does this mean? This is a theological term, but we need to use it because it is unique. When the Spirit fills you, you are brought into an eschatological presence.

The word eschaton means “the last” or “the end.” What are the firstfruits? They are a taste of what’s to come. They are getting a small experience of what is to come fully.

When you went out to receive the firstfruits of the summer harvest, you could tell what the harvest was going to be that year. The firstfruits showed the laborers what to expect.

What was God saying by sending the Spirit of God down on the Feast of the Firstfruits? In Romans 8, Paul writes that right now everything is subject to decay:

Romans 8:18-23: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Everything is in bondage and decay and creation is longing to be set free. Some of you look and feel great now, but you won’t always look and feel great. You can’t hold onto your current state because everything is decaying.

But, someday there will come a glory sent from God and the heir of heaven will come down and fall upon us and envelop the universe, and creation will be liberated from the bondage of decay. The glory of God will come down and make all things new.

In 8:23 Paul says that “we ourselves” have the “firstfruits of the Spirit…”

Do you realize what this claim is? Paul is claiming that the Spirit of God which comes and fills you brings you into the presence of the future of the glory of heaven. It is a slice of the beauty and splendor of God’s glory. It is a taste of the life, joy and power that is coming. The Spirit of God gives us a glimpse of this future right now.

If you have the Spirit of God, when we finally come into His presence, we will see Him face to face, unlike Moses, and we will experience a joy that we are not even looking for.

In Romans 8, Paul says what we’ve been given. At some point Mom and Dad Kent had to sit down with little Clark and tell him that he had power beyond his imagination. They had to tell him who he really was and what he was capable of with this power. This is what Paul is doing with us in Romans; he’s telling us the power that we have available to us today.

There is a great scene in the trilogy of Lord of the Rings where Frodo is speared only to be spared by a Mithril coat. If you've read the book, you know that Mithril was a precious metal that was light, yet stronger than steel, it didn't tarnish, and was extremely valuable. Frodo was given this Mithril coat by Bilbo, his uncle, and wore it much like we would wear a bulletproof vest to protect us but without being staggered by its importance or value. There is a chapter in one of the books that tells the story of Frodo and his friends on a journey when one of them begins to talk about the Mithril coat. One of his companions says something like, "you know Bilbo was a very rich man, but even with all his wealth he had something that was far more valuable than anything else he owned, it was a coat of mail made out of Mithril." Another of the companions said, "a coat of Mithril! Do you know what that's worth? That would be worth far more than every piece of land in his entire country." Mithril was 100 time stronger and lighter than steel, and a 100 times more valuable than gold. Frodo then grabs his side and feels Mithril coat under his cloak. In that moment he became staggered as he was aware that he possessed something of far greater worth and power than his entire country.

If you've believed in Christ and His Gospel, you are someone who is walking around under your flesh with something of far greater value and power than this entire world because you have been given the Spirit. Do you know what you have?

The Spirit is eschatological; it brings you into the presence of the future.

But remember, it is also the firstfruit. Why do we need to remember this? On the one hand we have to remember that we have the firstfruit of heaven, the very Spirit of Christ himself. We have been given the power of God which today can work against decay, not necessarily physical, but social, emotional, spiritual, and psychological decay.

We should give up small ambitions and have tremendous hope in our ministry. We are supposed to have a taste of what’s to come—where there are no more tears of pain and suffering, no more groaning under the burden of sin, even if it is only a taste.

We have to remember though, it is just a taste. We only have a slice. When Christians began to believe that God couldn’t do this or that, it is lethal. So it is when Christians believe that every time they have an experience or impression it’s God speaking to them. Both are in error because we only have the firstfruits of what’s to come.

We really can address the deepest spiritual, psychological, and social issues, because we have this firstfruit power, but we need to recognize we will not see them completely eradicated until Christ returns in the future.

II. The presence of the Lord

Verses 2-4: “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

This passage speaks to us of wind and fire. Every time God shows up in the OT, there is wind or fire. When God shows up to Job, He appears in a whirlwind. When He appears to Abraham, He appears as a burning torch. When He appears to Moses, He appears as a burning bush.

And, at the first Pentecost on Mt. Sinai, God came down in wind-storm with smoke and lightening. So, Pentecost was the living presence of God coming to be with us and show himself to us.

The subjective experience of the transcendent God is incredibly important to God’s people and has marked their spiritual life throughout history. Not always in the same ways, but the same power is given and available to us.

How does this transcendent power come to us?

Being filled with the Spirit of God is not being filled with some kind of electricity. It isn’t some abstract or naked power. When these men and women are filled at Pentecost, they begin to speak. They speak about what they’ve seen, what the Spirit has shown them.

But what are they talking about? They aren’t saying, “Finally I have peace and joy in my life!” They are saying something utterly different. They aren’t saying they finally have financial power or a healing or some gift. What are they so charged up about? What can’t they get over? Read the end of verse 11.

Verse 11b: “we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

They’re declaring the wonders of God. Being filled with the Spirit is having God give you truth about Himself and showing you who He is and what He’s done.

Christianity is neither mysticism nor rationalism; it is far too mystical for rationalism and far too rational for mysticism. Here’s why: Christianity is a deep experience of a deeply rational truth. God doesn’t just give us bare experience, He comes to show us Himself and fill us with a deep truth about Him!

What happened at Mt. Sinai? He says to Moses that He’s come to declare His name. When Moses came to God at the first Pentecost what did he ask for? He asked to see God’s glory. This is what the Pentecost is looking back to—God descending on the Mountain and Moses telling God that he wanted to see His glory. What is he asking for? Moses is asking for an experience. He wants to see something incredible and get some thrill and experience. This is how most of us initially come to God, seeking some experience.

What does God say? He tells Moses that He will let His goodness pass before him. What? What does that mean? For God to give you an experience of His glory, He has to show you who and what He is. He wants to show Moses all of His goodness and let that pass before him.

Do you know what this means? It means that the reason we feel so depleted and in despair, so drained, so fearful and embarrassed about sharing Christ with others, is due to the fact that we haven’t really seen all God’s goodness.

God doesn’t allow Moses to see all His goodness from the front. He tells Moses that if He shows him His glory and Moses sees a direct blast of it, it will kill him. Instead, God hides Moses in the cleft of the rock to shelter him and allow the back part of His glory pass by:

Exodus 34:5-8: “The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.”

What?????!!!!!!! Does this make any sense? Moses said he wanted an experience of power and God and essentially tells Moses that the only way to do that is by telling Moses who He is. The only way to tell Moses who He is, is by showing Moses all His goodness.

But doesn’t this sound confusing? On the one hand He says that He is, “the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands and forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” This sounds awesome, we like this!

But on the other hand He says, “but, who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children…”

This sounds totally contradictory. He says that He is gracious and merciful and loves to forgive sinners and workers of iniquity. He loves to give His steadfast, patient love, but then says He will by no means clear the guilty, He won’t let any debt go unpaid!

What is God doing? He is declaring all His goodness to Moses. He’s telling Moses that His goodness demands that He does not clear the guilty. As I’ve said a hundred times, we understand this when it comes to our courts. A good judge can not just wink at some great law which was broken. If he did, he wouldn’t be very good would he? God is good and therefore must not clear the guilty. Yet in His goodness He loves to clear the guilty and forgive sinners. Most of us think that He needs to choose one over the other because we have never seen perfect justice with perfect love. Usually you have to have one or the other. Loving mercy usually doesn’t come with perfect justice. This is how most people feel who have never felt God’s Spirit coming to dwell in them. This is how we feel when we have never seen the goodness of God in the way He showed who He was to Moses in all His goodness.

The reason we have fear to declare the wonders of God is because we haven’t come to see all of God’s goodness: His good justice and His good love which came together on Calvary.

Those in the early church at Pentecost received an experience of God’s Spirit coming in great power and it caused them to cry out about the wonders of God. When the cross becomes electric in this way, there is an explosion of the Spirit coming together with this truth and it is our experience of the transcendent, when we sense the power that came to the Church at Pentecost. It may not be with outward wind and fire, but the same Spirit blows in our hearts and the same wind and fire engulfs us and brings us to a place of great courage and fearlessness to declare the wonders of God.

When we ask for an experience of God’s presence, we should be asking for what Moses ultimately received: that God would come in His Spirit and show us all His goodness, who He is and what He’s done. Only when you see that will you ever really behold Him.

Moses only got a glimpse of God’s back parts, but through Christ we are brought face to face with God. The Spirit came down upon the mountain for Moses and the people of God, but now it comes down IN us!!!

We’ve been given this as well. John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Lastly, if you have an experience and understanding like this, it will create a dynamic and motivation in you to seek out people unlike yourself, people who have yet to meet Christ. It brings you into the presence of the nations. The rest of this passage is dedicated to all these different people groups to demonstrate this point!

III. The presence of the nations

The last time you see the gathered nations in one language is in Genesis 10. In Genesis 11 we see the Tower of Babel. The people of the earth decided to make a name for themselves instead of God. God divided their tongues and confused their language so that they no longer were gathered in one accord. They were scattered and confused, unable to speak to one another like they had previously.

When we try to justify ourselves and become our own saviors, the result is racial and social hostility and the destruction of human community. In Acts 2, God came down to create a new people and empower them and show them all His goodness, the first thing that happens is that the barriers of the races came tumbling down.

When Christ was crucified, God tore the dividing curtain in the temple in two from top to bottom to show that we now have access to the holy of holies through Christ. Now, as He fills the church with the Spirit of Christ, the sin division which kept the nations separated is torn as well.

The first sermon was preached in all these different languages to show that when God came down, He reversed the curse and reconnected those who were previously separate.

The Gospel coming in power with the Spirit demotes our nationality and race so that we see ourselves first as Christians, second as our nationality or race. The most important thing about you now is the cross. A brother or sister in Christ from another culture now has more in common with you than someone who does not know Christ in your own culture.

How do you know the Spirit is actively working in you and the Church? You begin to get along with people you normally would not. Your attitude is changed toward your money, your identity, your possessions, and your culture. Do you see your prejudices coming down?

The Spirit of God brings us into the presence of the nations, the presence of the Lord, and the presence of the future.

This is what we celebrate when we come to the Lord’s table.

Are you finding yourself powerless and full of fear? Look at which part of God’s goodness you have forgotten and ask His Spirit to come to you and show you all His goodness.