Pentecost: The Promised New Creation (Acts 2:1-4) (5/24/26)

Let us now pray and ask for the Lord's blessing

of the preaching of His word. Our God and our

Father, thank you for sending the Spirit to give

us life and to empower us for the call that you

have given to us to carry your words of life

to the ends of the earth. Please allow the words

of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts

to be acceptable in your sight. O Lord, our rock

and nearest kinsman, Redeemer, Jesus Christ,

our risen Lord. Amen. Our sermon text today,

four verses of Acts chapter 2, let us hear God's

Acts 2 · chapter mention

word. When the day of Pentecost had fully come,

they were all with one accord in one place. And

suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of

a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole

house where they were sitting. And there appeared

to them to be divided tongues as of fire, and

one sat upon each one of them. They were all

filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak

with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance

These are the words of Almighty God receive them

in your hearts The three things that we want

to get out of the text today that I would like

you to see are this Pentecost is creation renewed

Pentecost is creation renewed Pentecost is Jesus'

wedding gift to His bride. And if that's unfamiliar

to you, the church is His bride. Pentecost is

Jesus' wedding gift to His bride. And finally,

Pentecost is for the church to bring life to

the world. Pentecost is for the church to bring

life to the world. As many of you know, the Gospel

of John, the predominant part of it is Jesus'

last week of life, beginning in chapter 12. However,

if you go back just a few months, five and a

half months in fact, we see from Pentecost to

John chapter 7 that Jesus is standing in the

John 7 · chapter mention

temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus

makes this declaration from our gospel reading

verse 38 of chapter 7 says this he who believes

in me as the scripture has said out of his heart

will flow rivers of living water we've been following

the church calendar concerning the life of Christ

we saw during Advent the spirit overshadow Mary

We've been reminded of our Lord's humble birth.

We saw Jesus stooping low, literally condescending

in humility. But His coming alone does not deliver

us. Jesus lived a sinless life and experienced

the same temptations that are common to all men.

But this does not complete His work. on our behalf.

Jesus gives his perfect life, his sinless life,

as a substitutionary atoning sacrifice for his

church. Now this meets our needs, but it doesn't

complete the process of what Jesus is doing for

us. We heard this morning in 1 Peter chapter

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

3, for Christ, Suffered once for sins the job

then the unjust that he might bring us to God

Being put to death in the flesh, but made alive

by the spirit The spirit by the will of the father

brought life to Jesus that he would be that we

would be reconciled to God We've considered the

works Jesus after resurrection the evidence is

provided to His disciples on those 40 days before

His ascension, especially Jesus' explanation

and teaching to His disciples that all of the

law, the prophets, and the Psalms were about

Him. Last week we celebrated Jesus' ascension

to the right hand of the Father. Jesus is received

as the firstborn of the resurrection. with all

authority in heaven and on earth bestowed to

him. And of course he's seated there until all

his enemies are put under his feet. It's a real

authority. It's a lasting authority. It is an

authority that transforms the world. Jesus' plan

to renew the broken world of men isn't in His

presence on earth right now, because He's seated

at the right hand of the Father. John 16 tells

us this, Jesus said, Nevertheless, I tell you

the truth, it is to your advantage that I go

away. For if I do not go away, hope will not

come to you. But if I depart, I will send him

to you." Throughout all of the Old Testament,

we see that God was meeting people in one specific

place. We know that Jesus told the woman at the

well that there would be a time coming where

they wouldn't worship in Jerusalem anymore, but

wherever God's people were together. How does

that happen? It isn't simply because Jesus is

on the throne. It is because He pours out His

Spirit. The Spirit flows out from the throne

of God the Father and Son, proceeding to the

world. And if He doesn't ascend, the Spirit doesn't

yet come. Jesus tells His disciples that it is

to their advantage that He goes away, otherwise

the helper. That paraclete the advocate the come

The encourager the empowering life -giving spirit

does not come Jesus declares that if he departs

he will send the spirit to them and as the Nicene

Creed emphasized It says the Holy Ghost is the

Lord and giver of life Now on that day of Pentecost

When 120 believers including the disciples are

gathered in an upper room in obedience to Jesus

in Jerusalem The spirit descends from heaven

sounding like a mighty rushing wind it is the

forcible breath of life and Just like the spirit

hovering Spirit brings the breath of life to

the new creation. Spirit is forming a people

to become the new temple, the place where God

dwells. In Exodus chapter 40, we see that the

Exodus 40 · chapter mention

cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting and that

the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle. It

was a cloud with fire. Also, in 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7, when Solomon was dedicating the temple,

we're told that when he had finished praying,

that fire came down from heaven and consumed

the burnt offering and sacrifices. And the glory

of Yahweh filled the temple. We are told that

the glory cloud filled the tabernacle and the

temple and that neither with the tabernacle could

Moses or any of the the priest stay in there

nor at Solomon's dedication could the people

stay could the inside of the temple when the

when the spirit falls and the fire of God comes

out in the Old Testament because sins are only

temporarily and shadows and types Touched they're

driven out from the presence of God On the day

of Pentecost after the resurrection and the ascension

of Jesus when the presence of the Spirit in cloud

and wind and fire The hundred and twenty disciples

are not driven away. They're not driven out But

they receive the Holy Spirit To bring new life

to the world As one commentator puts it, it says

that fulfilled at Pentecost, the spirit is poured

out, the spirit who writes not on stone, but

on the tablet of human hearts. Two interesting

things that are relating to the Old Testament

feast of Pentecost is that it was celebrated

both on the early wheat harvest and to remember

Receiving the law of God's covenant at Mount

Sinai So we begin to see the significance of

the spirits work at Pentecost Symbolically remember

back in Matthew chapter 9 where Jesus says Pray

Matthew 9 · chapter mention

that the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers

into the harvest because the harvest is plentiful

Right. It is being fulfilled by the power of

the spirit through people the church. By the

way, it's interesting to take note that historically

it takes 120 persons in order to establish a

synagogue. And so here we have 120 people gathered.

The Spirit is poured out to bring life to the

world. And so we see God is forming a new house

of prayer. a new house of worship. Pentecost

had become a time to remember God's giving the

law at Mount Sinai. And He gave that law on what?

Tablets of stone. In God's promise of the establishment

of His new covenant in Jeremiah 31, we hear this

in verse 33. We see this fulfillment at Pentecost.

This is the covenant that I will make with the

house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh.

will put my law in their minds and write it on

their hearts and I will be their God and they

shall be my people the good news of the gospel

of the work of Jesus Christ to reconcile men

to God by the forgiveness of their sins is being

proclaimed in Jerusalem on that day of Pentecost

now Pentecost was one of the high feasts that

were which was required by God for all of the

men of Israel to attend. During high feasts,

everyone had to come to Jerusalem. And at that

time, there were ordinarily somewhere about 50

,000 people living in Jerusalem, but it would

swell up, just like Passover when Christ was

crucified, swell up to almost 300 ,000. Acts

2 records that there were devout Jews from every

nation under heaven it says. We find listed a

table of nations. Now this table of nations of

sorts is symbolically from the four corners of

the world. This is to remind us of the table

of nations descending from Noah after the flood

given in Genesis chapter 10. In Genesis chapter

Genesis 10 · chapter mention Genesis 11 · chapter mention

11, we see, after the nations are established,

we see in Genesis 11 verse 1, now the whole earth

Genesis 11:1

had one language and one speech. This verse seems

redundant in English, but the first word translated

as language is the Hebrew word sofá, which can

be interpreted and properly understood as religious

culture. We see this emphasized in Zechariah

3, Psalm 81, and Isaiah chapter 6. The point

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

is that the peoples of Babel were not obeying

God's command to take dominion and being fruitful

and filling the whole earth. That's Genesis 1

and Genesis 9. And we understand and are told

here that they are of one language and one rebellious

religious group. They were so unified in their

arrogant idolatry, really self -idolatry, that

they were building a man -made mountain so that

they could make a name for themselves and be

equal with God. The scripture kind of in a mocking

way. As they're building their way up, building

this mountain, trying to ascend to the heights

of God to make a name for themselves, we're told

that God came down. Their meager attempts and

their rebellion, God still has to come down and

look at what they're doing. They desire to be

equal with God and have a name as high as God's

name. And God comes down and as a grace, divides

their speaking languages into many languages

so that their evil would be constrained and not

unified and require another worldwide judgment.

Now, interestingly, it's also important to see

what happens. What do they do? In his judgment,

he divides them so they can't unify in their

evil, but they also, because of these divisions,

begin to go out and spread into the world reminds

us that even in our rebellion, God's sovereign

will is worked out. And so we see that God once

again came down. We see this. Again, we've been

studying it in the church calendar. We see this.

We know this. We see that again, God comes down

and contrasting to coming down in judgment. He

does this. He comes down in the incarnation of

Jesus who did not consider being equal with God

something to be grasped and to be held onto.

But he humbled himself even to the point of death

for our behalf. And at the ascension, God exalted

him. He exalted Jesus and gave him the name which

is above every name the people of Babel were

trying to make a name for themselves and Jesus

said no I'm coming as a servant I'm going to

deliver and reconcile these people and how is

he going to do that? He's going to do that by

coming down and being obedient to God and He

will receive the name A name, at the name of

Jesus, we know this, that every knee should bow,

that those in heaven and those on earth and those

under the earth, that every tongue should confess

that Jesus to the glory of the Father. Philippians

chapter two, if you want to mark that down. At

Pentecost, we have a reversal of Babel, a table

of nations, hearing the call of God to listen.

their own languages and tongues the good news

of Jesus work to restore men to write with God

The spirit called Convicted them of that says

they were pierced to the heart. What must we

do to be saved? And Peter said repent and be

baptized and so that day brought in by repentance

and baptism 3 ,000 souls were added to the 120

disciples that day. Remember when I said there's

this swelling of Jerusalem to almost 300 ,000,

and here we see 3 ,000? So we see 1%. 1 % has

transformed. That's the beginning. Built. Christ

Jesus as the cornerstone. The Apostles and the

prophets is the foundation And it's beginning

started out There's Jesus There's the Apostles

There's the 120 there's the 3 ,000 Here the spirit

establishes the new Jerusalem that we see pictured

in Revelation 21 where it says that The angel

carried John away in the spirit to a great high

mountain and showed him a great city the holy

Jerusalem descending out of heaven from god It

is a true bringing of heaven to earth in the

temple of god's people As one commentator puts

it not so much a place, but the people themselves

be temple The holy spirit consecrates human house

He fills the people who are living who are the

living stones of the new temple. And we see that

there are no sacrificial pieces in this temple.

Instead, Jesus takes his throne and he lights

his people on fire. The disciples are made the

altars. Right? Think about Romans 12. Be a living

sacrifice to God. The disciples are made the

living sacrifices. And so Pentecost reverses

that curse of babble and babble, the divided

nations, right, where they were confused and

dying and falling into death. Pentecost reassembles

the nations and joins them together because the

gospel is preached in all languages. Now the

languages aren't eliminated, so there are different

languages that we should expect to see. It'll

be interesting when we get to heaven and we see

all these different languages singing to God

and it will be unified. Each one of these folks

hears the good news in their own language, but

this diversity is brought into harmony and 3

,000 are baptized. And what do they do? They

share a common table, the Lord's table, and they

share their goods among each other. All that

God has blessed them with, they share with one

another. And they are devoted to prayers and

a common teaching. Now this is important. Saints

of God, I know you're here today. Most of you

are here because you know that this is where

you need to be on the Lord's Day. But one of

the reasons that the church is so sick today

is because we treat the church as if it's not

even necessary. The church itself. the living

stones of the temple, where we come together

and gather. This is the place. And every place

like this on the Lord's Day, where the Spirit

is poured out, where we ascend into God's presence.

And the Holy Spirit, with the rivers of life

flowing from the throne, goes out to bring life

to the world. And when you get the commission

today, you're going to flow out in the power

of the Spirit to bring life to the world. Heaven

and earth in Christ Jesus are brought together.

The Babel's builders wanted to link heaven and

earth, and this is precisely what the Spirit

accomplishes. The Spirit's arrival makes the

church an open gate of God. Throughout acts we

see God working by the gift of the Spirit empowering

miracles Reminding God's people of the words

of Jesus comforting guiding expanding and building

the temple made of living stones and It continues

this work today in this people the church The

spirit is the coronation gift of Jesus to his

church That's his that's his gift to his bride.

He's coronated. He is and he sends forth the

spirit So that we can bring life to others We're

blessed We're strengthened. We're encouraged

you are empowered by the spirit to be able to

do all that God has called you to do You ever

feel overwhelmed? Like life is too much that

there's too many struggles And certainly, our

sins and our troubles that we bring upon ourselves.

Turn to Christ, trust the Spirit, and He is guiding

you, He is leading you. Once enthroned, Jesus

distributes gifts, and He distributes gifts by

the giving, the one gift of all gifts, the Spirit.

What an assurance. What a comfort. What is too

hard for God? And it isn't like God is sort of

on the outside. Oh, I got to come over here and

help you in your circumstances or help you with

this family situation or help you with this work

situation. No, his sovereign providence is that

work in your life every day. When you wake up

whatever the circumstances are those are God's

given providences in your life and the spirit

will enable you To do God's will to be a life

We see in Ezekiel 47 the new promised temple

We are told that it will have a river flowing

from the throne of God to the whole world and

it says this and remember symbolically Right

in in the Old Testament we see and we understand

Gentiles are found in the sea. They're the fish

all these things that you heard today from Psalms

104 Right from Psalm 104 you hear all those things

That's God's creation He looks upon them, He

delivers them, He works in their life, and He

was preparing them. And it says that, and it

shall be every living thing that moves, whether

the rivers, wherever the rivers go, will live.

And there will be a great multitude of fish,

because these waters go there, for they will

be healed and everything will live wherever the

river goes. Wherever God's people goes, by the

living waters flowing out of His people, as churches

as they worship. And they will be healed. And

it says this, it tells us also in Ezekiel 4 -7

that there will be fishermen to catch the fish,

and that there will be trees lining that river,

bearing fruit all year round, and their leaves

will be for the healing of the nations. Make

no mistake. When Jesus calls His disciples and

He says, you will be fishers of men, He is talking

about this passage in Ezekiel 47. And when He

says that His people will be bearing fruit, right?

What is He talking about? The fruit of the Spirit.

And that the leaves, the things that strengthen

and bear the fruit will be for the healing of

the nations. It is for every nation. No people

are unredeemable. No tribe or ethnic group is

outside of the reach of the gospel and So bodies

minds and souls of all kinds of men are united

to one another in Christ to bring God's blessings

new creation We heard in our epistle reading

first Corinthians verse for by one spirit we

were all baptized into one body, whether Jews

or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and all have

been made to drink into one spirit, for in fact

the body is not one member, but many. Jesus and

all of his disciples and so now us, and for all

who are afar off, is to truly be fishers of men,

a diverse catch from the nations. and growing

into a mountain that will fill the whole earth.

And our call to worship today from Psalm 104,

it emphasized the great many creatures of the

seas. Verse 29 said this, now this is real important,

think about this as it relates to how God deals

with us and how our basic problem is what? If

we have a broken relationship with God, God's

face is not shining upon us. His countenance

is not upon us. And so you think about this.

It says this in verse 29 of Psalm 104. You hide

your face, and they are troubled. You take away

their breath, and they die and return to dust.

That's not just the sea creatures. That's all

men. In verse 30 it says, you send forth your

spirit, and they are created. End. you renew

the face of the earth. And at the very last verse

of verse 35 of Psalm 104, it says this, may sinners

be consumed from the earth and the wicked be

no more. Bless Yahweh, oh my soul. Praise Yahweh.

What's happening here? They're being consumed

by a holy fire. as living sacrifices, or they're

being burned in the chaff, as chaff in judgment.

God is holy. He sends forth His Spirit. It brings

life. And as the fire of the Holy Ghost goes

out, it transforms people, or it finds people

and brings them to judgment. Now like all God

distributes, it is not to be hoarded. but to

be generously shared with others for their benefit,

that is others' benefit, and for God's glory

and praise. You know, this is always easy to

say with money, right? If God really gives you

with a lot of money, you should bless others

with it, help them grow, right? So too with every

gift you have, whatever the gift is, you too

should be giving it. Too often we make our life

with Christ to be this thing. Oh, man, it's so

good to have my sins forgiven. It's so good to

be with these people at church. It's so good

for me, good for me, good for me. We're called

to be conformed to Christ Jesus, which is to

do what? Not cling, not hold on, but pour out

that others may have life. As one commentator

puts it, the river of living waters have a purpose

to irrigate the land beyond you. Be careful.

If you say what I'm doing and what God's work

is for me and mine, no. Do you think actually

you could hold back the waters of the river of

the spirit flowing forth? Are you irrigating

beyond yourself? Or do you think that the love

of the Father, the work of Christ, and the power

of the Spirit is just for you? Remember what

Jesus said? He said, if you believe in Me, the

waters of life will spring forth from you. How

are you a well of life? Are you a well of life

in your household? Men, would your husband say

that you're a well of life? I mean, excuse me.

Men, would your wives say? This is the extemporaneous

part, not in the notes. Husbands, would your

wives say that you're a well of life? Wives,

would your husband say that you're a well of

life? Parents, would the children in your household

say that you're a well of life? Children, are

you a well of life to your parents, to your brothers

and sisters? What about to your coworkers? What

about to your neighbors? What about that person

that gets on your ever last nerve? Are you a

well of life to them? Or are you vindictive?

And I want to keep what God's given to me, and

I don't want it to go and be a blessing to anybody

else. Proverbs chapter 10, verse 11 says, the

Proverbs 10:11

mouth of the righteous is a well of light, but

violence covers the mouth of the wicked. Do your

words give life? Proverbs 18 .21 says, death

and life? are in the power of the tongue, and

that those who love it will eat its fruit. This

is why in the epistles, twice in the epistles,

we are told that we are to give thanks to God,

and we are to bless one another by singing psalms,

hymns, and spiritual songs. That's part of our

action item. Why do you suppose that is? Because

sometimes, Our husbands exasperate us. Our wives

antagonize us. Our children drive us to end.

Our brothers and sisters are not kind to one

another. So sing the praises of God and be thankful.

Trust in him. Trust in his word. His word transforms

things more than any word that you can utter

yourself. So give thanks to God for where you

find yourself and sing. his praises. When Jesus

declared at the temple that those who believe

in him out of their hearts would flow living

waters, he was saying that waters flowing from

the throne of life, that the life -giving spirit

would be for the transformation of the world.

On that first Pentecost, Jesus kept His Word

and poured out the Spirit to bring life into

the new temple, the living stones made up of

His people. As you go out, flowing in the river,

to the outposts of your households, to your jobs

and your communities, believe in Christ Jesus.

By the way, every time you disobey God's Word,

you're saying, I don't believe. So obey. What

did Jesus say? If you love me, You will obey

my commandments. So obey his commandments. Be

conformed to him, and be springs of living waters

to your wives, to your husbands, to your children,

to all those that God puts in your path. And

truly too, as we hear in Acts chapter 2 verse

Acts 2:21

21, And it shall come to pass that whoever calls

on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Let us

pray. Gracious God, we thank you for your providential

provision for us through your Son, Jesus Christ.

Please help us to remember that our only hope

is in you. Help us to obey you, to live and proclaim

your words of life every day in all that you

have given to us. Help us, we pray, to believe

in Jesus and grant the living waters to flow

out of our hearts to your glory and the benefit

of all those around us. We ask all these things

for Jesus' sake, who reigns with you in the Holy

Spirit, world without end. Amen. Let us continue

our worship by the giving of our tithes and offerings.