READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l Pentecost Sunday is celebrated each year to commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon believers. On that day, the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples in Jerusalem as rushing wind and tongues of fire, symbols of God’s presence and might. The coming of the Holy Spirit fulfils Jesus’ promise with His command to be Christ-like and to continue His work to the end of the age in Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the world (Acts 1:8).
On the night before He was betrayed, Jesus gave an account of the Holy Spirit, His coming again in resurrection and His coming upon them through the Holy Spirit. Our focus today is on V23 which encapsulates many thoughts for us to reflect on.
1) We Will Come To Them
That God would come to them was unheard of as, in ancient times, people ‘go to God’. They ‘go to God’ at Holy Sites; Tabernacle or Temple. They go on pilgrimage or go to festivals to seek God and to enquire of God . Access to God is only through holy people like priests or prophets. The death of Jesus as a sin offering to God opens the way for anyone who has a relationship of love and obedience with Jesus to enter God’s presence. Pentecost is about God coming to all believers not in the physical but spiritual sense. If Jesus had remained in the flesh, He is only one person who can be at one place at one time. By His ascension, God comes to us spiritually through the Holy Spirit, unrestricted in time and space. We can call upon God wherever we are, whenever we need Him and with whatever we are facing.
2) We Will Make Our Home With Them
This was also unheard of. In Old Testament times, God’s dwelling and presence was in the Tabernacle or Temple. No one can go near or he will be struck dead because of God’s holiness. Only the High Priest can enter the Holy of Holies through the curtain once a year. By virtue of the holy temple, the city is holy city and the land is holy land. Jews in exile in Babylon felt forsaken as they thought they were too far away from God’s presence and help. All this changed following the sacrificial death of Jesus. The barrier between sinful people and the Holy God is removed as Jesus proclaims “I am in the Father, you in me and I in you” (V20). At Pentecost, the church and believers become the spiritual house…royal priesthood…holy nation (1 Pet2:5-9). Jesus who is our Advocate, promised to send another Advocate – the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Trinity – who will dwell in us and make His home in us. We will receive His enabling power to live Christ-like lives and be the hands and feet of Jesus to do His work wherever He sends us. Jesus promised we will do even greater things because He is going to the Father (Jn 14:12).
3) My Peace I leave With You
The peace Jesus promised is not the absence of war or trouble as the world defines peace. Jesus warned that in this world we will have trouble (Jn 16:33) but we can have shalom peace (sense of wellness and blessedness that comes from assurance of forgiveness, being saved, reconciled to have life in Christ with the presence of Jesus’ Spirit (Jn 14:27). Even in the midst of trouble, we can proclaim that it is well with our soul. We can feel the peace of God which transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7) though we cannot describe it.
Though society may not forgive us for the wrongs we have done and give us a second chance, God forgives and accepts us when we turn to Him in repentance. The Holy Spirit enlightens us and helps us understand Scripture, empowers us to live a new life in Christ and be His witness to the world around us.
(Sermon notes by Woo Choi Yin)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Having direct and constant access to God is a privilege a non-believer can’t understand. What kinds of fear and uncertainties would one have?
- How should I live my life so that I may be a ‘home’ for the Holy Spirit?
- How would I counsel God’s shalom/peace to a believer who is currently struggling with job insecurity, ill health, or relationship problems?
