Happy Friday! We are once again in Acts 1:1-12. Read through the passage again today.
In John 14:15 Jesus said to His disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be IN you.” What we are reading in Acts is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promises to His disciples. The Father is sending the Spirit to dwell within them.
Yesterday, we saw that all the details in this story are significant and important for our understanding of what is happening in this room. Today we are going to look at two more details that have significance in our understanding of what the Spirit does in believers and in the church: Pentecost and tongues of fire.
Pentecost is Jewish festival that comes 50 days after Passover. (Remember it was during the Passover that Jesus was crucified - as our Passover Lamb!) Fifty days later the Jews had another festival that would once again bring them to Jerusalem to appear before the Lord. The celebration of Pentecost is a celebration of Yahweh giving the Law to Moses and the people of Israel.
Turn in your Bibles to Exodus 19:16-24 and read through this passage of Moses receiving the Law from God. In verse 18 in what way did the Lord descend upon the mountain??? In fire!!! Do you see the connection to our passage in Acts? The Lord descends on the mountain in tongues of fire to meet with one man Moses and give him the Law as the people look on unable to draw near because of their sin.
Exodus 20-31 records the giving of the law and then in chapter 32 we find out that before this law can even be delivered to the people they have broken it by worshiping a golden calf! Exodus 32 gives us an account of Moses interceding on behalf of Israel for God not to completely destroy the nation. God in His mercy did not destroy the nation, however, before the day was done 3,000 men were killed by the sword for the sin of the people.
It is no accident that it is at Pentecost, the feast celebrating the giving of the Law that Spirit of God descends in tongues of fire. Now look in your Bibles back in Acts 2 again. Jump down in chapter two and read verse 41. How many were saved that day after Peter preached his sermon? Three thousand! Is this not amazing? God is doing a new thing. At the original Pentecost 3,000 lost their lives by the sword for disobeying the law. At this Pentecost - 3,000 received new life in Jesus Christ! Beautiful!
Ezekiel 36:26-27 the Lord speaking through the prophet Ezekiel says, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Did you catch that? On the day of celebrating the giving of the Law, the LORD descends in tongues of flames on His people, filling them 1) so that they are filled with the presence of the Lord, 2) so that they can accomplish the mission of their Lord Jesus Christ and 3) so that they could do what Israel was never able to do, walk in obedience to God’s Word!
What a beautiful thing our Lord has done in sending us His Spirit. We have His presence in us, we have His power at work in us causing us to walk in obedience and to step out in faith as witnesses for Jesus Christ. Give thanks again today for the goodness of your Heavenly Father who has given us so much more than we could ever ask or think!
Post a Comment