PASTOR’S NOTES
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.”
Last week’s sermon, we closed our eyes many times to imagine the moment the people must have been in during Acts 1. Can you imagine the stare into Heaven as Jesus ascended? Can you imagine the walk back to Jerusalem? Can you imagine the emotions in that upper room when they returned home? Can you imagine what that prayer must have sounded like when the men and women went to God with supplications?
This week, I continue to encourage you to imagine, imagine the 10 days waiting on the presence of God from when they last saw Him ascend. I believe that the people who experienced time with the resurrected Jesus were both full and also empty. Like the women who ran from the empty tomb with great joy and also fear, these people I am sure were faithfully as strong as ever but also longing to be in the presence of God again which made them empty. By the time Pentecost came, the people of God must have felt like they had just experienced a 10 day fast! They had spent 40 days with the resurrected King and waited every moment for the promised Spirit to now come. Which was perfect time for the Spirit of God to be poured out.
The giving of the Holy Spirit is not only a cornerstone moment in the history of man, but it also a perfectly timed moment. The Spirit was given during a celebration which drew in people from all over. There were men and women, young and old from different backgrounds and cultures all gathered together. All primed for the perfectly timed gift of the Spirit to come with wind and fire!
The timing was perfect in the same way that God’s timing is perfect today when it comes to the giving of His Spirit. Man needed to be empty and hungry, to become full. God works in the same way today! Being empty is not always a bad place to be. Often times when the flesh is weak, God’s glory and strength is heightened.
I believe that is what we see in Acts 2, and this is exactly what we see today. God’s timing is never off or by chance, but perfectly timed and sovereign. All God requires is our emptiness; emptiness and faith. There is nothing else we can bring to God and the good news of the gospel is that this is all that is required.
Stay faithful church.
SCRIPTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE
Read Exodus 12 for a greater understanding of the Passover and Pentecost.