John 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
Pentecost by definition simply means 50.
Because it was celebrated 50 days after the Passover.
The disciples were all together in the upper room to celebrate the Feast of Weeks or Feast of Harvest. This feast celebrated the end of the grain harvest, and it occurred seven weeks after Passover. Because this was about 50 days after Passover, the Greeks called it Pentecost.
A few things that the “Day of Pentecost” teaches us when it comes to the character of God.
I God is a promise keeper
The first thing that we can learn when we think of Pentecost Sunday is that the God we serve is a promise keeper.
In the Old Testament and in the New Testament God through Prophets and Through Jesus himself would make promises concerning the day of Pentecost.
- Ezekiel 36:26-27
- Isaiah 44:3
- Joel 2:28-29
- Matt 3:11
So when we read in Acts 2 how the Holy Spirit came upon the upper room, we need to be reminded that the God we serve not only gives promises, but he is able to bring those same promises to pass.
Number 23: 19 God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
I We are never alone
The second thing that Pentecost teaches us when it comes to the character of God, is that according to the promise you and I will never be alone.
John 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.
Parakleetos – called to one’s side, esp. called to one’s aid.
Military term Paraclesis – The roman soldiers would go out to battle with a partner that would stand back to back with him during time of battle.
I Power to overcome
The 3rd thing we need to be reminded of this Pentecostal Sunday is that God has given us a power to overcome.
John 14: 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
We see that before the Holy Spirit the early disciples hid in fear, and peter even denied Christ 3 times, but after the Holy Spirit came upon them and lived within them they walked in boldness and courage in the life God called them to.
We to must understand that we have a power on the inside to live the life God has called us to live.
I John 4: 4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
I Restorer of all things
And my last point is that on the day of Pentecost God put things back in order.
In the book of genesis humanity lost 2 things.
- Authority
- Unity
But now that Christ had died to deal with the sinful nature, God said I can restore to them a language where they can understand one another because now they won’t unify to build something for self, but they will unify to build something for God, the church of the living God.
Acts 2:4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. 5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
At Pentecost God restored authority and God restored Unity so that we together as the body of Christ can build a church that the gates of hell will not be able to prevail!