PENTECOST 2009
Genesis 2:4-7
Acts 2:1-21
May 31, 2009
Listen to this sermon HERE
Last week was Ascension Sunday. We talked about the fact that if Jesus didn’t leave we would never assume responsibility for our part in bringing about the Kingdom of God. And, that Jesus’ departure needed to be a big event, so there wouldn’t be any doubt that he was gone and the ball is in our court. Today is Pentecost. Today we celebrate the birth of the Christian church through the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Jesus made it very clear before his departure; although he was leaving, we would not be alone. We are never without the power of God himself. Through the infusion of the Holy Spirit we are tapped directly into the perfect will, and the power of God Almighty.
How powerful is the Holy Spirit? Sometimes we think of the Holy Spirit like a conscience. It guides us a little bit, it nudges us here and there, maybe we listen to it maybe we don’t. The Holy Spirit that anointed the Apostles on Pentecost morning is the same Holy Spirit that is the physical force behind Creation. The Bible begins by telling us, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2). At the creation of the universe it is the Holy Spirit that is orchestrating and supervising. If you are familiar with that Scripture you know that God spoke light into being. We’ll talk a little later about why it is highly likely that the Holy Spirit is the voice of God.
As we move through the creation narrative we eventually reach the creation of mankind (Genesis 2:7). The Bible makes it clear that humanity is the pinnacle of creation. We, and we alone, are created in the image of God. The Holy Spirit is the force by which God animates Adam. You might say, “Wait a minute! I don’t remember reading about the Holy Spirit being there. God breathed into Adam, that’s what gave him life.” OK, let’s go there.
The Old Testament is written in Hebrew. The Hebrew word translated as Holy Spirit is ruach. (It’s on the plate at the back of the sanctuary.) The New Testament is written in Greek. The Greek word translated as Holy Spirit is pneuma. However, both words, ruach and pneuma, literally mean – breath. Where the Bible says the breath of God we translate that as the Holy Spirit. To speak audibly requires breath, otherwise you’re just lip-synching.
That is why we believe the Holy Spirit is the means by which God said, “Let there be light!” It is the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, that gives life to Adam. That is why the Holy Spirit is the force of creation. That is why in the upper room Jesus breathes on the Apostles and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). That is why on Pentecost morning the first indication of the arrival of the Spirit is a violent wind (Acts 2:2). The breath of God.
Ancient peoples believed the name of God was so holy, that it should never be spoken out loud. Instead, they would say Adonai – which means Lord; or Elohim – which means the holy one. That’s not to say that they didn’t know the name of God. They knew it, they just chose not to say it. Ancient Hebrew was written without any vowels, only consonants. The name of God was spelled Y-H-V-H. We call that the Tetragrammaton. The four letter true name of God. Y-H-V-H. Sometimes the V was pronounced like a W. So, when you insert vowels you get Yahweh. You’ve heard that name before. Sometimes the Y was pronounced like a J. Again, when vowels are inserted the name becomes Jehovah. You’ve heard that name as well.
However, ancient Rabbi’s believed the name was complete just as it was. Y-H-V-H. In Hebrew those letters are pronounced Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh. They believed the name of God was unpronounceable, because it was the sound of breath. (Inhale Yod, exhale Heh, inhale Vav, exhale Heh.) God’s holy name in our breath. The very breath which God breathed into Adam. The very last verse in the book of Psalms says, “Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 150:6). Is it possible that as we sit here, doing nothing more than breathing, we are praising the name of the Holy One? (Inhale Yod, exhale Heh, inhale Vav, exhale Heh.)
The most ardent atheist, who can prove in a hundred different ways that there is no God; that we are an accident of evolution; when he finally quits his diatribe, crosses his arms and shuts his mouth; does he sit there praising the name of God? (Inhale Yod, exhale Heh, inhale Vav, exhale Heh.) When a baby is born, is its first and most important action to take a breath; or does life begin when this child speaks the name of God? When we grow too old do we simply stop breathing; or does life cease because we can no longer praise God?
Chronologically speaking, the oldest book in the Bible is the book of Job. It was probably written five hundred to one thousand years before Moses wrote Genesis. There is strong evidence that it was written in a Semitic language that predates the origins of Hebrew. Job shows us that God had revealed himself to people long before his relationship with Abraham. It also shows us perfect consistency.
Job didn’t read what Moses wrote about the creation of the universe and humanity, and yet Job understood that life comes from the breath of God. Job writes, “The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (33:4). Job absolutely understood that the Spirit of God is tied to His breath, and that is the source of created life. In another place he writes, “If he should take back his spirit to himself, and gather to himself his breath, all flesh would perish together, and all mortals return to dust” (34:14-15). King Solomon understood this as well. In Ecclesiastes he tells us that when a man dies his body goes back to the dust, and his breath returns to the God who gave it (12:7). Another way of saying the Spirit returns to God.
Which brings up the issue; what makes a human being a human being? We each have a physical body. It walks, it talks, it eats, it touches things. We also have a soul; which includes our emotions, our intellect, and our will. Our soul can either serve God or be yielded to sin. Often, you will hear our soul and our spirit being used interchangeably, as if they are the same thing. And, in fact, there are some Scriptures which use soul and spirit as if they are exactly the same.
But, there are some verses in Scripture which imply that while everyone has a soul, not everyone has a spirit. They are different. In one place Paul writes, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). In another place he says, “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit” (Hebrews 4:12).
I believe most theologians today are dichotomists – they believe in body and soul. Those who are trichotomists believe in body, soul, and spirit. And, they believe that not everyone has the Spirit of God in them. The Spirit is higher than the soul, untouched by the sin of the world. When someone becomes a believer in Jesus Christ for their salvation the Holy Spirit becomes indwelling and manifests itself in our experience to achieve our sanctification.
Prior to Pentecost morning the Holy Spirit came and went, it never rested permanently on anyone. When you read the book of Judges you see the Spirit come at the appropriate time, to the appropriate person, for the accomplishment of a specific mission. Then, the Spirit leaves again. John the Baptist is the only person said to be born with the Spirit (Luke 1:15). We are not aware of Jesus possessing the Holy Spirit until his baptism at age 30 (Mark 1:10).
Starting on Pentecost morning the Holy Spirit becomes available to all believers. And, once it is indwelling it remains with us for the rest of our lives. Scripture can be a little confusing here. It almost appears like the Holy Spirit was sent to the Apostles twice. On the night of the Resurrection Jesus appears in the locked upper room to the ten remaining Apostles (Thomas was absent and Judas was dead). Jesus says to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22).
Communities of faith are divided here. Some believe Jesus was performing a symbolic act; he was tying himself to the arrival of the Holy Spirit so they would accept the Spirit as God (when it came), just as they accepted Jesus as God. Others believe this is consistent with the Old Testament. The Apostles needed strength to make it to Pentecost morning – when everyone would get the Spirit. So, just like in the Old Testament, Jesus gave them enough of the Spirit to get them by.
Those who believe in two doses of the Spirit, a temporary dose at the Resurrection, and a permanent dose at Pentecost, also see two types of inevitable ministry – gentle breath versus violent wind. Or, you might call it the whisper versus the sneeze. The church created through the whisper is compassionate, empathetic, and caring. It understands the sinful nature of man and does not seek to make itself the sinner’s judge. It lifts up the down trodden, respects everyone, and seeks to be a servant in a fallen world.
The sneeze church is vibrant and outgoing. It is committed to evangelism and boldly goes where the Gospel message has not been heard. It spares no expense to bring Bibles and baptism to those who do not know Christ as their Savior; and will beat on the same door a hundred times in hopes that ‘this time they get it’. This world desperately needs both of these churches; the whisper and the sneeze. We need all of the breath of God that we can get.
You are different than the rest of the world. You are not like everyone else. You have the permanently indwelling Holy Spirit of God living in you. This is why you understand when those around you just can’t see it. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit interprets our prayers and takes them to God (Romans 8:26); interprets Scripture and enlightens our understanding of the Word (Job 32:8); teaches us about Jesus beyond the Bible (John 15:26-27); and convicts us of sin when we would pursue evil (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit is why we get it when the others don’t. If you believe in the predestination of the elect, this is how it works. That is powerful stuff, and it is not to be taken for granted.
All that we are ties us to God. We have higher reasoning, and we understand our own mortality, because we are created in the image of God. Created by the Holy Spirit, the force of God’s creating power. The Holy Spirit – the breath of God. Breath which animates us and gives us life, and is a gift of God the Father. Let us take this moment to praise our God and thank Him for His Holy Spirit. (Inhale Yod, exhale Heh, inhale Vav, exhale Heh.) AMEN.