The Holy Spirit Is for Everyone :: Acts 2:1-21
Not long after God had delivered the sons of Israel from their enslavement in Egypt, the people of God became unhappy with the way the Lord was taking care of them. Despite all the miracles they had seen ... despite the heavenly food called manna that was given each day ... despite the abundance of quail and water flowing from the rock ... the people wanted more. They wanted their old way of life. The promise of milk and honey wasn’t good enough (Ex 3:8).
So they began grumbling. Their complaints grew in such proportions that Moses became so troubled. He felt overwhelmed by the tremendous responsibility of leading so many people.
In response, the Lord told Moses to select 70 elders from among the people to assist him. I will come down and speak with you, YHWH said. I will set apart [some] of the Spirit that is upon you, and set it upon [those elders], and they will bear with you the burden of the people (Num 11:17).
When the time came to commission them, the Lord poured out his Holy Spirit upon those men. Moses writes: And as the Spirit rested upon them, they began to prophesy of God (Nm 11:25), that is, they began to speak the Word of God ... because to prophesy is to speak the Word of God. It must have been an incredible sight.
Nonetheless, somehow, two of the men selected by Moses ... Eldad and Medad ... had not assembled with the others. ... They were still in the camp. But they too were prophesying ... or we can say, speaking the word of God.
We should stop them, Joshua, the son of Nun, told Moses.
But Moses said to him, Are you zealous for me? O that YHWH would give all the people [the Word of God], that YHWH would put his Spirit upon them (Num 11:29).
1.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we observe the day that actually began to happen.
GOD’S PROMISE OF SALVATION IS FOR ALL PEOPLE
We heard the fulfillment of Moses’ prayer for all people in our second reading from Acts 2. Luke writes ... When the day of Pentecost was being fulfilled, they ... that is, everyone from the known world ... Rome, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Arabia, Egypt, Libya ... they were ALL together in one place. And it happened, suddenly out of heaven, a noise ... [like one] being carried by a mighty rushing wind ... it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues like fire [flickering] appeared to them, and [these tongues] sat upon each one of them. And they were ALL filled with the Holy Spirit, and they [all] began to speak other languages just as the Spirit gave to them [for the purpose of proclamation of the Word of God] (vv 1-4).
It was an amazing day.
God poured out the Holy Spirit upon all people ... just as the Prophet Joel had foretold. As Peter then reminded us, It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters will [speak God’s Word] (vv 17).
What God had been doing on a limited scale ... like with the Israelites in the wilderness ... he was now doing in a much greater fashion ... he was doing it for the known world. The apostles’ account of the formation of the first Christian church on earth as recorded in Acts bears witness to God’s power through the Holy Spirit upon all people everywhere. All of God’s promises find their yes in him.
2.
Suddenly, we began to hear the fullness of the Gospel. Beginning with the Day of Pentecost, we learn that Jesus is not just a good man with a good word about good living. He is the Christ. We learn that Jesus is not merely teaching us how to do social justice. He lived and died for your sins. We learn that Jesus literally shows us and tells us the message of the Gospel ... He is risen!
Men of Israel, hear these words! Peter proclaimed.
Jesus of Nazareth, a man who displayed from God to you power and wonders and signs, which God did through him in your midst, just as you yourselves know, this [Jesus], who in the definite plan and foreknowledge of God through lawless men was pierced and killed, [this Jesus] God has raised up, releasing the agony of death because it was not able to hold him by it (vv 22-24).
Sin and death have been crucified in the body of Christ. This is the Gospel. And just as importantly, he has been raised. We wouldn’t know this apart from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Now you who confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that Jesus is not dead ... You will be saved. The Holy Spirit has made this known to you all.
3.
It is not within our power ... or by our strength that we can even begin to understand the significance of what God has done and continues to do for us. As Saint Paul says in his first epistle to the Corinthians, The natural man is not able to receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolish to him, and he is not able to understand them. They are nonsense to him because they are scrutinized spiritually (1 Cor 2:14).
We confess the same thing.
Please now turn to page 323 in your [Lutheran Service Book] and join me in confessing this true doctrine through the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed we confessed just a little while ago. ... What is the Third Article? ... What does this mean?
4.
So now we understand what Jesus was telling us the night he began the Divine Service.
The Comforter, Jesus said, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and cause you to remember all which I said to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you (vv 26-27a).
In other words, the forgiveness of sins is yours on account of Jesus ... through his life, his death, his rest on the Sabbath day, his resurrection, his ascension, and his promise to come again to take you to himself. Just as surely as the forgiveness of sins is for all people, so now is the Holy Spirit. So by the word of God ...
Repent and be baptized each of you upon the name of Jesus into the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far off, whosoever the Lord our God will call to himself (vv 38-39).
5.
The evidence of the Spirit’s saving work in all of our lives comes through more than simple words. The Holy Spirit enables us to see the scope and depth of God’s grace, which is the forgiveness of sins. He works repentance in us.
The Spirit speaks to us through God’s Word ... the word he inspired men to write inerrantly. He uses this word to declare absolution to you, that your sins are forgiven on account of the blood of Christ. This gives us faith. He uses this word in and with the waters of baptism that continued to flow upon you, cleansing you. This too gives us faith. As Paul says in Titus: He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:5-8). More than that he continues to feed us the bread of heaven ... his own body and blood ... given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
These sacraments are not mere ceremonies. One is not more important than another. The Holy Spirit uses them all together. They demonstrate that the Holy Spirit is still upon us. That he is still with us. We hear the Word of God in our own language. We speak the Word of God for our good and his glory. We receive the word of God through the sacraments. God fulfills all the promises of Christ to be with you always, even to the end of the age.
6.
This raises a question: If the Spirit is still with us, why are so many weak in their faith?
Why have so many stopped returning to our temple to sing the praise of Christ.
Be assured, the problem is not with the Holy Spirit. Hear the preaching of Peter and Paul.
Flee from your sin. Drown it daily. Rise again into the newness of life, remembering there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rm 8:1). Return to hear the Scripture ... not only weekly here in the Divine Service ... but daily on your own. Pray continually. Receive the Lord’s Supper whenever you can. Devote yourselves to a common confession. Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you speak the Word of God to one another, to your neighbors and friends, telling them how the Holy Spirit is for them, too, that they also may know Jesus, crucified and risen for you (1 Cor 14:1). And don’t forget to heed the lesson of Genesis 11 by not trying to make a name for yourselves.
God has given you his name. For his name’s sake, he will preserve your life (Ps 143). He has marked you as one of the redeemed. And it will be: All who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (v 21) ... in Jesus’ name.