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Pentecost Sunday sermon on Acts 2
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Welcome to Pentecost Sunday. The Holy Spirit is still at work. He's still moving. He's still breathing new life on the church. As we gather together, I want to invite you into the story we're about to hear—to imagine yourself in that upper room with the 120 disciples who were waiting, praying, and expecting the gift of the Holy Spirit that had been promised to them.
Let's read from Acts 2, beginning with these powerful words:
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind. And it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language... "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each of us in his own native language?"... We hear them telling in our own tongue the mighty works of God. And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."
Isn't it interesting how people reacted differently to what God was doing? Some mocked, saying the disciples were drunk. Others were bewildered and wanted to know more. This is still true today. When the people of God are changed and impacted by the Spirit, having an impact on society, some will mock. Some will want to know more. And some will have no interest at all.
But here's what matters: it's not about us. We're just the vessel. It's all about Jesus meeting people where they are. Some will always doubt. Some will always not believe. And some will say, "There must be something more to life. There must be something different in the way you're speaking and operating that makes me think maybe there is something more."
That's my prayer for this church: that we would be so filled with the Holy Spirit and changed that we would have an impact wherever we go.
I want to share something that happened to me this weekend. In the midst of all that's been going on—the grief, the pain, the disappointment—I felt the Lord speak to me through my barbecue.
I had cleaned it up, tongs ready, everything prepared. I went to turn on the ignition, excited for our first barbecue. But there was no sound. No flame. I checked the connection, but something was wrong. Then I looked at the dial, and I felt the Lord say to me: "James, is that where you are right now?"
We're in a series at the moment called Revive the Fire. We started five weeks ago and finished yesterday in Acts 28. And I believe this is a prophetic word for me and for us as a church: that we would not be people who operate like an empty tank, who know that it's very easy to go through life—pretty much a year—and suddenly realize, "Actually, I'm on empty. I've been relying on the spirit from years before, on those stories from the years before. But God wants to do something fresh in this season."
The question I have for you is: Do you want to see God revive the fire in your life again?
Maybe some of you are thinking, "Well, hang on. I haven't even had the fire lit initially. I need it for the first time, not revived." But actually, there's something for each and every one of us in this, because we can all relate to sometimes feeling like life looks polished on the outside—we've got everything prepared, everything looks clean—but on the inside, we're running low. We're running empty.
Maybe for some of you, it's that reality. It's not that your faith is dead; it's just that the flame is low right now. For others, it's not as bad as that—it's okay. But it can very quickly become this if we don't attend to what we need to attend to.
Looking at verse one: "Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven."
Here's something interesting: most of life feels gradual. It's not often we see the "suddenly." Growth is gradual. Often healing is gradual. Change is gradual—and sometimes painfully gradual. Things can take a lot longer than we want them to. You can pray for breakthrough and nothing changes overnight. You pray for direction and God can feel silent.
As a church family, we are carrying grief this morning. I am carrying grief this morning in a way I've never had to before. Please bear with me if I'm a bit all over the place. If you're a visitor, this is not a typical Sunday.
But here's what I want you to know: even in the heartbreak of loss, we hold on to His hope. God's hope. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is still with His people. The fire of God does not just disappear in suffering. In fact, sometimes—I believe this is true for us as a church—sometimes it burns brightest there.
This moment didn't come out of nowhere. Everything actually from the beginning was leading up to this moment at Pentecost. Pentecost is the fulfillment of the story of God that He'd been telling for thousands of years.
Pentecost means the 50th day—50 days after the Passover. God's people celebrated the Feast of Weeks, called the Shabo, and it was a harvest festival remembering God's goodness and provision. But this wasn't the first Pentecost. This was the beginning of the next season and chapter.
About 1500 years earlier, Israel had been trapped in slavery in Egypt for 400 years. They cried out to God for deliverance. And while they were crying out, God said, "I'm going to prepare an answer in the form of Moses."
Maybe somebody needs this reminder today: You might look at your situation right now and you might be crying out to God, but God is preparing you. He's preparing you gradually to move in and through you.
God told Moses, "I'm going to give a bunch of plagues so that the Pharaoh will let you go." The final plague was that God said, "I'm going to kill all of the firstborn sons in Egypt. But for you, anyone that puts the blood of a lamb on the doorpost and the frame of the door, the angel of death will pass over."
That's where Passover comes from.
And then that Passover led to the ultimate Passover—the ultimate Lamb: Jesus Christ dying on the cross. The blood of the lamb poured out for the sins, the guilt, and the shame of the world so that we would no longer need to atone. That was the ultimate sacrifice.
After Jesus had died, He spent about 40 days with His disciples. He appeared to them. He talked to them. He encouraged them. He challenged them. Remember Peter? Breakfast on the beach, by the charcoal fire. Jesus said, "Peter, you're better than that. I have a plan for you."
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Wait for the gift my Father has for you." The disciples waited. Jesus ascended 10 days later. For 10 days, they waited. Your miracle must be 10 days away. They may have been full of doubt, but they were still praying. They were still serving. They were still worshiping. They were still together, unified.
And then 10 days later, on the 50th day—Pentecost—when God-fearing Jews, men and women, were all in the area of Jerusalem because they would come from all over to celebrate Pentecost... on this Pentecost, the church of Christ was born. The Spirit of God lit the flame, and they were never the same.
They waited 10 days. It's hard for us to wait a minute, right?
I wonder: What's the longest time you've just waited in God's presence? I once did a silent retreat where I managed two hours with my eyes closed in silence. But what would happen if we really waited on Him? What would it look like?
The whole narrative of Scripture is coming together in this moment. The Spirit that breathed life into Adam—the ruak, the breath of God—that same breath is breathing life into the church. This is a new wind of the Spirit breathing life into God's people, and that same breath is available today.
Can you imagine it? The tongues of fire. The mighty rushing wind of the Spirit. What an exciting moment for them all.
This is God filling His people with His presence. That's what we're called to be. We want to be a people of His presence because that's what we're called to be. If we don't have the Holy Spirit, I honestly just think—well, what's the point?
You may have heard the phrase: "Too much words, you dry up. Too much spirit you blow up. Word and spirit you grow up." We need the Word and the Spirit together.
The sound like a mighty rushing wind filled the house. That wind represents not just the breath of God in Adam, but also what we see in Ezekiel 37—the valley of dry bones. Ezekiel has a picture of the hopelessness and the brokenness of Israel, and God says, "Don't worry. I'm going to blow. I'm going to breathe life into what looks like death." This is a new creation moment.
Then they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and rested on each of them. Fire throughout the Scriptures represents the presence of God. God spoke through a burning bush to Moses at the beginning of his call. He led the Israelites by a pillar of fire. He was with Moses on Mount Sinai. In Hebrews, we read that God is an all-consuming fire.
But something changes now. In the Old Testament, the fire rested on places. But now the fire rested on the people.
The journey goes from the garden to the burning bush to the tabernacle to the temple to Jesus to the church. And the Spirit is now filling the believers.
You are built together to become a dwelling in which the Holy Spirit lives. (Ephesians 2)
Ezekiel also sees a vision of a river running from the temple. It starts ankle deep, then knee deep, then waist deep, and then they are submerged enough to swim in. That river brings life wherever it goes.
Church, wherever we go, we are bringing life. We might not understand all of it, but we are bringing life. We're people that bring life wherever we go through the Spirit.
So let me remind you of some truths today in the midst of everything that's going on:
We're not just people that attend church once every two or three weeks. You never know what God might want to do this week. Come as often as you can come. It makes a difference. We need each other. We need each other.
Wherever you go, you're the temple. You're like a spiritual delivery driver, but the food you offer is nourishment for the soul. You bring change wherever you go.
Everything we do as Christians isn't just here on a Sunday. We're not just worshiping in His presence. We're not just praying in His presence. We're doing mission in His presence.
I felt the Lord say to me through this whole barbecue thing, "Okay, Lord, fine. I hear you. I'm going to get a new canister." We got one, and we had a great couple of barbecues the last couple of days.
On Saturday morning as the sun came up, I was reflecting on a song I'd sung the day before. As I was thanking God for a new day, the gift of a new day, the gift of life—many people raised a glass to Matt. And I want to encourage you: why don't you raise a glass to Matt today? The sun comes up. It's a new day dawning. It's a gift. We can carry that presence.
When the Lord was saying to me, "James, you're running on empty right now. What does it look like for you to fuel yourself again?"—in my brokenness, in not having all the answers—I asked, "What does it look like for you as a vicar to just be someone of My presence again?"
I went out with some old schoolmates on Friday night, and I had a great evening with them. And whilst I was there, I ended up praying for three different people. People are so open. Honestly, I feel like that's probably one of the greatest mission fields right now. You are a living, walking, fire-filled temple of Jesus. And you bring change. You bring change wherever you go.
We're a place of encounter where people come and receive. They come and taste. They come and see that the Lord is good. As people come in here, I really pray that you feel like, "Oh, there's something different here. What's going on here?" It's not because it's polished—it's certainly not that polished this morning—but we are people that believe in the power of Jesus.
Did you notice they were all filled? It wasn't just for a few. Every single one of them.
I find myself thinking often: "Well, hang on. So that means everyone here who would like to receive can receive. So is that something that makes me nervous? Do I not really want that?"
But if you don't want it, He won't come to you in a certain way. If you do want it, He will. He'll meet you where you're at.
When I was younger, I went to Twickenham to watch England versus Wales. We got to meet some of the players. At that time, I wanted to be a fly half. I had the opportunity to meet Johnny Wilkinson. He signed a rugby ball for me—one of the best memories of my teenage years. I had VIP access to a place that many people weren't able to be.
But the Holy Spirit is for everyone. The Holy Spirit is for everyone. There's no VIP access. There's no "behind the curtain." That's what it was like in the Old Testament to be in the presence of Jesus—only priests were allowed, and they had ropes around them because they might not be able to deal with the presence of Jesus and had to be pulled back out.
But we get to be with Jesus. The Holy Spirit is available to all.
What's interesting is where the Holy Spirit met them first. He met them in tongues. The Holy Spirit rested on them in flames, tongues of fire. And then it says they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
What did the Holy Spirit bless initially? Their tongues—not the gift of tongues spoken of in 1 Corinthians (which we'll journey through at some point), but other languages. Why? Because there were God-fearing men and women from all over the world. And this was the only way they would hear what God was doing in that moment.
One of our challenges is to find the language of the culture of the world we're in right now. Pray for that.
Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. What's going on in your heart will come out in what you're saying. If you want to know how someone's doing, listen to them speak and you'll very quickly find out what's going on in their heart.
The Holy Spirit touches their hearts and their mouths. This reminds me of Isaiah 6, when Isaiah says, "Woe to me. I'm a man of unclean lips." What does God do in that moment? In the midst of him humbling himself, an angel comes down and puts a coal of fire on his lips.
Isn't that interesting? The fire of God on their lips at Pentecost. Fire of God on the lips of Isaiah. And what happens with Isaiah? He says, "Send me." The fire of Jesus will send us. The fire purifies us. The fire ignites a passion in us. The fire releases power.
When you're asking for the Holy Spirit, recognize: "Lord, what are you wanting to do? What are you wanting to speak through me? Send me." Fire sent those early disciples using languages they'd never used before.
Suddenly, 120 people, and the church grows very quickly. The point wasn't that the church was suddenly speaking strangely (which, by the way, is a huge temptation). The point was that people heard clearly. People were able to understand what was going on. The gospel is not for a few. The gospel is for everyone. Every tribe, every tongue, every single person—there is an invitation.
This is a heavenly community. Shouldn't there therefore be some way that we operate as a church that reflects that heavenly community?
Maybe the greatest picture of Pentecost is Peter himself.
Peter—weeks before, after Jesus had died—had all these thoughts in his mind. He had denied Jesus by a charcoal fire, actually to a little girl. He was pretty embarrassed. Anyone else ever felt like that? "I'm embarrassed to follow Jesus. I don't want to be really honest about what I'm doing on a Sunday."
"How was your weekend?" "Good. Had a barbecue." "What do you do on Sunday morning?" "Oh, I saw a couple of friends. We kind of come together. We listen to like a book club, but it's a shorter book. It's like a TED talk. There's a bit of music. It's quite relaxing, like meditation."
We don't need to be embarrassed by Jesus. And Peter was in that place. He was feeling like there was no way back. Jesus had died, and he thought, "My last interaction was watching my friend, my rabbi, dying on the cross. And the last thing he told me was that I would deny him. Can you imagine that? That's the last image."
Even though Jesus had told him, "Don't worry, I'm coming back," the disciples hadn't really understood it. Even having spent 13,000 hours with Him over those three years together—that gives me hope. We might not fully understand it. We're okay.
But Jesus understood this moment for Peter. So Jesus recreated the scene of a charcoal fire on the beach and this breakfast on the beach. In that moment, He said to Peter, "Do you love me?" Three times—because Peter had denied Him three times. Jesus wanted to change that whole environment for him.
That smell of the charcoal fire that had been about guilt and pain and disappointment—now it's about grace. Every single morning, he knew: there's grace. He's such a kind God.
Then we read later in this same chapter:
Peter filled with the Spirit said to the people, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, your children, and all who are far off."
What changed? The Holy Spirit. The grace of Jesus. The Holy Spirit filled Peter. No longer denying by a fire—being restored by a fire. He was preaching fire. 3,000 came to faith that day and were baptized.
You may feel like you are way off. You hear that? "All those of you that are far off, you and your children who are far." Some of you may feel far off. You may know people who are far off. This is a reminder today: The fire of Jesus is available and is still at work through you.
I believe He wants to spread through us again, church, like wildfire. It doesn't take much for a wildfire to suddenly catch and to see change.
So, are you hungry? Are you running on low right now? And if you are, is this an invitation maybe this morning?
Lord, actually I don't just need you to ignite the flame again. I need a whole new kind of canister. I need you to move so powerfully again that there'll be such an encounter that I won't be the same as a result of this time together this morning in Your presence.
If we're able, let's stand as a way of saying: "Actually, I am hungry. I do want this fire to be revived again, Jesus."
