Sermon Tone Analysis

! Close Encounters Of The God Kind

!

A Close Encounter Through The Great Day Of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-47

 

 

Faith in UFO’s is often based upon highly debatable evidence, while faith in Jesus Christ is based upon the evidence and facts of the Word of God.

Nevertheless, no matter how much evidence and how many facts we have in the Word of God, faith in Jesus Christ still requires one to place his~/her trust in the Person of Jesus Christ for salvation.

These and other similarities impressed to use the subject of UFOs as a launching pad for our biblical discussion of “Close Encounters Of The God Kind.”

In the first three sermons in this series, we worked hard to develop a technical biblical, definition for a “Close Encounter Of The God Kind.”

That definition is

 

A “Close Encounter Of The God Kind” is a face-to-face meeting with God that cannot be totally explained, but which—when fully experienced—will bring about a response of genuine worship or celebration, which includes the remembrance of a redemptive past and~/or the conviction of a liberated future that changes people forever; causing them to move and grow by over-recording the intuitive tapes of their core belief.

Those of us who have been here for the entire series should be able to see, by now, that this definition fits the pattern of any biblical encounter with God.

In the fourth message in this series, we explored how intellect can keep us from wholeheartedly worshipping God.

We then began to explore twelve “Close Encounters Of The God Kind.”

We have explored God encountering Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the woman at the well, Peter, James, and John, the two Mary’s on resurrection morning, and the Children of Israel crossing the Jordan River.

/(Today we move to our next “Close Encounter Of The God Kind.”

Please notice with me Acts 2:1-47.

I am going to take my speaking life into my own hands and read this entire passage of Scripture.)/

Before we can move into this passage of Scripture, I must make a disclaimer.

Many preachers are afraid to do any teaching on this very important passage of Scripture, because of the controversy around the manifestations of the Spirit—particularly tongues.

But, this passage of Scripture is far too important to the beginning and history of the church to bypass, so I will spend more time on it in the future.

Therefore, please hear me!  Today, I will *not* be talking about anything Pentecostal, i.e. from the theological and denominational use of that word.

From the biblical use of the word, we are all Pentecostal!

Nevertheless, I will *not* be discussing anything having to do with spiritual manifestations—tongues in particular.

By way of contrast, I will be discussing this Great Day of Pentecost from a salvation~/historical perspective.

In addition, I will be discussing this Great Day of Pentecost from a kingdom perspective.

/(With that disclaimer, let’s use our definition and begin to explore this encounter.)/

The two Mary’s were sent from the tomb to the eleven apostles to let them know that Jesus was still alive and going to meet them in Galilee.

The eleven proceeded to Galilee where Jesus gave them the Great Commission.

Over the next 40 days Jesus showed Himself alive by many convincing proofs.

Then he gathered the apostles together and gave them a wonderful commandment and promise.

Following the commandment of Jesus the disciples and their company, which numbered about 120, gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem to wait for the promise of the Father, the promise of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Ten days later, 50 days after the crucifixion, in keeping with the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, the promise was given.

Can there be any doubt, in anyone’s mind, that what happened on this Great Day of Pentecost was a face-to-face meeting with God that cannot be fully explained?

If so, let’s look at a few details of this encounter.

·        A noise from heaven, like a violent rushing wind, filled the whole house where they were sitting.

·        Visible tongues of fire rested on each one of them.

·        They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

·        They spoke in Spirit-inspired languages that they had never learned before.

*God met this group of 120 people face-to-face in these details, and they certainly could not be fully explained!*

*They could not be fully explained, but they were fully experienced!*

What happened here, on the Great Day of Pentecost, was a dynamic experience with the Holy Spirit.

/(What were the genuine responses of worship?)/

The first response is seen in the individual response of Peter.

Peter preached a Spirit-filled sermon.

His sermon was about the identity of Jesus Christ.

He identified Him as both Lord and Christ.

He is the Lord, Master, i.e.

God.

He is the one that you must call upon to be saved.

He is also, the Christ, this Greek word meant the Anointed One, and was used for the Hebrew word Messiah.

Jesus is the Messiah that the Jews had long waited for.

He is the divine Author of eternal salvation, who shall one-day reign from the literal throne of David.

*His sermon was so powerful, that it pierced the hearts of those who were listening, and 3,000 people were saved.*

*The response of worship gave Peter a conviction of a liberated future.*

This response of worship changed him forever.

It over-recorded the intuitive tapes of his core belief.

53 days earlier, Peter had denied that he even knew Jesus Christ to two servant girls and some bystanders.

In addition he sealed that denial with profanity.

Now he is standing up before a great crowd and preaching with great power!

\\         There were also some corporate responses:

 

·        The first response was devotion.

¨      Devotion to the apostle’s teaching.

¨      Devotion to fellowship.

¨      Devotion to the Lord’s Supper.

¨      Devotion to prayer.

·        The second response was awe.

·        The third response was miracles.

·        The fourth response was /koinonia/, a oneness of minds and property.

·        The fifth response was eating together with gladness and sincerity of heart.

·        The six response was praising God.

·        The seventh response was having favor with all the people.

These responses brought about on-going evangelism.

People were constantly being saved.

These responses brought about a conviction of a liberated future that changed the 120 forever.

It over-recorded the intuitive tapes of their core belief.

This group was changed from an apprehensive, hiding, waiting group of people, to a vibrant, worshipping, united, evangelizing group of people.

/(How do we apply these truths to our situation?)/

This passage of Scripture is full of theological truths and anomalies, so I want to cover this passage from a very straightforward perspective.

It is almost universally acknowledged that this event is the birthday of the church, and this meant among many other things a new era and relationship with the Holy Spirit.

We know that in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came upon men for service, but did *not* permanently indwell them.

We know, from study, that on this Great Day of Pentecost, it seems that all of the 120 were not only filled with the Holy Spirit, but were all permanently indwelt by Him.  *But I don’t want to discuss all of that.

Today I want to discuss the obvious; I want to discuss what is stated.

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

They came into a new relationship and experience with the Holy Spirit.*

I’ve got good news for us.

God wants to encounter us, i.e. the New Testament church.

Just as He was bent on giving the filling of the Holy Spirit to the church in Acts, He wants to encounter us through the filling of the Holy Spirit today.

Somebody praise God!

\\         This is substantiated by Paul in

 

Ephesians 5:18, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”

·        “Be filled” is in the imperative, meaning it is a command.[1]

It is God’s will that we be filled with the Holy Spirit, and God never exhorts us to seek something He is not willing to provide!

·        “Be filled” is a plural verb in the Greek, meaning we are all to be filled, that every follower of Christ is to be filled.[2]

·        “Be filled” is in the present tense, meaning we are all to be filled with the Holy Spirit right now and every now to follow, i.e. continuously in the present.[3]

·        “Be filled” is in the passive form meaning we do not do it, it must be done to us.

We do not fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit, we allow Him to fill us.[4]

Being filled with the Spirit is an encounter with God that cannot be fully explained!

It is my contention that saved people, in the modern church, have had a salvation encounter with the Holy Spirit, but have not maintained the filling of the Holy Spirit.

The filling of the Holy Spirit is maintained or regained through five important things:

 

1.

Ongoing repentance concerning revealed sin.[5]

Sin must be dealt with, or the Holy Spirit is restrained from doing His work!