Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
Sermon Acts 2:1-21 “Amazed and Perplexed”
May 31, 2020
Fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and just ten days after his ascension to heaven his followers met in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem. The group numbered 120, roughly the same size as the congregation here at Pittsgrove church. They had been told by Jesus to go back there and wait.
The great crowds that had followed Jesus in his ministry were gone. They had expected Jesus to be the messiah and lead a military revolt against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire. They had seen his miracles and listened to him teach that the Kingdom of God was near. But all this seemingly was not to be.
The 120 followers of Jesus were filled with fear. If they ventured into the world they might be arrested as followers of Jesus. They might be ridiculed by others for continuing to believe in a rabbi who had been executed by the authorities. They didn't know what to do. Jesus had told them to wait. They were stuck.
As they waited they did the best they could. They retold the stories of Jesus' life on earth. They did what Jesus did and searched the Old Testament for clues about what his life, death, and resurrection were all about. They broke bread and drank wine just as Jesus had told them to do. And, of course, they elected officers and formed committees just like any church waiting for Jesus to return.
This should all sound pretty familiar. We are still waiting for Jesus' return. We gather each Sunday morning to retell the stories of Jesus and search the scripture for meaning. Once a month we break the bread and drink the wine just as Jesus told us to do. And, of course, we elect officers and form committees. The 120 or so Presbyterians here in Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church are not very different from the 120 followers of Jesus who met in that upper room. Just like them, we fear to bring our faith into the community around us. Just like them, we fear that we will be ridiculed and made fun of. So we come to church on Sundays to break bread and worship but remain silent about our faith for the rest of the week. We are just like the 120 who gathered in that room and like them, we need to pray.
Heavenly Father, we have gathered this morning, via Zoom, to remember all that you have done for us. We sit here and wait for Jesus’ return. We ask that you send your Holy Spirit to empower us to be your Son’s witnesses in our community. This we pray in Jesus’ glorious name. Amen.
So 120 people were sitting in an upper room waiting for something to happen. All of sudden something did happen which changed everything. It strengthened them and empowered them just Jesus had promised. So what happened to this group of 120 followers of Jesus? Just before Jesus ascended to heaven he made this promise.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
So the 120 people in that upper room were waiting to receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. And this power would allow them to be witnesses of all that Jesus said and did. And as they were waiting this happened.
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.
Jesus kept his promise. He sent the Holy Spirit to empower his disciples. They were empowered to speak in other languages so that they could witness to all Jesus said and did throughout the world. They were empowered to talk with people about their faith. They were empowered to bring non-believers to Christ. But did the disciples keep their end of the bargain? Did they witness to the people in Jerusalem and from there to the entire world? Here is what they did.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Jesus’ disciples were empowered by the Holy Spirit. They did have the ability to witness to all that Jesus said and did. The people in Jerusalem heard them and understood what they were saying. But the thing they feared the most happened. The Holy Spirit came and empowered them to proclaim the gospel to everyone regardless of language or ethnicity. And when they did people made fun of them and called them drunks.
Isn't this our greatest fear? If we leave church and witness to others sharing our faith and proclaiming the good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sin, aren't we afraid that we will be ridiculed, and made fun of? Won't modern people call us stupid for believing in miracles? Won't some people be offended if we say that Jesus is the only path of salvation and eternal life? Won't the atheists try to stop us from proclaiming the gospel in the public square? According to scripture, the answer is yes. We will be ridiculed. We will be made fun of. We will be called stupid. We may even be called drunk.
But if we are filled with the Holy Spirit none of this will matter because the Holy Spirit strengthens us and directs us. With the Holy Spirit, we are empowered as witnesses of the resurrection of the Christ in spite of the ridicule we will receive. With the Holy Spirit, we will leave this worship space and go into the world as courageous ambassadors of Christ and be the leading edge of the kingdom of God.
You can see all of this through the example of Peter. Peter was just an illiterate fisherman. On the night of Jesus' arrest, his courage failed when his sword was taken away and three times that night he fearfully denied that he even knew Jesus. But just 50 days later, Peter was empowered by the Holy Spirit. His fear was gone. The ridicule didn’t affect him at all. The possibility of arrest didn’t concern him. He had that strength and courage that not even he would have expected. And he did the most unexpected thing: he proclaimed his faith in public.
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
With boldness, Peter declared that the prophecy of Joel had been fulfilled. The Holy Spirit of God had come into the world. And now everything was about to change. The Holy Spirit had come to transform the world into the Kingdom of God just as Jesus had promised. The Spirit had begun by transforming 120 followers of Jesus into leaders of a movement that would change the world.
Last night we saw how much the world needs this transformation. Evil seized American cities. Peaceful protests turn into violent riots and police are seen battling protestors. No amount of force can solve these problems. Our only hope is that the Holy Spirit will come and we will see a revival. Perhaps that revival will start with prayers here at Pittsgrove church.
What if the Holy Spirit did the same thing with us that it did with the disciples? What if the Spirit filled us with the ability to witness our faith in Jesus Christ? What if the Spirit calmed our fears so that we could proclaim our faith even in the midst of ridicule? What if the Spirit strengthened us to begin a transformation that would change the world? All of this is possible if we allow the Holy Spirit to come upon us.
The Holy Spirit comes into our hearts through worship and daily practices of prayer and meditation on scripture. Do these things and your fears will melt away. Your faith will be strengthened. Your hearts will be filled with God's Spirit. You will pray for healing and people will be healed. You will proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ and promise eternal life to everyone you know. Through your proclamation, people will come to Christ and the church will be full. You will reach out to people of other ethnic groups and who speak different languages. Your church will be united with one mind. You will be able to withstand the evils powers at work in the world trying to stop you. You will be able to do all of this because the Holy Spirit of God is in you and with you.
So I urge you today to pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Dedicate yourselves to regular prayer, worship, and meditation on God’s word. The Spirit will come upon you just as it did to those 120 followers of Jesus some two thousand years ago. Through you, the Spirit will transform the world.
Let's pray. Holy Spirit, on this Pentecost Sunday we pray that you enter this church just as you entered that upper room. Fill us with the ability to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life with boldness. And use this proclamation to bring people to belief in our Lord Jesus Christ so that more and more people will experience your transforming power. This we pray in the name of the one who sent you, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
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