Acts 2:29-41
What words that were spoken to you jolted your life? ‘You are loved? You are forgiven? You will live? You are my friend? I believe you?’ Words give new life and power to us. Words spoken from the heart can inspire us to do things we thought we could not do.
In a great naval battle John Paul Jones said to the British, “We have just begun to fight “. Douglas McArthur said, “I have returned.”, as he led his troops to take back the Philippines and the Islands in the Pacific from Japan. In a movie line Clint Eastwood said to a punk “Make my day”. Joshua spoke these words to Israel, “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my house my family will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:14-15). As Stephen died for his faith in Jesus he prayed these words, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees shouting , “Lord don’t charge them with this sin”, and with that he died.
On Pentecost Simon Peter preached this sermon, “In the last days God says, “I will pour out my spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my spirit even on my servants – men and women alike – and they will prophesy. And I will cause wonders in the heavens, above and signs on the earth below – blood and fire and clouds of smoke. The sun will become dark and the moon will turn blood red before the great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. But everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved.”
In this Pentecost sermon Peter speaks the words of God to give us God’s plan for our salvation. “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you and to your children and even to the Gentiles, all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day – about 3,000 in all.
The word spoken in the power of the Holy Spirit produces changed lives and growth for God’s church. The plan that Peter spoke of on Pentecost remains God’s plan for our life and salvation. This Pentecost message contains the power to give us a new life today. As the church turns away from the word of God we see the empty broken lives of a people that are living a life of death.
The Pentecost message gives to those people that respond to its words and promises a new way to live life. It is in this word that we Easter people know the joy of being a forgiven sinner. In the eternal Kingdom God will not allow sin to enter. In His Kingdom Jesus’ death and resurrection promised that we will have a place where the pain of sin will not enter. “Look, God’s home in now among his people. He will live with them and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
In the Book of James he writes about controlling the tongue. He writes of the good and evil that comes from our tongues. James writes “the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches”. Words that produce good results are words that have power to change our lives. James also spoke about the results of evil words spoken by the tongue “But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.”
The Pentecost experience of the Holy Spirit produces changed lives and changes the way we use our tongues. Let’s use our gift to speak words to share God’s plan for life. Let’s tell others that God’s love and grace will change life through forgiveness. Let’s speak words of life that give us a new and lasting life.
Do you believe the words of Scripture that heaven is for real and hell is for real? One is the place for those that ask for forgiveness from their sin. The other is the place for those that never ask for forgiveness.
