June 8, 2014
Stetson Memorial United Methodist
Church
Pentecost
Sunday
Sermon
Series on “The Names of God”
Sermon
22 of series-
“The
Sacred Names of God: Ruach”
Joel
2:28-29 Names of God Bible
Genesis
2:7 Names of God Bible
Acts
2:1-18 Gods Word Translation
Names
of God Bible (with direct verse lookup), The Baker Publishing Group
Let us pray… (Pray for God’s illumination of our
hearts, minds and souls.)
As we
continue our journey of learning about and praying in the Sacred Names of
God, we have heard many names for God on our journey thus far. But one of
the most important to the church is the name that started the church. It is why
we are celebrating today Pentecost Sunday. It is the name that began all of
creation itself. The name is Ruach…(well…it is more of a thing than a name…)
the breath…the Spirit…the wind. Ruach Yahweh…the Lord’s Spirit,
Ruach…Spirit, Ruach El…God’s Spirit, Ruach Elohim…Spirit of God (breathe),
Ruach Qodesh…Holy Spirit…on that day of Pentecost the church was
transformed by the very breathe…the Ruach of God…
The Names of God Bible tells us that:
The
Spirit offers wisdom, ability, guidance, power, and revelation. So powerful is
the breath of the Spirit that it can even bring the dead to life. Though Ruach
when used in connection with God in the Hebrew Scriptures may simply refer to
his power or his will, more often it signifies that God is present by his
Spirit. The New Testament speaks of the gifts of the Holy
Spirit (Ruach Qodesh) is given to the body of Christ so that together we can do
the will of God on earth. The Holy Spirit is the One with the power to
re-create the life of God within us.
Today, as we celebrate the power of the
Spirit in the church, the scriptures remind us that the
Spirit is a social Spirit – a Spirit
that leads us to certain solidarity with each other, the whole world, and all
its people. The Spirit does more than make individuals feel good or different.
Let me read to you the account of when
the Spirit of God…the Ruach of God…became
a reality to the church…the body…the Disciples of Christ from Acts chapter 2,
verses 1-21. Now when Christ left He told His disciples that He was going back
to heaven but the Spirit…the Advocate would be sent to help them. They had been
waiting and praying for days until that fateful day. (I am reading from the God’s Word Translation this morning)
The Believers Are Filled with the
Holy Spirit
“2
When Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, came, all the believers were
together in one place. 2 Suddenly, a sound like a violently blowing wind came
from the sky and filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 Tongues that
looked like fire appeared to them. The tongues arranged themselves so that one
came to rest on each believer. 4 All the believers were filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the
ability to speak.
5
Devout Jewish men from every nation were living in Jerusalem. 6 They gathered
when they heard the wind. Each person was startled to recognize his own dialect
when the disciples spoke.
7
Stunned and amazed, the people in the crowd said, “All of these men who are
speaking are Galileans. 8 Why do we hear them speaking in our native dialects?
9 We’re Parthians, Medes, and Elamites. We’re people from Mesopotamia, Judea,
Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the
country near Cyrene in Libya. We’re Jewish people, converts to Judaism, and
visitors from Rome, 11 Crete, and Arabia. We hear these men in our own languages
as they tell about the miracles that God has done.”
12
All of these devout men were stunned and puzzled. They asked each other, “What
can this mean?” 13 Others said jokingly, “They’re drunk on sweet wine.”
Peter Talks to the Crowd
14
Then Peter stood up with the eleven apostles. In a loud voice he said to them,
“Men of Judea and everyone living in Jerusalem! You must understand this, so
pay attention to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk as you suppose. It’s
only nine in the morning. 16 Rather, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about:
17
‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour my Spirit on everyone.
Your sons and daughters will speak what
God has revealed.
Your young men will see visions.
Your old men will dream dreams.
18
In those days
I will pour my Spirit on my servants, on
both men and women.
They will speak what God has revealed.”
There are 4 P’s that we receive from
this Ruach Qodesh…the Holy Spirit.:
1.
Power – it came
upon the believers in power. As I said that one of the words for Ruach is
wind. Now we have all seen the power of wind. It can turn windmills. It can
be devastating as in a hurricane. A tornado can pulverize a house. In the
account I read we hear how the Holy Spirit…Ruach
Qodesh… came as a mighty wind. When
the church is filled with the Holy Spirit, barriers come tumbling down, lives
are healed and transformed by that same Spirit. But…but…this power is not to be used to manipulate believers through
guilt and fear but to free people from the paralyzing grip
of sin in their lives.
2.
Presence – As
Jesus came into that upper room where the frightened disciples were after His
death, He lifted their spirits by His presence, we can be fearless because we
are promised that we will have the presence of the Holy Spirit with us. If we
know that God is with us and that His love and grace can reach us at our
lowest, darkest point, we can face almost anything.
3.
Peace – We can
have peace because of the Ruach Qodesh. As
the disciples were offered peace when Jesus entered the locked upper room we
too are offered that same peace through the Spirit.
4.
Prophecy – The
Acts scripture tells us that those who witnessed the “download” of the Spirit
were perplexed. They didn’t know what to make of it. They even thought that the
disciples were drunk on wine. Peter boldly, through the Spirit, stood up and
told them that they weren’t drunk but it was the fulfillment of what the
prophet Joel had prophesized. The word “prophecy” means to speak forth or
declare. As a matter of fact that is what Peter did so that they could make
sense of the signs and wonders.
5.
Now I said there
were only 4 P’s but there actually is a 5th one. The 5th
one is purpose. The Spirit acts with purpose. It gives strength and power so
that the disciples of Christ can make known the forgiveness of sins…so that
others can also receive the gift of the Spirit. There is a purpose for why we
stand here today. There is a purpose for the Spirit that is within you and
within me…to enable us to preach, teach, to share the gospel of Good News.
6.
OK…let me add
one more…personal. The Holy Spirit is not an idea but a person. It is the third
part of the Trinity…Father, Son and Spirit. Our job is not to understand but to
receive the Holy Spirit into our lives. The Spirit is given to all who know,
trust and walk with Jesus.
The Spirit changes behavior and moves us
into community.
Ø The coming of the Spirit transformed the early
Christian community
1. Locked doors were opened.
2. Fear was replaced by courage
3. Peace was proclaimed.
4. The power to forgive sins was present
5. Those who were afraid spoke boldly
Thousands heard the message in their own
language.
Ø The coming of the Spirit today is reflected in our
social values.
1. In a world of racism and prejudice, the Spirit
speaks to people of every nation under heaven.
2. In a world of fear and doubt, the Spirit inspires
people to open doors and to speak out.
3. In a world of selfishness, competition, and control,
the Spirit gives out gifts that are shared for the benefit of all.
4. In a world where too many people lack basic
freedoms, the Spirit invites us to work for honesty and freedom for all.
5. In a world with war and violence, the Spirit
proclaims a message of peace to all.
6. In a world of with great wealth and affluence, the
Spirit calls us again to a special concern for the poor.
The gifts of the Spirit are for
liberation. We might say that the Spirit is an inclusive spirit who
desires to set everyone free.
Today is Pentecost Sunday and we have a
lot to celebrate. We are give a Spirit of power and might. We are given a
Spirit of presence…we do not travel alone
in our faith journey. We are given a Spirit of peace in knowing that fact.
We are given a Spirit of prophecy as we proclaim the truth of our Risen Lord,
Jesus Christ from our own door to the ends of the earth. We are given a Spirit
of purpose as we have boldness and strength as we share the Gospel of Peace.
And we have a Spirit within us that is not just some ones thought or invention
but is living and breathing within us as we walk this journey of faith. It may
be hard to grasp this fact but it still remains and we understand by faith what
the world cannot ever understand. Let us then go forth and prophesize that
Jesus is Lord through the Spirit and have peace in knowing we never walk alone.
Let
us pray…
Spirit
of the Living God, Ruach, breathe your life into us. Purify, counsel,
encourage, convict, and enable us. Give us your gifts that we may use them
wisely in your service as we step out in faith and trust in you. Ruach Qodesh,
fall down upon us again, give us boldness, as we share the Good News of our Risen Lord,
Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Fill us again with Your salvations
power. May we stand in the gap for those who cannot stand…transform us and make
us anew.
(
Adapted from - (2011-09-01). Names of God Bible (with direct verse lookup), The
(p. 30). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.)
Amen!
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