"The Gift of the Spirit and New Life!"

Sermon by Pastor David Layman

May 27, 2007

Acts 2:1-17, 41-47

We live in a violent world, and the world in Bible times was every bit as violent if not more so. The Romans used violence to quell rebellions in ancient Palestine and other conquered territories. Jewish nationalists called Zealots used violence to try to overthrow Rome. Jesus suffered a violent death upon a Roman cross. Today, this same part of the world suffers violence. It's not just Palestinians killing Israelis, and Israelis launching strikes and killing Palestinians. Different Palestinian factions are fighting one another. In Iraq, different Muslim factions are killing one another. Each death seems to lead to more bitterness and acts of revenge and retribution. When Jesus suffered a violent death upon the cross, Acts 2 tells us "When the day of Pentecost had come, [the followers of Jesus] were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house..."

Was God going to follow the violent death of Jesus on the cross with a bloodbath? That's the way many in our day have responded to violence. Peter himself took out a sword at the arrest of Jesus, and began to swing it. But the violent wind of Pentecost had a far different effect. God poured out His Spirit upon those gathered, and in those moments they were changed. Instead of Peter taking out a sword as he did at Jesus' arrest, and leading an assault on the Temple leadership and the Roman authorities, Peter spoke before those assembled. Peter said God had raised Jesus from the dead, and was pouring out His Holy Spirit. About 3,000 that day made decisions for Christ, and were baptized. Instead of using their numbers to do violence to those who did violence to God's Son, they shared what they had in common, living with glad and generous hearts, praising God!

The Holy Spirit works through moments that may become turning points that change life forever. Pentecost was such a moment for those who believed. The Jewish people, all descendants of Abraham, had by the time of Christ been scattered throughout the Roman Empire. When Assyria conquered Israel in 722 BC, and Babylonia followed with its conquest of Judah in 587 BC, leading citizens of Israel and Judah were drug off into captivity, to different places in those empires. That was the old "divide and conquer" rule--disperse the leading citizens of those you have defeated in battle. Make them a small minority in many different places. That way, they won't later conspire and rise up against their conquerors. Over the centuries, other enterprising Jews moved to different places to seek a better life. America isn't the first land where people have traveled to from far and wide. Acts 2 tells us there were devout Jews from every nation that had come to Jerusalem for the "Feast of Weeks": residents of Mesopotamia, Parthians, Romans, Arabs, Medes, all there. When the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Christ at Pentecost, all these people speaking different languages were able to understand that God was working in a new way. Peter arose to speak and make that new way clear. Peter proclaimed that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, but God raised him up, "having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power." (Acts 2:24) Many repented that very day, changing their lives, asking the Holy Spirit to fall upon them and begin to direct their lives, instead of the spirit they had previously been living by.

The Good News of Pentecost is that God's Spirit is available today to change and transform our lives and world. But too often, people choose to live by a different spirit. Cho Seung-Hui was a South Korean who moved to the United States along with his family. He was a shy child, who was, regrettably, sometimes made fun of by other students. In Cho's videotape to NBC, he compared himself to Christ, because from his viewpoint, he was persecuted. Yet Cho did not receive a fraction of the abuse and rejection that Jesus incurred. And he responded in dramatically different fashion. Cho bought two guns, and went on a murderous rampage at Virginia Tech.

NEWSWEEK had an interesting article entitled "The Anatomy of Violence", (April 30, 2007), probing what leads to murderous rampages such as occurred at Virginia Tech. Many today seem to be leaning to "biological determinism", inferring that we're wired at birth to behave in certain ways. But Sharon Begley in her Newsweek article notes that testosterone's connection to violence has been overemphasized. Instead of mass murderers being wired at birth to commit terrible deeds, few mass murderers have a serious criminal record. Instead, they tend to be aggrieved, hurt, clinically depressed, socially isolated, and paranoid. They tend to blame everyone but themselves for their troubles. James Fox of Northeastern says "They see others as being responsible for their problems; it's never their fault." (p. 43) In Cho's videotaped message to NBC, he ranted "You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option." In Cho's mind, you see, the mass violence he was unleashing was not his fault! While some today want to attribute everything to biology, this article notes that "Just as experiences can alter brain circuitry, so behavior can alter biology." (ibid) "Our behavioral biology is usually meaningless outside the context of the social factors and environment in which it occurs." Certain individuals choose to remember insults and hardships they have endured. They decide not to forgive and move on, but to nurture their anger and resentment. When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, it didn't spawn 3,000 Chos to go and seek vengeance upon those who crucified Christ. Instead, the Holy Spirit created people who shared what they had with others, and spent their days in joyful fellowship and worship.

The Holy Spirit has not "gone into remission" since the first Pentecost. It touches lives today and turns hearts toward God and neighbors. Unfortunately, there are more spirits at work in our world today than the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is powerful, but it doesn't overwhelm our wills. People are responsible for what spirit they choose to live by. There's more chance you'll be touched by the Holy Spirit if you're in the presence of other believers! Just attending church is no guarantee you'll be touched by the Holy Spirit. As Corrie Ten Boom's father used to say, "Just because a mouse is in the cookie jar does not make it a cookie."

Erwin McManus made a video presentation in one of our Grace Group studies, and what he shared impressed me. I've gotten a couple of books Erwin has written. As a young man, Erwin stopped at Laguna Beach, California, in the summer of 1983, for some rest and recreation. He worked his way to the top of the cliffs that overlooked the marine preserve and the beach known for its beauty. He spent some time soaking in one of the most beautiful sights he'd seen, feeling the soothing power of waves crashing against the rocky shore line. As Erwin was captivated by this, he found himself struggling with a decision. Erwin says "I had never seen a good marriage. As a child, I knew all too well the tragic pain of divorce. I knew what it was like to have one parent who was a faceless stranger. I also knew how people who were once in love could bring each other great pain. I was filled with uncertainty about my ability to avoid the same outcome. Was I really willing to commit to someone for a lifetime?" (Chasing Daylight, Nelson Books, Nashville, 2002. pp. 21-22). Kim, the young woman Erwin was thinking of asking to marry him, had been abandoned by her parents in a government housing project when she was 8. Kim grew up without a home of her own, going from foster home to foster home. But when Kim was 9 years old, she made a decision to walk herself to a nearby church. Kim came to faith in Christ, and from that moment of decision, God began to change her life. Kim found her true home in the Lord, went to college, got a master's degree, and became a third grade teacher, reaching out to children who were at the same age she was when her parents abandoned her! That's what happens when the wind of the Holy Spirit comes upon us. Instead of growing up embittered and looking for revenge, we grow up to become a blessing to others.

We left Erwin McManus gazing from above at the waves crashing into Laguna Beach. Struggling with getting up the courage to commit himself to marriage, in the hope that his parents' sad experience would not be repeated in his life, Erwin decided to seek Kim's hand. He later looked back and reflected "The choice in that moment changed everything....What awaited me was an adventure filled with surprise and wonder...My life would never be the same again. There are for all of us defining moments that radically alter the course and content of our lives." (p. 22) The Holy Spirit invites us to experience such defining moments today, and on into the future. We don't have to always be what we've been. The Holy Spirit is in the business of making new creations. Each of us is in a different place in our lives. Not many of us gathered this morning, I would guess, have murdered someone (unless we want to consider that looks can kill!) Only a few may be significantly challenged by a deadly addiction. But some of us are too prone to worry. Some are afflicted with persistent discouragement. Some experience "cirrhosis of the giver"--we find it hard to share what we have with others. Others have vision problems--we just can't see that God has things he wants us to do. Some of us have a strong sense that we've been wronged. We're bitter, and feel put upon.

No matter what we've experienced in life, no matter how many bad choices we've made, the next moment is waiting to give birth to new life! The Holy Spirit can fall upon us today. A fresh wind is blowing!

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