You can find the video here: https://www.facebook.com/RichlandNaz/videos/630935470791499/
Hey everybody – Let’s do something different – aside from the physical limitations we have in the stay home order – what’s the hardest thing about going – talking to others about what Christ is doing in your life?
Acts 2:32-41 (NLT) “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”’ “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
The good news of Jesus, is displayed in the power of the Birth of the church at Pentecost. Peter’s use of Old Testament passages, were part of the apostles’ teaching and evangelism. But there’s another OT Passage that I believe has something to do with this Pentecost. Remember that Pentecost was a celebration of the giving of the Law from God to Moses then to the people.
And that day was not all that great of a celebratory day in the history of the Israelites. But before we get to that, think about this first. If Pentecost was the day God gave Moses the Law, how fitting is it that it is also the day that the Holy Spirit begins to write the Law on the hearts of the believers who will follow Him.
When God first gave Moses the Law, that is the 10 Commandments, Moses comes down and things had gone worse than sideways. We remember most of the story. Aaron had made a golden calf for the people and they were carrying on. Then Moses gets there (to the Lord of the Flies Preschool) and here’s what happened
Exodus 32:25-29 (NIV) Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.
Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”
That’s a harsh thing to hear and to read – and then say, we serve a loving God. And to be honest I do sometimes wonder, if Moses truly heard God and had those men strap swords on themselves to kill people. Or was Moses just fed up himself with what was happening and did this himself. But that is just my brain wandering, here’s what I want us to notice, on the day that the Law is given to the Children of God in the desert we see about 3,000 died. Fast forward to the day God completes His plan to reconcile creation to Himself we see about 3,000 born again.
What’s important to note here, is that on the same holy day that the Law of God was given to Moses and God’s people, when 3,000 died, that same day ages apart when the Holy Spirit is given to the people who would listen, repent, believe, and be baptized, 3,000 came to life.
2 Corinthians 3:4-6 (NIV) Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
The difference is simply this, the letter of the Law can tell us the will of God – but the Spirit of the Law can give us the power to live it.