In the progressive, ongoing revelation and application of
redemption history as brought to us in God’s word, the highest point – the complete
‘game changer’ is not the cross, or even the resurrection. It is the pouring
out of God’s Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. I invite you to explore this
with me
Even as I say that, I can feel myself mentally holding my
breath. It seems as though it plays down the cosmic event which is the
crucifixion, and all of the astounding things which Christ accomplishes there.
It sounds as though I am reducing the world-changing, joy-bringing,
truth-vindicating explosion which is the resurrection to an also-ran. I am
doing neither. Both are essential to the incredible story of what God is about
at the centre of time, the crux of history, the pivotal point of all things. So
what on earth(and in heaven) do I mean?
I propose that without Pentecost, the Incarnation, the cross and the resurrection have no value whatsoever for the believer. Jesus tells His disciples to wait in Jerusalem – not to even attempt to begin their world-wide evangelism until they have received power from on high. Quite plainly, He saw that His work was not complete in making those men and women what they must be until that day had come when Joel’s prophecy would be fulfilled. He had promised ‘He(the Holy Spirit) is with you – but He will be IN YOU’. Consider. All that they had done at Jesus’ direction – the preaching, the healings, the casting out of demons – had been accomplished through the Spirit’s power, because He had been with them. But Pentecost would forever change the relationship, the association that any and every believer has with the Spirit of God. He would, from that moment on, actually indwell them and they would be His temple.
I propose that without Pentecost, the Incarnation, the cross and the resurrection have no value whatsoever for the believer. Jesus tells His disciples to wait in Jerusalem – not to even attempt to begin their world-wide evangelism until they have received power from on high. Quite plainly, He saw that His work was not complete in making those men and women what they must be until that day had come when Joel’s prophecy would be fulfilled. He had promised ‘He(the Holy Spirit) is with you – but He will be IN YOU’. Consider. All that they had done at Jesus’ direction – the preaching, the healings, the casting out of demons – had been accomplished through the Spirit’s power, because He had been with them. But Pentecost would forever change the relationship, the association that any and every believer has with the Spirit of God. He would, from that moment on, actually indwell them and they would be His temple.
Without Pentecost, we do not have an ‘Immanuel’
Why? Because on the other side – ‘their’ side - of Acts 2, Jesus came and was born, but He went away again. He ascended. He left His disciples to be without Him. And if that is how it had remained, we could not say “God is WITH us”. We would have a wonderful story of how the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God Himself came to save us from our sins and died and rose to make it so, but we would then be left with a promise ‘afar off’. The whole point of the imminence of God would be lost to us. Whatever difference it would have made would be shadowed by the mere fact that He is no longer here – He is back at the Father’s right hand. Our Gospel becomes not “God is with us” but only “God has visited us”.Without Pentecost, the cross has not achieved God’s intended purpose
What was that purpose? The forgiveness of sins for those
God calls and gives to the Son? Certainly. But, as John Piper says, “Forgiven
sinners would not stand for an instant in the presence of the holy God. They
would be incinerated. They must be declared righteous”. And even that is not
the full story. What God does in all this is to make holy vessels of us. Why?
Because He is going to pour His Holy Spirit into us, and unclean vessels cannot
suit that purpose. Pentecost requires a cross, the blood sacrifice which
actually removes sin and sinfulness. Not merely as an outward cleansing, but as
an inner rebirth. The cross is the means whereby God prepares His new temples –
living, saved human beings – for this indwelling. All flesh – all nations –
qualify, but only if they are sanctified by the Lamb of God.
Without Pentecost, the resurrection falls short
A risen Saviour, death defeated, complete and utter victory over all of the
assault of the evil one – all of this is proclaimed by His rising. But
predominantly, He rises to ascend, to return to the majesty on high. And if He
never arrives, bearing and pleading His own blood, the Spirit cannot come. Why?
Because the Spirit must be sent. And the only one whose authority can bring
forth that commission is the one who died and is risen. And the purpose of His ‘triumphal
entry’ into the very courts of heaven is so that He can pour out what they saw
and heard on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 2 vs 33:-
“Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”
“Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”
And the Gospel – good news for the hearers
is the Acts 2 assertion:-
“The promise is for you!”
“The promise is for you!”
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ReplyDeleteDavid, Though some would not be comfortable with your thought I do believe Paul in Galatians 3 would agree with you. The suffering, death and resurrection had a goal and that goal of God's was to fulfill the promises He had made to our fathers in the faith. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3:13-14 ESV) This is the heart of reconciliation. Thank you brother!
ReplyDeleteYou're right of course, David.
ReplyDeleteI think there is actually a little more to this, as well...
The Pentecostal outpouring happened in Jerusalem, and was witnessed by Jews. For a Jewish believer in that day, it was the sign that The Last Days had dawned as a new age in world history, just as Joel had prophesied. People spent their days and nights in endless praise, selling everything like... well... like there was no tomorrow!
The Gentiles, however, had a different central emphasis in their worship. For them, it was about having been reconciled to God, after 1300 years of exclusivity for the Jews (Eph 2). Now they are included in the people of God without having to become a Jew! That was the centre of their celebration. But that was not brought about primarily at Pentecost. It was brought about in Jesus' *death*. So that's what their worship celebrated most of all (1 cor 11:26). It was through this death that the reconciliation o the Gentiles was wrought.
These two things are not at all contradictory, but depending on your background, one would completely eclipse the other on your subjective concept of "why do we worship?"