Worship Helps for Pentecost
Artwork: Pentecost
Artist: Jean II Restout
Date: 1732
Worship Theme: The fifty days have passed and the promised
Holy Spirit is poured out upon the Bride of Christ. The once-hidden gospel is
no longer the possession of a chosen few. For the Spirit enables the message of
salvation to enflame hearts for bearing witness to the ends of the earth.
Old Testament: Genesis 11:1-9 Now the whole world had one
language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, they found a
plain in Shinar
and settled there. 3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make
bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and
tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves
a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name
for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were
building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same
language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be
impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their
language so they will not understand each other." 8 So the LORD
scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the
city. 9 That is why it was called Babel --because there the LORD confused the
language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face
of the whole earth.
1. How was the world
after the flood very different from the world today (verse 1)?
2. For what two sinful
reasons did people decide to build a very tall tower (verse 4)?
3. Why did God say,
“Come, let us confuse their language” (verse 7)?
Epistle: Acts
2:1-21 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven
and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what
seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying
in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When
they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one
heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they
asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8
Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9
Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of
Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to
Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-- we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our
own tongues!" 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another,
"What does this mean?" 13 Some, however, made fun of them
and said, "They have had too much wine." 14 Then Peter
stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd:
"Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem , let me explain this to you; listen
carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose.
It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the
prophet Joel: 17 "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out
my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men
will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my
servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they
will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs
on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun
will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great
and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved.'
4. What two dramatic
signs came from heaven and showed the presence and power of the Holy Spirit
(verses 2–3)?
5. How do those signs
display and fit the work of the Spirit?
6. Why did God promise
to pour out his Spirit on all people (verses 17–21)?
Gospel: John 15:26-27 "When the Counselor comes, whom
I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the
Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for
you have been with me from the beginning.”
7. What name does Jesus
first give the Holy Spirit (verse 26)? What does this name mean?
8. What second name
does Jesus give the Holy Spirit (verse 26)? What does this name mean?
Answers:
1. The world after the
flood had only one language.
2. The people decided
to build a tall tower a) to make a name for themselves (in pride) and b) to
keep themselves from being scattered far and wide (in stubborn disobedience of
God’s command).
3. God said “Let us
confuse their language” because he is Three-in-One: Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
yet one God.
4. The two signs were
a) a sound of a rushing wind that came from heaven and filled the whole house
b) tongues of fire that appeared on the heads of each in the house.
5. Like the wind, the
Holy Spirit works invisibly, but powerfully. (In Greek and Hebrew “wind” and
“spirit” are the same word.) Like fire, the Holy Spirit warms and energizes us
with the good news of all Jesus has done in our place.
6. God promised to pour
out his Spirit on all people so that they would call on Jesus’ name and be
saved.
7. Jesus calls the Holy
Spirit, “the Counselor.” That name means he is the one who helps us by talking
to us.
8. Secondly, Jesus
calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of truth.” All he speaks is truth. God’s Word
is total truth!
Putting your faith into action
The
Tower of Babel is a classic example of the misuse of resources. In the church,
time, energy, and money can get diverted because someone desires to build a
monument to self. The monument need not be a tower, a steeple, or an addition
to a building. Monuments to self can be as subtle as a congregation practicing
isolationism to the point of decline in a community that is growing with a new,
but different, population. How long have our schools, fine mission tools as
they are, been known as “parochial” schools? That term can be as destructive as
it is descriptive. When we try to retain God’s grace and blessing for personal
or corporate use, it hinders the proclamation of the gospel. May we always be
eager to invest our time, energies, and dollars for God’s purposes.
The word or work of any man does not produce the true
presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Supper. This is true whether we consider the merit or
recitation of the minister or the eating, drinking, or faith of the
communicants. Christ’s presence should
be credited only to Almighty God’s power and our Lord Jesus Christ’s word,
institution, and ordination.
Jesus Christ’s words, which He spoke at the first
institution, were effective not only at the first Supper. They are valid, and are still effective. So where the Supper is celebrated according
to Christ’s institution and His words are used, Christ’s body and blood are truly
present, distributed, and received, because of the power and effectiveness of
the words that Christ spoke at the first Supper. Chrysostom says:
Christ Himself prepared this table and blesses it. For no man makes the bread and wine set
before us into Christ’s body and blood, only Christ Himself, who was crucified
for us. The declaration “Be fruitful and
multiply and fill the earth” was spoken only once. But it is ever effective in nature, so that
it is fruitful and multiplies. So also
this declaration ‹,This is My body; this is My blood,› was spoken once. But to this day in the Supper of the Church
His true body and blood are present. – Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article
VII, The Holy Supper (paragraphs 74-76)
Hymns for this Sunday: 184; 176; 185; 190; 277
1 We now implore God the Holy Ghost
For
the true faith which we need the most,
That
in our last moments he may befriend us
And,
as homeward we journey, attend us.
Lord,
have mercy!
2 Shine in our hearts, O most precious Light,
That
we Jesus Christ may know aright,
Clinging
to our Savior, whose blood has bought us,
Who
again to our homeland has brought us.
Lord,
have mercy!
3 O sacred Love, grace on us bestow,
Set
our hearts with heav’nly fire aglow
That
with hearts united we love each other,
Of
one mind, in peace with ev’ry brother.
Lord,
have mercy!
4 O highest Comfort in ev’ry need,
Grant
that neither shame nor death we heed
That
e’en then our courage may never fail us
When
the foe shall accuse and assail us.
Lord,
have mercy!
Text:
German hymn, c. 13th century, st. 1; Martin Luther, 1483–1546, st. 2-4; tr.
composite.
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