My Pulpit Message - notes God’s Gift
My Pulpit Message Notes are extracted from the sermon preached at the Nairobi Baptist Church (NBC) Ngong Road on Sunday 5th June 2022. Preacher: Reverend Majid Ochieng, Deputy Senior Pastor Nairobi Baptist Church. Scripture: Acts 2:1-21; Luke 11:9-13. Topic: God’s Gift
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind The word pentecost basically means 50th. By and large it refers came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were to the Jewish feast that was held 50 days after the second day sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that sepaof Passover. It is also called the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22, rated and came to rest on each of them.” Deut 16:10). It is also called the Feast of Harvest. - They were in one accord. The entire company, about 120. They Pentecost was a day of thanksgiving to mark the day of grain were sitting in one place. Those who spoke we are told were priharvest. It was a day that was celebrated on the seventh day and marily Galileans. Then there was this sudden arrival that were two loaves of bread were made from the new wheat and two signs of audible and visuals signs that characterised this event. yearling lambs were waved before the LORD as a thanksgiving offering praising God for His grace in giving them a good har- - The outpouring of the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ talked vest. about was fulfilled. Even prophet Joel had talked about it a little earlier. So the world Spirit is also referred to as wind and somePeople were expected to attend this feast and to offer a free will times, breath. Hebrew ruach and in Greek, pneuma. The Holy offering to the LORD. The day “ Spirit came upon them. of Pentecost we are told that Jesus was with them (Acts 1:3) for Jesus came as our Redeemer and after He left, He left us with - If you go to the Old Testaforty days after His resurrection ment you might think of the the Holy Spirit so that we many continue to experience that and then He ascended back to work of redemption and to spread that good news of the work storm that Moses entered to heaven. receive the law on Mount Sinai of redemption. Exodus 19:16, or the whirlwind Just before that He told them on that passed while Elijah was of” one occasion while He was eatfering a sacrifice. But from the ing with them, He gave them very beginning in Genesis 1:2, this command, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the Gift we see that this Spirit of God was also hovering over the waters that my Father promised you which you have had me speak before creation. about. For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit,” Jesus told His disciples. - In each case we see a sign above all of the presence of God. Not that God was not there, but a sudden heaviness and awareTen days after His ascension, fifty days after His resurrection, ness of the presence of God as they were waiting as Jesus had the words if Joel 2:18 and those of John the Baptist in Matthew instructed them. 3:11 were fulfilled. On this day set aside to praise the LORD for giving His people a great harvest, the LORD began to harvest Secondly there was the tongues of fire resting on each the lost souls of this world through His Church. The Church believer. The Old Testament parallel here is Moses was called would never be the same. The disciples were never the same on by God from the burning bush (Exodus 3). We are told of the that day of Pentecost. pillar of fire that led the Israelites into the wilderness. Again as Moses was receiving the tablets of the law on 1. The event of the Pentecost. Mount Sinai, we are told that at the top of that mountain was 2. The effects of the Pentecost. wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended. The pres3. The empowerment at the Pentecost. ence of God was so significant at the point and time of Pentecost that the disciples of Jesus Christ could not miss it. PENTECOST SUNDAY
The event of the Pentecost. (Acts 2:1-3)
TT 155 | June 7th- June 13th| 2022
