Adapted from my sermon on Pentecost Sunday, 2024.
Before we come to Christ, our greatest need is salvation. Once we have made that decision and surrendered our lives to Jesus, Our Greatest Need becomes the Holy Spirit’s daily activity. We need the Holy Spirit to become even more active in us as we grow in Christ and learn to live according to God’s will rather than our own.
The day of Pentecost is one of three celebrations where the children of Israel were required to go to Jerusalem. It was a celebration of the harvest; thus, it is also called First Fruits…think of it as Jewish Thanksgiving. It was also a celebration of the giving of the law. Both point to the Jewish name for Pentecost, Shavuot, which means weeks, as it was celebrated seven weeks and a day (50 days) after Passover.
In Jewish tradition, the First Fruits of the Jewish faith was the giving of the Law. In Christianity, the First Fruit of the Church was the giving of the Holy Spirit.
As a young man, I saw everything in my school and culture that countered God’s desire for my life. So, could I, as a middle schooler, high schooler, or college student, hold to the faith I had while facing such antagonism and crushing immorality in the world around me? The answer is the Holy Spirit’s active participation in my life.
Many of you are facing challenges from culture and your sinful nature, and you are wondering, how can I overcome them? Your greatest need, my greatest need after salvation, is the Holy Spirit’s Presence in our lives.
In the time that we have, I cannot dive deep into every aspect of our theology of the Spirit. For that reason, let’s turn to the Word and recognize that God fulfills His promise.
Acts 1:4-5 “Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus’ last words to His disciples were giving them a promise that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit. So, in obedience, 120 believers waited and prayed.
In Acts 2:4, we see the fulfillment of that promise; “And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.” When the Holy Spirit filled them, they understood that the promise was fulfilled as they began speaking in tongues, languages they did not know. I still believe and teach that those baptized in the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues.
Dr Stanley Horton writes, “It should always be kept in mind that the baptism in the Spirit is not a climactic experience…the baptism in the Holy Spirit is only a door into a growing relationship with the Spirit.”
I want to remind you that we do not seek a language; we seek Jesus and the depth of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We do not believe someone must speak in tongues to be saved, and we do not believe that we are better Christians once we have received this gift; that would be pride, not humility.
I want to focus on why we need the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
First, Greater Witness
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Second, Greater Worship
Read 1 Cor 14:25 “As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is truly here among you.”
Third, Greater Prayer
Rom 8:26-27 “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”
Fourth, Greater Holiness
Gal 5:22-23 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
Fifth, Greater Unity
Eph 4:3-6 “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.”
We do not have the power to accomplish these things outside of the Holy Spirit’s activity. Our greatest need is for the Spirit to be active in our daily lives. This must come after our salvation…which is always the most important thing.
Be open to how the Spirit wants to move in your life. Welcome Him in and ask for His participation. As for me, I need the Holy Spirit.
Through Time 