2 Chron. 15:1-2     OT p. 390 or 552

[1] The spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.

[2] He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.

INTRODUCTION:

I couldn't resist that title. Especially after looking through the latest Home Depot flyer that came in the mail. It listed "Pentas" $3.96 a gallon. (So that explains how much a Penta Costs). If you've never seen a penta, it's what's on the flower stands today. The Penta is also known as an Egyptian Star-cluster. It is a perennial, which is usually grown as an annual. Penta is a bushy rounded evergreen shrub with hairy, bright green leaves and dense clusters of many small, star-shaped, tubular flowers, in shades of red, pink, purple, or white. (I tried to find red, since this is Pentacost Sunday but all I could find were pink.)

And according to internet gardening sites, it flowers continuously from spring to autumn. The red seems to be the favorite of butterflies. It is great in hot summer climates, and thrives in the baking sun. It grows to about 4' tall and 1.5' wide. Flowering is best when night temperatures stay above 70 degrees F.

So, what does that have to do with Pentacost? Not a whole lot, except for the fact that Pentacost was the day in which the buds of faith which were the disciples burst into full bloom when the cool wind of the Holy Spirit swept through and into their lives. On that day, just as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit became the constant companion and counselor for every Christian. The Holy Spirit is Christ with us everyday.

Today, as we celebrate Pentacost, let's look at THE PROMISE, THE POWER and THE PURPOSE of the Holy spirit.

I. THE PROMISE:

A. In the opening verses of 2 Chronicles 15 we read "The spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded." The thing that is significant about this incident is that the Spirit was only present for special needs. Notice that Verse 2 says: "The Lord is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you." It was gifted to only certain people in time of need. It came and then left. The Holy Spirit wasn't available to everyone. It wasn't there to remind and strengthen.

The Holy Spirit came as a source of power and strength. It came sometimes as wisdom. However, in the Old Testament, the Spirit was only for the special few whom God chose. And they had to call upon God and request it.

B. In the New Testament, that all changes. With the coming of Christ even the promise of the Holy Spirit changed. In John 14 Jesus makes several promises:

John 14:15-17 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you."

John 14:18 "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you."

John 14:26 "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you."

Very clearly, Jesus anticipated and even promised the presence of the Holy Spirit for the Disciples and for the believers of the early church. Then on that first Pentacost in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit descended as promised. It swept through the lives of the Disciples like a spring storm. It upset and changed everything. It set them all on fire and Christ was definitely with them.

II. THE POWER:

A. A twelve-year-old boy stood patiently beside the clock counter while the store clerk waited on all of the adult customers. Finally the clerk got around to the youngster, who made his purchase and hurried out to the curb, where his father was impatiently waiting in the car.

"What took you so long, son?" the father asked.

"The man waited on everybody in the store before me," the boy replied. "But I got even."

"How?"

"I wound and set all the alarm clocks while I was waiting," the youngster explained happily. "It's going to be a mighty noisy place at eight o'clock." (1)

At nine o'clock in the morning, Jerusalem was a mighty noisy place, too, on that first Pentacost, what with all the people speaking in tongues. Can you imagine what it sounded like? No wonder the casual listeners thought the Disciples were drunk.

A woman wrote into Reader's Digest to tell about her six-year-old son who was dazzled the first time he heard the Welsh language being spoken. "Mom," he said, "it sounds like they're scribbling with their tongues." (2)

That's the way it probably sounded to a lot of the people on that first Pentecost. That may be what it sounded like but still, there were people in the crowd who heard and understood and that day their lives were changed. They were given new life.

What did they hear? They heard the witness of the Disciples in their own language. They heard the story of Jesus' life and death for our sins in words they could understand. They heard that God loved them so much that God dared to speak of that love in their own language. They saw and heard the power of the Holy Spirit.

B. Simply put, the Holy Spirit is the power and presence of Christ in our daily Christian life. In a language we can understand, Christ speaks to us, reminding us who we are and whose we are. In a language we can understand, the Holy Spirit allows us to be filled with the same compassion and concern for others which Jesus has. In a language we can understand, the Holy Spirit allows us to have the same heart of Jesus.

And when we have the heart of Jesus, then, like the Disciples, we can live a life that speaks in a language the whole world can understand.

III. THE PURPOSE:

A. And THE PURPOSE? In both the Old and New Testaments the purpose is equally as simple. the Holy Spirit is given to us to energize our faith so that we can glorify God and spread Good News. The Holy Spirit is given to us to be a reminder, to give us strength and guidance, and to be Jesus with us.

The power of the Holy Spirit reminds us that we are named and claimed and sent out into the world, to tell all the people of the world that God speaks their language. And it's a language of forgiveness and redemption. A language of love, mercy and grace. A language that leads by example.

B. Surveyors were sent to a remote mountain to map the terrain. Everyday they would go forth over the rugged hills and every night, returned to their camp. Frequently, they were joined by an old shepherd who enjoyed the companionship of their fire. One evening, the old shepherd insisted that he would accompany the surveyors the next day so they wouldn't become lost.

Feeling fairly sure of themselves after so long, they asked why he felt that he needed to go along. The shepherd quietly repeated, "I must go with you."

Still puzzled, the surveyors again described their many hikes through the mountains and their familiarity with the area after many days. Yet again, the shepherd insisted, "I know the mountains like the back of my hand."

Somewhat exasperated, the surveyors replied, "We have a map of the area, now." And the shepherd responded, "But there is no fog on your map."

The two "experts" went up the mountain early the next morning by themselves. It wasn't long before a thick fog encircled them and led them astray. They literally wandered over hill and dale growing increasingly exhausted. Suddenly out of the fog, the shepherd appeared beside them. And then the Shepherd led them home, through the fog. (3)

Our world is filled with so much fog, so many things that can lead us astray. So many things that can block us from finding the Way. But thanks be to God for The Holy Spirit, the presence of Jesus. The Holy Spirit leads us through the fog of everyday life. And you and I called to rely upon the Holy spirit and to be shepherds who lead others both in word and deed. We're called to live a life of faith that leads others through the fog. We're called to be treasure and glorify God.

CONCLUSION:

In an old Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin is wearing a pith helmet and he's up to his shoulders in a very deep hole, and he's digging away. Hobbes asks: "Why are you digging a hole?"

Calvin says, "I'm looking for buried treasure."

"What have you found?" asks Hobbes.

"A few dirty rocks, a weird root, and some disgusting grubs."

A great big smile fills Hobbes' face, there's excitement in his eyes and he says: "On your first try?"

And Calvin says: "There's treasure everywhere." (4)

Calvin was right. There IS treasure everywhere. And, because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can be part of that treasure. We don't have to speak in tongues. We don't even have to be bilingual. All we have to do is trust in the presence, the power and the purpose of the Holy Spirit.

All we have to do is let the wind of the spirit sweep through our life so that the buds of faith which we have may burst into bloom.

1. jokes@jokeseveryday.com (JokesEveryDay.Com)

2. Feb. 2000, p. 76.

3. The Pastor's Story File (Platteville, Colorado: Saratoga Press), April 1993 Adapted from Guidepost Devotional, July 1981, submitted by Steve Morrison, Tacoma, Washington

4. Bill Watterson, June 3, 1995.

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