Pentecost - A Promise Kept

Pentecost - A Promise Kept

Introduction and background:

As you read through God's word in the Old and New Testaments one thing always stands out: that the promises made by-God and Jesus Christ are always fulfilled in their respective time periods. God and his son never lies to us, they are always faithful to their word. In fact faithfulness is one of the Holy attributes of God and his Son that we are to emulate in our own individual calling (Christ is being formed in us, Gal. 4:19).

Before Jesus ascended up to heaven after being resurrected from the dead (this was his second ascension), he told the disciples and followers to remain at Jerusalem for the promised comforter (the Holy Spirit John 14:16-18) to be bestowed upon them, and true to his word - forty days later, the Day of Pentecost arrived and God bestowed his Holy Spirit upon his called-out ones, (read Acts 1:3).

As first fruits of the Christ, God began the process of recreating himself in us to be mature and fit for his coming kingdom. Paul makes a very important statement in Gal.4:1-2; that each of us are being nurtured and tutored (guardianship) by God everyday of our spiritual walk with Christ.

Why God s Preparing Us Now - In Advance - Today

Just as those who have gone before us, mostly unknown and unrecognized by this world, our God has chosen us to be his children chosen by grace through faith in Jesus Christ to be special to him. Notice what Peter says about our being chosen in l Peter 2:9 [Amplified Bible] "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtue and perfections of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

God has planned all of this in advance. Review Ephesians 2, written from Rome while Paul was in prison (his first imprisonment) where he states that our calling-out to salvation is not of our own doing, but it is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). He further states in verse l0 - that we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which our God has prepared for us in advance.

What Our Responsibility Is Now

We have seen how God and his son have kept their promises to us; because God cannot lie (Heb.6: 18). Therefore God expects each day that he gives to us, that his Holy Spirit in us, will mold and fashion Christ's character and mind within us (PhiI.2:5) so that we will think and make righteous decisions that Christ would make. His perfect character and mind will build you up enabling you to deflate this carnal, hostile flesh we are in that is constantly resisting God's spirit in you. We are to humbly submit ourselves to the will of God, bringing this carnal flesh into subjection to the will of God (l Cor.9:27).

Conclusion

The Great God and his son are now preparing your inheritance (rewards) because we (His Saints) are a special people to Him (firstfruits of His spirit), and he wants to share this vast unlimited universe with each of us. Christ makes this promise in Matt. 13:43 "then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Who has ears to hear, let him hear."

May the Feast of Pentecost inspire you to keep moving forward in faith toward God, knowing that he will indeed keep his promises. Isa. 53:10 says of Christ that he will see his spiritual offspring (the Saints), because of his perfect sacrifice made for our sins when he returns to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev .17: 14). We now belong to God and not to this world. (Review John 15:19, and John 17:15-17). Pentecost reminds us that the down-payment (the Holy Spirit in us) has been given to us - so let's give all praises and thanksgiving to our Great God for making us His very own!

George A. Bratcher