Dale Critchley
04/09/2019
Children’s Sermon
Catechetical point: What can you tell me about the Holy Spirit?
Message: The Spirit gives us faith to believe that Jesus died to take away our sin, and through faith, we are saved.
Prophecy
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Text: "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. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: "‘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. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’" Acts 2:14-21, NIV
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
I.Introduction
A.We can learn a lot from Biblical prophecy
1.It often tells us about the future
2.But more often, it tells us about the present
3.Because it was given to us for all people of all times
B.From today’s text, we see how this prophecy is applicable to us
1.And this may surprise you, but it’s applicable to you today in Iowa as much as it was almost 2000 years ago in Jerusalem
2.Because prophecy finds its value in its fulfillment
3.And this prophecy has been fulfilled, and we are the beneficiaries
II.But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and proclaimed to them, "Men of Judea and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you and listen to my words:"
A.Note that this is the same Peter who is so easy to identify with
1.This is the Peter who would constantly open his mouth and say the most ridiculous things
2.He was bold at all the wrong times
3.And when it came time for him to take a stand, to stand with Jesus through His arrest and trial,
4.Peter, who said he’d rather die than deny Jesus, denied him three times
B.But now, Peter speaks boldly, not just to a few around a campfire, but to people from all over the world who had come to Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival
1.What a difference the Holy Spirit makes!
2.But here we find our comfort as well
a)That God doesn’t depend on sinners to share the words of eternal life
b)He relies rather on His saints, washed clean and empowered with the Holy Spirit
c)Now, it so happens that those are the same people
(1)It’s you and me, forgiven of our sins by the blood of Christ
(2)And made a new creation through Baptism, enabled and empowered to witness to salvation in Christ
III.For these are not drunk as you suppose, for it is the third hour of the day [9 A.M.].
A.When you do share the Gospel, be prepared to face all manner of insults
1.“Holy Roller,” “Jesus Freak,” “Homophobe,” “Flat Earther,” “Just plain backwards”
2.The apostles (The word “apostle “ refers to someone “called” by God for a specific purpose) were accused of being drunk, even though a Jew on a festival day would fast until 10 A.M., and it was only 9, so they’d neither eaten nor drunk anything yet that day
B.But this is the world’s reaction to the Gospel
1.St. Paul says, "but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks," 1 Corinthians 1:23, WEB
2.To our world, it just doesn’t make sense to worship Someone Whose greatest accomplishment was being falsely accused and unjustly executed, all without even attempting to defend Himself
3.But man’s foolishness is God’s wisdom
4.And only God’s wisdom, incarnated in Jesus Christ, saves
IV."But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:
A.From Biblical prophecy, we can also see proof of the Bible’s truth, proof that it, unlike other religious writings, is in fact the Word of God
B.The Bible is the only book on earth to make such explicit prophecies and see them fulfilled with 100% accuracy
C.But Peter didn’t need to prove that the Bible is the Word of God
D.He reminded them of this prophecy to show that Jesus is the Word of God
V."'And it will be in the last days,' says God, 'I will pour out from My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your elders will dream dreams.
A.Peter makes it clear here that “the last days” are now
1.We are blessed to live in the time when prophecies are fulfilled
2.We know what they mean because we can look back and see what they mean
B.Note, though, that visions and dreams are no longer the norm that they once were in the church
1.It’s not that God doesn’t still speak to His people
2.But those visions and prophecies were given at a time when the Bible was still being written
3.Now that we have God’s Word in print, we don’t need these additional visions
4.The writer to the Hebrews reminds us: "God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son…." Hebrews 1:1, 2, WEB
5.But God speaks to us through His Word all the more, because it is available to all people, anytime, not just a select group of prophets
VI."'And even on my slaves and on my female slaves on that day I will pour out from My Spirit, and they will prophesy.
A.Under the new covenant, God’s new established agreement with us, signed in the blood of Christ, all people are equal before God
B.And no matter who you are, where you’re from, or what your social standing is, you’re royalty in the Kingdom of God
C.And as such, you have the opportunity and honor to share the message from our King
1.Under the old covenant, the Jews were God’s chosen people to be blessed and share His message of salvation
2.But under the new covenant, everyone who hopes in Christ for salvation needs to be ready, willing, and able to share that hope
3.And the Holy Spirit makes you ready and able and even gives you the joy to be willing
D.Bearing the Word of God to others is no small honor
1.Even the angels aren’t given this honor
2.God chose you for this honor not because of your credentials, but purely by His grace
VII."'And I will give wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun will turn to darkness, and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and notable day of the Lord.
A.These signs symbolize destruction and calamity
B.And in our world, we can be sure that we will experience these
C.But we can also be sure that God will be with us through them
1.Because not only did He give us His Holy Spirit through His Word
2.But He also gave us His only Son, Jesus, to forgive our sins on the cross
3.So no matter whether the moon turns blood-red from the smoke of war obscuring it
4.God is with you
VIII.And it will be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
A.This is why Jesus came—to save you
B.This is why God sent His Holy Spirit, both through miraculous signs at Pentecost and through the Word and Sacraments—to save you
1.He promised He would
2.He sent Jesus to do so
3.And on “the great and notable day of the Lord,” He will once again send Jesus to save you and take you home to be with Him and live with Him forever in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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