The Day of Pentecost, The Game Changer (Pt 2)
Acts 2:1-13
In Acts 1:4, Jesus commanded his disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father. 10 days later, on the Day of Pentecost, Jesus’ followers and disciples gathered at the Upper Room and received the promised gift – the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). From these passages, we can learn three important things about God’s character and promises.
1. God keeps his promises.
Oftentimes, our ability to keep our promises depends on our emotions or circumstances. It is easy to keep our promises when we are feeling good or when life is easy, but it is also easy to break our promises when life becomes difficult. But God always keeps his promises. In Numbers 23:19, we are reminded that God is not like man, who lies or changes their mind. Instead, when God makes a promise, he will remain faithful and fulfill it.
So, how does knowing God’s faithfulness change how we should live our lives? Hebrews 6:10 tells us that God doesn’t forget the work we do nor the love we show for him. Similarly, Galatians 6:9 encourages us to continue doing good, so that when the time comes, we will reap the rewards of our good works if we do not give up in difficult circumstances. Knowing these things and God’s faithfulness, we can be filled with hope and comfort when life becomes difficult.
However, although God has made promises of hope and comfort, he has also made promises that warn us of the consequences of our wrongdoings. Galatians 5:19-21 reminds us that those who obey the works of the flesh, including sexual immorality, idolatry, enmity, and more, will not inherit the kingdom of God. So, when we face darkness and worldly desires, we should remember God’s promise and remain steadfast. God's promises are not meant to condemn us but to invite us into a life of hope, comfort, and holiness.
2. God keeps his promises in his own way.
When Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to his disciples, he commanded them not to return home but to remain in Jerusalem. One likely reason for this command is that if the disciples had gone home, they might have returned to their old way of life. At the same time, the atmosphere in Jerusalem towards the disciples was very hostile, as many of these people wanted Jesus’ crucifixion earlier and accused the disciples of stealing his body from the tomb. Therefore, the disciples lived in fear and opposition in Jerusalem.
However, Jesus did not want them to run from their circumstances. Instead, he instructed them to remain, wait, and endure until God’s promise was fulfilled. Had the disciples not obeyed Jesus’ commands and left Jerusalem, they may not have experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Likewise, we need to remain and endure in our own “Jerusalem” so that we may experience God’s faithfulness.
3. God keeps his promises in his own time.
When Jesus commanded his disciples to wait for the promise of the Father, he did not tell them how long to wait. When we don’t know how long we have to wait for, it can be challenging to wait. However, Jesus asked his disciples to wait for an unspecified period of time because he wanted them to have faith in him.
Oftentimes, we might think that God takes a long time to fulfill his promise. For example, God promised the prophet Isaiah the coming of the Messiah, a promise that took 700 years to fulfill. PD also shared how it took almost 10 years for his parents to become Christians and 20 years for his brother to become a Christian. And he is still waiting for his other siblings to be saved by Christ. However, 2 Peter 3:9 teaches us that “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises as some count slowness.” Instead, he fulfills his promises at his perfect timing for our good. Even though we don’t know how long we need to wait for his promises, we should not remain anxious; instead, we should make room in our hearts for peace, knowing that God will keep his promises at his perfect timing.
Discussion Questions:
When have you experienced God’s faithfulness in your own life?
Have you had or do you currently have a “Jerusalem” where God is calling you to remain faithful instead of running away?
Were there any moments where you experienced how God’s timing was better than your own?
