God's Glory Church

The context of Pentecost and the double meaning of biblical holidays

We congratulate the dear church and all who join together in joint worship online or view this word on record, with the great feast of Pentecost – the Descent of the Holy Spirit. God always keeps His promises flawlessly. Before His ascension, the Lord Jesus Christ left a clear assurance to the disciples, written in The Book of Acts: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and even to the ends of the earth”. This is exactly what happened on the fiftieth day.

Each biblical holiday established by the Creator has a deep double meaning: historical and national for Israel and spiritual, prophetic for the New Testament Church.

Typology of the three main feasts of the Lord:

• Passover (Pesach): For Israel, it is a way out of Egyptian slavery; for us – redemption by the Blood of Jesus Christ from the spiritual slavery of sin.
• Pentecost (Shavuot): For Israel, it is the feast of the first fruits and the day of the giving of the Law through Moses at Sinai; for us it is the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church and the gathering of the first spiritual fruits in the number of three thousand repentant souls.
• The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukok): A reminder of the 40 years of wandering in the desert and living in temporary tents. This is an image of the fact that we on this earth are travelers and sojourners who are temporarily in the ravages of our earthly bodies. This is the only holiday that will receive its absolute consummation in heaven, in the Kingdom of God, when we reach the Promised Land and enter our permanent heavenly abodes.

The impasse crisis and the fundamental question

In everyday life, we regularly encounter circumstances that drive us into a dead end. When the usual methods do not work, problems are not solved, and human resources are exhausted, a cry is born inside us: “What should I do?”.
Human nature tends to look for salvation in a crisis, to make promises to God, but to forget them as soon as the danger passes – like a traveler who got lost in the forest, prayed for salvation, and took the appearance of a forester as a coincidence, canceling his vow to the Creator. However, true deliverance is never a coincidence—it is always a sovereign act of God. In order to get out of the spiritual impasse, it is necessary to hear the truth that was spoken more than two millennia ago in Jerusalem.

Sermon of the Apostle Peter: Three dimensions of Christ’s mission

When the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples in the upper room, accompanied by the noise of a strong wind and speaking in other languages, the crowd of pilgrims was shocked to hear the preaching of God’s great works in their own words. Refuting ridiculous accusations of drunkenness, the apostle Peter preached the first New Testament sermon, which is the foundation of the Church.

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth, the Man about whom God testified to you by mighty manifestations, miracles and signs that God did through Him among you, as you yourselves know, Him, delivered according to God’s design and prediction, you killed, nailing to the cross with the hands of lawless men. But God resurrected Him, freeing Him from the torment of death, because it was not in her power to hold Him.”

Acts 2:22-24

This text reveals to us three pillars of our confidence:

1. Jesus is the only Messiah and Savior: His mission was authenticated by God through supernatural signs and wonders. There is no other name under heaven by which man can be saved. Each of us must be 101% sure of our personal salvation through Christ.
2. Crucifixion is God’s sovereign plan, not the victory of evil: Christ’s death on Calvary was not a tragic accident. It was God’s eternal providence for the atonement of our sins. Even when it seems that evil is temporarily victorious (as the Pharisees and Romans thought when they put Jesus in the coffin), God turns it into a triumph.
3. Resurrection is the guarantee of our victory over death: Death had no legal and spiritual right to restrain the Author of life. The resurrection of Christ gives us a clear answer to the question “what happens after death?”. For a believer, physical death is not an end, but a door that opens to eternity, where there are no more tears, pain and wars.

Awareness of personal guilt and heartbreak

Peter’s sermon reaches its climax when he translates a historical fact into the plane of personal responsibility of each listener:

“Therefore, let the whole house of Israel know for sure that God has made Him, this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. When they heard, they were moved in their hearts and said to Peter and the other apostles: What should we do, men and brothers?

Acts 2:36-37

We are no better than those people who shouted “crucify me” in front of Pilate’s praetorium. Every sin of ours, every doubt, every rejection of God’s word is a nail driven into the hands of the Savior. We have personally crucified Christ with our iniquity. And when this realization shatters our human pride, the correct, saving question is born: “What should we do?”. If we are sincere, God will never leave us unanswered.

Three steps of God’s response: Repentance, Baptism, Gift

The Apostle Peter gives a comprehensive algorithm of actions for getting out of a spiritual dead end and entering into supernatural God’s blessing:

“And Peter said to them: Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. After all, this promise is for you and for your children, and for all those who are far away, whom only the Lord our God will call.”

Acts 2:38-39

Step 1: Repentance (Metanoia)

Our relationship with the Creator always starts with the recognition of our own spiritual inability. As long as a person thinks he is “fine,” he is like a patient who hides his symptoms from the best doctor, making healing impossible. Repentance is a complete change of mind and a confession: “I am a sinner in need of salvation.”

Step 2: Water baptism

It is a public, visible covenantal step that affirms and testifies to the spiritual and physical worlds of our conscious choice to follow Jesus Christ by dying to sin and rising to holy living.

Step 3: Accepting the Gift of the Holy Spirit

We are powerless to fulfill God’s will and His mission with our own human resources. Even the apostles were passively waiting until they were clothed with power from above. The Holy Spirit is not a reward to be earned by years of perfect behavior or religious experience; it is a GIFT (gift). The task of the believer is to gratefully open his heart and receive this kindling of Divine power.

The steadfastness of God’s promises

The enemy of the human soul tries to sow doubt by whispering that God’s promises belong only to the elect, perfect or holy people. However, the Word of God clearly declares: the promise of strength, protection, healing and restoration belongs to:

• To you personally;
• To your children and future generations;
• To all those who today are still far from God and the Church, but whom the Lord will call.

All the promises of God in Christ Jesus are Yes and Amen. No external circumstances, inclement weather, or enemy machinations can stop the fulfillment of God’s word if we are in His presence.