#249 Pentecost – Rejoicing In The Harvest

#249 Pentecost – Rejoicing In The Harvest
By Guest Speaker: Byran Keener

Pentecost was not only a time of Great Harvest but a time of amazing joy.

The Holy Spirit is the oil of joy / joy is our strength

Ps. 28:7

*I see a distinct connection between the Joy of the Lord, and the Harvest of the Lord.

*Its all about people and having a song in your heart to the Lord.

An old hymn came to mind when thinking about this,

“Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves…. we will go rejoicing”

Ps. 126:6 says Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

II Cor.2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.  For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.

We are going to take a look at three different crowds of people.

They heard the same message but one responded to it and 2 reacted.

Ps. Bryan Simmons post read, “Did you know the Hebrew word for singing is the same word (homonym) as ‘pruning’.  True worship will prune away our self-confidence as we sing praises to the One who loves us in our weakness.

Ps. 137:1-7 says by the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy they said “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!  How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?  If I forget you, Oh Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.  May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you.  If I do not consider Jerusalem, my highest joy.

*Imagine the joy of the disciples who had just waited all that time in the upper room, and wham fire and laughter hits everyone in the room. They saw their entire group grow that day to a resounding 3,000 people.

Should be fun and exciting sharing your faith!

God wants to turn your world upside down.  He wants to take the lid off of this thing.  I’ve even seen it in an open vision of Him taking the lid off

Acts 17:6 “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…”

God wants to infuse us with so much joy so we are full of the Holy Spirit and freely move out of our comfort zones and into the fields of hurting people.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said-

“Jesus himself did not try to convert the two thieves on the cross, He waited until one of them turned to him.”

Charles Spurgeon said-

Let eloquence be flung to the dogs rather than souls be lost.  What we want is to win souls.  They are not won by flowery speeches.”

Let’s look at Peter’s speech at Pentecost in Acts 2:14-16/25-37

Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles-brethren what shall we do?  King James uses the word pricked and in the Greek this word means “to pierce thoroughly, to agitate violently/sting to the quick.  In other words, they were under gripping conviction.

Let’s do a comparison study with another apostle named Stephen.

Acts 7:54 “Now upon hearing these things, they were cut to the heart and infuriated, and they ground their teeth against Stephen.”

Then Stephen full of the Spirit saw Heaven open and saw the glory of the Lord…

Chapter 6:15 says Stephen’s face was like the face of an angel

The Sanhedrin had a completely different heart than the people that Peter was preaching to although they preached a similar message.

Peter said that with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him on the cross.  Stephen said in vs. 52 was their ever a prophet you didn’t persecute? And now you have betrayed and murdered him.

There is a completely different Greek word used her when they were “cut to the heart” This Greek word is taken from the base of a word meaning “to cut into two”/ this word means to exasperate.  Exasperate means to irritate intensely, infuriate.  In the NIV the word used there is furious.  They became furious!

Hebrews 4:12 states “For the Word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

Peter confronted God fearing Jews from every nation under Heaven.  Stephen was confronting the Sanhedrin.

Peter’s speech caused men to be stricken and convicted to the core.  Acts 2:41 says “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day.

Let’s throw a monkey wrench in here.  Peter had such a great response and the people were watching people full of joy and they were amazed!  Peter confronted them for siding with evil men and they repented.  Stephen confronted them in like manner and he was killed.

Now go over to Acts 5:29-33

When this group of Sadducees heard the message the disciples got the same response as Stephen did later on. The exact same Greek word is used to describe how furious they were in the same manner as Stephen

The Pharisee Gamaliel steps into the gap here and says vs. 38

“I advise you.  Leave these men alone.  Let them go.  For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail, but if not, you will not be able to stop these men.  You will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Three different groups of people.  Both groups completely cut to the heart.  Two totally different responses.  One was massive harvest, one brought death and with one there was intervention.

In Acts 13:52 it states “And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit!”  they were having fun!

Acts 2:26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope.

Three Major Factors in both the hearer and the receiver in Evangelism
1. State of the Heart
2. State of the Tongue
3. State of the Body

Acts 2 …The State of the disciples was that they were overflowing with joy and happiness and looked as if they had too much to drink.  The State of the crowd was that they were amazed and perplexed and some ridiculed them.  There was no tension in the air, only the presence.

1. Happy heart.
Is your heart healthy?
Prov. 4:23 says “Above all else, guard your heart, wellspring.
Prov.15:13 says A glad heart makes a happy face. NLT
Ps 27:7 says My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise NLT

2. Bold with your confession.
Do you speak positively about your life in God?
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always
Joshua 1:8 Do not let Book of Law depart from mouth
Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John

3. Radiate hope with your life.
You can’t give what you don’t have.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 4:18 “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations”

Its up to you to radiate joy and life of God so others will ask to become like you or they will resist you because of the hardness due to their own hearts.

So that we Overcome and cause others to Overcome

I John 5:4 For everyone born of God overcomes the world
II John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God

He who overcomes will:
Rev 2:7    Right to eat from the tree of life
Rev 2:11  Will not be hurt at all by second death
Rev 2:17  Will eat of the hidden manna
Rev 2:26  Will have authority over the nations
Rev 3:5    Will be dressed in white, never name blotted out
Rev 3:12  Will become a pillar in the temple of my God
Rev 3:21  Will have the right to sit with Jesus on the throne.

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