The Gift That Changes Everything

What truly is a blessing, once again, brethren, to arrive at one of God's annual holy days. We anticipate these days. We walk through the time approaching them, looking into God's Word, reminding ourselves what they portray. And you know, the Feast of Pentecost is unique among God's holy days because it's not a set date on the calendar like the other holy days. It's not tied to the moon. You know, like the 14th day of the first month is Passover. You know, this is actually a day that is arrived at by counting to it. We count 50 days from the wave sheath offering during the days of unleavened bread and that wave sheath which portrays Jesus Christ, the first of the first fruits that was lifted up and waved and accepted before God. And so this holy day is special, and it does far more than commemorate a date on the calendar or even remember an event in history. There is a very important event in history that's tied to this day that we will remember, but we know it's not frozen in time at that date. Indeed, this feast confronts one of the greatest questions every follower of Jesus Christ eventually asks, and that is, can people truly, completely change? Can people truly, completely change? Can I, Paul Moody, truly, completely change? And by change, I mean can I go from the carnal nature that has been my lifelong nature to the stature of the fullness of Christ, to what it is that God desires for me to be and you to be, ultimately those who partake of the divine nature? Can we truly accomplish that? After all, we know God's way is right. It is why we are here. It is why we assemble before Him and keep these days. We believe this way leads to life. But the struggle comes when we live it consistently day in and day out and we recognize, you know what, maybe I've done good for two months, three months, four months, and then, boom, where did that attitude come from? And I have to get on my knees and repent before God and recognize I still have some work to do. Can I really, truly get past this? I want to kind of tie this back to the sermon I gave before the Passover this year because there we talked about the internal struggle that goes on with within each of us and what it is that God is seeking to create in us. And this festival today also very much connects to that concept. You know, maybe we find that we still battle things like impatience or fear or holding on to the old ways of thinking. And after enough years of wrestling with ourselves, we may even begin to wonder whether certain parts of our nature will ever truly become like Jesus Christ. That's why this Feast of Pentecost matters so much. Pentecost reveals that God never intended His people to rely on human strength alone to change. Sometimes I think we just tell ourselves, I'll muster up the courage and I'll do what needs to be done. And we do need to do that. We need to do our part, but let's recognize through this Holy Day that God never intended His people to rely on human strength alone to change. He not only forgives our sins through Jesus Christ, something we reflect upon during the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, but He gives us through this Holy Day the power to change. This Holy Day is the next step in the process.

Again, the Passover sacrifice of Christ, we come under that blood. Our sins are forgiven. We're reconciled to God. The Days of Unleavened Bread, we've put out the leavening and we're taking of the bread of life, Jesus Christ, living unleavened to the best of our ability. But truly the power to do that, the power to change, does not come in any other way, but by the presence of God dwelling in us. We can make steps on our own. In this world, there are people who make big personal steps on their own and do good things and overcome things and go on to really be a success in a way that maybe their trail didn't seem to be where it was taking them.

But understand to leave the carnal nature behind and to be filled with the nature of God in Christ comes in no other way but by the Spirit of God. And indeed, this holy day is worth celebrating greatly because we recognize that through it and what it portrays, God gives us the power truly to change. The title of the message today is the gift that changes everything. The gift that changes everything. Everything from the inside out. That's what we're seeking. A change in nature and a change in heart. Brethren, that's exactly what we see poured out when we read the opening of the book of Acts.

But before we go there, I want to take you back to the time when Jesus Christ walked the earth during his ministry and his original disciples were with him. Just imagine what that time would have been like for three and a half years to journey with Christ, to talk with him on the road in between towns, to listen to him preach to the multitudes and later in the evening maybe sit around the campfire and just kind of bring up, you know, Lord, today you said this.

How do we do that? Imagine what it would have been like to lean on him in your time of struggle, trial, unbelief, and to receive the answer from him. That's what his earliest disciples experienced when they walked with Jesus Christ in person. They received the greatest instruction any human being could ever receive. They heard a son of God teach directly. They saw him perform miracles, you know, silence the storm by his voice.

Simply say, be still. And the sea was calmed and the storm disappears. You see miracles performed. The dead raised back to life again. Just imagine what it would have been like for those 12 who were close at Jesus' side. And yet, despite all of that, the disciples still struggled deeply with human weaknesses. And we see that throughout the account of the Gospels, their struggles, their challenges, even right up to the end. They argued on the night of the Passover, who would be greatest? Remember, Jesus said, one of you is going to betray me.

And very quickly, the conversation moved to who would be the greatest. They had times when they misunderstood Jesus repeatedly, times where they just simply lacked an understanding as to what he was expressing to them. Mr. Rimes talked about that yesterday, where there came a point that their understanding needed to be opened to them.

And they reached emotionally difficult points under pressure. You recall when Jesus was arrested, taken off then to be crucified, at the time of his arrest, his closest disciples there with him, they fled. And even Peter, Peter that one that was full of zeal, the one that says, Lord, I have a sword and I will go to the death with you, ultimately denied that he even knew Jesus Christ. In fact, three times he denied. So, brethren, there's something that should be clear to us in these accounts of the Gospels, and that is, knowledge alone doesn't transform human nature.

Knowledge alone doesn't transform human nature. Even proximity to the truth isn't enough in itself to change the human heart. Something more is needed. Now, we do need those things. Truth is important. Knowledge is important. But in order to apply it and have it come forth in a change of heart, we need something more. Jesus Christ knew that. Because of that, he left his disciples with a very specific instruction. Let's begin today in Acts chapter 1.

Let's begin in verse 1. Acts chapter 1 and verse 1. It says, The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. This is Luke, who put together, recorded the book of Acts for us. Actually, for Theophilus, we have the advantage of having it handed down today. Verse 2.

To whom he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days, and speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God. So that fifty-day time period from the wave sheaf during the days of eleven bread through until Pentecost, a good portion of that forty days, Jesus Christ was around, he was teaching, he was instructing them. Verse 4. And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, You have heard from me. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Therefore, when they had come together they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And Jesus said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in his own authority. He says, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And now when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. So final instructions here from Jesus Christ before he ascended. He said, Stay, wait, watch, wait for the promise of the Father. Jesus said there was going to be a gift from God that would be poured out upon them, and as we know it came through Jesus Christ on this feast of Pentecost, and that gift, he said, would empower them. It would empower them. Notice again verse 8 the word power, but you shall receive power. That word power in the Greek is dunamis, and if it sounds familiar, it's where we get the word dynamite in the English. It's power. Jesus promised power. Why power? What would that power do? Well, he promised power because this Christian life was never meant to be lived through human ability alone. The disciples already had the instructions of Jesus Christ. They had sincerity. They had knowledge, but they still lacked the power that was necessary to become different people from the inside out, to have the change of heart and nature, to put the knowledge into real-life application, to fulfill their commission. That would require power as well. And brethren, if we're honest with ourselves, we understand that we struggle as well. We understand that apart from God's Holy Spirit residing in us, we too are powerless to truly overcome who and what we are apart from God. We can make positive steps according to our carnal nature, and we can improve. It's interesting, as we come along to the Holy Days every year, in my mind, it keeps going back to the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of life, the two trees in the garden. One is the tree of life. It represents righteousness, and the other is the tree of knowledge of good and evil. So you have this tree that has good fruit on it, but it's not righteous. And there's a difference between good and righteous, and there's a lot of good in this world, and there are a lot of people who do good, and I greatly appreciate good people, good neighbors, good initiatives. You know, it's a blessing to life. But understand, we have been we have been called to go from good to partaking of the tree of life, and taking on the righteousness of God and Jesus Christ. That is not just an action, that is a character. That is an internalized nature, and you can't go from one to the other on your own. Indeed, this day is a blessing.

Ultimately, we understand that the source of whom and what we are apart from God is flawed. That the carnal human nature is flawed within us, and it prevents true spiritual life from springing forth, and that's directly what the Feast of Pentecost addresses. It addresses the source of our nature, and how to address that source. Source is an important concept to consider. Let's go to 2 Kings chapter 2 for a moment. 2 Kings chapter 2, verse 19. You know, there's these little stories that are tucked into the Old Testament that at times it's easy to just read past quickly and think, well, that was an interesting spot on the trail, but do we really sometimes take the time to slow down and think about them spiritually, and how these principles might apply? But 2 Kings chapter 2, here the context surrounds a miracle performed by Elisha, and again we're talking about changing the source, right? Changing our nature. 2 Kings chapter 2, and verse 19. It says, Then the men of the city said to Elisha, the city we're talking about here is Jericho, actually the rebuilt Jericho, and the men of the city said to Elisha, they said, Please notice the situation of this city is pleasant as my Lord sees. They said, But the water is bad in the ground barren. The water is bad in the ground barren. So the lay of the land is good, they said. You know, if you or I walked into the city, we'd probably look around and say, Well, the lay of the land here is nice. It's a nice city, kind of sits up where we got a little view of the countryside, a nice breeze from the east in the afternoon carries through and cools things down a bit. New buildings, right? It's Jericho. So it's a nice city, but there's a problem.

Again, the problem was the water. It was bad.

As we know, life can't be sustained without water. And you know what?

Water is water. Bad water is still water. If that's what the city is built around, that's what they're going to go to, right? That's the source, but it's going to have an effect on the society that's built up around it. If you actually look at other translations or commentaries related to this verse, the idea here was that the land was apt to miscarry when it means it was barren. And actually what it's referring to is because of the water and what would spring forth from that, the people who drank it, there would be miscarriage among the people and the livestock that drank it. There would be miscarriage among the livestock as well. Again, the city was fine outwardly, but the source was poisoned. Because the source was poisoned, everything flowing out from it was effective as well. Effective. Brother, that's humanity apart from God.

That's humanity apart from God. The source itself, our carnal human nature, is corrupted. And so eventually what flows out reveals the source. So if what is coming from us is fear or pride or anger or contentions or any of these things, there's a reason behind it. It comes back to the source of the matter. It comes back to the heart itself. And as we're going to see in this very short story, it is the source, it is the heart that needs healing. If indeed the blessing's going to flow out.

Verse 20, then Elisha said, Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it. So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the source of the water. So we have a spring on our property that comes out of the hill and eventually it flows out into a little stream that runs across our pasture and the horses drink out of it and it runs down into the ditch and down the way. But there's a source. Elisha says, I can't just go out to the end here and take care of it. We're going to the heart of the matter.

Right? We're going to the source. And so he went to the source of the water and cast in the salt in there and said, Thus says the Lord, I have healed this water. From it there shall be no more death or barrenness. So the water remains healed to this day according to the word of Elisha, which he spoke. And you know what? That is exactly what God begins doing in us through the Holy Spirit, through His presence, through His active work. He begins healing the source itself.

Because on our own we can't fully break free from the pull of our human nature and left to ourselves the source is corrupted and eventually then what would flow out from us would be corrupted. The blessing of this day is the healing of the source, of the nature, the repair and the restoration to who and what God intends us to be.

Jesus expressed this concept clearly as well. Let's go to Mark chapter 7 in verse 20.

Mark chapter 7 in verse 20, because ultimately we're not talking about water springs, we're talking about the human heart and it works much the same. Mark chapter 7 in verse 20.

Context here is Christ's disciples are being criticized because they didn't wash up to the elbows before they ate because there was a ceremonial washing tradition. You know, if you were out in the marketplace you might have touched the Gentile or bumped into something that was unclean. So before you ate it wasn't about getting dirt off your hands, it was about purification. And there was a ceremony of you washed all the way up to the elbows and Jesus' disciples weren't doing that. And they were criticized by the leadership here, the Jewish leadership.

Jesus says in Mark chapter 7 in verse 20, he said to them, what comes out of a man, that defiles a man.

You know, eating a sandwich on the job with dirt on your hands, I did it for over 20 years when I worked landscape and I lived. But this isn't ultimately what he is talking about.

It's very much like the water flowing from the contaminated spring. If the source is polluted, what flows out of it will be polluted, right? So Jesus said what comes out of a man, that's what defiles him. He's teaching that the real issue surrounding human nature is not merely outward conduct, but the condition of the heart from which then the conduct flows.

Things can look good on the outside. You know, fresh coat of paint, window dressing.

Have you ever bought a car because it's the car you thought you wanted and it looked shiny? I mean, somebody had waxed it up, polished it up, and vacuumed the carpets and it looked great. And so you bought it. You know, the window dressing was great, but a hundred miles down the road you realize it's a piece of junk. What's under the hood of this thing? Didn't change the oil for a hundred thousand miles and the transmission slipping? And, you know, that's a pretty disappointing place to be, as well as expensive. Again, what's the condition on the inside? Start there first. Verse 21, for from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thus covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man. Again, the seed of these sins is from within, and the problem begins in the inner man, in the human nature, in the heart itself. And these attitudes and desires, if left unchecked, eventually express themselves then outwardly through our words, our behavior, and our actions. But Jesus' point here was showing that outward ceremonial washings could never resolve the deeper problem. After all, God's concerned with what is happening on the inside of us, our thoughts, our meditation, our motivation. What is it that's going on in the inside? And so God begins with transforming the source. And once the source is transformed, then what naturally flows out will be good, right? It will be blessing. It'll be life, because it'll be according to the nature of God. And you know what? That brings us directly to Acts chapter 2, in the gift that changes everything. Acts chapter 2 in verse 1.

Acts chapter 2 in verse 1, when the day of Pentecost had fully come, right? They're counting towards it. They're anticipating it. Jesus said, wait, now it's here. They were all with one accord and in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance. The beautiful thing about Pentecost is that it reminds us that we are not left to ourselves. God gives us His law. He gives us the expectation to change. He's given us the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but He doesn't leave us to ourselves to accomplish the impossible. He gives us, indeed, what it is we need. He calls us His firstfruits. He's given us His Spirit. He's given us the power to overcome and the power to change, and that's the blessing we see poured out on this day. And, brethren, the greatest miracle of this day, 31 A.D., was not the flaming tongues of fire or the mighty rushing wind. The incredible miracle of that day was a changed heart and a changed nature of somebody that now had the ability to go on and do what God had given them to do as a calling, as a destiny, as their incredible human potential, to go forward and to accomplish that, not alone, but with the help of God. The greatest miracle of Pentecost is what began happening inside human beings. Now, if we go down to verse 14, we recall the story how they're speaking in languages and people are hearing in their own language, their own dialect, and other people are saying, they're mad, they're drunk. Well, verse 14, Peter stands up with the 11, raises his voice, and said to them, Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it's only the third hour of the day, you know, 9 a.m. He says, but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. And he goes on and quotes Joel chapter 2 about the pouring out of God's Spirit, what would take place in their day, and indeed ultimately up to the end of the age. But again, this is Peter. Remember Peter? The guy who said, Lord, I'm with you to the end, and yet fled, denied, swore, at one point cursed, I think it says, that he did not know him. And here's Peter on the day of Pentecost, boldly before thousands, proclaiming Jesus Christ openly. Again, the same Peter who feared to admit he even knew him, now standing with conviction, with courage, the other 11 as well, the 11 that fled and deserted Christ, now standing boldly, proclaiming the message he had given them to proclaim. As time goes on, they're called in before the Jewish leadership. They're told to quit preaching in that name. You're filling Jerusalem with this doctrine. And eventually they say, after, you know, beaten and threatened and all of that, we ought to obey God rather than man. They're emboldened, they're empowered, are they not, by the power of God. Again, what changed was his Spirit now working in them, refashioning their nature from the inside out. If we go down to verse 36, Acts chapter 2, verse 36, therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? They're cut to the heart.

Understand, brethren, this process of conversion begins when the heart is moved and a person recognizes who and what they are apart from God, what it is they've done, and they cry out themselves, what shall we do? These had recognized we killed the Messiah. Obviously all of us share a part in that, but now this is where the change can begin. When someone says, I'm cut to the heart with what I've done, what can I do about it? How can I change? Verse 38, Peter said to them, repent, let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call. The Gentiles were far off.

The other nations outside of Israel, as it says in other places, those who are far off have now been brought near through the blood of Jesus Christ. This is not only a Jewish Messiah, this is not only an Israel nation-only Messiah, this is a Messiah for all of mankind, and the blessing of his sacrifice and of God's Spirit can go now to all. Verse 40, and with many other words, he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation.

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all those who believed were together had all things in common, sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all as anyone had need.

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. What an incredible, incredible day! What a dramatic day! You know, miracles, signs, wonders, boldness, preaching, three thousand converted. And yet, understand the greatest miracle of all is what was taking place in the human heart of each of those individuals who accepted the sacrifice of Christ and received God's Holy Spirit. That's the great gift of Pentecost. The gift that changes everything.

Through forgiveness, through repentance, through baptism, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit, the power of God begins actively working within human life. So this was a dramatic day, nearly two thousand years ago now. And here we are today as recipients of what God has continued to do on down through time, as those who faithfully look to His Word and recognize, we can't do this on our own. We need to help that God can provide, one, through the sacrifice of His Son, and two, through His Spirit, that helps to conform our nature to His own. I think one of the most encouraging truths we learned from the book of Acts is that transformation didn't mean instant perfection. That's encouraging for me anyway, because I know my life. I know my challenges.

I do hope and believe I'm moving closer and closer towards the stature of fullness of Christ, as opposed to farther and farther away. That is my prayer. That is my effort. But you know, I'm not there yet. I can't stand up and say, you're looking at Him, the stature of the fullness of Christ. You would probably throw me off the stage if I dared even bring something up such as that. We all have work to do, don't we? It doesn't happen in an instant. We see that here, even in the book of Acts. Indeed, the Bible shows that after this Pentecost, even the apostles still struggled at times. You know, Peter still had important lessons to learn, didn't he? Paul, years later, right, years after conversion, Paul confronted Peter about something that he thought he was being a hypocrite on, and Peter had a lesson to learn. Peter with God's Spirit.

The church faced conflicts, pressures, growing pains. In fact, even those in Corinth who experienced dramatic, outward signs of spiritual gifts, right, speaking in tongues, various languages, Paul said, if somebody walks in from the outside, they're going to say, you're mad. Decency, in order. Let's take what God has given us and apply it to our lives and use it as a blessing. And so we see that the gift is given. This is a process of time, and it's a work that we must be involved in personally and directly as well. Conversion isn't simply, brethren, an instant change of personality. It's a transformation of nature, our own nature.

And a transformation is something that takes a period of time. It's important to remember that, because, again, sometimes we become discouraged when we maybe stumble in our weakness or have challenges even after receiving God's Spirit. You know, I'll tell people when they're baptized, you know, this isn't the end of the race, this is the starting line. And you can expect challenge and obstacles, because, number one, our nature and character is formed through those things. But we also add an adversary as well that you're now on his radar. But we often recognize our need to continue to grow. And we might even wonder, why is that so? If I have God's Spirit, why am I still this way? 10, 20, 30 years later, maybe still struggling with various things. Hopefully we've cleared the shelf on certain things, but it's always going to be a growth process.

And sometimes we might almost begin to think that God isn't there. If I'm struggling, maybe God isn't here. I would submit to you, if you're struggling, it's because God is here. And you're not just given over to a nature. You're fighting it. You're resisting the carnal nature, and you're seeking to grow in His likeness. But it does take our dedication. But again, He has given us the gift and the power to change. So don't be discouraged. If you end up stumbling, get up, brush yourself off, and carry on. God's with you, and He will give you the power to change. Romans chapter 12.

Let's notice Paul's encouragement here.

Romans chapter 12 and verse 1.

Familiar passage. Paul says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, you know, everything we've received is by the mercy of God, that you present yourselves, your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The Greek word for transformed is metamorphu. Of course, we've heard that for years, metamorphu. And if that sounds familiar, it's because in the English we say metamorphosis, right, for a change, for a transformation that takes place. It describes something becoming fundamentally different over time. It's kind of like a caterpillar that becomes cocooned and is there for a period of time, and when it emerges, it is something different, right? It's a butterfly. But that doesn't happen in an instant. And in fact, if you watch nature shows where the the butterfly is emerging from the cocoon, it's often a struggle. It kind of has to push and wrestle and kind of fight its way out. And that's actually part of the process as well, because it strengthens its wings to have the ability to even fly once it escapes to the cocoon. So this is a transformation, and it evolves life, it evolves challenges, even trials and struggles. But what is produced if our nature is becoming more and more like God is something that's going to be to His praise and His glory. When we receive God's Spirit following baptism, it begins changing how we think, how we respond, and what it is that we value. And it could be so easy prior to that for our life to focus on self. And again, it doesn't happen in an instant, right? This is a process, but if we're becoming more and more like God, our focus ought to be moving more outward throughout that process, outward, turning towards God. Philippians chapter 2 reveals one of the most encouraging truths in the Bible, and that is we aren't trying to change alone. We aren't trying to change alone. Philippians chapter 2 and verse 13.

Just kind of take a snapshot of this one verse, but there's so much packed in here. We can just read over these things so quickly. But Philippians chapter 2 and verse 13, For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do, for his good pleasure.

Notice that God not only helps us to do what's right, he does. He helps us, as we're willing, but he also helps shape the desire to do what's right. Through the indwelling of his Holy Spirit, God begins changing us from the inside out, and he works on our heart, our mind, and our nature.

And over time, what once came easily to our carnal nature has now become set aside.

And we grow in a desire to think and live more like Jesus Christ. But it says, God in you, and that is what we have with this nature, God and Christ in you, the hope of glory. Thank you, Mr. Wilson. That is indeed the blessing of the indwelling presence. That's the true power of Pentecost, not merely outward form, but God actively working within human lives to bring about a lasting spiritual change. And that is then where the fruit of the Spirit becomes so important.

You know, we know what fruit is. If you go to an apple tree in the fall expecting to find fruit, what is that? That's something that the tree is produced, right? Through all the energy that's come through the tree, the sunlight, the photosynthesis, the pulling up the nutrients, and put all those things together. It's produced something. It's produced fruit.

And God has called us to produce fruit through the indwelling presence of His Spirit as well. Indeed, the fruit is literally the evidence of God's Spirit working within us.

Let's go to Galatians chapter 5. Galatians 5, you know, fruit's important, and the carnal nature can produce fruit as well.

We call it the works of the flesh. And so, Galatians 5 compares and contrasts the carnal nature and the works of the flesh with the divine nature and the fruit of the Spirit. So let's take a look. Galatians 5 and verse 16. I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Paul says, for the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. Understand there is a war going on inside of us, between our carnal nature and the Spirit of God.

And there's a battle. That's why sometimes something happens, and I'll just say in my life, the knee-jerk reaction as a thought pops into the head, and if I can just hold on to that for a second, the Spirit of God says, now hang on, there's a better way. But there's a war, there's a challenge that goes on inside of us, and Paul knew about that directly. But we can't have it both ways. If we truly desire to change, then God's Spirit can provide that change, but we have to yield ourselves to the process. Because God doesn't just sort of wipe our hard drive and install a new operating system to use modern terminology, right? He's working with us. This is a covenant, brethren. It is a relationship, and so it's a back and forth, give and receive and work together by which this new nature comes about. God doesn't force it upon us. We must yield ourselves to what it is that He is doing. Verse 18, it says, but if you're led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. So if you've come under the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, had your sins forgiven, and walk according to the Spirit, then the penalty of death does not apply to you. The law says the wages of sin is death. But if you're walking according to the Spirit, you're not under that penalty of law.

We still, you know, if you're walking according to the Spirit, you're keeping the Ten Commandments, you're keeping these other things. Why? Not because it's on the plaque on the wall, but because it is now part of your character and your nature to do those things. That's what it means to be transformed into the likeness of God. It doesn't just become what we know, it becomes who and what we are. It becomes our character. But understand, God is calling us to be His children forever. So this is what He's instilling in us. If you're led by the Spirit, you're not under the law. Now then, the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like. Have you ever experienced even any of one of these? I have. All this is tied up in the carnal human nature at one level or another, but this is what we are overcoming by God's health. As Paul says, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. And so it comes back to the source and what springs out of the source and what the results of our words and actions are, because God is creating a family and He wants us in His likeness. That's not just form, that's nature, that's character likeness. And that's the process He's working us through today, to be as He is. Verse 22, but the fruit of the Spirit, that which is produced by God's Spirit dwelling in you, is love, right? Agape. It's not the love of how man instinctively shows love. This is the love of God, the joy and the peace and the long suffering and the kindness and the goodness and the faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law. You know, what penalty of law could stand against the love of God? What restriction could there ever be that says, don't let the peace of God ruin your hearts? Now, the point is, if you were living by this, there is no law that would stand against you or condemn you. You are living according to the nature of God and Christ. And indeed, it's a blessing to your life. Verse 24, and those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

So this is the goal. This is the goal. But we also have to consider and understand it doesn't happen in an instant. Again, it's a process that takes place over time, whereby we look less and less like our old selves, more and more like God and Christ, because it's a character change, ultimately, a change in nature. And we have to be patient. We have to allow that fruit to mature.

Pentecost reminds us why God is doing this work within us. And it's surrounding the symbolism of this holy day. God is preparing a harvest. God is preparing a harvest. Again, he instructed Israel to count 50 days to Pentecost. It was counted and tied directly to the early harvest of the first fruits, right? The first portion of the harvest, presented before God, representing something set apart and specially dedicated to him. And you know what? All throughout the New Testament, and even directly in places, that same language applies to his people today. Let's notice James chapter one.

James chapter one. We'll just look at this one example. Verse 17.

This is about a first fruit harvest and bringing it to maturity.

James chapter one and verse 17. James says, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. The greatest of gifts we're looking at today is God's Spirit.

And comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning, of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. First fruits. Which means God isn't working with the whole world in the same way right now. He is calling a first fruit harvest ahead of the greater larger harvest.

And that's us. That's those who have been called out and given the first fruits, as it says in another place, of his Spirit. That earnest, that down payment on eternal life. What God is producing in these first fruits is sons and daughters who reflect his own nature and character.

And that's why this transformation, brethren, matters so much because God is preparing future members of his family who will live with him forever. That process begins today, right, in this life, in this physical life we're living, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

And that's why Pentecost is so hopeful. It's not just a point on the calendar in the past, 2000 years ago. It is hopeful for us today. It is hopeful for our future. And when we become discouraged by our weakness, we must remember that God doesn't only see what we are now.

He sees what he intends us to be. He sees what we can be. He sees what our destiny is to be. Jesus had that ability, right? You remember on the last night again, the Passover, he's with the disciples and he says to them, these squabbling disciples, right, who's the greatest?

He calms them down and he reminds them or he tells them, you'll be sitting on thrones, judging the tribes of Israel. Like he could see who they would become, what they could become, by God's blessing, by his spirit. And that's how God views us today. We are a crop that is coming to maturity, but he can already see the maturity, the harvest, the first fruits in his family. God sees that as he's working with us today. And that is part of the blessing of this day. I want you to imagine a farmer for a moment. Maybe imagine God as a farmer.

Down in the Tri-Cities, I told them, if you have a hard time imagining God as a farmer, imagine Dale. Dale and Laura Rokes. They're farmers. So imagine Dale on his tractor and he gets out and he rips up the field. He plows it up. He discs it out. He harrows it down, packs it down tight, and drills seed into it. And when he's done, he parks his tractor and gets out and looks over the field and says, where's the fruit? Where's the fruit?

Well, does not it take more than that? Doesn't it take a time and a season of growth? Doesn't it take care and watering and tending and cultivating and a season of growth to come to maturity? But you know, the farmer can stand there on a field that just maybe looks like dirt to you or me, but he knows the seed is there. And when the rains come or the irrigation comes, he can already see what will be produced and what will be harvested. And that's God with us.

He can see those things and he's working with us towards that end. So he's cultivating his firstfruits day by day, season by season, trial by trial, even at times. God's developing his own character within his people and one day at the resurrection that work will be brought to completion. And you know what? That's the next holy day we'll be celebrating. The Feast of Trumpets and all that is portrayed by those trumpets on that feast. But this is the season of harvest, of God working the fields, of God pouring his spirit out, of God nurturing this crop that he's harvesting out of humanity. And he can see what it is he is doing in us. But it takes time.

Darl and I planted fruit trees years ago. You know, we envisioned this beautiful plum tree. You can pick all these plums and make plum jam and do all these things. We envision these pear trees loaded with fruit and we have them now. But it began with putting these little sticks in the ground, which is like a couple of leaves on them. Really wasn't much to them, kind of scrawny little trees. And it took years before they got to the point that they were actually producing something significant. Years of watering, of putting horse manure around them and tending them and making sure that the horses didn't knock them over and step on them and itch on them and say, well, there went five years worth of work. Snap! I speak from experience. But, you know, God tends us.

But it takes time. It takes time for that fruit to develop. And you know what? Those trees are big now and they produce fruit. But even in the season where fruit is born, I go out there right now. I didn't check this morning, but the pear trees ought to have these little nubby-looking things that will one day be pears. Right? They had blooms not long ago and now they're developed. But now is not the season to go pick pears. But the fruit is growing. The work is happening. The development is taking place. And the season will come, then, when that fruit matures.

But understand, for you and I, brethren, the same is true. And God often uses daily life as the environment for fruit development in us. You know those things like delays, frustrations, trials, disappointments, waiting? Please hold. Your approximate wait time is one hour and three minutes.

I don't wait for that. Call me back. But, God, how do you learn patience? Well, really, in no other way than having to be patient. Right? How do we develop these fruits of God? Faith develops through oftentimes uncertainty. God, I don't know what you're doing here. I don't know why this is happening in my life, but I read your word and I know your promises and I know you are true.

I'll wait on you. We wrestle with that. But that faith comes through oftentimes and built through uncertainty. Mercy often develops through our own suffering and now our compassion that we have for others, recognizing when we've been through something, we know what they are going through. Our endurance develops through facing trials. Count it all joy, James says. That's a hard one. And I don't think it's hooray for the trial. I think it's hooray for what he says is produced. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces a fruit of the Spirit. Right? Patience. So what God is doing is not just trying to improve human behavior externally. He's trying to help develop our nature and our character through these events. And he has given us the Spirit that makes it possible for this to move us towards success and ultimately to his glory. 2 Peter chapter 1, his glory is ultimately what he is seeking to produce in us. 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 2, Peter says, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as his divine power. You shall receive power, Jesus said. Wait for it. It's of God. It is divine. As his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue. Verse 4, by which we have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.

Partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And so this is the ultimate purpose behind Pentecost. God is reproducing his nature in us, and he has called us to yield to his work, to willingly submit to it, to willingly participate in it. Again, in a covenant, in a relationship, where he says, I'll be your, not just I'll be your God and you'll be my people. Notice it's more intimate than that. He says, I'll be my, your father and you'll be my sons and daughters. And I will grow you into my family and into my likeness. And as we yield to his work through the Spirit, mortal human beings can begin taking on the thinking, the character, and the nature of God himself. And so as such, one of the greatest proofs of God's presence in us is not dramatic outward signs and wonders, dramatic miracles, but rather changed lives. I would submit to you that conversion, going from the carnal man to the divine nature, is the greatest miracle that could ever take place. By comparison, parting a C is no big deal. This is something that, a miracle we get to participate in as well.

But it is a wonderful blessing. It's people once dominated by anger, learning gentleness, people consumed by fear, learning faith. It's people once driven by self, becoming selfless and servants of others. And that's the miracle of a changed heart.

So let's conclude over in Luke chapter 24.

Luke chapter 24. Here are two disciples who are walking on the road to Emmaus.

Shortly after Christ's resurrection, although they don't know he's been resurrected yet, they haven't seen him. They had counted three days and three nights and really paid attention to what was going on. They would have gotten it, but took a little work, took a little revelation, but they're traveling this road. They're discouraged. They're confused. They're emotionally drained.

And yet as they walk, the resurrected Christ joins them. And though they don't initially recognize them, as they walk together, Jesus begins explaining the scriptures about himself.

And he's talking about, you know, here's the prophecies, here's what was fulfilled, and begins to open their understanding to the Word of God. And as he does that, and then he reveals himself. And as soon as they recognize, it's like, boof, he's gone, disappears out of their sight. But when Christ vanishes, they say something quite noteworthy. Luke chapter 24 and verse 32.

Luke 24 verse 32. And they said to one another, Did not our heart burn within us?

When he talked with us on the road, and while he opened the scriptures to us, their hearts burned within them. Because the Word of God became alive to them. These weren't just words. These were happenings in their life, happenings surrounding them. Christ had revealed who he was. He's alive.

And now they came to have an understanding of what their part in all of this would be. And it said, their heart burned within them, with a zeal, with a passion. And I would submit to you that perhaps one of the greatest missing elements to our spiritual growth today is simply not allowing enough time for God's Word to deeply impact us.

That Word was connected with understanding, and the zeal burned within them.

You know, you and I have opportunity for Bible study in a way really no one in history ever has.

But we can't rush it. We shouldn't rush it. I'll admit I'm one of the first people to put on the headphones while I'm mowing the lawn and listen to the audio Bible, where I've got two hours in the car somewhere and I put it on and I listen to it. That's good. Do those things. Get it as you can. But don't let it replace completely the opportunity to sit down in concentrated and prayerful meditation in the Word of God. There's times we actually need to step away from the noise of life and labor in God's Word, because when we do, coupled with God's Spirit, it'll produce something incredible. Because there's two convicting agents at work in our lives. One is the Spirit of God.

It says it will convict us of sin and of righteousness and these things. So you'll have in your nature an understanding of, this is right, this is wrong, this is good, this is godly. So the Spirit of God is a convicting agent. The Word of God, the other convicting agent, read it. It reveals the mind of God and the truth of God and you put them together. Your heart will burn with zeal for what it is God is doing and what he's doing in you and through you by his Spirit.

So these disciples had this moment on the road to Emmaus, that indeed it's a moment you and I should have regularly as well, because we have access continually to that indwelling Spirit.

Brethren, the Feast of Pentecost reminds us that we're not left to ourselves. God has not just said, live this way of life and just, you know, good luck. He's given us his Spirit. Jesus, before he departed, said, I do not leave you orphans, I will come to you. My Father will come to you and we will make our home in you. That's a relationship that indeed is a blessing. We are not left to ourselves. The Feast of Pentecost reminds us that transformation begins at the source, in our very own human heart, in our nature. And if the transformation takes place there, what flows out of us, then if it is godly, will be a blessing to all. The Feast of Pentecost reminds us that spiritual growth is ongoing and progressive. Again, it doesn't happen all in one day. We still need to struggle and wrestle with who we have been and seek to overcome that to be Christ in us. But it doesn't happen in one day. So don't get discouraged if one day something pops up and you think, that is not of God, that is of the old me. Address it, put it away, carry on. God is with you. This is an ongoing process of growth. The Feast of Pentecost reminds us that the fruit of God's spirit is a changed nature when we begin to look more and more like God in Christ. And finally, brethren, this Feast of Pentecost reminds us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but He's given us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.

And, brethren, that truly is the gift that changes everything.