Feast of Pentecost 2025
(Sermon Notes) By Warren Zehrung 6/1/2025
Part Two
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come…
The fulfillment and accomplishment of the meaning of the Holy Day of Pentecost had taken place. The seven weeks tying this day to the Wave Sheaf were completed,
Acts 2:1 …they were all with one accord [in agreement and harmonious with one another, of one mind] in one place. [Unity]
“One accord” shows the attitude of those assembled on that Holy Day. We begin to see one of the great meanings of Pentecost. It was an attitude of service to one to another, loving one another, looking out for each other and caring for the needy, the poor, and the stranger. Those assembled were getting along unanimously with each other without division— of one accord.
Jesus said in John 16:7, “…I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send [my Spirit] unto you.”
And, in John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
What does it mean that they were all filled with Holy Spirit? They received a token [earnest, security pledge] of God’s Spirit—all they could possibly contain at their stage of spiritual development.
2Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. (2Corinthians 5:5, Ephesians 1:13-14)
On the other hand, Jesus had His Father’s Spirit without measure from birth (John 3:34). At our birth, we were “born of water” (when our mother’s amniotic fluid flowed—water breaking). Our fullness will only come when we are “born of Spirit” in the resurrection (John 3:5).
Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Acts 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
With all the sights and sounds of Pentecost, God was putting His exclamation mark !!! on this Pentecost Day—because He wanted it to be noised abroad!
Acts 2:7 And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?
Acts 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Travelers from all the known world
Acts 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Acts 2:10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Acts 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Acts 2:12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What does this mean? [Good question!]
Acts 2:13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
Those foolish mockers were not recipients of God’s Spirit.
Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost
Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Acts 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Peter Quotes the Prophet Joel
Acts 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; (2:28-32)
Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Peter may have thought from these verses that the very return of Jesus was imminent, but from our perspective we see that the very last days are yet to come. We see here what will soon come upon us.
Acts 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Acts 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:
Acts 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
God the Father did the works through Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:23 Him [Jesus Christ], being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Acts 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it.
Ephesians 1:17-20 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,… [by] the exceeding greatness of His power … Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead.
Peter Quotes David in Psalm 16:8-11
Acts 2:25 For David speaks concerning Him [Jesus Christ], “I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
Acts 2:26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [the grave], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption [Acts 2:31].
John 11:39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of [Lazarus] that was dead, saith unto Him, Lord, by this time He stinks: for He hath been dead four days.
Acts 2:28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.” [End, Psalm of David]
Peter Alludes to the Resurrection
King David could not have said that he was “full of joy,” without the knowledge of the resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus, and the resurrection of Saints—which this Day of Pentecost pictures. That is clear from the following verses.
Acts 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day.
Acts 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him [David], that of the fruit of his loins [Jesus Christ], according to the flesh, He [God the Father] would raise up Christ [the Messiah] to sit on his [David’s] throne;
Yes, Jesus is the son of David! [Matthew 21:9, Matthew 22:45]
Acts 2:31 He seeing this before spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption.
Acts 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. [again Ephesians 1:17-20]
Yes, the apostles saw Jesus ascend into the heavens with their own eyes! (Acts 1:9).
Acts 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Peter Quotes David in Psalm 110:1
Acts 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but He saith Himself, “The LORD [God the Father] said unto my Lord [Jesus Christ], Sit thou on my right hand,
This is tied directly to the Wave Sheaf (50 days / 7 weeks before) when Jesus first ascended to His Father after being resurrected from the grave on a Sunday morning (v. 36, John 20:17).
Acts 2:35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.”
Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Messiah/Christ.
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
That is what this Day of Pentecost pictures—the Promise of the Father—the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children [that is us brethren], and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Acts 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
The Fellowship and Camaraderie of the Believers
Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. [Actually, the miracles were worked by the Father through His Spirit (see below).]
Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
None had need because this Day of Pentecost pictures the accord, the harmony, the caring and service to one another.
Acts 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
Acts 3:13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
Acts 3:14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
Acts 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
Acts 3:16 And His name through faith in His name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. [“Not by me,” Peter says!]
So brethren, if we were at our vantage point observing the Plan of God, we would see that this Feast of Pentecost is pivotal in the Plan of God. His Plan hinges on man being given of God’s Spirit. This is what Pentecost pictures. Let’s ask ourselves, “How did God’s Plan originate?”
“Once upon a time,” [that is an endearing term – meaning in the timeless days of old (Proverbs 8:22 – before His works of old.)]
Once upon a time God the Father and Jesus Christ conferred with each other and decided to greatly expand their Eternal God Family. They would not simply “poof” man, (untested, untrained, untried, lacking Godly character), into eternal existence—because that would not work out well.
God intervenes—step by step—to bring about His Plan for mankind.
The first step in God’s Plan was the decision to create mankind.
That was a big, big step, because God would imbue man with a human spirit, the “Spirit of man” which is designed to receive the Spirit of God — pictured by this Day of Pentecost.
Every step that God takes in His creation is of a higher order. For example, life is of a higher order than non-life. Genesis 1 shows that day-by-day God’s initial creative work was of a higher and higher level toward the God plane—with the intent of man ultimately being in the eternal God Family and the very image of God.
The second step was to perfect His creation design through wisdom to insure that His Plan would positively come to fruition. “His Godly Wisdom” included everything from the all the laws of the universe to every detail of the entire Plan of God.
Such an immense Plan of God required the use of preeminent Godly Wisdom.
Proverbs 8:22 The LORD possessed me [Wisdom] in the beginning of His way, before His works of old.
God purified His Wisdom seven times over—meaning that He refined it until it was entirely perfect! God refined His Wisdom to the Nth degree—even 7 times the Nth degree (Psalm 12:6)—to perfect Godly Wisdom.
Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
In Genesis 1:3 God said, “Let there be light:” This act of creating light describes “how” the Genesis 1:1-2 creation came about – from light’s pure energy to a material universe:
But before Jesus cast out that great light into the darkness, He had created the laws that govern light, matter, and time itself — the laws of nature—indeed, the laws of the universe!
All things physical originated from or as a result of that original great flash of light (Genesis 1:3). God created everything in steps.
Paul explained how the original vast creation of light, shining, radiating and emanating in every direction, was a perfect metaphor for the ultimate ubiquitous wisdom of God to enlighten the fullness of all creation:
2 Corinthians 4:6 God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Throughout the Scriptures, light serves as a metaphor for wisdom and knowledge as opposed to the darkness of ignorance. God said that it was good light, and He divided the light from the darkness. God describes Himself as light.
Revelation 22:5 There shall be no night at the [Throne of God and the fulfillment of the Last Great Day]; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light:
John 8:12 Then spoke Jesus again unto them [on the Last Great Day], saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
That light created by Jesus (Genesis 1:3) was a physical light which was a representation of the glorious light of heaven. God is brilliant, spiritual light (Revelation 21:11). And yet, that physical light contained all the energy that would spread out to become the entire universe.
God had to be a law-giver to have rules that would govern His works, (examples: first law of thermodynamics) (universal laws of physics), laws that govern nature like (gravity, energy, nuclear, radiation, laws of motion etc.) [All very real, tangible and necessary for God’s creation].
They are the fundamental rules governing the behavior of the universe.
We must realize that before God created man, He fully knew and formed the nature of man—with his reasonings, with his emotions, his needs…
Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Surprisingly, most of God’s universe is invisible.
We cannot see gravity, electricity, heat, air with all its gasses, magnetism, sound, the vast spectrum of electromagnetic waves beginning with the shortest and most energetic gamma radiation – including ultraviolet, infrared all the way up to visible light and beyond to radio waves, atoms – let alone their electrons, neutrons and protons and sub-atomic parts.
The list of invisible things is almost endless: Even the higher creation of life, conscience, hunger, pain, pleasure, sickness, thought, reasoning, emotions,
The invisible things of God make up an endless and incredibly complex universe—so impossibly complex that man has yet to understand it, or to figure it out, let alone replicate even a tiny part of His creation. And the Bible says that we will never figure it out!
Ecclesiastes 3:11 He hath made everything beautiful in His time: also He has given man the ability to contemplate infinity, [and yet] no man can find out the work that God made from the beginning to the end.
That is an example of how much God developed and perfected His Wisdom—even before He initiated the physical creation of which we are part.
All of these invisible things should help us see the invisible attributes of God—and what constitutes the Wisdom that God firmly established before He said, “Let there be light”.
Then from our vantage point of the Plan of God we see:
The third step was the creation of the diverse angelic company of beings for the purpose of being beneficial spirits attending to those who will eventually inherit salvation. There were many other, let’s say, ‘minor’ steps that God took that we almost overlook, which were an integral part of bringing many sons and daughters to glory (Hebrews 2:10).
Temporal man would need time and place to be developed. So, in the Beginning [B’rê’shı̂yth] (Genesis 1:1) God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis Chapter One is not about “how, where, or when” the creation took place — it is about “who” the Creator is! It is not an insignificant detail that the first words spoken by Jesus Christ in the Bible are:
Genesis 1:3 God said, “Let there be light:” and there was light.
B’rê’shı̂yth, the first word in Genesis 1:1, is not translated completely in the King James Version, in that it should be, “In the beginning of…” calling for the object of the preposition that is not supplied.
“In the beginning of creation…” God would have already established the Wisdom that governs all things…
By Wisdom, God (Genesis 1:1) (Aleph Tav, Jesus Christ) created the heavens and the earth… from nothing.
The creation of light was God’s first act of physical creation. By that light the earth eventually came into being—first without form, and the earth was void; and darkness [chôshek] came about as a result of so much unsettled dust and debris obscuring light.
As energy in light coalesced into formless matter, our lifeless earth began to appear without form, void, and in darkness as a result (Genesis 1:2). Jesus spoke first of light, and afterwards, those things not previously in existence came into being.
The Bible does not support a Big Bang theory, but it very clearly shows us that there was a Great Flash of Light containing all the energy of the universe!
Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [chôshek] was upon the face of the deep. And a mighty wind from God moved upon the face of the waters. [an atmosphere was forming.]
Because we are the called-out Children of God, we are privileged by our faith (Hebrews 11:3) to know and understand a great deal about how creation took place.
The Psalmist wrote:
Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath [rûach] of His mouth.
“Breath,” the same as at the time of the Red Sea crossing: [Exodus 10:19 [blew the locusts into the Red sea;] the wind blew from the west … Exodus 14:21 … the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land…] [Exodus 15:10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered Pharaoh’s chariots and his army]
Psalm 33:9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. [Genesis 1:3 God said, Let there be light]
The apostle Paul explains:
Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets,
God Speaks to Us
Hebrews 1:2 Has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, [Jesus will inherit the universe – and everything in it…]
Hebrews 1:2 …by whom also He made the worlds / [that is the universe];
Let’s read carefully where it says that God the Father created the universe by and through His Son Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:3 Who [Jesus Christ] being the brightness of His [the Father’s] glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power…
The phrase, “express image of His person,” means that God the Father and Jesus Christ are exactly alike. (Hebrews 1:3)
Without Jesus’ sustaining power, the universe would immediately collapse.
Hebrews 1:3 when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
A Most Important Concept of Pentecost
There is a major concept in Christianity that many fail to recognize, and it is this: Jesus amply demonstrated the Love of God when He lay His life down in service to us:
Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5) One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
1 Corinthians 6:17: “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with Him.”
John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.”
Pentecost makes it possible for us to be of one mind, one Spirit, one heart, one faith, one life, one love with God the Father, Jesus Christ, AND one another!
Brethren, (a little introspection right here,) do we consider one another, do we see Godly Spirit and likeness in each other?
1st John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us [which He did], we ought also to love one another.
When we serve one another, do we serve as though we were serving Jesus Himself?
Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. [that is Christ’s example to us]
1stThessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
If we do not love one another with a Christian sacrificial love—we will not be in that number in the resurrection that we seek.
1st Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye [do it,] love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1st John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
……and many other places as well…
Many people think that Leviticus 23:22 is a misplaced verse in Leviticus 23, but, it is telling that God included instructions for poor, and the stranger with His instructions for Pentecost:
However, this verse fits perfectly into the theme of this Day—to love one another and care for the needy, poor, and the stranger. God deliberately includes the “loving one another” concept in His instructions of how to keep the meaning of Pentecost.
Leviticus 23:22. And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reap, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 23:22 also applies to vineyards, instructing not to gather the remaining fruit—so that we may learn to be like God—generous, loving and serving… God repeats the theme of this Day in the Scriptures for emphasis and validation.
Paul’s collection for famine relief for the saints, demonstrated the early Christians’ commitment to mutual love, support, and generous charity, and it fittingly took place in the weeks counting up to Pentecost – but it is mostly lost in translation:
1Corinthians 16:2 Upon the first of the weeks [mia sabbaton] let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
This famine relief fund collection was a direct response to the Leviticus 23:22 Pentecost command to remember the needy, poor, and the stranger.
Paul’s instructions were these: While you are counting seven weeks from the Wave Sheaf to Pentecost—that is when you take up a collection for the needy, poor, and the stranger (Leviticus 23:22).
As we review the narrative of creation events in Genesis Chapter One, we find how God developed the earth in stages and steps. He brought forth animal life (v. 20), and then on the sixth day, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (v. 26).
In the same way that God the Father and Jesus Christ, when they behold each other’s presence, see mirror images of one another — and by projection into the future, they also see all of the Saints made in their Godly Spirit and likeness.
Jesus said:
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Before the universe existed, and in their eternal wisdom, God the Father and Jesus Christ envisioned a myriad of like-minded individuals who would also look exactly like them—possessing their one Spirit.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make mankind [Hebrew ‘âdâm] in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over… [everything]
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image (God ‘breathed’ the spirit in man is a spiritual component relatable to God), in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.
Genesis 2:7 … The LORD God [Jesus] formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into [Adam’s] nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
God the Father and Jesus Christ share the same Spirit Life – and their Plan is to eventually have the great majority of mankind share in their God-Life.
So when they looked upon one another being in the same express image and likeness, they also pictured the climax of their Plan for mankind when there would be many resurrected Saints—all made in their Godly Spirit and likeness—the culmination and finale of Genesis 1:26 where they had once said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
Their Plan was to open their close-knit God-Family to others! It was the most splendidly designed Plan conceivable! In what will remain forever a supreme decision by God, they elected to include human-kind in their God-Family. Jesus is not going to marry a human-kind female! His Bride will be Spiritually of God-kind. So mankind cannot remain as human-kind. Through the workings of God’s Spirit, man-kind will become Spiritually God-kind.
This Day of Pentecost pictures this change of man-kind to God-kind by the putting on of God’s Spirit.
Because, God the Father and Jesus Christ loved one another before the foundation of the world (John 17:24), they did not see it as an intrusion to invite us into their God Family. Their Plan is an expansion of their perfect love. For them, opening the God-Family to others was an act of sharing and giving of their Spiritual substance and very essence. They wished to share their Eternal God Life with an extended Family.
This mind-boggling concept — that we have been created to be like God, as His sons and daughters, was not an afterthought or a fallback notion that God had—it was the very objective for all creation—that we might be filled with all the fullness of God!
Ephesians 3:19 To know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge so that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Pentecost pictures nothing less than the fulfillment of man becoming like God himself. That is an enormous statement, “That you might be filled with all the fullness of God!”
Our little minds are completely incapable of being filled with all the fullness of God. We have to be changed a lot before that can happen!
The spirit in man has the incredible faculty of being able to receive a token of God’s Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5). Without God as an integral part of man, the spirit of man is incomplete and powerless (Romans 7:18, John 15:5).
Keep in mind that though man had an intelligent brain and a conscious mind because God had put the nonphysical component, spirit of man, within him, which distinguishes men from animals (Genesis 2:7, Zechariah 12:1), mankind was yet incomplete for eternal life at that point.
Zechariah 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, says the LORD, which stretches forth the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him.
That prophetic act of creating the spirit in man in Adam looked forward to the future Day of Pentecost when God breathed a token of His Eternal Spirit into the Church brethren—the Children of God.
When we are baptized and have hands lain on us, God breathes into us, not the human breath of life, but the Breath of Eternal Life forever more.
END: Once Upon a Time
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