Fifty is the New World

The Gospel of John and the Holy Spirit’s Promise

Welcome to the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church. Kungsvinger is a beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone.

And now here's a message from Pastor Chris Roseberg. The Holy Gospel.

According to St. John, the 14th chapter. Jesus answered him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me.

These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you, but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name. He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, I am going away, and I will come to you.

If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.

I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

This is the gospel of the Lord. In the name of Jesus. Amen. You've all heard the saying, 50 is the new 30. It's a lie, it's just not true. It is absolutely false. I think 50 is the new 60. Or maybe 50 is 50.

But it ain't the 30. I can tell you that. You'll note that the world that we live in is falling apart. Christ spoke to us in our gospel text about peace, and the world seems to be having a supreme lack of peace.

Need I remind you of what's happening in Ukraine? Maybe what's happening in your own family. Or with your colleagues at work. You get the idea. Conflict is one of these things that we have here. Don't forget the shootings down in Texas.

The world we live in seems to be winding up for something. It's not getting better. Things continue to get worse. And so this Pentecost, this observance of the Feast of Pentecost, we're going to note, for those who are Pentecostals and Charismatics, it's going to sound like I'm woefully off topic today.

Shouldn't I be talking about the need for us to all be receiving a second baptism of the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in tongues? Answer, no, because that's not what Pentecost is about, and there is only one baptism.

There's not a second one. Instead, we're going to focus in on the themes that we hear Christ telling us about His Word. Best way I can put it is that Jesus, in our Gospel text, says these words, if anyone loves me, he will keep.

Tereo in Greek. He will guard my word. And you'll note there are a lot of people claiming to be Christians today who are basically giving lip service to Jesus. Oh, I'm a Christ follower. I follow Jesus.

And you know how much of His Word they actually abide or keep or think is true? Like about this much, right? And you'll note that examples of ever-growing rebellion against Christ and His Words, well, they are aplenty in our world today.

I'll just give you one example. When I was growing up, and I was attending a Christian high school there in Arcadia, California, where I lived, there was a Christian bookstore. I like to go there from time to time and kind of look at the books and things that were there.

And one of the most famous of all Christian book publishers, Eerdmans. You guys have heard of Eerdmans, right? Well, Eerdmans, as of this month, June, they've decided that on their website they're going to visibly give homage to and celebrate Pride Month.

That is an example of not keeping or guarding God's Word. Remember, pride comes before a fall. Indeed. In fact, we would note, we need to pay close attention to Christ's Words. Jesus says, if anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word.

My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My Words. And the Word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me. You might want to pay attention to the Words of Christ.

And over and again, I'm always amazed, kind of slack-jawed about how creative people are in manufacturing their own doctrines. From people who celebrate Pride Month in the name of Jesus to those who just wholeheartedly make up false doctrines like you can go up into the heavenly courts and file lawsuits in heaven.

Just strange things like this. Or one of my favorite from recent times was an ELCA pastor who announced to the world that Jesus had screwed up. These are people who do not understand the Word. And by rejecting the Words of Christ, they are instead filling the world with their own Words.

And over and again, it surprises me how they think that somehow their words supersede or are better than the Words of Christ. And as if they even have a more even appealing good news than the good news found in Scripture.

And so, you'll know, there's false Gospels, false words aplenty. People assuring sinners who are steeped in sin. Oh, no worry. There's no judgment. You just need to do you. You need to be you. And all in the name of Jesus.

And stuff like this. This is not the Gospel. But instead, the Gospel is even way better than that. And it gives us real comfort because these are the Words of Christ. These are the Words that the Father gave Him to give.

And these are the Words that the disciples, having given them by Jesus, has proclaimed to us in the written Words of God. And so, at the risk of sounding off-topic, let us consider our plight in light of the assigned psalm for today.

Psalm 143 and the Prayer for Mercy

Psalm 143 is the assigned psalm for Pentecost Sunday. And again, it's going to seem like I'm off-topic, but believe me, I'm not. Here in Psalm 143, we are subjected to a prayer by the psalmist. One that I recommend you store away into your personal repertoire of prayers to pray.

This is one I've prayed many times. And listen to what the psalmist says. Hear my prayer, O Yahweh, and give ear to my pleas.

For mercy.

You'll note that we all need to pray this daily, over and over again, that God would give ear to our pleas for mercy. And then he says, in your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness. Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.

This is a plea for God to say to God, it's like, don't look at those sins of mine, because if you do, you're going to come to judgment with your servant. But no one living is righteous. This is most certainly true.

This is why we confess today that we are by nature sinful and unclean. The psalmist then prays and confesses, the enemy has pursued my soul. He's crushed my life to the ground. He has made me sit in darkness like those who are long dead.

Therefore, my spirit faints within me and my heart within me is appalled. In other words, he's praying here, I haven't been the head. I've rather been the tail. Rather than victoriously conquering Satan, Satan has, well, exercised dominion and authority over me and has smushed me like a used up cigarette.

But he says this, remember the days of old. I meditate on all that you have done. I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you. My soul thirsts for you like a parched land. So answer me quickly, O Yahweh, my spirit fails.

Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. This is a prayer of despair from somebody who's been defeated. This is a prayer of crying out for help. It's almost, pardon the pun, it's like a Hail Mary pass.

We're losing the game. We're down by, what, six touchdowns here? There's only two minutes left. There's no way we're going to win this. Lord, help! Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.

Make me to know the way that I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O Yahweh, for I have fled to you for refuge. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. And so you'll note, this fellow has really messed up.

I mean, he's asking for God to not look at his sins, to deliver him from his enemies, has confessed that the devil has won the day, and is even by saying, teach me your will, recognizing that he doesn't rightly understand what God's will is.

Let your good spirit please lead me on level ground, and for your name's sake, O Yahweh, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble, and in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant.

That's a good prayer. How do you think God would answer such a prayer? Nothing bold about it, completely humble if you think about it. Quite honest, and not holding anything back as far as the failures of the fellow who prayed that prayer.

And yet we are encouraged by Christ to pray back God's words to him. Psalm 143 is a prayer that should be on our own lips. So Jesus says, if anyone loves me he will keep my word, the Father will love him.

Now we get to the point here where we have to recognize it's the reason why we have been done over by the devil, why we have experienced defeat in our lives, why we are languishing, why we are practically living in a parched land while the story of our lives is not victory to victory, on and on to glory into glory.

Instead it just seems like it's misery, suffering, and all this kind of stuff. It's because of sin in the world. And so you'll note Christ says that the reason why people don't believe him is because they do not hear the words of God.

Jesus says in John 8, if God were your Father you would love me. I came from God, I'm here. I came not of my own accord, but God sent me. So why do you not understand what I say? It's because you cannot bear my word.

And if you think for a second this is only to people who don't believe in Jesus, you're going to note this, that you have a sinful nature that does not really enjoy God's word. It kind of gets annoyed when you're reading it or hearing it.

And you'll note that each and every one of us have this amazing ability to take the words of God and go whoo, toss it behind our back and get on to the thing that we really enjoy doing, which is sin. You are of your father the devil.

Your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning. He doesn't stand in the truth. Have you noticed that truth is kind of a rare commodity today? You think that food shortages are a big thing?

How about truth shortages? We've been having those for many years now, a truth shortage. Because there's no truth in the devil, when he lies he speaks out of his own character. He's a liar and he's the father of lies.

But because I tell you the truth, you don't believe me. That's the problem. We all by nature desire lies. We love the darkness. We don't want our sin to be exposed. And notice I'm not talking about people out there.

I'm talking about myself. I'm talking about you. I'm talking about me. All of that being said, then what is the solution in all this? We need to hear the words of God this Pentecost. And you barking like a duck does that work?

No. Clucking like a duck, barking like a dog, or speaking gibberish isn't going to solve your problem. I was fascinated by people putting the complete emphasis on the wrong syllable when it comes to Pentecost.

It's not about the speaking in tongues. It's about the hearing of the words of Christ. The message that Jesus had given the apostles to preach to the world. This is the inauguration. The Holy Spirit has now come and the Holy Spirit is present to convict people of their sin and their unbelief.

To indwell them from the waters of baptism. To guide them into all truth. Christ has promised these things. We've heard these promises over these past few years. And so maybe we need to pay a little closer attention to the words of Christ and the word of God.

Pentecost, Jubilee, and the Feast of Weeks

So with that being said, consider then Pentecost. What does the word even mean? Pentecost means 50. 50. Now if 50 isn't the new 30, then I want you to think of it this way. 50 in the word of God is the new world.

Here's what I mean. Two kind of important Old Testament types and shadows have now come into sharp focus on the fulfillment in the day of Pentecost. This from our book of Acts chapter 2 reading. But that being the case, the year 50.

50 years. Think back with me for a second to the Old Testament. Every seven days was a Sabbath. Right? Every seven years was a Sabbath year. Every seven seven years, 49 years, you have a big celebration.

And then you enter into the 50th year. The 50th year. What is that all about? You've probably heard the name before. It's the year of Jubilee. And it's an important year because in the types and shadows it is strong.

The year of Jubilee involved an entire year of release from all debts and all types of bondage. All prisoners, all captives were set free, all slaves were released, all debts were forgiven, all property that they lost was returned to its original owners.

In addition all labor was to cease for the entire year and those bound by labor contracts were released from them. One of the benefits of the Jubilee was that both the land and the people were finally able to rest.

The Jubilee then presents a beautiful picture of the New Testament themes of redemption and forgiveness. Christ is the Redeemer who came to set free those who are slaves and prisoners to sin. The debt of sin that we owe to God was paid by Christ, by His shed blood on the cross, and on His behalf.

Therefore, we are forgiven of that debt forever. We are no longer in bondage, no longer slaves to sin. Having been freed by Christ, we can truly now enter into the rest that God provides as we cease laboring to make ourselves acceptable to God by our own works.

Fifty is a big number, right? And then you think also, this also is the fulfillment of the Feast of Weeks. Leviticus 23 explains that after Passover you shall count seven full weeks from the day of the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheave of the wave offering, and you shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to Yahweh.

You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, two-tenths of an ephah, and they shall be a fine flour. They shall be baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord. And you shall present with the bread seven lambs, a year old without blemish, one bull from the herd, two rams, and they shall be a burnt offering to Yahweh with a grain offering and the drink offering, a food offering as a pleasing aroma to Yahweh.

In other words, think of it this way. The Feast of Weeks, which is the Feast of Pentecost, is the celebration of the first fruits of the harvest. You bring in the first fruits and they are waved before the Lord.

And there's a little bit of a sacrifice involved in all of this. In other words, it's the kicking off of the harvest season. And isn't that exactly what we are in right now? Christ says the harvest is plenty, the workers are few.

And so Christ has sent his workers out into the harvest field, proclaiming the good news of the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ. With the kicking off of the day of Pentecost and the up and running of the church, the inaugural day of the church, now the harvest has begun.

And we are harvesting souls to bring them into the rest of the great jubilee of God, which is the promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Fifty is a big deal. And so you'll note then that Peter, on the great day of Pentecost, he quotes from the prophet Joel.

From Joel he quotes, he says, in the last days it shall be that God declares that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. And with the inauguration of the church, the Holy Spirit is no longer the exclusive thing for prophets of old or patriarchs of old.

Now God indiscriminately pours out his spirit on every human being. Sons, daughters, young, old, male servants, female servants, those in high authority, those who are the lowest of the low, Joel prophesied that the Holy Spirit will be for all.

And that's exactly what takes place because while Peter is preaching, the people there are cut to the heart and they cry out to the apostles, brothers, what shall we do? And what does Peter say? Repent, be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the Holy Spirit.

And the promise is for you, is for your children and all who are far off and all whom the Lord God will call to himself. And so the Holy Spirit now being outpoured, it is on everybody who is a believer in Christ.

But then Peter goes on to say, I will show wonders in the heavens above, still quoting Joel, signs on the earth below, blood, fire, vapor of smoke, the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood.

Don't let that pass you by. Because 50 days prior to Pentecost, Christ was hanging on a cross. On that great Sabbath day, that Passover day, Christ was hanging on a cross and what happened at noon? The sun stopped giving its light.

The moon no longer shone. It became darkness from 12 in the afternoon until 3 in the afternoon. And you'll note that with the sun going dark and the moon no longer giving its light, these are signs of God's judgment.

And indeed, Christ was judged in your place and he was the one who was found guilty of your sins. And God punished Christ and Jesus bore the wrath and the judgment of God in your place so that you can be forgiven.

And those who were there at that first Pentecost could easily remember that day 50 days ago when the sun stopped giving its light. And hearing then the words of the prophet Joel go, ah, ah, this is true.

I remember this. This was just a few weeks ago. So the sun will be turned to darkness, the moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And then it shall come to pass, listen to these words, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The name of the Lord? Well, Joel 2 .32 says the name of Yahweh. But Peter's preaching about Christ, which means that that is exactly who he is. And this is the good news of Pentecost. These are the words that Christ wants us to hear and to keep.

You'll note that in no other religion, in no other self-made, man-made schema of religious activity, do you ever hear that God is the one who gives salvation completely by grace through faith, as a gift.

In all the other religions, you have to earn it. You have to mean it. You have to show God that you intend to do what's good and what's right. And God has to give you brownie points along the way when you are the one earning your salvation.

But the Word of God teaches us that everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved as a gift because of God's love and His great mercy. So that being said, the assigned psalm for Pentecost, Psalm 143, it is quite appropriate because we see that in our text today from the Feast of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, that in Acts chapter 2, God has heard the prayer of the psalmist and answered.

You see, the Lord has heard our prayer and heard our pleas for mercy by sending Christ who bled and died for your sins and mine. In faithfulness, God has answered us, and in His faithfulness He has given us as a gift the righteousness of God that comes by faith.

God has not entered into judgment with you, nor has He held you accountable for your sins, for it is true that no one living is righteous before God. Therefore God has had mercy and sent His Son to bleed and die for the sins of the world.

And though it is true that the enemy, the devil, has pursued our souls, He's crushed our lives to the ground, He's made us to sit in darkness like those who are long dead. And even though our spirits have fainted within us and our hearts were appalled by our own sin, God has remembered us, sent us a Savior who has suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, died, buried, descended into hell, risen from the grave, and ascended to heaven.

And He and the Father are the ones who sent the Holy Spirit to bring us these glad tidings of God's mercy and His grace. So we remember the days of old, we meditate on all the works that Christ has done, and we ponder the works of God's hands.

And we who have stretched out our hands to God because our souls were thirsty like a parched land, God has now quenched us with the gospel and poured into our hearts His Holy Spirit. God has answered us quickly, and even though our spirits have failed, God has not hidden His face from us.

We are not like those who go down to the pit. Because Christ has bled and died, we are those who when we die, we will be present with the Lord in heaven. So let me hear in the morning, then, of God's steadfast love.

It is in Christ that we trust. Make us to know the ways that we should go, God, and God has given us the Holy Spirit in order to help us to know the way that we should go. He has delivered us from Satan, from the world, from our own sinful flesh, and we have fled to God for our refuge.

He has taught us His will, and His Holy Spirit guides us into all truth, for He is God. And so you'll note, and all of this God has done for His name's sake, in order to preserve your life and mine. And in His righteousness, God has brought our souls out of the trouble of sin, and the festering difficulties that we go through because of our being joined with the devil.

So in your steadfast love, cut off our enemies, God, and He has. And He has destroyed our adversaries on the cross, and those who have waged war against our souls. And because of what Christ has done, we are no longer slaves to sin.

Instead, we are now children of God. And the Holy Spirit within us cries out, Abba, Father. It doesn't sound like a Pentecost sermon, does it? But it is. It is. And the reason why it is is because these are the words of Christ.

This is the message that He wants you to hear. This is the message that the prophets foretold. This is the message that Christ preached. This is the message that the apostles gave on Pentecost. Whoever does not love Christ doesn't keep His words.

But you are not of that group. You are those who have been brought by the Holy Spirit to the regenerative work of the waters of baptism. You have had the Holy Spirit poured into your hearts. Your sin is forgiven today.

You will feast on the body and blood of Christ. So listen to His words. Hold them. Keep them. Learn them. Mark them. Keep them sacred in your heart. Do not let somebody take them away from you, and do not listen to other words that contradict these words.

Focus in on the words of Christ, because if anyone loves Christ, He does keep His words. And how could we not love Him? Because the words that He gives us are words of peace, of forgiveness, mercy, and love.

And His words are true. In the name of Jesus,.

Amen.

Support, Distribution, and Closing Notices

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