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Sermon #7802

The Significance of Pentecost

A Sermon on the Significance of Pentecost

Originally preached Jan. 15, 1954

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Sermon Description

What is so unique about Pentecost? Certainly, it was not the first time the Holy Spirit had come upon a believer. Yet, there must be something special about this occurrence. What is the significance of the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 at Pentecost? In this sermon on the significance of Pentecost, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores the operation of the Spirit throughout the Old Testament, contrasting the Spirit’s work among the Old Testament saints with the Spirit’s work in the New Testament. In Acts, the Spirit is poured out upon all believers in a way which unites the diverse people of God into one body. Listen as he examines this Jerusalem event, followed by similar outpourings in Samaria and Ephesus. What one discovers is that the result of Pentecost is the formation of the church of Christ. The body of Christ is welded together into one. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this event happened once, never again to be repeated. The church has been established and from that point on, every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit in His fullness. The listener is led to praise God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, who dwells with them and is in them.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The early part of the sermon on the Holy Spirit by Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones is missing.
  2. There seems to be an apparent contradiction in the scriptural teaching on the coming of the Holy Spirit.
  3. There are statements pointing forward to Pentecost that imply the Holy Spirit only came at Pentecost.
  4. There are also statements showing the Holy Spirit was active before Pentecost.
  5. The Holy Spirit was operative at creation.
  6. The Holy Spirit sustains the universe, including human life.
  7. The Holy Spirit does the work of common grace, enabling natural good in people.
  8. The Holy Spirit gave special gifts to people like Samson, Moses, Bezalel, and Joshua.
  9. Prophecy was made possible by the Holy Spirit, as shown with Eldad, Medad, Balaam, Saul, and the prophets.
  10. David prayed "take not thy Holy Spirit from me," showing the Spirit was with Old Testament believers.
  11. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb.
  12. Elizabeth and Zechariah were filled with the Holy Spirit.
  13. Simeon was moved by the Holy Spirit.
  14. The disciples were enabled by the Holy Spirit before Pentecost.
  15. Jesus said the Spirit was with the disciples but would be in them, pointing to Pentecost.
  16. Joel prophesied the Spirit would be poured out on all people.
  17. The Spirit would no longer be confined to the Jews.
  18. The Spirit would be given more fully and generally.
  19. The coming of Jesus and His death and ascension made a difference in the Spirit's work.
  20. The church was formed as the body of Christ at Pentecost.
  21. Believers were baptized into one body by the Spirit at Pentecost.
  22. The unity of Jews and Gentiles in one body was shown at Pentecost.
  23. The events of Acts 2, 8, 10, and 19 show people receiving the Spirit and being united in one body.
  24. The people in Acts 8 and 19 had to have their incomplete understanding corrected before receiving the Spirit.
  25. Cornelius and his household received the Spirit as Gentiles, showing they were part of the one body.
  26. The purpose of Pentecost was to show Jesus is the Son of God, inaugurate the church, show people added to the church are part of the body, and show the Spirit is now in believers rather than just with them.
  27. Being filled with the Spirit enabled witnessing but was separate from being baptized into the one body.
  28. The signs at Pentecost were unique to show the new thing God was doing in forming the church.

Sermon Q&A

Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Holy Spirit: Key Questions and Answers

What apparent contradiction exists in Scripture about the coming of the Holy Spirit?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, there appears to be a contradiction in Scripture regarding the Holy Spirit's coming. On one hand, numerous statements point forward to Pentecost as a future event where the Spirit would come. On the other hand, there is considerable biblical evidence showing the Holy Spirit was active and working in the world long before Pentecost. Lloyd-Jones notes that "to a superficial reader," it might seem that "the Holy Spirit had only come into this world on the day of Pentecost," but this is not the complete picture.

How was the Holy Spirit active in the Old Testament according to Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several ways the Holy Spirit was active in the Old Testament: 1. The Spirit was "operative at creation" (Genesis 1:2) 2. The Spirit "sustains the universe, including the life of men" 3. The Spirit does the work of "common grace" (natural morality, conscience, culture, government) 4. The Spirit gave "special gifts to certain men" (Samson's strength, Moses' leadership abilities) 5. The Spirit enabled prophecy (Eldad, Medad, even Balaam) 6. The Spirit was with believers like David, who prayed, "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm 51:13)

What key distinction does Lloyd-Jones make about the Holy Spirit's relationship to believers before and after Pentecost?

Lloyd-Jones points to Jesus' words in John 14:17 as the key distinction: "He dwelleth with you and shall be in you." Before Pentecost, the Spirit was "with" believers, working upon them from the outside. In the Old Testament terminology, the Spirit would "come upon" people and sometimes leave them. After Pentecost, the Spirit would be "in" believers, working from within and abiding permanently. Lloyd-Jones states: "He works from within and he abides. In the Old Testament, he came upon men and left... In the New Testament now because we are members of the body, he abides within us."

What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the primary significance of Pentecost?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the primary significance of Pentecost was "the formation of the church as the body of Christ." Before Pentecost, there were individual believers who were "separate and discrete," but they were not yet members of Christ's body. He cites 1 Corinthians 12:13: "For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or gentiles." Pentecost was "the day of the public inauguration of the church as the body of Christ" - something that could only happen after Christ had completed His work, ascended to heaven, and been made the head of the Church.

Why did the Holy Spirit come differently to different groups in the Book of Acts?

Lloyd-Jones identifies an important distinction between what happened in Acts 10 (Cornelius' household) and what happened in Acts 8 (Samaria) and Acts 19 (Ephesus):

  1. In Cornelius' household (Acts 10), the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles while Peter was still preaching. This demonstrated that Gentiles were to be included in the church as equal members.

  2. In Samaria (Acts 8), Philip preached and people believed, but apostles had to come from Jerusalem and lay hands on them before they received the Spirit. Lloyd-Jones explains this was necessary because Samaritans had an "incomplete religion" and needed to "recognize their allegiance to the church at Jerusalem" and the continuity of God's salvation plan.

  3. In Ephesus (Acts 19), the disciples had only received John's baptism. Paul had to instruct them properly before they received the Spirit. This was because they had "an incomplete religion, an imperfect understanding that has to be put right before the gift of the Holy Spirit is given."

What is the difference between the "baptism of the Spirit" and the "filling of the Spirit"?

Lloyd-Jones clarifies that the baptism of the Spirit happened at Pentecost and involved believers being "baptized into one body" - this was a once-for-all event marking the inauguration of the church. The "special phenomenon" of "cloven tongues as a fire" and the "rushing mighty wind" were unique signs that were "never repeated again" because they marked this unique event.

By contrast, the "filling with the Spirit" is something that "can and is often repeated" in the life of believers. The disciples were "repeatedly filled with the Spirit and were enabled to witness with boldness because they were filled with the Spirit." Lloyd-Jones notes that studying the filling of the Spirit would come later in his series after discussing justification and sanctification.

Great Biblical Doctrines

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.