Good morning, brothers and sisters.
It’s indeed such a privilege to remember our Lord Jesus together, to come and worship around His table—the One Who gave His all for us, the One Who has made such a covenant. We stand; we rest on that. What a joy as we come together.
As it has been said, it’s almost something that is repeated over and over, and yet so real: the highlight. This is the highlight of the time—not so much a message. It’s that we gather around our Lord Jesus and worship together.
Can we have a further word of prayer before we read the Word of God and meditate?
Lord, we do thank You indeed for such a privilege. As we come as those who are redeemed by Your grace, by Your love, Lord, we come to worship You, to acknowledge You, to behold You once again around the table. Thank You so much, dear Lord.
And now, as we return to Your Word, we believe that You still have something to speak to us. And our prayer, Lord, even as we consider this matter of the Lord of the harvest, His charge, is that You may have, even during this time, a harvest in our hearts—that harvest of the Word of God being responded to, eventually growing unto fruit. Would You secure that harvest, Lord, in our hearts?
Would You cause Your Word to go forth by Your Holy Spirit, Lord? Only You can do that. We pray that You would do it for Your own glory, for Your own purposes to be achieved, and for You to be glorified. We ask it, Lord, in Your precious name. Amen.
I would like to read the passage that we have been reading. Virtually everyone who has shared has read from Matthew 9, which is the first of our key passages for this conference. And we’re starting from Matthew 9:35.
Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of sickness.
Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited, like sheep without a shepherd.
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
And continuing in Matthew 10:1:
Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
And I hope that rings a bell, because the same phrase was read in the summary of His ministry in Matthew 9:35:
To heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
Matthew 10:5—just the first half:
These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them.
And then, if you would turn to Acts 2, starting from Acts 2:1:
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
And a final passage for this initial moment: Isaiah 61. Let’s read starting from Isaiah 61:1.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn.
Isaiah 61:3:
To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting; So that they would be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
So we continue our theme: the Lord of the harvest and His charge. And if you remember, if you were here yesterday morning, we considered what our Lord did, what His ministry consisted of, and why He did it. But we left pretty much out the charge. We just touched it here and there. We left it for today. We would like to concentrate our time today on the charge itself.
So the last passage that we read now as we began, Isaiah 61—you will remember that it’s the passage that Jesus chose to read in the synagogue of Nazareth. And according to the account of Luke, that is the starting point of His ministry.
So our Lord, you remember, goes to the synagogue in Nazareth, and He’s given the scroll of Isaiah. He opens to this passage. He reads Isaiah 61. Now, the question is, why would He read from this passage? The answer should be pretty simple. It’s the initial point. He’s choosing that specific passage, and according to Luke, it’s the starting point of His ministry.
So in the passage, you have an explanation, a description, of what that ministry is going to consist of, what its essential nature is—the ministry that is just beginning at that moment.
And you’ll find, when we read Isaiah 61, the verses we read—of course, our Lord left out one portion of that passage. He says:
The Lord has sent Me to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.
And “the day of vengeance”—He left out that part. Because that day, the day of His first coming, is not yet the day of vengeance; it’s the favorable year of the Lord. So He leaves out the vengeance part. That is something that is coming at His second coming. Yes, there will be that. But right now, we still live in this age, the favorable year of the Lord.
But if this passage that He chooses to start His ministry is a description of the character of His ministry, of the nature of His ministry, what do you find? How do you summarize that wonderful passage in Isaiah 61?
I think three things become pretty obvious. Let’s put it in a phrase. We see in this passage, Isaiah 61, Messiah endued with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God unto a ministry of healing and restoration.
Did you get that? I think this deserves to be repeated. You see Messiah endued with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God unto a ministry of healing and restoration.
And I don’t want just to say it to you. Maybe you should just look at it very quickly. You see that the whole passage is:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me.
There you go. That’s it—the starting point.
And then notice how there is an emphasis on the Word of God in the mouth of Messiah:
Because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news.
Proclamation, right?
To proclaim liberty to captives.
At the end of Isaiah 61:1. “To proclaim,” in Isaiah 61:2. To bring good news, to proclaim, to proclaim. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God are what characterize it. But unto what are those things given to Him?
Unto healing and restoration. And the whole passage is just saturated with that idea, that through that He’s going to bring healing. So He’s going to bring good news to the afflicted. He’s going to bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to prisoners, proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. Isaiah 61:3—the whole thing is about His healing and His restoration. That’s the nature of the ministry of our Lord Jesus.
Now, we said something to that effect yesterday; you must remember. Because we said that Matthew 9:35, which is a summary of His ministry, in many ways matches quite remarkably, very closely, what you read in Isaiah 61. Actually, you have at least two of the things there, but the third is kind of implied.
So let’s just remember that in Matthew 9:35, you see that Jesus is going through the cities and villages, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming—so, the Word of God. And then it says:
Healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
Unto healing.
But you may ask, “How about the Holy Spirit? Is He left out?” No, not really. It’s kind of implied in the larger context of the book of Matthew. Because our Lord Jesus in Matthew, right before His public appearance—what happens is that He goes through the waters of Jordan. You remember that? He’s baptized. And at that moment, the Holy Spirit comes on Him.
He is anointed—the One Who was already born by the Holy Spirit. He’s being anointed to fulfill His ministry. So, in a way, you have the three elements still in the passage that we are considering, if you take the larger context of Matthew. Of course, everything He’s doing in the Gospels is by the Holy Spirit. And the summary that we are considering in Matthew 9 emphasizes the Word of God—teaching, preaching the kingdom—unto healing, healing all sorts of diseases and sickness.
Now, we mentioned yesterday—I’ll just refresh your memory—and our brothers, I think pretty much everyone mentioned this: in the passage at the end of Matthew 9, there are three things after the summary that we read in Matthew 9:35. Three things are emphasized there.
Number one: the compassion of the Lord Jesus. Somehow, nothing is recorded about Jesus saying anything. But obviously, when those disciples looked at their Master as He looked at the multitude, they immediately got something. There was no need for words.
They saw the compassion, something that moved Him, as our brother shared yesterday—the core of His being being moved in compassion for those lost sheep. That’s the first thing that you see: His compassion.
But right after that, in Matthew 9:37, you have a call to the disciples, because He said to His disciples, we read:
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
And the implication seems to be quite clear. As the Lord Jesus is contemplating with compassion the lost sheep, the multitude, He invites the disciples to see things. He’s seeing a harvest—not just broken, hopeless people, a harvest to be had. A call to see things as He sees. That’s the second thing in the conclusion of Matthew 9.
The third thing: a call to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send workers to His harvest.
And as we said, those things are not the charge itself. However, they are kind of an indispensable preparation and condition for the charge that is given actually in Matthew 10, right? And I think our brother already shared that in the afternoon. So in Matthew 10, you have what you could call the charge proper.
But here is the thing that I trust will impress our hearts. We are not going to go through Matthew 10 in detail. I’m just going to show you a thing or two. But I would like to impress the following thing. This is my burden: when Jesus calls the twelve, He commissions them with the same Spirit/Word/healing ministry that was His own.
Now, did you realize that? So one thing is very clear. The healing part is right there in the text. The end of Matthew 9:35 is identical to what He’s commissioning the disciples to do. It’s almost word for word the same thing:
Healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
That is the commission given to the twelve.
Now, how about the other two things? Well, you need to go through Matthew 10 to see that the emphasis is on those same things, that that healing is going to happen through the Word of God, by the Holy Spirit. I just want to point out to you a few verses to try to establish that correspondence.
So in Matthew 10:7, for instance, our Lord says:
As you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Oh, the Messiah—wasn’t He anointed to announce good news, to preach the kingdom? There you have it.
Matthew 10:20:
For it is not you who speak.
Again, the speaking of the Word of God, a part of that charge being given to these twelve. But what does it say after this?
But it is the Spirit of your Father Who speaks in you.
It’s not just speaking by themselves. Oh, if that is what we have to do, the Lord help us. There is no hope. It’s by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 10:32, for instance:
Therefore, anyone who confesses Me before men—
The confession, speaking for Him.
I will also confess him before My Father Who is in heaven.
That is the charge, brothers and sisters. It is the same things that characterize His ministry, now being given to the church.
Now, we have to remember two things in this matter, as we are considering very briefly Matthew 10. Number one: there is something representative in these twelve.
If we want to be kind of strict, you could say, “Well, this was a commission to those twelve.” And we know from Scripture that the twelve, the apostles, have something that is unique in their ministry. So even Paul, who is not one of the twelve but is certainly an apostle, says that the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
So there is something foundational that came through them. They are not the foundation. The foundation is the Lord Jesus, for sure. But through them, that foundation was given. We have the Word of God, the New Testament, given mostly through the twelve. Well, there is Paul, of course, but through them, through the apostles.
However, this is what I would like to remind you: at the same time, in these twelve, you see something that is representative and includes the whole church. You will remember that in the Old Testament, the people of Israel consist of twelve tribes, right?
So when Jesus is choosing twelve, it’s almost as if He’s declaring, “Oh, here starts a new people, a new Israel, the Israel of God,” as you read in the New Testament, the phrase that Paul will use. There is this new people being established, and there is something representative in the twelve for all of us.
So we can never say, “Okay, the charge was for them,” right? Even though, of course, I have to say, if you read Matthew 10 carefully, there are elements there that are temporal, for sure. However, the charge at large is for all of us. That’s the first thing to keep in mind.
The second one is this: there is a prophetic undertone in Matthew 10. And what do I mean by that? It’s basically this: much of what we read in the Gospels—I don’t know; I suspect it’s the majority—is something that is prophetic in a way. It’s waiting for its fulfillment in totality, in completion, for another day, not at the moment.
It is waiting for the day of Pentecost. And in that day, all the things that the Lord is saying in the Gospels are going to be fulfilled. They’re going to become a reality by the Holy Spirit. So keep that in mind.
Well, we see the charge in Matthew 10. Yes, they go out and they do many things, but they haven’t received yet the Holy Spirit. You know that. That is waiting for the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. So I trust you will keep that in mind, that this is part of what we have to remember.
However, in that day, as we would like to consider this morning, in that day of Pentecost, we see that the same Holy Spirit/Word of God enduement that characterized our Lord Jesus’ ministry is being given to the whole church, and that is given unto healing.
It’s something that becomes, I believe, fairly clear as we consider what is happening on the day of Pentecost. So let’s break that down. I’m emphasizing those three elements, using Isaiah 61 and even the summary of the ministry of our Lord Jesus: the Holy Spirit being given, the Word of God, and that unto healing. That is the ministry of Messiah being given to the church. How do we see that being fulfilled on the day of Pentecost?
Well, let’s start from the Holy Spirit. Let’s break it down. That’s fairly obvious. If you have to summarize what is happening on that day, I think obviously the first thing that we see so clearly is that the Holy Spirit is being given in that day.
Now, the Holy Spirit, as we know, is the power for the charge to be obeyed, to be fulfilled. There is no question about it. It’s abundantly clear in the Word of God:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses.
That’s the beginning of Acts, before the day of Pentecost, the Lord announcing that. So for sure, the Holy Spirit will be the power for the charge to be fulfilled.
However, brothers and sisters, there is something that is even more important than that. And it’s not because power is not important; it’s essential. Without power, nothing will happen. However, there is something even more essential happening on the day of Pentecost, even more fundamental, which is that as the Holy Spirit is coming down in that day, He’s effecting our union with Christ.
On that day, those 120 individuals in the upper room—faithful individuals, the best congregation, as someone said, right? The faithful ones, the ones who stuck with the Lord. Even the 500 who saw Him risen—it’s not the ascension—but even those, where are the other, you know, 380? We don’t know, but they didn’t stick around. They were not there on the day of Pentecost. You only have 120 there: faithful brothers and sisters. They’re wonderful.
And yet what is happening in that day is something absolutely fundamental. The Holy Spirit being given is going to unite these 120 individuals into one body, the body of Christ. They’re being united to the Head. Union with Christ is being effected.
I would say this is the most fundamental thing happening on the day of Pentecost. And again, I’m not trying to put that in opposition to power at all. The two are absolutely necessary. But when you come to what is the most foundational—oh, being united to the Lord Jesus. What do you think can be greater than that?
See, even if you think of your salvation, as wonderful as it is—okay, great. You know, I was delivered from going to hell. I may spend eternity with Him. But you’ll see that there is something even much, much, much, much grander in what our Lord Jesus did, in what is happening in the crowning of His finished work on the day of Pentecost.
Not just that we are being saved, and we have been secured, and His presence secured—that in itself is unimaginable. It’s wonderful. But it’s something so much grander than that.
As we sang, “I wonder what He saw in me.” I hope you wonder that. And yet we were united to the Son for all eternity. It started here. For all eternity, one with Him.
Brothers and sisters, I want to go back to the charge, because I think the connection is pretty much in this line. The charge is not just that we have received a commandment from the Lord: “Go out there to reach out to others.” Of course, there is a command—out of the question. But there is something, again, more fundamental. The charge is your very identity.
Why? It is a consequence of your union with the Lord Jesus, because that was His mission: anointed with the Holy Spirit, given the Word of God unto healing others. Now, as you’re united with Him, His mission became your mission.
Brothers and sisters, I believe this is the starting point to see the charge. If it’s not that, there is something that is going to be a little hopeless and a little overwhelming for all of us. Because, as we all sense as we stand before the charge, what it means, we all know that we don’t measure up.
We all know that we do not love enough, that we are nothing like our Lord Jesus in His compassion, in ourselves, that we are kind of the opposite by nature. And yet, if now you are united with Him, His mission is your mission. But it’s more than that. His life is your life. His disposition is your disposition. And the charge, I believe, can only be fulfilled on that basis.
That’s why, in a way—I hope you understand what I mean—in Matthew 10, you see the charge there, but pretty much prophetically. It would never be a reality before the day of Pentecost and before the Holy Spirit joins us with the Lord.
He who is joined with the Lord is with Him one spirit.
That is the wonder of that day, brothers and sisters.
Let me just clarify one thing. And I hope it’s obvious, but it deserves to be protected and qualified a little bit. His mission is your mission. Of course, I hope you understand, I’m not trying to say that every single thing in His mission is ours, because it’s obvious that there are things in His mission that are uniquely His.
The atonement on the cross—we have no part in that. Of course not. His redemption—no, He did it by Himself. His atonement, His vicarious death, substitutionary death for us—He did it alone.
But then, when it comes to this ministry characterized by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God given to us unto healing others, yes, in our union with Him, it is our mission as well. I believe, brothers and sisters, this has to be the starting point for this matter of the charge given to us.
I just want to also clarify, hopefully, a few things. Number one: Pentecost. You know, Pentecost, in my heart, is something that always pains me in a way, because, of course, if you have been in the Lord for just a few years, you know how much the people of God can be divided in this matter of what the meaning of Pentecost is. And there are all sorts of understandings out there.
I really feel that it’s as if the enemy has gained such ground in that. Because it is part of the finished work of the Lord Jesus; it is its crowning. You can never separate Calvary and Pentecost. The two go together. In a way, Calvary prepared the way for Pentecost, and that crowned His finished work.
And then, if that is the case, if the age in which we live is characterized by what happened in that day, if the enemy can divide us with all sorts of conceptions and understandings, if somehow that is a little bit astray from the fundamental fact that is happening—oh, what a loss.
It’s not my intention here to kind of get into theological debate. I’ll speak my conscience. I’ll speak my heart with you, and I don’t do that with dogma. I do that with conviction. But I definitely don’t do that to antagonize anyone. That’s not my intention.
But I would like to say the following: the day of Pentecost, in its basic meaning, is primarily not an experience, something that you have in some way to experience one day. Of course, you could say that there is an element of experience in that, for sure. But there is something more fundamental here.
Because if the day of Pentecost is the crown of the finished work of the Lord Jesus, it means that what happened in that day happened once and for all. And we enter into the good of what happened once for all by faith.
Let me just give you a simple example. It’s like this: suppose you’re preaching the gospel to a friend, and he or she is not quite understanding, “Okay, what has to happen?” Would you ever say to your friend, preaching the gospel, “Well, here is the deal: Jesus has to die for you. And as He dies for you, yeah, then you’re going to be saved”?
It’s almost ridiculous to say something like that, right? Because you know what I’m getting at. The death of the Lord Jesus is a once-and-for-all event. And what you would say to your friend is, “Listen, He already died for you. He already secured your salvation. If you believe in Him, you enter into the good of that salvation. It’s yours, just by faith. But it already happened.”
Brothers and sisters, the day of Pentecost is not any different in its basic, fundamental meaning: a once-and-for-all event when the Holy Spirit was given. And we enter into the day in which we live, into the age, the new covenant characterized by the Spirit of life given to us.
Now, just as an example from the Old Testament: I said already that Calvary and Pentecost cannot be separated. In the Old Testament, you will find several incidents where you had a sacrifice made. I can remember at least three of them; perhaps there are more.
And when the sacrifice is offered on the altar, fire from heaven comes, as if to say, “I accept this. I am satisfied with this,” and consumes the sacrifice on the altar. Sacrifice on the altar; fire from heaven.
One speaks of Calvary, our Lord Jesus offering Himself once and for all for us. The fire from heaven speaks of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit being given. But they cannot be separated. That is the picture that you find, even in type, in the Old Testament.
Sacrifice and the fire that will come from heaven together. In a way, that is Calvary and Pentecost, part of the same finished work that our Lord Jesus won by dying on the cross and by being risen again, exalted and anointed on the day of Pentecost, by the way. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Let me just try to clarify a second point here. I am not trying to imply for a second, as we are sharing and considering this matter, that when it comes to the Holy Spirit, there is no such thing as further experiences of the Holy Spirit in our Christian life. I’m not trying to say that at all.
If anything, I think it’s fairly clear to see that in the Word of God. We see that, yes, there is a being filled continually with the Holy Spirit, something that points to an increasing experience of it. But when it comes to the entrance into this matter, there is a once-and-for-all event.
To me, a very helpful way to think about the matter—and I’ll leave it with you—is the matter of the land of Canaan, for example, another type from the Old Testament. So here you have the Lord giving, first by oath, the land to the patriarchs: to Abraham, He repeats that to Isaac, to Jacob. “It’s yours.” It’s as if the title deed is being given, right?
And then under Joshua, the people of Israel enter into the land, and they start possessing the land. But then, when you read the book of Joshua, there is that phrase that appears at least one time—I think it’s more than one—that, well, they were possessing the land, and Joshua says to the people, “There is still so much more land to be possessed.”
Now, think about it. This, to me, is a good illustration of this matter of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit is given to us. Here you have it: a divine Person living in you. If He is divine, there is something, almost by definition, that is inexhaustible. Do you think that we are going to exhaust that?
Yes, we have received Him, thank the Lord. But there is something in the Holy Spirit, of course, as a divine Person, that is inexhaustible, and He’s going to lead us to more and more and more of Christ. There is always more to be possessed, to be experienced.
However, what I’m trying to emphasize here is that the starting point is that when we were saved by God’s grace, through faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus, we entered into it. It’s yours. It belongs to you.
And in that, the charge is given—the same ministry that characterized our Lord Jesus, now ours by the Holy Spirit.
I want to read two verses with you that I think hopefully clarify this point about that entrance. How do you enter? Or how does the Holy Spirit become yours? If you’re reading John 7, a very well-known passage, starting from John 7:37, we read:
Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”
Now, pay attention. John 7:38-39:
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture says, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
But this He spoke of the Spirit, Whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
You see the condition for the Spirit being given that the Lord Jesus Himself puts:
He who believes in Me, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.
Faith in the Lord Jesus. And the explanation of John is, oh, He was talking about the Holy Spirit, Who was not given yet. That happened on the day of Pentecost when Jesus was glorified—a once-and-for-all thing.
I think Paul agrees with that. In Ephesians 1:13, he tells us:
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.
You see the condition for being sealed with the Holy Spirit? Having believed in Him. You heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, believed in Him—boom, He’s yours.
Brothers and sisters, I believe this is foundational, because this is something with which we begin, but it’s for our whole Christian life. That is the Christian life, you could say: it’s the Holy Spirit in you. And by the way, He’s the only One Who can ever enable us to be like the Lord Jesus.
I think we sense that as we see the enormity of what is before us, if we really consider the charge seriously. I think immediately we sense there is something here that is—wow. It’s beyond human capacity to fulfill this charge. Who loves with that love? Who has compassion as the Lord Jesus has? Totally beyond us.
And yet here’s the good news, brother: the Holy Spirit is given to us. You know, He is in charge. Among the many things He’s doing, He’s the One in charge of the work of conforming you and me to the image of Christ.
You remember 2 Corinthians 3, that:
We all, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed from glory to glory into that same image, as by the Lord, the Spirit.
That is what the Spirit is doing in our lives. As we behold the Lord Jesus, He’s conforming us to that image.
Brothers and sisters, I don’t know about you—that gives me tremendous hope. That’s the only hope that I have. Because apart from that work of the Holy Spirit, who can be like Christ? Who can have His compassion? Who can fulfill the charge?
Oh, the Holy Spirit given to us, in charge of that work to make us like Him. That is our hope, brothers and sisters. If we ever try to make it a matter of commandment—oh boy, I think we’re heading for the rocks. A matter of, “Okay, I know what the charge is. Let me try my best.” Oh, no.
It’s something that characterized Messiah and was given to you in union with Him, by the Holy Spirit. And He will work in your life to make you like Him. That’s how the charge can be fulfilled.
Very well. I think I’m staying long enough, and I have to kind of watch this. Yeah, our time is almost gone. And there are two other points that we still didn’t touch, because I’m trying to impress upon you that what characterized Messiah’s ministry is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God unto healing. I just spoke on the Holy Spirit.
But listen, the Word of God is another thing, and it’s also something that you see on the day of Pentecost. It’s something that, in a way, is being given to the church. I believe that is very clear. Let’s go again to Acts 2.
And let me read again. Of course, Acts 2:2 is when the Holy Spirit is coming. It is described as:
A noise like a violent rushing wind that filled the whole house where they were sitting.
And then Acts 2:3 says:
And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
Now, again, you’re realizing that today I decided to go into tricky waters, right? Because here you are: you have the tongues of fire being given on the day of Pentecost. What are you going to make of that?
I know that perhaps—I don’t know if the majority, but a significant number of dear brothers and sisters believe, “Well, this is the charismatic gift that you’re seeing happening, for instance, in 1 Corinthians 14. Here you have a charismatic gift being given to the church.”
Now, listen. Let me start from this: I am not a cessationist, okay? No, I believe that all those things here are going on. However, we need to be faithful to whatever the Word of God is saying, and we need to get to the bottom of it.
So I’m not trying to diminish any charismatic gift; that is not my purpose. But the question is, is this what is really happening on this day of Pentecost? And I’ll just remind you of one thing.
One problem that I would have, if you try to tell me, “No, this is the charismatic gift that you’re reading about in 1 Corinthians 14”—there Paul says, if you remember, that the one who speaks in a tongue is praying to God in his spirit, and no one understands what he’s saying, unless there is given the gift of interpretation. You must remember that.
And this is not exactly what we see happening on the day of Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, they are starting to talk in the tongues of the various countries where the Jews from the dispersion, who came to the Feast of Pentecost, were coming from. And they started talking in those respective countries’ tongues, and everyone could understand what they were saying.
So there is no question: a tremendous miracle is happening here. But the miracle, I don’t think, is exactly of the same nature as what you read in 1 Corinthians 14.
It seems, in a way, that on the day of Pentecost, the reversal of what happened at the Tower of Babel is happening here. Because you remember what happens there at the Tower of Babel. If you read Genesis 10 and Genesis 11, you have to read both.
In Genesis 10, you have the first big emperor, the first guy, the guy who founded Babylon, or Babel: a certain Nimrod, a mighty hunter, a rebel. And that first great empire builder, in defiance of the Lord, gets all sorts of people around him, and they decide to build a Tower of Babel. And the result of that is, at the end, the tongues are confused, and nobody can understand what they’re saying.
Now think about the day of Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, as our brother shared yesterday using Psalm 133, I think the picture there is the High Priest, the heavenly Aaron, being anointed. He’s receiving these things. That’s what Peter will say on the day of Pentecost. Jesus Himself, as King, has received this which you are seeing. He’s being anointed in heaven.
And that anointing is coming down from the Head in heaven all the way down to the edges of His garment, anointing the whole body. The same Holy Spirit Who characterizes Messiah now characterizes all the body. Everybody, all the body, under—not a rebel—under the Lord, under the legitimate Lord Jesus. And as a result, they speak in other tongues; everybody understands. There is something unique happening.
I believe, brothers and sisters, that the tongues of fire happening here—could that speak of the Word of God, the prophetic utterance given to the church, starting on that day of Pentecost? Remember, the same ministry that characterized Messiah: Holy Spirit and Word of God.
And how about the healing part? Where do you see that? Well, wouldn’t you say that when 3,000 are being saved, there is a tremendous display, demonstration, of the result? Why is the Holy Spirit being given? Why is the Word of God being given? Why can they speak of the great things of God, and people can understand? What’s the result? Three thousand being saved.
I believe this has to do with healing. And maybe you’re going to say, “Okay, that’s a little bit of a stretch, isn’t it? It sounds like they were saved. That’s cool. I understand that. I can see that. But how about the healing part?”
I think we need to read just two verses to establish something. If you go to the story that, again, our brother was using yesterday, last night, in Matthew 9, when our Lord Jesus heals that woman who had the flow of blood, in Matthew 9:22 it says:
But Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.”
At once the woman was made well.
The word in the original is sōzō. I have no idea if that’s the right pronunciation. And the word in Greek means salvation. It’s from where you get “soteriology,” you know, those of you who study anything of theology. It’s salvation. So the Lord is saying to the woman, literally:
Your faith has saved you.
But she’s being healed.
Now let me give you the other side of this. Another passage, another woman—not being healed here, which is kind of critical, I think. Luke 7, that woman, the sinner who was coming to Jesus in the house of a Pharisee, Simon.
And that woman is just bathing the feet of the Lord in her tears, in worship, in thanksgiving, in gratitude. And Simon, all critical: “Oh, if this Man were a prophet, He would know who this is who is touching Him.” And you remember our Lord Jesus, without going into the details of the story, says that, oh, she loved much, and she was forgiven much.
And this is what the Lord says at the conclusion of the story, Luke 7:50:
And He said to the woman, “Your faith has made you well,” or “has saved you.”
Exactly the same word as in the healing of the other woman. Was there any physical healing going on in this woman? Not at all. But you see the point.
What is this healing that we are talking about, brothers and sisters? What is the healing that Messiah came to do? He did it by His Holy Spirit, by the Word. He still does it. What is that? Oh, it’s a healing that goes so much beyond the physical.
And again, I’m not a cessationist. Not at all. I still believe He does it. He can heal you. Of course He can. Physically, yes. But what is that in comparison to the healing of your soul, of my soul? That is eternal. Any other benefit is just temporary if it’s physical.
The healing, brothers and sisters, is that salvation that He came to effect in all spheres. Our salvation from eternal condemnation—you could call it salvation of your spirit. The salvation that He effects in our souls, He’s still doing, isn’t He?
You believe in Him? Okay, you’re saved, yes. But He’s saving you today, isn’t He? He’s transforming you. He’s delivering you from all that baggage that we still carry. He’s making you well.
Now, one thing that I would like to—okay, let’s be bold. Let’s see if this can work. But I want to point out to you: there is a tremendous amount in the Word of God that testifies of the Word of God itself as the means for that healing of our souls.
Let me repeat that: a tremendous number of verses in Scripture point out that the Word of God is that means for the salvation, for the restoration of our souls. I’ll just give you a few. You don’t even need to turn; they’re very familiar, right? So here you go.
Psalm 19:7—how familiar is that?
The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.
That is what the Word of God does. It accuses us. It transforms us. It delivers us from ourselves. It’s healing.
Psalm 107:20:
He sent His Word and healed them.
Again, that is what the Word of the Lord does. That is why Messiah was endued with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God unto healing.
Another one: Ephesians 5:26.
So that He might sanctify her—
The church; our Lord Jesus sanctifies the church.
Having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word.
Again, some of you may be frowning: “Hold on. I don’t see any healing here. It’s the Lord Jesus sanctifying the church through the Word.” Yes, that’s true. But remember, I think someone said one time—and this, to me, is wonderful—that holiness is to our souls what health is to our bodies. You get it?
That is what the Word of the Lord is doing to us. When He sanctifies you, when He separates you from anything else unto Him, that holiness that He is effecting is for your soul what health is for your body. It’s what you’re supposed to be. It’s the real you finally coming forth. How does that happen, brothers and sisters? Through the Word of God.
Well, on the day of Pentecost, that Word of God is being given. Of course, we have the written Word of God. But on the day of Pentecost, there is something that has to do with the charge itself. There is a capacity given to the church for uttering that Word of God unto healing.
And when you see 3,000 being saved, yes, there is a healing happening—the most fundamental healing, which is our initial salvation. The ministry of the Lord Jesus that He exercised in His physical body is being continued now in His mystical body, the church. And that is the charge, brothers and sisters.
I just want to—let’s see. Let’s select, right? Let’s be selective here. Yeah, I think we should just say something, because I never touched any of the other two passages. And I just want to mention something very quick on the second of our theme passages, which is 2 Timothy 4, right?
So if you go there, you see that it says, in 2 Timothy 4:1-2:
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, Who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
Now, it’s interesting, because in our little pamphlet, the verses are in the New King James. I read from the New American Standard. And there is a word that is not here that I really like, that is there in the New King James. It says:
I solemnly charge you, therefore.
Now, there is something very technical about that. It’s about the manuscripts that, you know, the translations have used. The older manuscripts apparently don’t have that there, and the New American Standard is using that. But the newer manuscripts, which the King James was using—the ones that were available at the time—and the New King James uses the same, they had the word there.
Now, my point is this: this is very technical, right? But even if there is not a “therefore” in the text, logically, definitely, there is a “therefore.” So I really like what the New King James has done: “Therefore, I solemnly charge.” I don’t know whether the “therefore” was there, but it’s there.
Why is the “therefore” there? Do you remember what Paul was talking about at the end of 2 Timothy 3? Oh, it’s the Word of God. It’s that all Scripture is inspired and given. And in a way, the charge that he’s giving to Timothy is absolutely related, because that Word of God is entrusted to us.
And that Word of God does what it does. You remember what he says? It can equip every man for every good work. Brothers and sisters, if I could emphasize this—I cannot emphasize it as it deserves. But let me just remind you: the Word of God is the key, not just for someone standing on a platform and speaking to others. The Word of God is the key for every good work.
Oh, how we need the Word of God, brothers and sisters. When they had to choose seven to serve tables, you remember what the criteria were? That they were skillful waiters or something? No, no. It’s that they were men filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s a spiritual thing, and the Word of God will equip us unto that.
And then Paul says, “Therefore, I charge you,” and all the charge that follows has to do with the Word of God.
Now, I said we cannot go into this in detail, but I can mention pointers to you. It’s very interesting, because the scope of the charge is also very clear here. You see that the scope of this charge is not just reaching out to the lost.
In fact, I would say that, from the passage, that is there, because it says in 2 Timothy 4:5 that you should:
Do the work of an evangelist.
Oh, that’s definitely reaching out to the lost. But the rest, the verses that we are reading, strictly speaking, have to do with the Word of God being ministered in the church.
How do you see that? I think it doesn’t get clearer than that. He says:
Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
Do you think when you preach the gospel, you’re going to be rebuking and exhorting? No, this is something that is in the scope, brothers and sisters, of the church, which reminds us that our charge is so wide.
It’s never something confined to reaching out to the lost. It’s a major part of it, for sure. But there is also reaching out inside the house of God itself. And the emphasis of the verses that were chosen in 2 Timothy 4, unless I’m reading that mistakenly, I believe has to do with the household of the Lord.
In a way, it reminds you of the story of the Good Samaritan, doesn’t it? “Who is my neighbor?” To whom am I obligated to do this, do likewise? You do it to your neighbor—everyone whom the Lord has placed around you: the lost, the ones in the assembly, and so forth.
I’ll just finish with one verse, and now we have to really finish. Otherwise, you’re out of lunch, and I’m in big trouble, right? If you’re barred from lunch, can you imagine what happens to me? So I have to wrap it up in some way.
I want to read one verse in Isaiah 50, because this verse, in a way, will lift the veil on Messiah’s daily life with His Father. Thank the Lord for a verse such as this, because we know almost nothing of what happened in those thirty years. What was His daily life like?
And this verse, amazingly, lifts the veil, allows us to peek, to have a sense of what the life of our Lord Jesus was. And here it goes. And remember, this is the One endued with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God unto a ministry of healing.
And here it goes. Here is the lifting of the veil upon the daily life of the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah, our Lord Jesus. Isaiah 50:4:
The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples.
And a disciple here simply means someone who is learning—a learner, an apprentice, someone who is putting himself in that position of, “I need to learn.”
And here is why He’s being given that:
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He’s given the tongue of a learner. It kind of sounds non-intuitive. You’d say, “Shouldn’t it be the ear of a learner?” Later, He’s going to say that. But it’s almost like this, the idea: if you are in that position of a learner, of a disciple, of someone who is an apprentice, someone who hears, you’re going to receive a tongue.
You’re going to have the word to sustain the weary. You’re going to be able to discharge that frightful charge, in a way. But you see, the power is not in you, as you have that same Spirit.
And listen to how the verse ends:
He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
Brothers and sisters, this is the daily life of the Son of God as a man. Day by day, morning by morning, listening to His Father, receiving the Word of God, and out of that, He has a word to sustain the weary.
In a way, we’re back to Mary. You realize that? Because Mary’s attitude to our Lord Jesus is exactly like the attitude of the Lord Jesus to His Father. They’re both listening. And there is the idea of something that is continued. It’s the imperfect tense with Mary: she was listening. Something that’s not a once-and-for-all thing. It continues.
Brothers and sisters, let me conclude with this word of encouragement for all of us. We need desperately this continued renewal. And the Word of God is that which will refresh us day by day.
That Word of life is something that, when we receive it from the Father, when we receive it from our Lord day by day, is the thing that is going to keep you on track, so to speak, and give you the word to sustain the weary. The secret of our Lord Jesus—the Lord make it our own secret, for all of us.
Lord, we pray that You would take these words. By Your Holy Spirit, there will be clarity, there will be light, and even a challenge to us. And more than a challenge, Lord, we pray that You would allow us to see the wonder of our portion, of our position in the Lord, of what You have done, what You have given us.
We pray that as we see, Lord, that You have called us to have the exact same ministry that You had—and who are we to have a part in that, Lord? Yet You have done it, Lord, by Your finished work. We pray, Lord, that we may rest by faith on what You have done.
And by Your mercy, O Lord, grant that there will be the attitude that You have in Jesus, of a disciple. In Jesus’ name.