What the coming of the Holy Spirit Brings

May 24, 2026
Scripture Reading: Acts 2:16–21 (ESV)
16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Introduction

Today is Pentecost Sunday.
Pentecost is the day we remember that, about 2,000 years ago, the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples just as the Lord Jesus had promised.
The word “Pentecost” means “the fiftieth day.” This is because the event took place fifty days after Easter, the resurrection of Christ.
For the Jewish people, this day was the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, celebrated fifty days after the Feast of Firstfruits. It was a thanksgiving festival in which the first harvest was offered to God.
In the Christian calendar, Pentecost falls on the Sunday seven weeks after Easter.

On this day, the Holy Spirit was poured out, the disciples received power and began proclaiming the gospel, and about 3,000 people believed in Jesus Christ. In this way, the church was born.

Therefore, Pentecost is the day we remember the beginning of the age of the Holy Spirit, and it can also be called the birthday of the church.

Extraordinary things happened at Pentecost. While the disciples were gathered together, suddenly a mighty rushing wind came, and what appeared to be tongues of fire rested upon them. Then they began speaking in different languages.

When they went out into the public square, many people were gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks. Hearing the disciples speaking in foreign languages, the people were amazed and gathered together asking, “What is happening?”

Then Peter stood up. At this moment, Peter was no longer the fearful man who trembled before the authorities. He had become a bold man, ready even to die.
Peter boldly proclaimed that Jesus, whom the people had crucified, was in fact the Messiah the Jewish people had long been waiting for.
Peter explained the events of Pentecost by using the prophecy of Joel so that the Jewish people could understand what was taking place.
Let us look together at the meaning of this passage.

Before that, let us briefly review what we learned in previous weeks about the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is our Helper. He is God Himself who teaches us the truth. He shows us that we are sinners and reveals our need for a Savior. He gives us assurance that we are saved and enables us to know God as our Father. That assurance gives us the strength to become witnesses for Christ even at the cost of our lives.

Although we will not go deeply into this today, the Holy Spirit also works within us to lead us away from sin and into a righteous life.

These are the things that were given to the disciples through Pentecost.
The mighty wind and the tongues like fire were special signs announcing the coming of the Holy Spirit. However, after this event, the New Testament does not repeatedly describe the Holy Spirit coming in exactly the same way. Likewise, the speaking of foreign languages had a special purpose at this moment.

In other words, at special moments in history, God sometimes uses great miracles to make His plan clearly known to everyone. But after the Scriptures were completed, the primary work of the Holy Spirit became teaching believers through the Word of God.

When people become Christians, they may experience supernatural works of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the church is not merely a group of people gathering together to believe in a human-made religion.

Neither is it a religious organization centered around a pastor acting like a cult leader, performing strange miracles and attracting crowds.

The church is a community of people called by the Lord, serving one another through the gifts given by the Holy Spirit.

Without the work of the Holy Spirit, truth cannot truly be proclaimed in the church, nor can people genuinely respond to that truth. Without the Holy Spirit, the church cannot grow into a community where believers serve one another. Without the Holy Spirit, there will be no passion for evangelism or world missions.

Faith itself is something given by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, without the Holy Spirit, people cannot truly believe in God. Some may appear to believe for a while, but because they have no root, when difficulties come, they abandon their faith.

There are people who try to become morally good. But without the Holy Spirit, they will not sacrifice themselves for God. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no reason to endure persecution, no reason to persevere, and no hope of heaven. Without the Holy Spirit, this earthly life becomes everything.

In other words, without the Holy Spirit, the Christian life is impossible.

The reason we are able to continue in faith, and the reason the church still exists today, is because the Holy Spirit is at work among us.

Now let us look at today’s passage.

Acts 2:16
“This is what was spoken through the prophet Joel.”

The prophecy of Joel is generally understood to have been given around 830 BC, during a time of spiritual decline in Israel.

After Solomon, the kingdom of Israel split into the northern and southern kingdoms, and both nations drifted away from God.
Throughout Israel’s history, whenever the people turned away from God and fell into idol worship, God used natural disasters and enemy nations to call them to repentance.

In the book of Joel, a devastating plague of locusts destroyed the crops. Through this disaster, God called the religious leaders, the national leaders, and the people themselves to repentance.

And whenever Israel repented and returned to God, He restored and strengthened the nation once again. This cycle appears repeatedly throughout the Old Testament.

We must remember that in our own lives, God also disciplines His children as a loving Father.
God’s goal is not simply for us to live comfortable and prosperous lives. His goal is to make us more like Jesus Christ.
All of us are like rough stones with sharp edges. Because of our sinful nature, we hurt one another.

But stones near rivers or the ocean gradually become smooth over many years because the water slowly wears away the rough edges.

In the same way, God gradually removes the crooked and sinful parts of our character over time, often through discipline and trials.

Now, through Joel, God also gave a prophecy about the New Testament age. The prophecy Peter quotes here explains both the beginning of the age of the Holy Spirit and what will happen at the end of the world.

Acts 2:17–18
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams;

18 even on my male servants and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

First, the phrase “the last days” does not necessarily mean the final day of the world itself. It means the last age of history. The age of the Holy Spirit, or the church age, is the last age.

Also, “all flesh” does not mean every single human being without exception. It means many people from all kinds of nations and groups.

In the Old Testament period, the Holy Spirit was given only to certain individuals, and usually only temporarily for specific tasks. The work of the Holy Spirit was much more limited.

But after Jesus died on the cross and salvation was clearly revealed, the age began in which the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon many people throughout the world.

And now the Holy Spirit does not come only temporarily. He dwells within believers forever.
Therefore, from the perspective of Old Testament believers, we who live in the age of the Holy Spirit are living in an age of tremendous blessing.
We must also be careful about the word “prophecy.”

When people hear the word “prophecy,” they often think of predicting the future. But prophecy fundamentally means speaking the Word that comes from God.

It does not necessarily mean predicting future events.

The New Testament teaches that God’s special revelation has been completed. Therefore, the most important prophecy today is the Word of God found in Scripture itself.

Many people desire visions, dreams, and supernatural experiences. When they experience such things, they feel as though they have personally encountered God.

Certainly, God sometimes works in supernatural ways. But those are not the ordinary means by which He normally works.

Normally, the Holy Spirit works by teaching and illuminating the Scriptures. That is one of the main reasons the Holy Spirit was given and why the Bible was written.

Therefore, it is not correct to neglect Scripture while constantly asking for special dreams and visions.

Rather, the person who prayerfully reads the Bible and seeks to understand God’s Word deeply is the one truly being led by the Holy Spirit.

Modern culture highly values experiences. People constantly seek emotional and supernatural experiences. But that kind of life can easily become unstable, moving back and forth according to emotions.

There is no greater Christian life than faithfully reading Scripture daily, listening to the preaching of God’s Word, and putting into practice what God is saying.

Now let us briefly look at the final portion.

Acts 2:19–20
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below,
    blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood,
    before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

These things did not happen during Pentecost itself. Jesus taught that these events would occur at the end of the age.

Matthew 24:29
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Such global catastrophes may occur through several overlapping events.

The sun may become dark because of massive volcanic eruptions sending ash into the atmosphere and blocking sunlight. Similar things could happen through asteroid impacts or nuclear war.

Likewise, the moon may appear red like blood because of smoke, dust, and pollution in the atmosphere. Forest fires, volcanic ash, and air pollution can produce these effects.

The book of Revelation describes worldwide disasters involving mountains, seas, meteors, disease, and global destruction during the last days.

But the most important passage is this:

Matthew 24:30
Jesus says that the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the peoples of the earth will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with power and great glory.

In other words, these worldwide catastrophes will occur immediately before the second coming of Christ.

For Christians, the return of Christ is a great joy because it is the fulfillment of our hope.
But for those who continue rejecting Him, it will be a day of judgment.

Yet even until that very moment, God continues seeking to save people throughout the world through the gospel.

Acts 2:21
“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Those who call upon the name of the Lord are those who hear the gospel and believe it.

Through the work of the Holy Spirit, churches are being born throughout the world, and the gospel is spreading to every nation.

Today, through social media, videos, and the internet, the gospel can reach countless people.

Right now, these words of Scripture are being fulfilled.
We may even witness the return of Christ during our lifetime.
But even if we do not, the mission of the church remains the same: to continue witnessing with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this Pentecost worship service today.
We thank You that about 2,000 years ago, just as You promised, You poured out the Holy Spirit and began Your church.
We also thank You that the Holy Spirit is still at work within us today.

Lord, we are weak people.
We are often controlled by fear and anxiety, and we tend to live for ourselves.
But the Holy Spirit gives us faith to believe in Jesus Christ and gives us assurance to call God our Father.
Please strengthen us through the Holy Spirit.
Give us hearts that love Your Word.
Help us not to seek only emotions or experiences, but to stand firmly upon the truth.
Even in suffering and trials, help us to trust in You.
And in this generation, give us courage to proclaim the gospel boldly.
May many people come to believe in Jesus Christ in Japan, in Canada, and throughout the world.

Lord, the day of Your return is drawing near.
Until that day comes, help Your church to remain awake, faithful, and led by the Holy Spirit as we continue proclaiming the gospel.
Please use our lives for Your glory.

We pray all these things in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.