Welcome to 721 Live. I'm Sam Hunter, and I am glad that you're with us today. We are going to talk about Pentecost. We're going to talk about Shavuot, which is the Hebrew word for this feast and festival, the Jewish pilgrimage to Jerusalem. We call it Pentecost. The Jews, the Hebrews, the Israelites would have called it Shavuot. And we are going to talk about that this week, and I know next week, and possibly even the third week, because there is so much to talk about. But I'm Sam Hunter and this is 721 Live and I'm glad that you're with us. Our show last week, we called it Going on Offense and it was all about being generous during this COVID-19 time. You should check that out and I'll tell you where you can find it in just a moment. And again, with Sunday being Pentecost, we're going to bridge both ends of the week, both the first week and then the second week, talking about Pentecost and what it means to us. And you can find all of this in video form on our YouTube channel at 721ministries.org. 721ministries.org. I've got outlines there. I've got photographs there. So you want to try to find us at 721ministries.org. We've got a YouTube link right there on it. And that brings me into our other website, puttinggreenblog.com, puttinggreenblog.com, where we have our devotionals. You can sign up for those free, our weekly Putting Green devotionals, we call them, as well as our books. We've got two devotional books and we've got our latest book, The Missing Link. as we follow Peter and the other disciples in their journey after Jesus' resurrection to learning how to live with the power of the Holy Spirit. And the reason I think you ought to read this book is you can read about the Holy Spirit in the Scripture, you can gain the information about the Holy Spirit in the Scripture, and possibly commentaries, but until you watch someone, as in Peter, as well as some of the other disciples, Learn how to live with the power of the Holy Spirit, which is where we're all lacking. Learning to live with the power of the Holy Spirit. Until you watch someone do it, you're just going to have information versus really being able to put it into practice. So check us out. The missing link is the new book at puttinggreenblog.com. Okay. Shavuot, S-H-A-V-U-O-T is the Hebrew name for the Greek name Pentecost. And what we're going to do today and next week and possibly the next week after that is bounce back and forth and try and make sure that we connect the Old Testament with the New Testament. The Old Testament all about the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. That is what the celebration of Shavuot, Pentecost is all about, the giving of the Torah. We think of the Torah, we think of the giving of the law as in the Ten Commandments and all the other commandments and we don't really understand that the Torah in the Jewish mind was an incredible gift. It was their heavenly father, their God, Yahweh, giving them his thoughts and his His heart, and yes, rules if you want to call them that, but his teachings, and the way to live. So Pentecost is actually, again, the Greek name for the Hebrew name Shavuot, and it is the celebration where we then see the giving of the Holy Spirit. So Old Testament, giving of the law, giving of the Torah. New Testament, giving of the Holy Spirit. The reason it's important I think, to understand the connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament is to get the fullness of what's going on here. And I liken it to Charleston, South Carolina. We have a place down in Charleston, and we're down there most weekends. And if you've ever been to Charleston, South Carolina, you know it is a jewel. And the neighborhoods, and the back roads, and the old buildings, and the pre-Civil War, going back to the 1700s, you can find the French Quarter, the English Quarter. There's just an amazing number of little alleyways, and fountains, and gardens, and streets, and cobblestone that you can walk around. And it's wonderful just to walk around it. But when you start to learn the history. When you start to see and understand, oh, well, that house over there is not just an incredible antebellum house to look at, or a 1700s, or even a late 1600s. Here's what happened at that house. And I have friends down in Charleston that have become my friends. They've been there all their lives, and they'll point out things to me. And now the experience as I walk is much richer. So I want you to be able to make that connection. So let's start with this. You ask any Jewish person, What was the most important act by God in their history? And they'll all say the deliverance from the slavery in Egypt, which is the Passover celebration. Everyone, that is it. And all you have to do is read the Old Testament just a little bit to see that God continually says, remember, I brought you out of slavery. It is the centennial event, Passover. Do you know what number two would be? it would be Shavuot, the giving of the Torah. They are connected in the Jewish mind. And the interesting thing is, we'll call it Pentecost if it'll help you keep centered on it, is 50 days after Passover. 50 days after Passover. Shavuot is the Hebrew word, it means weeks, as in seven weeks plus a day. Pentecost, Greek, means 50th day. So you've got the Passover, the deliverance out of slavery in Egypt. They wander around and get to Mount Sinai about 30 days later. And then they hang around Mount Sinai with a few things happening. And then as we get to this 50th day is when God Almighty comes down, meets Moses, gives the Torah. Three big Pilgrim Feasts that are all required. When I say Pilgrim Feasts, the Jews are required to come to Jerusalem. And these first three are all part of one Feast. Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits. They all happen in a seven, possibly eight-day period depending on when the Sabbath is. That's the first Pilgrim. Then the second is Shavuot, Pentecost. But it's only one day. It's a one-day feast. Then the third pilgrim feast is Tabernacles. That comes in the fall. That's when you hear Jesus in John 7 stands up at the last and greatest day of the feast, that's Tabernacles, and says, anyone who comes to me out of them streams of living water will flow. So you've got Passover on leavened bread, first fruits. They all happen together. Jesus is crucified on Passover. The next day, unleavened bread, a seven-day feast, he's buried, the very next day. The next day after that, first fruits, after the Sabbath, he's raised. That all happens in that concise first festival, Passover, unleavened bread, first fruits. Fifty days later, We have Pentecost. We're the coming of the Spirit. Again, I want you to connect these Old Testament and New Testament because it brings in the fullness of what's going on. There were probably as many as 3 million Jews visiting Jerusalem on Pentecost, on Shavuot. It was much easier to travel during that time of the year. The roads were in better shape. So we come to this feast, Shavuot, which celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Then we have in the modern, in Jesus' time, in the disciples' time, Pentecost, which takes place on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount, where we have the giving of the Spirit. Both gifts, both exceedingly important in the life of a believer and of a follower. The Torah is the gift of God's teachings, His instructions for life, how to live in His kingdom. The Spirit is the same thing. It's the gift of God's teachings, of instructions for how to live in His life. But now we have the Holy Spirit to give us that power to actually live it out. Now where was this taking place? Pentecost. Where did it happen? Where did these flickers of fire come down on these disciples and they start speaking in other languages? So you probably have heard, many of you, that it took place in the upper room, in a house. Well, that's not accurate. It took place at the temple. How do we know that? Let me start with this. The temple mount, the Hebrew word for that phrase is the mountain of the house. Acts 2-2, when the action really kicks in. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. But listen to the other passages. Acts 7.47, this is Stephen right before he gets stoned. And he says, but it was Solomon who built a house for God. Now you can pick that up in First Chronicles 23.3, First Chronicles 23.3, or let's keep going and I'll give you a couple other Old Testament references. Jesus, in Matthew 21.12, Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. It is written, he said to them, my house will be called a house of prayer. And you are making it a den of robbers. My house will be called a house of prayer. Just check out Isaiah 56-7 and Jeremiah 7-11. Now, how do we know for sure? Well, let's pick up Luke at the end of his gospel. Now, Luke and Acts are tied together. They are a part one and a part two. And at the end of his gospel, Luke 24, verse 53, he says, and they stayed continually at the temple praising God. They stayed continually at the temple praising God. Acts 2, 46, the end of this little episode about the Pentecost and Holy Spirit coming. Luke writes this, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer, and verse 46, every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. You see, they're meeting every day. Just like Jesus went to the temple, they're going to the temple every day. Now, why is that important? You may be rolling your eyes saying, well, OK, that's new information, but big deal. Well, Google, look up pictures of the temple to get a visual. I remember when I first went to Georgia Tech my freshman year, I drove there by myself, and my parents came a few weeks later. And my mother said, now I know, now I can visualize where you are when I call you. So to know that they were at the temple just gives you the appropriate visual of where they are when this massive coming of the spirit takes place. Now I'm gonna continue, and I'm gonna give you my first teaching point that comes out of this narrative. Remember, I just said Luke 24, excuse me, Luke, the Gospel of Luke, and Acts 1, or the Book of Acts, that is a one-two volume that Luke writes. They're both to Theophilus. And so when he finishes his Gospel, Luke 24, and then picks up Acts 1, he gives you a bridge and a recap. So let's look at Luke 24, 49, and we're going towards a very significant teaching point here. Jesus says, I'm going to send you what my father's promised, but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power on high. In verse 50, when he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And while he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Now he picks up Acts 1 and he recaps exactly what happened. In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven. After giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen, after his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command, do not leave Jerusalem, but, listen to what comes next, but wait for the gift my father promised, which you have heard me speak about, wait. And then he goes on to say in verse five, for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Wait a few days, he's saying. Don't do anything. Go back into the city. Go back into Jerusalem. Go back to the upper room now and wait. Be at the temple each day, but don't do anything. Don't make any decisions. Don't move ahead. Wait for the Holy Spirit. And we tease this out in the book, The Missing Link, which is why you ought to read it. That's not a sales deal. It's really why you ought to read it. We tease these four words out. See, seek, want, wait. See, seek, want, wait. If you're going to learn to live with the power of the Holy Spirit, which is what Jesus intended, is how you live the A-plus life, you have to first see that the Holy Spirit is real. He is real and he will get into the details of your life. Then you have to seek him in the details of your life. You have to look for him in the details of your life. The next step, which is perhaps the first biggest challenge, is you have to want him to be in charge. You have to want him to move out ahead of you. You have to want his way and not your way because you've learned his way is always the best and yours typically isn't. Then you have to be willing to wait. If you're not willing to wait on the Holy Spirit to move in any given situation, you will not learn to live with the power of the Holy Spirit and you will have that missing link that Jesus intended for his power to live through you through the Holy Spirit. So he tells the disciples, go back into Jerusalem and wait on the Holy Spirit. And then in Acts 180 says, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses and throughout Jerusalem and Samaria and to the ends of the world. And so then we see in Luke's narrative, they walk back into the city and Peter then decides that he's not gonna wait. He gives us a little talk about how we need to have a 12th disciple. And this is why we need to have it. And then we get to verse 21, and Peter says, therefore, it is necessary to choose one of the men who has been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us. Who said it was necessary, Peter? Jesus said it's not necessary. He said, wait for the Holy Spirit. Peter won't wait. He's just like you. And he's just like me. I don't want to wait. Jesus said, wait a few days. Now I want you just to think for a moment about all the mistakes that you've made, all the dumb things you've said, the hurtful things you've said, the dumb things you've done, the hurtful things you've done, the sinful things you've done that would have been avoided if you were willing to wait just a few days. Just wait. Adam and Eve. Wouldn't it have been nice if Adam had said, you know, Eve, I agree this. I'm a little confused just like you. That fruit looks great. It looks delicious. And what the serpent says, yeah, he might be right. I'm a little confused just like you are, but why don't we wait? Why don't we wait and see what God has to say? He's going to come around this afternoon. He walks with us in the cool of the evening. Why don't we just wait? Peter won't wait. He's got this blustering speech he comes up with, therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who has been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection. Why would one of these must become a witness? He doesn't know what he's talking about. He's taking matters into his own hand. Peter is into that, if I don't, it won't. If it's to be, it's up to me. He's using words like must and necessary. And there's no Holy Spirit to be seen anywhere. So listen to what happens next. It's almost comical if it wasn't so sad. Listen to this. So they nominated two men, Joseph called Barabbas and Matthias. Now listen to what comes next. Then they prayed. They nominated two men, and then they prayed. You ever done that? You ever decided what needs to take place, and started making it take place, and then you stopped and said, you know, I ought to pray about this. But you've already got it going. It's a little late to be praying for it, isn't it? What you're saying is, oh yeah, I remember, I really kind of want your blessing on what I have already decided to do. So they nominated two men, and then they prayed. Then they prayed. Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen. Well, he hasn't chosen those two. They have chosen those two to take over this apostolic ministry. Verse 26, then they cast lots. And the lot fell to Matthias, so he was added to the 11 apostles. And we never hear from Matthias again. We know nothing about him. He wasn't supposed to be the 12th disciple. The 12th apostle, that was supposed to be Paul. But Peter, Won't wait for the Holy Spirit. Why won't he wait? Well, because he doesn't see the Holy Spirit. Yeah, we'll give him that at least, but he was told to wait. He doesn't see the Holy Spirit. He doesn't seek the Holy Spirit in this situation. He doesn't even want the Holy Spirit's direction, and he sure as heck isn't going to wait for the Holy Spirit. And so they cast lots, which is your only option. If it's to be, it's up to me. If I don't, it won't. They cast lots. They nominated to, then they prayed about it, and then they cast lots. They weren't willing to wait. See, we talk so much in the men's groups about abandoning the outcome to God. Abandoning the outcome to God, because you do not control the outcome. You never have and you never will. You can have some control in the process. And that's where you are to get in there and do your part, but you don't control the outcome. So you abandon the outcome to God, but you stay in the process. And this is a teaching point that I'll bring into some future shows after we finish with Pentecost, to talk about that balance of releasing the outcome, but staying in the process. You have a business situation. You're never gonna see in scripture where Jesus or God would say, sit in a closet and pray and don't do anything and we'll take care of it. No. Seek first Him, but then get going. And there's a great example of this. As I'm reading through Exodus 19, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, I'm at Exodus 14, 13. The Israelites have been led out of Egypt by Moses. They're standing at the water's edge. Now here comes the Egyptians and they're scared to death and they start crying and complaining and grumbling. And Moses says this in Exodus 14, 13. Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still. You need only to be still. You need to stand firm and be still. But as we see, what Moses means by this is be still in your hearts and in your minds. Have a calm, relaxed pace. A calm, relaxed pace is only possible when you're willing to abandon the outcome to God, which you don't control anyway. That's where all the anxiety comes in. That's where all the white knuckling comes in. You need only to be still. Calm down, seek that peace. Wait for the Holy Spirit to give you the go ahead. And then the very next verse, this is so great. Then the Lord said to Moses, why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians. I will gain glory. You get going and I'll do the fighting for you. But get going, start moving. So you see this wonderful balance of, yes, you're involved in the process. Get moving. You're not gonna sit in a closet and pray and expect God to take care of your business or your whole life. You seek him first. You wait for the Holy Spirit to move out ahead for his guidance, for his clarity, for his green lights and his red lights. But you get moving. You have a part to play in your life. You need only to be still in your heart and in your mind. And then as God says, move on. Get out of the prayer closet and get going. Now just, let's come back to this thought. Imagine how many times in your life if someone had said to you, I think you ought to wait a few days before you make any decisions on that. Now, I think it'd be prudent, I think it'd be wise if you would just wait a few days. How many times in your life, if someone had said that to you, you would have said to them, like Peter, I cannot wait. It's necessary for me to get out and start doing something before I hear the Holy Spirit. No one can just sit around and wait on the Holy Spirit to give them clarity. You can't run a business that way. You can't even run a life that way. You know, if I don't, it won't. If it's to be, it's up to me. No, maybe you ought to just wait a few days. Maybe you only need to wait a few minutes or a few hours or a few days for the Holy Spirit to come in and show you. Imagine all of the hurt and mistakes you could have avoided if you were willing to see the Holy Spirit, seek the Holy Spirit, want the Holy Spirit's direction, and then be willing to wait on the Holy Spirit. I was visiting with an older friend of mine who was talking about his younger days when he was working on an MBA at Harvard, and the Harvard professor, he brought up the topic of a decision tree. You've probably heard of that. You set up your options, sort of like on tree branches, and then you look at them and you work through the different options that you have. hopefully arriving at the proper decision. And this professor said, and I'll never forget this, he said, of all the students I've had come through here, I've yet to see one grasp what I'm getting ready to tell you next. There is another option which has equal importance and value and weight to all of these other options on your decision tree. And that option is to do nothing. To just wait. No one wants to wait. Peter won't wait. Jesus said, okay, in a few days the Holy Spirit's coming. Just wait, and Peter won't do it. We have a part to play in the process, but we abandon the outcome. We seek the Holy Spirit. We see that the Holy Spirit is real. We seek the Holy Spirit in every detail. We want the Holy Spirit to be out ahead of us because we know that if it's our way, it might be okay, but it won't be the best. It won't be the absolute best. And then we wait for the Holy Spirit to give us that clarity. Paul writes in Colossians 129, to this end, I labor, I do my part, I move on, but with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. I'm laboring, Paul says. I'm getting it done. I'm not sitting around. I'm moving on. But it's with the energy that Christ so powerfully works in me through the Holy Spirit. So we have Peter and the disciples deciding to do something before they wait on the Holy Spirit. And they make a big mistake. Then we find ourselves at Acts 2. And I'm gonna start this and then we'll pick it back up when we get into next week's show. Acts 2.1, now we're 10 days later. When the day of Pentecost came, remember that could read when the 50th day came, they were all together in one place, the temple. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house, the whole house where they were sitting. And they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each one of them. Here we are at Shavuot, the celebration of the giving of the Torah. The disciples are not stupid. They have seen and I'm sure put together that Jesus was crucified on Passover. He was buried at the beginning of unleavened bread. He was raised on first fruits. And now we're at the very next major feast, pilgrim feast. And they have to be thinking something's gonna happen today. Surely this pattern will continue. And I would imagine, if I were the disciples, I would be thinking, Jesus is going to come back today. This will be the day. This has got to be it. Well, boy, do they get a surprise. And we'll pick that up next week when that Holy Spirit comes in. I want you to remember the significant fact in all of this is John 14, 20, when Jesus says, you are going to see me because I am alive and you're about to come alive. And at that moment, when the Holy Spirit comes, you will know absolutely that I am in the Father and you and me and I am in you. May you find the Holy Spirit's Pentecost in your life. I'm Sam Hunter and this is 721 Live. So long. God's peace to you. I hope to see you next Friday.