Psalm 22:25-31 · Acts 8:26-40 · 1 John 4:7-21 · John 15:1-8

The theme for this week is Connected to God, which emphasizes how we are already connected without doing anything based on our inclusion in Jesus Christ. The call to worship Psalm talks about our dependence on God and offers praise for God’s faithful presence. Acts 8 tells the story of Philip baptizing the eunuch, affirming his connection with God. John’s letter expands on the interrelated ideas of love and abiding connection. We draw our sermon from the Gospel of John, which helps us understand that the idea of abiding doesn’t require us to do something, but it does require us to live the abundant truth of who God says we are in Christ.

Abbondanza

John 15:1-8 NRSV

Does anyone know what the Italian word “abbondanza” means? Can you guess? [Ask for guesses.] I see something like the word “dance” in it; what do you see?

Before you grab your phone and type it into Google Translate, it means “abundance” in Italian. Don’t you like how that word rolls off your tongue? Say it with me: abbondanza. Can you picture the lush vineyards in Italy (even if you’ve never been there)? Do you see a table laden with all kinds of grapes, cheese, wine, and delicious pasta dishes? That makes me think of the word “abundance.”

Jesus told his followers (and that includes us), that his goal for us is to bear fruit—today’s passage says, “bear more fruit.” I believe this ties in with an earlier statement Jesus made about us having an abundant life (John 10:10). Do you feel like you’re living an abundant life? I think we all go through difficult periods when we feel short on time, on money, on patience, on everything. If you are like me, you’re wondering, “Where is this abundant life where I am bearing more fruit? How do I get there?” Our sermon text John 15:1-8 has two big ideas—“bearing fruit” and “abiding,”—and these ideas can help us understand what Jesus meant when he said we could have life more abundantly. Let’s take a look:

Read John 15:1-8 NRSV

What can we observe about the text?

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. (John 15:1-3 NRSV)

Jesus begins with a metaphor. The Father is the vineyard keeper, and Jesus is the vine. As we go on, there is some wordplay among the words for “prune” and “removes” in verse 2, and “cleansed” in verse 3. The root verb for both prune and remove is the same and is related to the word used for clean/cleansed. The idea of pruning/removing doesn’t mean God kicks anybody out. It means “making clean.” The same word used for “clean” appears in John 13:10-11 at the Last Supper, where Jesus says to the disciples that “not all of you are clean.” In verse 3, Jesus says that the disciples (and believers like us) are already cleansed, and the idea in verse 2 is that God the vineyard keeper continues cleansing us by his love with the goal of making us stronger and more fruitful.

Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. (John 15:4 NRSV)

Jesus says to abide in him as he abides in us. Too often we interpret this as something we have to do, rather than thinking of it as something we are. We know that we are completely forgiven, loved, accepted, and included in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit relationship because of Jesus—the way he lived a life of love and complete connection to the Father even when humanity’s hate demanded that he die. And he did it, so that hate and death would be put to death once and for all. What if abiding in Jesus means living in who we are in God—completely forgiven, loved, accepted, and included? He abides in us, so there’s nothing we need to do to get him to abide in us more, other than abide in knowing that we are who he says we are. We live knowing that he is with us, and we are with him. This enables us to bear much fruit, this leads to a life that is abundant.

I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 NRSV)

Here’s an “I am” statement. Jesus declares himself to be the vine; we are the branches of that vine. Apart from him, it says, we can’t do anything. Most of the time, I hear this interpreted as “without staying close to Jesus, we can’t produce any good fruit.” But have you considered this also means that there is no way we can escape our connection to him? Branches are connected to the vine. Apart from him, we would cease to exist. “In him we live and move and have our being” is how Paul described our relationship with Jesus, sharing a quote from a poet (see Acts 17:28). Jesus abides in us, and as we learn to live in the light of who God says we are, we experience that abundant abiding and fruit-bearing Jesus talked about.

 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. (John 15:7 NRSV)

This verse can be problematic because it seems to contradict what we know to be true about God. God doesn’t throw anyone away. No one is a hopeless case. If we view God as a harsh judge, we might think that as vineyard gardener, he’s chopping off branches all the time. While most gardeners will know this is what vinedressers do every year, as part of their routine to get rid of unhealthy branches and shoots, we also know God’s will is that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9). So we realize this metaphor breaks down, as all metaphors do, when we talk about God’s work with people. His goal is the opposite of cutting us off to perish. What is the answer? To stay connected to the vine.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. (John 15:7-8 NRSV)

As we rest in the truth of who we are, our prayers become different. They become more in tune with what God is doing in a particular situation. Jesus himself prayed in the garden, “yet not what I want but what you want” (Matt. 26:39, NRSV). As we get used to being confident of who we are in Christ, and that God loves us so much that he sent Christ to die for us even when we were his enemies, the way we live and pray aligns with that truth, and as this happens, we “bear much fruit.” Abundant life comes from embracing the truth of who we are in Jesus Christ.

Application:

• Recognize that we are inextricably connected to Jesus because of his death, resurrection, and ascension, and as a result, we are part of a dynamic relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit. With Jesus as our vine and God the Father as our vineyard gardener, we never need to worry that “we aren’t growing enough.” This does not mean that we don’t care, but it means that we don’t worry. If we are fearful, then we do need to grow.
• Participate in abundance by resting in the truth of who we are in Jesus and then letting our actions come from that same truth. When we believe we are loved and valued for who we are, we treat others differently. We look for ways to collaborate and bless others, and we realize that every decision we make must spring from love, first and foremost.

Staying connected to the vine enables us to bear fruit—much fruit—leading us to that abundant life. It begins with knowing our identity—our birthright—when it comes to our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The vineyard gardener and the vine himself are determined that we should grow into fullness, knowing the truth of who we are and living the abundant way of that truth.

For reference:

https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/john/15.htm

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Small Group Discussion Questions

Psalm 98:1-9 · Acts 10:44-48 · 1 John 5:1-6 · John 15:9-17

The theme for this week is the loving authority of Jesus. The call to worship Psalm describes the cosmic authority of the Lord over every creature and all the earth. Acts 10 shows us the universal authority of Jesus, bringing Jews and Gentiles together as the movement started. 1 John 5 tells us about how Jesus “conquered the world” through love, demolishing the old structures of power and authority. In John 15, which we use for the message, Jesus makes the radical choice to graft himself into the human story forever, using his authority to take on a position of helplessness in death.

The Radical Choice of Jesus

John 15:9-17 ESV

Have you ever grown something yourself? A garden or a houseplant? You get your potting soil; you get a special pot picked out with just the right colors. Or you work on that square in the backyard in the hot sun. You put the seeds in, and you wait.

Add an anecdote here about gardening or planting or have a discussion with your congregation. Remember, the funnier stories the better—the Styrofoam cup with the seed in kindergarten, the time you accidentally dug up grandpa’s rose garden, etc.

Somehow, between water, sunshine, fertilizer, and the power of life, a shoot breaks through the ground one morning. Soon enough, that small shoot grows branches and leaves and eventually becomes a full-fledged plant.

Even the most experienced farmer will tell you there’s an X factor here—there’s always a bit of doubt that maybe the seeds won’t sprout this year. There’s always a small catch of breath when, once again, the brilliant green breaks through plain old soil.

It’s this X factor, this connection, that Jesus describes in John 15. Let’s read the passage:

Read John 15:9-17

Just prior to this passage, Jesus introduced himself as the “true vine” and his followers as his branches who will bear fruit. That connection is an indecipherable mix that experienced Christians rely on. We know it is Christ’s power in and through us, and yet we present ourselves every day and take up our cross. In short, we “abide.”

Just as the plant’s metabolism works somehow to make dirt, sunlight and rainwater into corn, so God works with us to bring forth fruit, sometimes more than we could ever imagine. A small, drab-colored seed goes into the ground and becomes a glorious tree. So God works through the small, drab-colored group of people he calls the church to bear fruit in the world.

In this passage and right before it, Jesus uses two important words to describe us, and that’s what we’ll look at today.

Jesus calls us:

• Branches
• Friends

Branches

 I am the vine; you are the branches. (John 15:5 ESV)

When looking at John 15, you have to pay close attention to the details of the wording. First, this is one of the powerful “I AM” statements of Jesus, along with I am the good shepherd, I am the way, the truth, the life, and several others.

The vine was an important symbol of Israel, used throughout the Old Testament to describe God’s blessing through them to the world. In the brief Jewish independence after Christ, 68-70 AD, Jewish coins were minted with a picture of a vine on them. This was imagery deep within the Jewish consciousness.

So for Jesus to say “I am the vine” was phrasing rich in symbolism. Jesus was saying, as he did in so many other places, that he was the true Israel-in-person and that God’s purposes for Israel found their completion in him.

Chapters 14-17 of John, called the “farewell discourse” of Jesus, is his last prolonged dialogue before his death. Here he reveals more theology verbally than anywhere else—most of the time he reveals it by action and miracle. But here he is essentially giving us all a peak at the blueprints, a nose behind the curtain, a glimpse of the map.

So he calls himself the vine and us the branches, and he uses a certain word over and over again: abide.

He uses this word 11 times in this chapter in John. It’s a word that means to stay, to not become separate, to be held, kept continually. As one theologian said it, “not the holding of a position but an allowing oneself to be held.”

Abiding is an action and yet somehow something that happens to you. It’s holding on and letting go at the same time. It’s like the strange X-factor of the measly seed that somehow becomes a colossal sequoia tree.

Action words like this make us Protestants, especially in the evangelical tradition, a little nervous. Is Jesus talking about us “earning” God’s love? Somehow meriting his favor or blessing and staying in his good graces? Didn’t Jesus take care of that? Absolutely, consider this:

Our identity is set by Christ even before we become a Christian—we can’t change that fact; we can’t make God go back on his promise. It’s after this that we get down to the work of abiding, of allowing ourselves to be held.

To abide is to live in our destiny as Christ-followers. Our destiny isn’t just a far-off “I’ll fly away” reality for when we die, but it is the daily activity of “being held” by Christ. It is abiding in his strength and love as we go about life.

Think of a down-to-earth example: getting along with a difficult co-worker. It’s something we’ve all faced before. You’ve tried avoiding them—impossible. You’ve tried blowing off steam by gossiping about this person at happy hour—diminishing returns. You’ve tried confronting them—deaf ears.

And so you approach the situation with prayer. You approach it asking Jesus to let you see this person and these circumstances through his eyes, setting your mind to “abide” in the Lord who loves and pursues that person. You approach with forgiveness and the knowledge that the resources to “win” the situation are beyond your grasp.

Will this magically make this person less annoying? Probably not. Will he/she continue to eat the labeled yogurt in the shared fridge and get their work in past deadline? Probably. But the change will come to you. You’ll find yourself with more patience, more peace and more centeredness in this situation. You’ll find yourself seeing this situation, and more importantly this person, as Jesus does and always has.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. (John 15:16 ESV)

This is that work of bearing fruit. Maybe it’s not dramatic, but in a world of increasing negativity and dog-eat-dog cynicism, the small fruit of kindness can be like an oasis. Add up these small fruits over time and the harvest is rich.

You are not trying to please God by your works—you are joining him in his work.

Friends

You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14-15 ESV)

C.S. Lewis described philia, or friendship love:

Hence (if you will not misunderstand me) the exquisite arbitrariness and irresponsibility of this love. I have no duty to be anyone’s Friend and no man in the world has a duty to be mine. No claims, no shadow of necessity. Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself…. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.

This “exquisite irresponsibility” is unique to friendship in relationships. Children have a physical need for their parents and their parents a duty to them. Business partners have a relationship that helps them both make money. Lovers are united by physical attraction and procreation.

Friends, well, they’re just friends. They either meet as peers or there is a peer element to the relationship. There’s more choice involved in friendship than any other relationship.

The theme of friendship in the Gospel of John is very strong—all the way through to the end where Jesus asks Peter, “Do you philia me?” (21:17). John is fixated on friend love—philia, in the Greek. And we see that here.

Slavery or servanthood was a tragic part of daily life in the ancient world. These people had no knowledge of the master’s plans because they were machines used for a certain purpose; they are rarely informed why.

And here is Jesus informing his disciples in this long dialogue of how it all works. He’s showing them how he relates to the Father and how they now relate to him. He has called them friends.

He then expands the depth of this friendship with one of the most famous lines:

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 ESV)

Look at the theme of friendship here. Laying your life down for your friends. You would lay your life down for your kids or for your spouse—that’s family. You’d lay your life down for your country—that’s patriotism. But laying down your life for your friends—for those who should be able to defend themselves and don’t “need” you in the physical sense—this is a choice that goes beyond social expectations. As Jesus said earlier:

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10:17-18 ESV)

Jesus chooses to do this, to lay down his life for his friends. He lays down his life for those he doesn’t need, for those he’s not depending on in any way, for those who might not even recognize or appreciate what he has done.

This is his radical choice: to have branches grafted into him that will hurt him and drain him; to reach out to friends that may never reach back. To write himself into the chaotic patchwork of the human story.

And so he calls us branches…

What does it mean to abide? It means to fully embrace the identity you’ve been given in Christ. This means worshipping, meditating, and praying; it also means serving, obeying and being part of the kingdom breaking into the world.

The kids’ song “Read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow-grow-grow!” isn’t too far off the mark!

And so he calls us friends…

Are you friends with Jesus? Sure, you love him, you obey him, you trust he’ll be standing there “when the roll is called up yonder.” But do you fellowship with him? Do you speak to him, as best we can in this life, face-to-face? Do you have an “unnecessary friendship” with Christ? He offers it freely.

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Small Group Discussion Questions

Psalm 1:1-6 · Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 · 1 John 5:9-13 · John 17:6-19

The theme for this week is the Lord who guides us from the right hand of the Father. The call to worship Psalm discusses the blessings on those who follow the Lord’s ways—to love God and to love each other. In Acts 1, shortly after Jesus’ ascension, we find the apostles moving forward and seeking God’s guidance regarding a new apostle to “become a witness” of the resurrection. In 1 John 5, we learn that whoever has the Son has eternal life. Finally, in John 17 we read a poignant prayer of Jesus speaking about his ascension and our relationship with him and the Father.

The Ascension

John 17:6-19 NRSV

What led up to you following Jesus? Some of us had parents who were Christians and taught us about Christ from infancy. Some of us may have had miraculous experiences that suddenly revealed the reality of God. Others went on a journey for truth and Jesus found them at the end of the road. Whatever the story, we often tend to think about how we started following Christ by looking at things that happened in our lives that guided us toward Jesus.

What if we could ask Jesus that question? What if we could each ask Jesus, “What did you do to get me to follow you?” Do you think his answer would be different from our answer? I believe the answer is “yes.” I would focus on things that happened in my life, and there is nothing necessarily wrong with that. However, Jesus would talk about things that he personally did to draw me nearer to himself. Jesus’ answer would be far more intimate and personal. His answer would reveal his deep love and commitment to me long before I knew him.

His answer would include his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. His answer would be to remind us that if he hadn’t ascended and taken us to the Father, we would still be wandering around in our own helplessness. We would not be participating in the relationship and communion of the Father, Son and Spirit.

In John 17 Jesus prayed about and for the 12 disciples, and this exquisite prayer reveals the immensity of the promise of bringing us into the presence of the Father. Let’s keep in mind that Jesus prays this prayer in the shadow of the cross, on the evening of his betrayal. With his death so close at hand, he made sure this prayer gave us hope, sure promises, and a view into the things most important to him.

An exercise you may want to try at home is to read this passage and think in terms of what the disciples initially heard and what thoughts might have come to mind. Then read it and ask how they came to understand even more after the resurrection. Finally, I suggest you read it a third time and ask how this prayer has meaning to us as we think of Jesus’ ascension.

Let’s begin with verses 1-5.

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. (John 17:1-5 NRSV)

While it might be fun to guess what the disciples were thinking, it’s more important for us to read this passage through the lens of the ascension and see what Jesus was praying for them and for us.

Four key observations:

1. Jesus is asking God to glorify him so that he can glorify the Father—a reciprocal and mutual relationship. Glorify means to give honor, to show a person’s greatness.
2. Jesus lets the disciples know that he has been given all authority—specially the authority to give eternal life.
3. He defines eternal life—to know (be in close relationship with) the Father and the Son.
4. Jesus is finishing the work he was given to do.

Let’s continue:

I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. (John 17:6-10 NRSV)

Four more key observations:

1. Jesus makes clear his purpose was to make the Father known to us.
2. Jesus makes clear that we belong to the Father already and he gave us to Jesus. “All mine are yours and yours are mine.”
3. Jesus emphasizes the unity between him and the Father once again: everything is from you… the words I gave them are from you… they know I came from you… they know you sent me.
4. Jesus is glorified in his relationship with us.

You see the emphases on our connection to the Father through the Son, and our connection to the Son because of the Father. The Father knew us before the incarnation and gave us to Jesus.

Let’s continue:

And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth. (John 17:11-19 ESV)

Another four key observations:

1. Jesus makes it clear he is leaving this world and returning to the Father. He had used similar language previously, but the disciples did not know what he was saying.
2. We are under the Father’s and the Son’s protection. Earlier Jesus had said nothing can snatch us out of the Father’s hand.
3. The world will hate us because we do not belong to the world. We are not held in bondage by the ways and means of the world.
4. We have been sanctified by the truth, and truth has a name. It is Jesus.

Let’s finish the prayer:

I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me.  I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:20-25 ESV)

Final four observations:

1. This prayer isn’t just for the 12, it is for all who believe in Jesus.
2. Jesus tells us we are not only one with him and the Father, we are also one with one another—including the original disciples. We are all in communion with each other and with the Triune God.
3. This unity helps others believe in Jesus, that he was sent by the Father, and that they are loved.
4. Jesus’ desire is that we are with him—where he is—so we can participate in his glory and share his love with others.

And this leads us to the importance of the Ascension.

When Jesus ascended…

• He received his full glory. Recall he told Mary to not cling to him because he had not yet ascended.
  • That glory was also given to us in order that we might participate in the communion shared by the Father, Son and Spirit.
• He was given all authority in heaven and earth. Recall before giving the disciples their commission in Matthew 28, he reminded them that he had been given all power and authority. After giving them the commission, he reminded them he would be with them always.
• He took us with him. Yes, we are still here, but Jesus asked the Father that we could be where he is—at the Father’s right hand. We are already citizens of God’s kingdom.
• The promise of eternal life became a reality to all who are in Christ.

Jesus’ prayer makes clear that the goal of Christ’s work was to unite us to the triune God and each other, but that is not all. In John 17:13, Jesus says that he spoke his prayer out loud so that the hearers may have “the full measure of joy within them.” John later stated in 1 John 1:4 that he detailed his witness of Jesus to make his readers’ “joy complete.” These two passages help us to understand that knowing the details of our reconciliation and redemption brings us joy. When we see the extent of God’s love and care for us, joy bubbles up.

The ascension completed the work God gave his Son. When Jesus returned to the Father his work of rescuing and redeeming us was complete. Salvation is a done deal for all those who believe that Jesus is who he says he is, and we are in him. Forgiveness is past tense. The ransom has been paid. Hope is restored. God’s plan to bring us back into relationship with himself was enacted. Because Jesus ascended, we have access to the throne of God, to the very presence of the Father, who loves us and desires to be in intimate relationship with us.

We can only imagine what the disciples thought as they listened to this prayer. We can only imagine how many times the words of this prayer came back to encourage them in the years ahead. What we do know is the words of this prayer were answered at the ascension. God’s greatest joy is to be one with his children. The ascension brought about that joy.

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Small Group Discussion Questions

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b · Acts 2:1-21 · Romans 8:22-27 · John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

The theme for this week is transformed by the Holy Spirit. The call to worship Psalm is a celebration of creation, which was created by sending the Spirit. Acts 2 speaks about the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, which launched the church and announced its mission to the world. Romans 8 explains that the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf and teaches us how to pray. Jesus taught in John that the Holy Spirit is our advocate and leads us into all truth.

The Fire Starter

Acts 2:1-21

Today is Pentecost, a day when we celebrate the birth of the church by the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is also a day that launched the church’s participation in Jesus’ mission to the world. While these things are true, Pentecost was started well before the disciples gathered in the upper room. We are going to talk about the origin of Pentecost in order to understand in more depth what this day means for us. Let us look at the Pentecost story in Acts 2.

Read Acts 2:1-21

There is a lot of symbolism in Pentecost—a day that celebrated bringing in the first harvest of crops. Viewed through the historic meaning of Pentecost, what happened in Jerusalem was supposed to spread and signal an abundant harvest of people who are born of the Spirit.

The wind is significant. The wind is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit who hovered over the disciples on this day hovered over the void at the dawn of creation. In both cases, it was almost like the Holy Spirit was anxiously and joyously anticipating the new thing God was getting ready to do. The wind signaled that the Spirit was there, and he was about to bring about a new creation—a new type of human made in the new humanity forged by Jesus Christ.

The speaking in different languages is also significant. Pentecost was the great undoing of the Tower of Babel. Back then, humans wanted to advance themselves and create a world apart from God. If left unchecked, the entire world would be united in evil and determined to reject and ignore the redemptive plans God had for humanity. In his mercy, God confused their languages to disrupt their ill-fated plans. At Pentecost, God used languages to bring people to himself. No longer would languages be used to divide people. Now, God would use language to bring people together.

Finally, the fire is vital, and this is what we will spend the rest of the message on. This fire burned on the disciples signaling that the age of God dwelling in a physical location like the tabernacle and the temple was over. At the inauguration of both the tabernacle and the temple, fire was a symbol God used to signal his presence. So, when the tongues of fire settled upon the disciples, God was announcing a new era. No longer would God’s presence rest in a house made of leather or stone. Now, God’s dwelling place would be in the hearts of his people. We are his temple, the place where heaven and earth meet, the place where God interacts with humanity.

To properly address the topic of the fire, we need to go back to the spark that caused the fire. Pentecost did not just happen—rather, it was ignited years prior. Before he began his ministry, John the Baptist foretold of a coming Fire Starter, and he told us the kind of ministry he would have. Luke writes:

John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Luke 3:16)

As John predicted, the Fire Starter did come, and his ministry was as John predicted. During his ministry, this Fire Starter spoke of his work and how anxious he was for his fire to be lit. In Luke, he states:

I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Luke 12:49)

As you have likely already guessed, Jesus Christ is the Fire Starter. He is the origin of the fire that blazed on the disciples on the day of Pentecost. It was Jesus’ fire that burned in the upper room and signaled the beginning of a new age. Peter, in his message, echoed the voices of the Old Testament writers and called this new era the Day of the Lord, and this new age was ushered in by wind and fire.

But, what does this mean? Is not fire destructive? Does Jesus’ fire bring punishment, judgment, and death? If you listen to how some portray the gospel today, you might conclude the answer would be “yes.” There are some who believe and preach that the gospel is about fear. They portray God as angry and vengeful, and we are to obey him to avoid harsh judgment. They teach we should be afraid to disobey. To those with this view, the gospel is not “good news” but rather a warning of impending doom. Thankfully, this view of the gospel and the Fire Starter do not line up with what we find in Scripture. They don’t realize our obedience is a byproduct of our love for him. In the Bible, the qualities of fire are purification, presence, and power. Understanding these three aspects of fire from a biblical perspective will help us understand what the Holy Spirit unleashed on the day of Pentecost.

The fire of Jesus is a purifying fire because it cleanses us of sin. The cross dealt with humanity’s sin once for all time. However, because sin still causes pain, God works in each of us to help us turn away from the things that hurt us or cause us to turn away from him. The fire is not violent, burning our sin away and harming us in the process. Rather, Jesus is a warm hearth fire inviting us to shed our sin like someone in the Northern Hemisphere would shed a heavy winter coat when sitting in front of a cozy fireplace. We gladly give up the parts of us oriented away from God in response to his goodness. We lose our taste for sin as we experience God’s love, mercy, and grace.

The fire of Jesus symbolizes the enduring presence of God. When God called Moses to shepherd his people out of Egyptian slavery, he appeared to him as a burning bush. Later, when the Israelites were leaving Egypt and did not know where to go, God appeared in a cloud by day and fire in the sky at night. When they arrived at the place in the desert where God wanted to interact with them, God revealed himself as a mountain on fire. From the earliest seeds of our faith, God has used fire to symbolize his presence. The fire that appeared on Pentecost signaled that God was with his disciples now and forever. Every flickering flame declared God’s words captured in the book of Hebrews, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

Finally, the fire of Christ represents the power of God to save and restore. Those on whom Jesus’ fire fell were not the ones a respectable rabbi would choose. At best, they were unremarkable. But something happened to them after they encountered Christ. They were not the same. Jesus made them new—not just a cleaned-up version of their old selves, but something entirely different. God equipped them with power to be his witnesses throughout the world. They boldly preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and their words were confirmed by awesome miracles. These formerly mediocre men defied the greatest empire the world had ever seen. These unnoticed and underestimated men confronted the spiritual forces of darkness without flinching. The sign God gave that he was going to use these men to turn the world upside down was the fire of Pentecost.

The qualities of Jesus’ fire work together in everyone who follows Christ. When God gives us faith in Jesus, he purifies and burns away the things that are not him so we can see him clearly. Then, he kindles the fire of his enduring presence, drawing us nearer to him and reminding us continually that we are children of light. Finally, he uses his power to make us new—to refine us into who we are supposed to be—and empower us with gifts to participate in his work. Each believer has had his/her own personal Pentecost experience and Jesus’ fire burns in us.

The fire of Pentecost was not just an individual experience, it was also communal. Those on whom the fire fell immediately went out and boldly proclaimed who Jesus was in various languages because fire spreads. Jesus, the Fire Starter, shared his fire with the church, and the church, in turn, should work to share that fire with others. We should carry the fire of Jesus into every corner of our society so it can burn away injustice, prejudice, oppression, despair, and unbelief. Jesus’ fire can never be contained. Praise be to God who invites us to participate in his work to spread his fire to all humanity.

What started in the upper room on Pentecost continues today. The fire that fell on the disciples is kindled in us as well. May God bless us to burn as brightly. May he cause us to spread that fire in our communities. May that fire purify us, remind us of his presence, and fill us with his power all for his glory.

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Small Group Discussion Questions