“Pentecost: A New Beginning” Sermon. Sunday, 5/24/2026.

The Fruit of the Spirit Living in the last days The anniversary of Christ in 7 years. Scripture Title: Pentecost: A New Beginning Scripture Reading: Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭21‬ “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Scripture Summary: Today we celebrate Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit was first given to all the believers in that first church in Jerusalem. The sound of a violent wind filled the room and tongues of fire appeared over the heads of the disciples. They began to prophesy and speak in languages that they had not learned. Peter told the crowd outside that this was the fulfillment of the words of the prophet Joel that in the last days God would pour out his Holy Spirit on all people who called on His name and became His follower. We are in the last chapter of human history which is the age of the church and will culminate in the return of Jesus. Before the coming of Christ and the birth of the church, the Holy Spirit was only given to a very few exceptional people such as Moses, Abraham, David and the prophets. With the coming of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is given to all of His followers. In our Scripture passage, the spectacular signs of the Holy Spirit were full on display. Today, the presence of the Holy Spirit is mostly evidenced by a change in attitude, values, and behavior. Paul gives the characteristics of a Christian when the Holy Spirit has begun the work of transformation. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. When these qualities appear in the life of a believer, you know that the Holy Spirit is present and at work in that person’s heart. They become different than the world around them. We receive the Holy Spirit the moment we put our faith in Jesus Christ. Christ’s coming is sooner than ever before. Isaiah 11:12 called for the return of Jewish people from all over the earth to Israel just before Christ returns. That prophecy has mostly been fulfilled in our lifetime. In Matthew 24, Jesus said that the Gospel would be preached throughout the world before His return which has become a reality in our lifetime. And Jesus said that in the last days there will be a great turning away from the Lord just before His second coming. This is happening in the West. In these last days, believers should stand firm by studying and becoming rooted in God’s Word, rejecting and battling against evil, serving the church, and proclaiming the Gospel until Christ returns. Christians have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to see us through. Lewes Presbyterian Church Website Lewes Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel