Pentecost

Rev. W.C. Lamain (1904-1984)

The Feast of Pentecost is the feast of fulfillment. The day of Pentecost is fulfilled. The Feast of Pentecost was already held in the times of the Old Testament. Fifty days after the Feast of the Passover, Israel was assembled to observe this important event. It was the last of the feasts that God had given His Old Testament people to observe. At the Feast of the Passover, Israel was reminded of the passing over by the angel of destruction when he saw the blood on the two side posts and on the lintel of the door. A lamb was always slain at the Feast of the Passover. This pointed to Christ who would one day sacrifice Himself to satisfy the justice of God and to redeem His people. The Feast of the Passover always lasted one whole week. Daily, after the morning sacrifice, a feast offering was brought and unleavened bread was eaten.

On the second day of the feast, a special event took place. On that day the first sheaf of the harvest was brought to the Lord in the temple. That sheaf was not burnt upon the altar, but it was waved before the face of the Lord. This signified that the whole harvest was given to the Lord. Until that offering was brought, the people were not to eat bread or parched corn prepared from the new harvest according to the divine command of which we read in Leviticus 23:14.

Seven weeks after the day on which the sheaf of the first fruits was brought to the priest, the Feast of Pentecost was held. At that feast a new meat offering was brought to the Lord. This offering consisted of two loaves of bread made with two-tenths parts of fine flour and baked with leaven. These two loaves were the first fruits unto the Lord. The Feast of Pentecost was, then, the feast of completion, or of termination, and was observed with great joy. It was the best attended of all of the feasts, especially after the captivity. On Christmas, the church celebrates the birth of Immanuel: God with us; at Easter, God for us; and at Pentecost, God in us.

Christ took upon Himself our human nature. In that human nature He lived, suffered, struggled, prayed, died, and was buried but also arose from the dead and obtained the victory. Christ healed the breach that existed between God and the sinner. He paid the debt and took away the curse. By His active and passive obedience Christ restored the broken communion. He was received up into glory and placed at the right hand of His Father, from there to send His Spirit to the end that His Spirit would enter in to the heart of the elect. What would the life, suffering, dying, and resurrection of Christ profit us if the Holy Spirit would not apply and seal it unto our heart?

Surely, we cannot receive anything except it be given from Above. Are we not, by reason of Adam’s fall, in a state of death and separated from God? Have we not lost God’s image and glory? Are we not without power or ability to claim anything for our own use? The Spirit of God quickens the dead sinner and convinces him of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He also glorifies Christ in him as the only foundation of salvation. All that Christ has merited is applied to him by the Holy Spirit to the end that he may embrace Christ who was given for a covenant of the people. That Spirit will also remain with His people unto all eternity. It is a wonder of God which we cannot comprehend.

The day of Pentecost is a most glorious day, and it is hallowed by the God of Israel. As Christ came to earth and was born in Bethlehem’s manger only once, so, too, the Holy Spirit came down only once, and that on the day of Pentecost. We already read about the Holy Spirit on the first page of the Bible: “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” With the Father and the Son, He is true and eternal God. He has the same names and the same attributes, the same work is ascribed to Him, and He receives the same honor. That outpouring of the Holy Ghost was already foretold to the church living under the promise, as we read in Isaiah 44 and Joel 2. Moses, the mediator of the old covenant, longed for the day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Numbers 11:29).

Christ had promised the Holy Spirit to His disciples and to His Church, also, after His resurrection. With joy the disciples had returned from the Mount of Olives. Things were so different then from what they were at the time of His death. At the time of His death his disciples were sorrowful and dejected, and all their hopes were gone, but now they rejoiced. He had given them such precious and comforting promises. The ministrations of the Spirit were present in Old Testament times, but under the law, and in a very small measure, by drops as it were. Later the church was to sing:

A plenteous rain Thou sent, O Lord,
Thy weary people to afford
Strength in their tribulation.

The disciples, as Christ had charged them, were assembled in the upper room with a group that numbered about one hundred twenty people. That group in the upper room was the revelation of the true Church. It was not just a number of individuals. Oh no! They were united in heart and mind. They were united in and through Christ by reason of the good pleasure of the Father. There was no strife among them as to whom of the assembled should be accounted the greatest, but it was the prayer in every heart, “Oh that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest come down, i that the mountains might flow down at Thy presence.”

They were given faith to plead upon that which God Himself had promised. They all had the same desires, namely, t the fulfillment of the divine promises, the complete glorification of Christ, and the filling of their heart. By grace they had enjoyed and experienced much; however, what they now lacked was greater than what they had received and enjoyed. God Himself had discovered that lack unto them, and that discovery impelled them to seek for that which could supply their need. There are very few of such assemblies in our day. Generally speaking, we do not need each other because we have so little need for God. The wanderings away from God are very evident, and there is such a complete satisfaction with what has been received on the part of the true Church of God. There are more converted than unconverted people.

When God comes, He fills our heart with the joy of salvation. We can be saved and delivered with nothing less than that which comes from heaven. Only the work of God is essential and of value for eternity.

I hope you understand what I mean with that statement. If we are honest, we need not search very far to find that condition. If only we were more unconverted, then God could bestow something upon us, and we could live more to the honor of God. It would also build up and edify our neighbor. Oh, that God would yet pour out His Spirit!

Suddenly, there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind. Suddenly, God hastened to fulfill His promise. He is a surprising God unto them that long for Him in faith. He will deliver them speedily. Christ shall suddenly come to His temple (Malachi 3:1). In the Song of Solomon (Chapter 2:8) the bride says, “The voice of my Beloved! behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.” To such a longing people the psalmist says:

Fear not, though help be long delayed,
Still wait for God, for He will surely hear;
Wait, and the Lord shall send thee aid;
Put all thy trust in Him and do not fear.

It was a sound from heaven. Heaven had received the Mediator, who with His own blood had entered into the holy place, and now, upon the basis of that atonement, the Holy Ghost was sent from heaven. When God comes, He fills our heart with the joy of salvation. We can be saved and delivered with nothing less than that which comes from heaven. Only the work of God is essential and of value for eternity. All those that seek to help themselves and to save themselves shall perish forever. God’s people are drawn to heaven. “I will lift up mine eyes ... from whence cometh my help” (Psalm 121:1). It was a sound as of a rushing mighty wind. That sign is in full accord with the great work of God. It points to the absolute sovereignty and undeniable power of the work of God. Not once, but time and again the Spirit of God is likened unto the wind.

God is free in His ministrations and in the imparting of His grace. According to His eternal good pleasure He redeems whom He is pleased to redeem, and whom He wills He leaves in the fall and ruin wherein they have cast themselves by their own free and wanton act of separation from God. Out of every tongue and people and nation God will call His own. In Christ shall all nations be blessed. God calls His elect out of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. He will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardens. God’s people shall be saved only because God wills them to be saved. All boasting by the creature is excluded. It was free grace that moved Him from all eternity. Oh, that our souls would praise Him who not only desired to glorify His justice but also to exalt His mercy.

Those who are included in that eternal purpose of God are, in the time of His good pleasure, called with a holy calling. By nature, no one seeks for God. We have all become enemies of God and have no desire for the knowledge of His ways. The one is drawn out of the slavery of sin and the other out of his state of self-righteousness. No matter how deeply rooted sinners are in sin or a self-willed religion, when that wind of the Spirit begins to blow, they are stopped in their way and God conquers them. They all are humbled, and as a lost sinner, they bow before the Most High God and plead with their Judge for mercy.

By the operation of that blessed Spirit, which proceeds from the Father and the Son, they are stripped of all that is of self to find their salvation only in Christ. No one has the ability or the power to release his hold on anything of which he must be rid. Neither can anyone, including God’s servants and children, rid us of anything harmful or unprofitable. That is the work of the Spirit of judgment and of burning who causes us to look away from self and casts down within us all of the high places that exalt themselves against the knowledge of Christ. It is He who exalts within us the riches of God’s grace in Christ so that we glory in naught else but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That Spirit filled the entire house where they were sitting. Not only was the house filled but also the hearts of those who were present. Christ is glorified in them as the Ordained of the Father and as the Surety of the covenant. He is the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. On the one hand, the Spirit empties the heart, and, on the other hand, He fills the heart. The elect people of God are emptied of all that is of self so that they may be filled with the fullness of God. They are ministered unto out of the well-spring of Israel, and with joy they draw water out of the wells of salvation. Oh, it is an ocean of grace that flows out of Christ. That fullness makes the maidens cheerful. That fullness is in them a well of water springing up into everlasting life. In principle, they are already satisfied with the goodness of God’s house, even of His holy temple. One day, however, it shall be an eternal fullness. Who would not be filled with a longing desire for that day of fulfillment?

The Holy Spirit works as a force, as water, and as wind. Cloven tongues of fire were seen, and it sat upon each of them. By the Spirit of God, the elect people are not only cleansed and sanctified but also warmed and enlightened. Christ was given by the Father not only unto wisdom but also unto righteousness, sanctification, and complete redemption.

They were all filled with the Holy Ghost. Not one of them was excluded. They were all aroused, the one more, the other less:

Each one that fears Him, great or small,
Shares His salvation and favors all;
And He shall make them flourish.

They all receive a share in Christ and are all partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. The Spirit of God has entered their heart, and there He will remain forever. He will never forsake His Church.

The disciples were now enabled to perform the important work unto which they were called. They would go forth and, in all tongues, proclaim the wonderful works of God. Salvation was no longer limited to the Jews, but the Gentiles would share in it, also. The sound of the gospel would go into all the earth and would resound in the hearts of the Philistines and the Ethiopians. One day, there shall be a multitude out of every tongue, people, and nations. The kings of the earth shall bring their glory into the New Jerusalem.

When God pours out His Spirit into the heart of His people, then they, too, begin to speak a different language. They at once speak well of God. They proclaim not only the glory of the eternal good pleasure of God, the beauty of His virtues, but also the riches of God’s grace as they are revealed in Christ. Yea, then they begin to tell what God has done unto their soul. It is a language that the world does not understand and the nominal Christian does not comprehend, but it meets with a response by all those who have learned the language of Canaan. Oh, how great and good is God. They speak of eternal things, and they do not seek their own glory, but God is glorified, Christ is exalted, and the Holy Ghost is praised. In eternity their praise shall be perfect, and at times their souls long for that day. Oh, that God’s church, our homes, and our hearts would be filled with that precious Spirit! Boys and girls, don’t spend your life in the world and in sin but

Join with those toward God inclined;
It could be you would Jesus find.

By nature, we do not possess that Spirit, and of ourselves we cannot lay hold on Him. May that yet come to pass as it is written, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” Could it be that the Spirit of life might be poured out in many hearts unto quickening from death unto life. Could it be that the dead might hear the voice of the Son of God and that all they that hear it shall live. Then, the honor and the virtues of God would be important above all else, and exalting them would become the highest purpose in our life.

Oh, that the Spirit of God would revive what He has quickened. God’s people can sink so very low. David entreated the Lord most earnestly for that revival by the Spirit of God. Oh, that something of that would yet be seen and also enjoyed by the true Zion of God; that Christ may be formed in them and that they may be rooted and grounded in love. That the children of God would be more humble in their hearts; yea, may the Spirit of God grant them true liberty and assure them of their portion of and in Christ. May there be found not only a knowledge of the ministrations of the Spirit but, above all, a knowledge of the Holy Spirit as a Person, as true and eternal God. Their hearts and mouths would be filled with praise for the Lord of lords. Then they would not be silent, but their testimony would be heard by the world also, a world which is lying in wickedness. When the disciples began to speak with other tongues, it had a great restraining effect upon the people. To be sure, some mocked, but others were pricked in their heart.

Oh, that we might have a Pentecost in our heart. Then the fear of God would flourish, the righteousness of Christ would shine forth, and holiness would spread its luster abroad. May God remember His people over the length and breadth of the earth. May He gladden their heart by His Spirit and comfort their soul out of the wounds of Christ. May He gird His servants and give them to speak in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; may He bless their ministry to the end that His kingdom be extended and established, and that God may glorify His name among all tongues, nations and tribes. May He strengthen the lonely and the sick and comfort those that mourn. May the Spirit of God fill our heart. It is God’s own work to fill the heart with the Holy Ghost. So it was on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, and so it is today. Times may change, but God remains the same. The way of salvation and the way to salvation shall never change. In the preaching and writing of our day, generally speaking, we get the impression that the outpouring of the Spirit is no longer needed. Actually, the state of death of man is denied. We live in a time when men simply believe and accept without any evidence of the irresistible work of the Holy Ghost.

In our day, people are happy without ever having been unhappy, and they are full without ever having been made empty by God. They are people who are rich without ever having been poor—converted without ever having been unconverted before God. Oh, what a sad deception for that awful eternity. They count on heaven and have never made acquaintance with hell. What an awakening it shall be when the day of death dawns for them and their lamps, with those of the foolish virgins, will have gone out forever. How terrible it will be to die with an open conscience and so to meet God—how terrible it will be for those who, in their life, resisted the Holy Ghost and refused to bend their knee to God. To perish after having expected to enter heaven will be most dreadful.

Oh, beloved, value highly the privilege of living under the pure means of grace, under a ministry that does not mislead you but presents the true way of salvation. The things which are necessary for you to know that you may live and die happily are often and clearly set before you. Although that ministry falls short, in spite of all of its defects, you are convinced that you are not being blindfolded for eternity. God’s sovereignty, in election and reprobation, is proclaimed unto you. The state of death by reason of Adam’s fall is made known unto you, but you are also taught that there is salvation for a poor, lost, and guilty sinner in Christ and in His righteousness. You are taught that the Holy Spirit must make known to you personally the things merited by Christ. We cannot simply accept them and apply them unto ourselves. A supernatural work of God’s grace must be glorified in our souls. We must be severed from Adam and implanted into Christ. We must be born again and be united with Christ by the Holy Spirit.

My unconverted fellow traveler to eternity, whereas you are now without the Spirit of God, may Pentecost yet take place in your heart. It is not yet hopeless for either young or old. The day of grace is not yet past. You are still living in the accepted time, in the precious day of salvation. The times are critical and the future looks dark, but God still sends out His servants and causes His Word to be proclaimed. Harden not your heart against the summons sent to you from heaven. Oh, that also in your heart may be heard that sound from heaven and that as a lost sinner you might find a place at the feet of the Lord Jesus. Help is laid upon One that is mighty to save. Christ is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him.

May the Spirit of God bring about conviction and discovery that the riches of God’s grace may yet shine forth in many hearts. The world is so poor and empty, but in God, through Christ, there is an eternal fullness. That Spirit glorifies Christ in the hearts of the elect. Oh, could it be that we might yet see something of it. God Triune would be glorified, the Church would be gladdened, and your souls would rejoice. Your tongue, now silent, would proclaim the praise of God who favored you with His grace, to the end that one day you shall eternally glorify that God of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things.

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