PENTECOST 2021
JOEL 2.28-32
Introduction
Today is my 33rd birthday. It’s a weird feeling. No one knows exactly when Jesus Christ died and resurrected but many scholars believe it could be somewhere around 33 years old. People say 23 is your “Jordan year,” I guess this is my “Jesus year.” It’s fitting that we’re celebrating Pentecost on my birthday because there’s a sense in which Pentecost is the birthday of the church.
Now before we create too sharp a distinction between the Old and New Testament, there’s a sense in which the church has existed since the beginning. Before the foundation of the world God predestined every believer he would ever save. The kingdom of God has always been and will always be “God’s people in God’s place, under God’s blessing and rule.”[1] That’s what the church is. We are God’s people in God’s place, under God’s blessing and rule. From Eden until now God has always had a people and all of his people have always been saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ alone. There is continuity between the Old and New Testaments.
But there is also some discontinuity. In terms of being the New Covenant people of the crucified, risen, and ascended Christ, in terms of being the people who are regenerated and indwelt by the descended Holy Spirit, Pentecost is the birthday of the church. Pentecost is the fulfillment of everything the Old Testament promises about the full people of God.
And when the Apostle Peter stood up to preach at Pentecost he quoted many of these Old Testament pericopes, citing their fulfillment. One of the passages that Peter mentions in his Pentecost homily is the text we just read, Joel 2.28-32. These five verses are the climax of Joel’s prophecy. Joel writes of an occasion when YHWH sent a locus invasion to Judah as a providential picture of the day of the LORD. In fact the Hebrew phrase, “day of the LORD” (י֣וֹם יְהוָ֔ה) is used five times in Joel, which is 28% of the occurrences of that phrase in the prophets.
The major themes of the book of Joel are (1) the day of the LORD; (2) Repentance; and (3) God’s presence with his people. All three of these themes converge in Joel 2.28-32. And Peter tells us that it was fulfilled on Pentecost (Acts 2.15-24). What was Joel’s message for the old covenant people of God? And what does it mean that this text was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. And what does that mean for Christ Community Church on Pentecost 2021?
Promise
Let’s start with understanding what Joel was writing to old covenant Israel. At the climax of Joel’s prophecy he says that YHWH will pour out his Spirit on all people. Joel does not mean to say that every human being alive will have the Holy Spirit; the Bible doesn’t teach universalism. But it does mean all kinds of people, not just Jews will have the Holy Spirit. God will pour out his Spirit on Jew and gentile, men and women, on the young and the old, on the rich and the poor.
God will truly be with all of his people. His Spirit will indwell them. The promise that YHWH gives over and over in the Old Testament – “I will be your God and you will be my people” – will be finally and fully fulfilled. In the old covenant the Spirit of God would indwell people for a season – prophets, priests, kings – but a day would come where the Spirit would permanently indwell all of God’s people. Moses said that he wished all of God’s people had the Holy Spirit like he did (Num 11.29). Joel tells us a day is coming when that will happen.
Not only was God promising to be with his people but he was also promising judgment. Joel uses apocalyptic language to describe the judgment of God. He talks about blood, fire, and smoke. Those images should remind us of the Exodus when YHWH saved his people through the judgment of Egypt. God turned the Nile River to blood (Exod 7.14-25). And he led Israel through the wilderness with a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exod 13.21). Joel is telling them that a 2nd Exodus is coming.
Joel talks about the sun turning dark and we hear echoes of the creation account, although this is a sort of reversal or upheaval of the creation. In Genesis 1 YHWH said, “Let there be light,” (Gen 1.3) but through his judgment the sun will be darkened. It seems that the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy is not only a new Exodus but also a new creation. The old creation and the old covenant are going to be superseded by something greater.
And while the day of the LORD brings judgment for those who reject God, it brings salvation for those who call on his name. Verse 32 is quite famous and for good reason. St. Paul would quote it in Romans 10. It says, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Rom 10.13). The day of the LORD brings salvation for those who call on his name.
Notice Joel’s word play here. Who are the ones who call on the name of the LORD? The end of verse 32 says it is those whom the LORD calls. Those who call upon the LORD are those whom the LORD calls. Here we have more biblical support for the sovereignty of God in salvation.
This understanding of God is at the heart of Reformed theology. God elects, predestines, and calls everyone who will believe. We do not choose God first, he chooses us. There is nothing any human can ever do to add to or subtract from those God elected before the foundation of the world. What a comfort that is for us. We can’t mess this up. Our God is big. Salvation is in his control.
Lest we become fatalistic, those who are called by God are those who call on his name. This is where responsibility comes in. When humans hear the gospel they are then accountable for what they’ve heard. It is our responsibility to repent and believe and every person is required by God to do so.
These promises were given in the Old Testament. YHWH promised that the day of the LORD would come. On that day he would judge sin and he would finally and fully be with his people. There would be a new creation and a new Exodus. These are the promises that old covenant Israel would cling to. These are the promises that would be fulfilled at Pentecost.
Pentecost
Joel’s promise was fulfilled hundreds of years later. Remember what we read in the call to worship:
But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel… 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it (Acts 2.16, 22-24).
Peter says that the promises of Joel specifically, and the Old Testament in general, are fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus did mighty works, wonders, and signs. He lived without sin securing righteousness on behalf of his people. He was delivered up according to the plan of God – that means God was sovereignly in control of Jesus’ death. And he was crucified and killed by the hands of men – humans were responsible for the death of Jesus.
And God raised him up on the third day because it was not possible for death to hold him. Since he actively denied sin and paid it’s penalty through his death, the grave had no power over Jesus. Like a dad wrestling with his little kids, there’s nothing they can do to hold him down because he’s so much stronger, Jesus was too strong for death. He’s stronger than the grave that once held us.
You see it’s through the Christ event that the Old Testament promises are fulfilled. The judgment of God was poured out on Christ for all of God’s elect. What happened when Jesus was on the cross bearing God’s wrath? The sun was darkened. The creation bowed its head in shame because the one who first said, “Let there be light,” cried out on the tree, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matt 27.46)”
This is the beginning of the day of the LORD. The day of the LORD was inaugurated through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have been living in the last days ever since. It will be culminated when Christ returns to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new. How do we know that the day of the LORD has been inaugurated? Because God poured out his Spirit on Pentecost.
Before Pentecost the Spirit regenerated believers but they weren't indwelt. The Spirit indwelt the temple. After Pentecost believers are regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus told the Apostles that it is better that he leave and the Spirit come (John 16.7). As Christians we have the Spirit inside us, leading us in sanctification, pointing us to Christ.
This only happens through the gospel of Jesus. In fact, the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Old Testament, uses the word εὐαγγελιζόμενοι in verse 32. It’s the word used in the New Testament for the preaching of the gospel. So verse 32 in the LXX literally reads, “the Lord said, and is preaching the gospel to those whom he called.” All of the Old Testament prophesies, all of the themes of the day of the LORD, God’s presence, and judgment are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
If you are not a Christian, the Word beckons you to repent of your sin and trust in Christ alone. Acknowledge that you’re a sinner who deserves the judgment of God. Turn from your sin and look to Christ alone. There you will find the presence of God’s Spirit. There you will find salvation.
When we trust in Christ alone, the Father sends the Holy Spirit to indwell us. The Holy Spirit regenerates us; he makes our dead heart alive. He takes the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh (Ezek 36.26). He indwells us. He resides within us. He is with us always. He prays for us when we don’t know what to say (Rom 8.26-27).
Most importantly the Spirit points us to Christ. He is the Spirit of Christ. His mission is to make much of Jesus. He is not working against the Word. No he works in concert with the Scripture revealing Jesus Christ to his people. And as the people of God what we should do every Pentecost is that we should repent, rejoice, and rest.
First, Pentecost reminds us to repent of our sin. We are sinners who deserve the judgment of God. Jesus Christ took our judgment on the cross and the creation went dark in shame. Because Jesus has forgiven our sin finally and fully we can always repent of our sin. There are no mortal sins for those who are in Christ. The Spirit leads us in repentance and so today we must be reminded to repent of our sin.
Pentecost also reminds us to rejoice. The church should not be a place where Christians are huddled in the corner scared and depressed. The church is a place of victory. We stand in celebratory defiance against the evil one. God has poured his Spirit out on us. Our sin has been judged. God is with us. There is nothing to fear. What is the worst that can happen to us? We can die. I’m not taking that lightly. Death is an evil and horrifying thing. But if we die, we are with Jesus. If we die, we win. God has poured his Spirit out on us, we must rejoice.
Not only does Pentecost cause us to repent and rejoice, but it also must cause us to rest. Rest in the finished work of Jesus. Rest in his Spirit who is with us. Rest is the fact that Jesus has paid for your sin, he is with you through his Spirit, and the day of the LORD has begun. We may still have some battles to fight, but the war is won. Jesus will return to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new. And the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living in you if you belong to Jesus. He raised Jesus from the dead and he will raise you up on the last day as well. Repent, rejoice, and rest.
Conclusion
In terms of being the New Covenant people of the crucified, risen, and ascended Christ, in terms of being the people who are regenerated and indwelt by the descended Holy Spirit, Pentecost is the birthday of the church. The Holy Spirit has been sent by the Father and the Son to gather their people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. He is doing so this morning through the Word and Sacrament. My prayer is that if you have not trusted in Jesus that you will be born again today. That God will pour his Spirit out on you. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. If you do so you will be born again. Today will be your spiritual birthday. And then, like me, and like the church historic, you will indeed have a happy birthday.
[1]Vaughan Roberts, God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible, 21.