DAY 50  - PENTECOST 2001

Fred Coulter  May 27, 2001

This is the Feast of Pentecost, the year 2001.  Time just seems to keep rolling along, and there’s a whole lot that we have to learn and know from God’s word and we’re going to see that this is one of the most important feast days for the Church.  And it finalizes a segment of things that begin with the Passover and then Unleavened Bread and finalizes in the Feast of Pentecost.

Now when you analyze all the problems and difficulties concerning the doctrines of the feast days that we keep, you’ll understand that the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost, those three are the ones that have been tinkered with the most, and Satan has tried to change and manipulate and make these days different from what God has commanded.  And the reason he has done that is to come after Christians.  Now it’s interesting that all of the feast days in the fall - Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles, and Last Great Day - no one has tried to do anything to change those.  But changing the date of the spring festivals, Satan is always after to do so that he can take away the blessing that God gives to us.  So it’s very important that we understand about this day.  It’s very important that we realize that God has commanded us to keep it, and to keep it forever.

Let’s come here to Exodus 34 and we will see that God wants us to keep the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Firstfruits, and that we are to bring an offering, as we will see.  Let’s begin here, Exodus 34:18.  “The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep.  Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.  All that openeth the matrix is Mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.  But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if you redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck.  All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem.”  So the firstfruit, the firstborn, and we’ll see a little bit later the first of the firstfruits are all important to God.  Now it says, “And none shall appear before Me empty” (Ex. 34:18-20).  Now, verse 22, “And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering [which is the Feast of Tabernacles ] at the year’s end.”

Now let’s come to Deuteronomy 16 and we’ll see what God commands concerning an offering.  And we always take up an offering on all of the holy days, as God commands us.  Deuteronomy 16:16, and here we find that the three main festival seasons of the year we are commanded to appear before God.  “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which He shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks…”  And that’s the Feast of Pentecost, because as we will see we count seven complete weeks.  “…And in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which He hath given thee” (Deut. 16:16-17).  And so in taking up the offering you are to consider the blessings that God has given you.  Consider the spiritual blessings, consider the physical blessings, consider the Holy Spirit of God being with you, and put all of those things together.

Now we know that in the New Testament it says that “he that sows sparingly will reap sparingly, he that sows bountifully will reap bountifully”, and that applies with almost everything that you set your hand to do.  So at this time we’ll go ahead and pause and we will take up the offering.

(Pause)

Now since we’re here in Deuteronomy 16, let’s come back to verse 9 and let’s see how God commands us to count the Feast of Pentecost, which is also called the Feast of Weeks, because we are to count seven complete weeks.  And then when we come to Leviticus 23 we will see that the Feast of Pentecost is to be on the morrow after the seventh Sabbath.

Now let’s pick it up here in verse 9.  “Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou begin to put the sickle to the corn [or that is, to the grain].  And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place His name there” (Deut. 16:9-11).  Now first of all with this count we are not told when the day is that you begin, and we are not told about the 50^th day.  So therefore this part of counting unto the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost is only partial.  So we need to go to Leviticus 23 to get the full beginning and the ending of it where it gives us the complete understanding of the counting.

Leviticus 23:9, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits…”, which then is the first of the firstfruits.  And that’s an important thing to God concerning everything of the firstfruits harvest.  Now, the firstfruits in counting toward Pentecost is the firstfruits of the grain harvest.  There may be other things that ripen in between the time of the beginning of the grain harvest and all the way down through summer and into fall and the final harvest, and all of those firstfruits are also to be brought to God.  But the grain harvest is a special one because this depicts in the New Testament, as we saw yesterday, that the plan of God is like a harvest.  So let’s continue on here.  “…A sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest” (Lev. 23:9-10).  This is the premiere sheaf and he is to do something with it.

Now, “And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath [now that is the first day of the week during the Days of Unleavened Bread] the priest shall wave it” (vs. 11).  And later we will see that pictures the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the first of the firstfruits.

Here, let’s just come over to Exodus 22:29 and let’s see that God says that we are to be diligent in bringing the first of the firstfruits because that is special to God.  That is the same importance to God as it is with the firstborn, because that is the very first of the creation that God has given.  “Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto Me.  Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it [to] Me.”  And this is where, I think, that from the last Passover of Jesus Christ that they had a lamb eight days old, which was a firstborn male, so that the Passover could be accomplished very quickly because of the events that had to take place that night.

Now let’s come back to Leviticus 23 and let’s then see how this day was conducted then and how we are to count it.  Now verse 14 is a key thing.  “And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.  And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete” (Lev. 23:14-15).  Now, let’s understand something.  This gives us a continuation from Passover, seven days of Unleavened Bread with the wave sheaf offering being the first day of the week during Unleavened Bread.  And it connects them all by counting.  None of the other feasts of God are connected in the same way.  And this is going to be important when we understand some of the fulfillment’s in the New Testament.  So this means that these are all together and there is a finality that occurs on the 50^th day.

Now let’s continue on here.  “…Seven sabbaths shall be complete: even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new [meal] meat offering unto the LORD” (vs. 15-16).  So it is going to be new, and this is going to be different.  And we will see why it is different and the significance of it when we get to the New Testament.

Now the meal offering then is made out of the grain.  “Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loves of two tenth deals [that is a measurement of flour]: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken [baked with] of leaven…” (vs. 17).  Now the only other offerings that there was leaven allowed was in the peace offering.  But this is special. Now notice what it says concerning these loaves.  These are the firstfruits unto the Lord. Now you come back and tie that in with verse 10 where the first of the firstfruits was waved on the morrow after the Sabbath, or the first day of the week during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and then you count forward 50 days.  That’s why seven weeks is not enough.  You have to come to the day after the Sabbath.

Now let’s understand something very clearly.  It begins on the first day of the week and it ends on the first day of the week.  Now, Monday is not the day after the Sabbath.  It’s the second day after the Sabbath.  Now let me just say here, as I did yesterday, that the whole problem concerning a Monday Pentecost  could have been solved clear back in 1952, but unfortunately we had to live with that error.  And so the error caused us a lack of understanding.  A lack of realizing that the Day of Pentecost really in fact is the feast day which pictures the first resurrection.  See, because the Passover pictures the death of Christ.  The first day of Unleavened Bread pictures Christ being put into the tomb, and also pictures that His death applies to our lives to forgive our sins.  At the end of the Sabbath He is resurrected, then He ascends on the first day of the week, and from there being the first of the firstfruits all the rest is connected down to Pentecost.

Now we have this unusual offering of the two loaves, and they are leavened.  They are the firstfruits unto the Lord.  Now we’ll come back to that in just a little bit, especially when we get to the New Testament and we’ll understand why.  But suffice to say that these two loaves, and I think that we’ve always been correct in understanding this, represent those who will be in the first resurrection from the Old Testament and those who will be in the first resurrection from the New Testament.  And the form of these loaves are different.  Now let’s understand something concerning leaven.  Leaven only represents sin during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Here, these leavened loaves represent something very special to God because they are called the firstfruits unto the Lord.  Then he goes ahead and continues and gives all the offerings that they were to offer that day.

Now let’s come here to verse 20.  “And the priest shall wave them…”  They shall be accepted of God.  Now in the same way that the first of the firstfruits was waved and accepted, now we come to the two loaf breads made with leaven, and “…the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.  And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day [that is the 50^th day] that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations” (vs. 20-21).  So there is the counting of the Feast of Pentecost and that’s what Pentecost means.  It means fiftieth.  So the fiftieth day is important for us to understand.

Now let’s see how God applied this to Israel.  Let’s come to Jeremiah 2, and let’s see that Israel was called “firstfruits unto God”.  And then we will see also how, when we come to the New Testament, it applies to the New Testament Church.  Jeremiah 2:3, “Israel was holiness unto the LORD and the firstfruits of His increase…”  Now, we can apply this spiritually.  The Church is spiritual Israel.  Now also notice this, “…all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.”  And then God begins to talk to the children of Israel.  And he says, “Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel: thus saith the LORD, what iniquity have your fathers found in Me, that they are gone far from Me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?”  So then God goes to show and expound upon why was it that they left God?  After all they were the firstfruits, and they were to have the blessing of the firstfruits and also the firstborn.

Now in another place, God calls Ephriam His firstborn, showing that Ephriam would have a prominent position through the plan of God in working out the things on earth and fulfilling the promises given to Abraham.  Ephriam had a very definite powerful part in that.

Now let’s come to the New Testament and let’s look at the example of Jesus Christ.  And let’s understand that God always uses His holy days for a profound purpose.  Now as we’re turning to the Gospel of Luke 4, let’s remind ourselves once again, as I covered yesterday, that the Ten Commandments were given on the Day of Pentecost.  Now here in Luke  4 we find where Pentecost is named as the day of the weeks, which is a very peculiar and interesting thing in the way that it has been written.  Now let’s pick it up here in verse 16. “And He [that is Jesus] came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”  Now this was a special Sabbath day.  This Sabbath day was actually the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of Pentecost.  And there is a special message that was brought.  Just like the Ten Commandments were given on Pentecost, now with Jesus first Pentecost in His ministry He had some very profound things to bring out.  Now notice what He did.

“And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me…” (Luke 4:17-18).  Now let’s stop here and just rehearse a couple of things that are important.  When the Ten Commandments were given, God was on Mt. Sinai and there was the trumpet blowing, and the wind, and the earthquake, and the terrible darkness.  Very profound and important thing happened.  That is reflective of the Spirit of God.  But God did it in such a way that He wanted to impress the children of Israel that He was God and that there was none other.  Now when we come to the New Testament and this part of the ministry of Christ with His very first Pentecost that He keeps, let’s see the message that is given.  It has to do with the Spirit of the Lord, which then is also a prophecy of what was going to happen on the Day of Pentecost when the Church began, as we’ll see a little later in Acts 2.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel…”  And that’s precisely what the apostles did on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given.  So let’s look at the parallels here.  It’s very interesting.  “…Preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to [proclaim] preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”  Now it’s a very interesting thing that He did at this point.  Because it says, “And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down” (vs. 18-20).

Now let’s go back to Isaiah 61 and let’s read it where He read that part from the book of Isaiah.  And He stopped at a very profound place.  And there was a reason for it, because it goes from there from the Feast of Weeks immediately into the time that is designated leading up to the Feast of Trumpets.  Now let’s see, verse 1.  “The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the LORD hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound…”  Now you can liken this also to those who are demon possessed who have been bound by Satan the devil, and so forth.  “To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn…”  Now notice, He stopped right in the middle of a sentence.  The sentence reads, “To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD…”, then He closed up the book and He sat down.  Now, “…and the day of vengeance of our God…”, because as we will see a little bit later, the day of the vengeance of God is expressed in the seven last plagues, and that takes place after the Feast of Pentecost.  But the Feast of Pentecost has to occur first before the day of vengeance takes place.  “…And to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planing of the LORD, that He might be glorified” (Isa. 61:1-3).  Now, this is also then leading in and depicting a type of the resurrection, because to give beauty to ashes.  You are beautified with the glory of God.  And the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  So you can liken that how you will feel when you are resurrected.

Now let’s come back here to Luke 4.  Now remember, this Sabbath day in the Greek is called “the day of the weeks”.  And that can only mean the Feast of Pentecost.  Now verse 20, let’s read it again.  “And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down.  And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.  And He began to say unto them, this day is this scripture [is] fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:20-21).  And that’s why He stopped and left off the vengeance of God.  Because it was not time yet to reveal the vengeance of God.  That’s for a later day, and that’s for our time.

Now, let’s come to John 20 and let’s see the wave sheaf offering day, beginning the count down to Pentecost.  And this is when Jesus was accepted of God the Father.  He ascended to heaven and came back that very day.  His sacrifice was accepted as the first of the firstfruits, the firstborn from the dead, and so forth as we’ll see a little bit later.  But here is the key to show us what occurred on that day.

Let’s begin right here in verse 16, and when He began to talk to Mary Magdalene.  “Jesus said unto her, Mary.  She turned herself, and saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.  Jesus saith unto her, Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God.”  Which also then is a prophecy of the closeness that we are going to be in the family of God and to God the Father and Jesus Christ.  So then, “Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD, and that He had spoken these things unto her.  Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week [now, that’s very late in the day], when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you” (John 20:16-19).  Then He showed them His hands.  He showed them His feet.  And then handled Him and they knew that it was Christ.  Now that shows all of the events that took place on the first day of the count going toward Pentecost.  Well the disciples then were able to see Jesus for 40 days, and the different miracles that He performed in the 40 days, then He ascended on the 40^th day.

But now let’s go to 1 Corinthians 15 and let’s see where Jesus is called the “firstfruits of them that sleep”.  Let’s pick it up here in verse 20.  “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that [sleep] slept.”  So He’s the first of the firstfruits.  Now we are also called firstfruits, which then becomes a very important thing for us to realize and understand as well.

Let’s come here to James 1.  Now I know we’ve covered this before, but it’s very interesting for us to put it all together and realize that the word of God, when it’s put together in a proper way, tells us the whole story, tells us what God is doing and how He is doing it.  Now here, verse 18, “Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures [which really means, of His creation].”  So if you do not have the study that I did on “Salvation Is Creation”, go back and get that and you will see that we are being created in Christ Jesus, you see.

Now let’s come to Colossians 1 and we will see that Jesus is also called the firstborn.  And that has the same status as the first of the firstfruits.  Firstborn from among the dead.  And that is so that we are also going to be in the family of God as we will see.  Someone has to be first, and Christ was.  Now let’s pick it up here in verse 12.  “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us [qualified] meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light…” (Col. 1:12).  Now, God the Father is the One Who qualifies us.  Salvation is a gift of God through His grace, which is a gift of God.  Salvation cannot be earned, however no one will receive salvation if they don’t obey God.  You are not saved in your sins, you are saved from your sins.  You are not justified to sin, you are justified from your sins.  And you cannot earn salvation, but if you don’t obey God you won’t receive it.

Now let’s continue on to show you why.  What does salvation did when it started out in God calling us.  “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us [unto] into the kingdom of His dear Son: in Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature” (vs. 13-15).  Now a lot of people stop right there and say, “See, Jesus was created.  That’s why He was the firstborn.”  No, He was the firstborn of Mary, and He was also the firstborn from among the dead.  And “of every creature” doesn’t refer to everything that God has created.  This means of those who were created by the process of being resurrected from the dead.  Being created in the character of Christ living our lives now, and at the resurrection then the final product is finished.

“…Every creature.  For by Him were all things created…”  So if He’s the firstborn of every creation then He created Himself according to the next statement if that were true.  But that’s not correct.  “[Because He created all things] that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all thing were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (vs. 16).  Now this means He existed before all things were created and all things are upheld and He keeps them going.

Now notice verse 18, “ And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead…”  And that’s the “every creature” that it’s talking about, referring to those who will also be born from the dead at the resurrection.  “…That in all things He might have the preeminence.”  That’s why Christ was resurrected at the end of the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread.  That’s why He was accepted of God the Father on the first day in the count to Pentecost.  Because none of the rest of the creation of those that God is working in, all that He calls and gives His Spirit, will be complete, as we will see, until the resurrection.  And that will take place on Pentecost.

Now let’s continue on and look at some of the other verses here and see the things that we need to understand concerning this.  Now let’s go to the book of Romans.  We will see that we have the firstfruits of the Spirit.  Now let’s come back and see that everything in this world today is waiting for that final Pentecost.  Whether they know it or not, whether they realize it or not, it is waiting for that.  God’s plan is being completed.  God’s plan continues to go.  Right now we have those who are faithful, who are dying in the faith.  And please understand this.  To die in the faith is an absolutely marvelous thing, because you have endured unto the end and nothing but good things wait for you.  And there will be quite a few, I am sure, who will die in the faith.  Now this year all together since about this time last year, we’ve had 10 brethren die in the faith.  And as we’re going to see a little bit later on, Paul says he doesn’t want us to weep and mourn, as those in the world who have no hope.  See, because they died in the faith.  The next moment, the next waking moment that they have they will be changed, they will be resurrected.  And you see, they won’t have to go through what the rest of us may have to go through, as we read some of the scriptures a little later, the events that are going to come on the earth.  They are going to rest in their graves and wait for the call and they will come out of the grave and answer the call and be taken, as we will see, to meet Christ in the air and then be on the sea of glass.

Let’s come here to Romans 8:17.  “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.”  Now it’s going to happen all at once.  Christ the firstfruits, as we read, and then it says after that, “and those that are Christ’s at His coming”.  So God is going to make it happen that it will be all together.  “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:17-18).  So whenever you get discouraged and down, read that verse.  Nothing to be compared to what that is going to be, because God is going to give to us, and add to us things that we cannot even think of, that we cannot even imagine.  So don’t get focused down here on just a little anthill of the difficulties and problems in your own life.  Look up to God, look to Christ.  Read these scriptures and see that even as the apostle Paul said that this is just a life moment.

Let’s go on, because you have a goal.  You have a purpose.  God has a plan for you.  God has use for you.  “For the earnest expectation of the [creation] creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”  See, the world doesn’t know it, and many Christians don’t know it.  The world is waiting for you.  Waiting for Christ.  And so are we.  And waiting for you, all the sons of God.  “For the [creation] creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly…”  Didn’t run up to God and say, “Oh God, make me vain.”  You know, that just happens because we’re human beings.  We’re weak.  God made us incomplete.  That’s why we need the Spirit of God to be completed in our minds and hearts, and we need the resurrection to be completed in our existence.  “…Not willingly, but by reason of Him Who hath subjected the same in hope, because the [creation] creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (vs. 19-21).

Now, at the resurrection, after we come back to the earth with Christ, we are going to start the glorious reign of Jesus Christ.  And it’s going to be the liberty of the children of God.  We are going to teach everyone God’s way, God’s plan, God’s holy days, God’s Sabbath, God’s way of life.  And as we will see when we come to the Day of Atonement, Satan is going to be put away.  I’ll guarantee you one thing, you can never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever get rid of sin until Satan is put away.

Now let’s continue on here.  “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (vs. 22).  I just wonder what it would be like if you had some sort of special microphone that you could suspend in space someplace and it could just in one day go around and pick up all the screams and crying and groaning and moaning and just all the sounds of death that take place because of the vanity of human beings, and sort of play that all at once.  It would be a little overwhelming.  But anyway, that will give you an idea of what the creation is going through.

Verse 23, “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit…”  We have it through the begettal, through the laying on of hands after baptism.  That is the firstfruits of the Spirit.  “…Even we ourselves groan within ourselves…”  Now notice.  “…Waiting for the [sonship] adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”   In other words the final thing that we’re going to receive.

Now hold your place here and come to Ephesians 1, and we will see that what we have is the earnest, the down payment, the beginning.  And God promises, and we will see that we have two immutable things that are a promise from God that we will be in the resurrection.  First one is the Holy Spirit.  Now we have it right here, verse 12.  “That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ.  In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed [not before, but after], ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise [then which is the begettal of the Holy Spirit], which is the earnest of our inheritance…”  That means it’s the down payment.  God has given us that as the down payment toward the final purchased possession.  Now notice, “…until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12-14).

Now let’s go back here to Romans 8 so that we can get our focus in on what God is doing, so that we can realize how this day of Pentecost is going to be so important.  Because it finishes 50 days.  It brings to a conclusion the first part of God’s plan that He has been working out since the creation of the world.  Now think of that.  And you have part in that.  And you have God’s Holy Spirit.  And you have that to look forward to.  I mean brethren, this Day of Pentecost is a great and a marvelous thing for us.

Now let’s continue on here.  Verse 24, “For we are saved by hope [and that is the hope of the resurrection]: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?”  I mean, if you are now a spirit being with glory and honor such as Christ is, why are you waiting to be clothed with that spiritual body?  It would be nonsense, wouldn’t it?  No, but that’s our hope.  That’s what we’re waiting for.  “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our [weaknesses] infirmities…”  That’s what infirmity means, weaknesses, not just our sicknesses.  We look at infirmities as a sickness, but our weaknesses are not sickness, that is a health problem.  “…For we know not what we should pray for as we ought [because we’re weak, that’s why our hearts need to be right in prayer before God]: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings [that is utterances] which cannot be uttered [by us]” (vs. 24-26).  So in other words God is so great with the Spirit that He’s given us that when we pray and we pour our hearts out to God the Holy Spirit in us is making intercession to God the Father, bringing the true intent of our heart, true intent of our prayers.   And all the silly little things that bother us mentally when we’re praying are all filtered out.  You might liken it unto, those of you who are used to electronics, when you have sound you have a filter which filters out all the extraneous noise.  Now you might not have all the filter on the noise here because there’s a little construction work going on behind us, and so because of that in our open air studio you can hear the highway behind us.  So if you hear some cars roaring behind us, just know that that’s not the groaning of the Spirit, it’s just the groaning of cars as they go by.

Now let’s continue on here in Romans 8:27.  “And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit…”  In other words, the Spirit of God is going to communicate back to God what is in your heart, and what is in your mind.  “…Because [it, as it should read] he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.  And we know…”    And keep this in mind. We’ve gone over this verse how many times?  But let’s see the importance of it in the context as we come down to what it’s going to be with Christ Who is the firstborn.  “And we know…”, and this is something you have to always keep in mind.  In the short term it’s difficult.  In the long term when you’ve gone through it and you look back, then you have 100% hindsight, 20/20 vision, and then you know.  But what you have to do is realize it even in the middle of the difficulty, even when it looks like it’s getting darker instead of lighter.  “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:27-28).