Vox Sunday Sermon “Redefining Possible – Lived Theology” – Part 1

Sermon by – Lead Pastor Justin Kendrick – Vox Church

My Personal Sermon Notes …

Part 1: Promise Fulfilled in the Coming of the Holy Spirit to the Early Church
Part 2: The Early Church Was a Prayer-Saturated People
Part 3: The Spirit driven growth of the early church through Miracles
Part 4: Community and Sacrificial Love

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NIV

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^[a] as the Spirit enabled them.⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,^[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Acts 2:1-12 NIV

We Humans Have Shorty Memories

Followers of Jesus tend to forget what God has done in their lives. We forget the lesson learned and the truth observed. It’s why MLK says we must preach the Gospel to ourselves everyday.

Something in our subconscious speaks to the fact that we have forgotten something, we’ve lost something. 

Recognizing the Need/Importance/Purpose of the Spirit

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. John 16:7 NKJV

Jesus states it is to our benefit that he leaves so the Spirit can live with us. How many have truly experienced what it means to live life with the Spirit of God dwelling in them? Given the chance to spend 15 minutes with the person of Jesus or a lifetime with the Holy Spirit, what would many of us choose? And does that make sense?

Old Testament Background

The Tower of Babel

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” Gen 11:4 NIV

The list of nations is listed in Genesis 10 mirrors the list of people in Acts 2. The first time the Gospel was preached it was preached in the tongues “of all the languages” reversing the curse of devision from Genesis 11.

Origins of Pentecost

Originally the day of Pentecost was celebrated as 50 days after the day of Passover. The people of in Israel wandered the wilderness for 50 days until they came to mount Sinai (brought by a guiding fire) to receive the Ten Commandments in the story of Exodus 19.

Pentecost was the feast of weeks where the Jews take the beginning of their harvest to give to God. The law given to the people of Israel by Moses was the “first fruits”.

The Law teaches us we will know what to do but not have the capacity to do it. 

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. Romans 3:20 NIV

At the first Pentecost there was one mediator, and the people kept their distance. In the second Pentecost 120 people went “up the mountain (upper room)” and were purged by the fire. 

This was all a way to show the Jesus was a better Moses to take them out of slavery and into the promise land.

The Law of Moses was not replaced by Jesus, but superseded and fulfilled by Jesus. 

Fulfillment of Prophecy

¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
¹⁷ “‘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.
¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
    and they will prophesy. Acts 2:14-18 NIV

Jeremiah 31:34 says that the people will know the Lord in their hearts, and He shall forgive and forget their Sin.

Importance of Mountains in the Bible

The mountain is the thin place between heaven and earth.

Parallels in the Story of Pentecost to the Dedication of the Temple

In 2 Chronicles 7 Solomon dedicates the Temple to the Lord on the top of Mount Mariah… 120 priests blow their horn in unison as a part of the dedication.

These 120 priests are not in the temple they are outside the temple.

There were 120 believers including the disciples gathered in the upper room waiting in prayer as instructed. In Acts 1:15 This mirrors the number of priests in the dedication ceremony. In the ceremony the priests were outside the Temple God was to dwell in. On the day of Pentecost, the 120 believers BECAME the Temple the Lord (Holy Spirit) was to dwell in.

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV

There are parallels of fire on the day of Pentecost and the Old Testament. In the story of acts a new element of Wind is introduced unlike past stories, and when wind is introduced to fire… it spreads.

My Takeaway

Jesus promised his disciples that when he left the earth, he would not leave them alone. He would send the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of Truth — to guide them and testify to who Jesus is and all he has done.

As Christians, we often fail to realize or forget the incredible power we have access to through the Spirit of God dwelling within us. In the Old Testament, God’s chosen people, the Israelites, experienced God’s presence geographically — it dwelled in the temple they constructed and dedicated. But now, in this age, we are that temple.

The story of Pentecost reveals this profound shift. On the day of Pentecost — essentially a “dedication ceremony” — the presence of God, through the Holy Spirit, rested on and dwelt within believers, making them God’s new holy temple on earth. The Spirit didn’t just visit; it became a permanent tabernacle within us, empowering us to live as carriers of God’s presence to the world.

From a practical standpoint, the problem with most Christians’ understanding of divine proximity isn’t that God is ever far away, separate, or angry. The truth is that God dwells within us — closer than we could ever comprehend.

Because of this reality, we are called to step into a different way of living — a reality where we embody God’s presence on earth. We are called to be a temple where God dwells and acts through us in love toward the world.

The only thing stopping us from stepping into that reality is our ability to understand and believe it. When we truly grasp that God is already present within us, it changes how we live, how we love, and how we reflect His presence to the world.