WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:13.099 I'd like us this morning to turn back to the passage that we read a few minutes ago, to Acts chapter 2. 00:00:13.099 --> 00:00:15.000 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:38.880 There's about 120 in Jerusalem and perhaps a few hundred more in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. 00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:52.120 Today, the number of disciples of Jesus Christ is a vast, uncountable number of people all across the globe. 00:00:52.119 --> 00:01:01.320 And worship today is going on in more languages than we could count. 00:01:02.959 --> 00:01:17.200 How did it get from that situation, just the most a few hundred in Palestine 2,000 years ago, to this vast number today? 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:22.960 Well, the answer is that it has a lot to do with what happened on the day of Pentecost. 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:39.379 Now, Pentecost is a unique event, just as Jesus' death and resurrection and ascension into heaven are unique events in God's plan and purpose in world history. 00:01:39.379 --> 00:01:47.179 And Pentecost is also very closely bound together with Jesus' ascension into heaven. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:57.599 Peter talks about that in verse 33 of Acts chapter 2, which we didn't read, but there he's really explaining what is happening. 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:09.919 And he says that Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of God, and from there he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 00:02:10.299 --> 00:02:16.439 So Jesus has been exalted, and from that place he has poured out the Holy Spirit. 00:02:16.439 --> 00:02:28.500 Also in John chapter 16, that's Jesus' message to his disciples the evening before his suffering, his crucifixion. 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:30.319 And there he says to them, 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:38.180 Unless I go away, the counselor, and the counselor is a name for the Holy Spirit, the counselor will not come to you. 00:02:38.819 --> 00:02:42.500 But if I go, I will send him to you. 00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:55.120 So at the beginning of Acts chapter 2, we read that when the day of Pentecost came, they, that's all the disciples, were all together in one place. 00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:57.759 And the place was probably the temple. 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:03.939 That would be the only place big enough to house the number of people that's spoken about in this chapter. 00:03:05.960 --> 00:03:08.699 And we read of four things happening. 00:03:08.699 --> 00:03:10.339 The first is wind. 00:03:10.519 --> 00:03:11.899 The second is fire. 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:13.879 The third is the spirit. 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:16.799 And the fourth is languages. 00:03:18.139 --> 00:03:19.159 So first of all, wind. 00:03:19.259 --> 00:03:31.319 In verse 2, we read that suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:44.859 The words in both Hebrew and Greek, the two main biblical languages, the words for spirit, is the same as the word for wind or breath. 00:03:44.959 --> 00:03:48.859 So the word for spirit can mean spirit, wind, or breath. 00:03:48.860 --> 00:03:58.320 Jesus, earlier on in John chapter 3, when speaking to Nicodemus, had likened the spirit, the Holy Spirit, to the wind. 00:03:59.220 --> 00:04:02.420 You can't see the wind, but you know it by its effects. 00:04:02.700 --> 00:04:05.060 We see that frequently when we see windmills. 00:04:05.760 --> 00:04:08.240 You can't see the wind, but you see the blades going round. 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:17.360 And, of course, we see the effect of it when we turn on the lights and the fridges going and the oven and everything else that relies on electricity. 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:22.400 We don't see the wind, but we know it by its effects. 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:33.019 And this sound of the wind symbolizes and comes along with the coming of the Holy Spirit. 00:04:34.019 --> 00:04:37.079 And it's not a gentle breeze. 00:04:37.979 --> 00:04:42.479 It's a violent wind that blows from heaven. 00:04:44.179 --> 00:04:49.439 And the promise of the Holy Spirit is closely connected with power. 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:54.160 Jesus, at the end of Luke, tells the disciples, 00:04:54.500 --> 00:04:57.379 I'm going to send you what my Father has promised. 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:05.480 But stay in the city of Jerusalem until you have been clothed with power from on high. 00:05:06.300 --> 00:05:09.620 And at the beginning of Acts, Jesus says to them, again to the disciples, 00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:15.000 you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:22.480 Now, the Holy Spirit of God has been active since the beginning of creation. 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:23.959 We read that throughout the Old Testament. 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:28.420 Right at the beginning, the Holy Spirit is there at creation, 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:34.399 hovering or brooding over the surface of the waters. 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:40.459 And throughout the Old Testament, when we read of prophets and leaders being sent, 00:05:40.459 --> 00:05:45.060 so often we read of God's Spirit enabling and empowering them. 00:05:46.699 --> 00:05:54.359 But now, at Pentecost, the Spirit comes with a new and unprecedented power. 00:05:55.039 --> 00:05:59.919 And it's not just on a few select individuals who are special, but on all of God's people. 00:06:00.019 --> 00:06:04.620 That's what Peter says, quoting from Joel's prophecy, 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:09.579 that in the last days, God will pour out His Spirit on all the people. 00:06:10.899 --> 00:06:14.620 And that is what is happening here at Pentecost. 00:06:15.220 --> 00:06:16.259 So that's the first thing, wind. 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:18.100 The second is fire. 00:06:19.699 --> 00:06:24.280 In verse 3, they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire 00:06:24.280 --> 00:06:29.019 that separated and came to rest on each of them. 00:06:29.019 --> 00:06:36.359 I mentioned just briefly, when we were introducing the reading, 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:43.399 that Pentecost came to be viewed and celebrated 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:48.240 as the annual celebration of the giving of the law 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:51.639 to the Israelites, to Moses at Sinai. 00:06:52.579 --> 00:06:53.959 And when that took place, 00:06:53.959 --> 00:07:01.859 we read in Exodus chapter 19 that Mount Sinai was covered with smoke 00:07:01.859 --> 00:07:06.180 because the Lord descended on it in fire. 00:07:07.319 --> 00:07:09.620 And here, again, we have the Lord descending, 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:14.879 not on the mountain, but on His people in fire. 00:07:15.060 --> 00:07:16.979 The Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is God, 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:18.620 is the Lord, is Yahweh, 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:22.359 and He descends on the disciples in fire. 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:25.560 This is an appearance of God. 00:07:27.379 --> 00:07:30.759 Also, John the Baptist had said to people, 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:33.660 he said that he was not the Messiah, 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:35.520 but he says, I baptize you with water. 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:36.900 This is in Luke 3. 00:07:37.520 --> 00:07:39.000 I baptize you with water, 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:42.600 but one who is more powerful than I will come, 00:07:43.340 --> 00:07:46.920 the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. 00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:53.000 He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 00:07:55.060 --> 00:08:00.580 And so, what John had predicted is now taking place. 00:08:02.300 --> 00:08:09.939 The third thing that happens is that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit in verse 4. 00:08:09.939 --> 00:08:14.100 Now, there's different terms that are used here. 00:08:14.819 --> 00:08:16.899 In this verse, it's that they were all filled, 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:18.980 or filled up with the Spirit. 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:25.360 John the Baptist had spoken of Jesus, 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:26.379 the one coming after him, 00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:30.240 baptizing people with the Holy Spirit. 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:34.840 And Peter, when he quotes from Joel's prophecy a bit later on, 00:08:35.180 --> 00:08:37.360 he speaks of the Spirit being poured out. 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:41.539 So, these are all different terms for the same thing happening. 00:08:42.060 --> 00:08:44.200 The Spirit, they're filled with the Spirit, 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:45.500 they're baptized with the Spirit, 00:08:45.620 --> 00:08:49.039 the Spirit is poured out on the disciples. 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:54.719 Now, the terminology of being filled with the Spirit is also used later on, 00:08:55.480 --> 00:09:02.299 particularly when the disciples have to speak up about their faith in Christ, 00:09:02.379 --> 00:09:07.139 what they have witnessed in the events of Jesus' death and resurrection. 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:11.519 But these other terms of being baptized with the Spirit, 00:09:11.599 --> 00:09:12.939 the Spirit being poured out, 00:09:13.719 --> 00:09:16.199 are only used of this one-off experience. 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:21.360 And we see here that they're all filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:09:21.480 --> 00:09:22.700 It's not that some are filled and not others. 00:09:22.820 --> 00:09:26.920 All of them, all the disciples, are filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:31.280 Now, you might wonder, how does that relate to us today? 00:09:32.740 --> 00:09:36.200 Well, all those who believe in Christ, 00:09:36.280 --> 00:09:38.120 all believers in Christ, 00:09:38.860 --> 00:09:41.520 receive the Spirit, they're filled with the Spirit, 00:09:41.620 --> 00:09:44.120 when they come to faith, when we come to faith. 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:48.480 At the end of this sort of event on Pentecost, 00:09:48.980 --> 00:09:52.419 in verse 38, Peter says to the crowd that gathered there, 00:09:52.860 --> 00:09:57.399 repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah, 00:09:57.879 --> 00:09:59.560 so that your sins may be forgiven, 00:09:59.960 --> 00:10:03.279 and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:10:04.279 --> 00:10:06.200 So basically, all who repent of their sins, 00:10:06.299 --> 00:10:09.460 all who come to faith in Jesus Christ, 00:10:09.580 --> 00:10:11.759 receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:17.679 Paul writes to the church in Corinth and says that, 00:10:17.819 --> 00:10:20.539 we were all baptized with one Spirit, 00:10:21.179 --> 00:10:22.399 so as to form one body, 00:10:22.580 --> 00:10:24.539 whether Jews, Gentiles, slave or free, 00:10:24.980 --> 00:10:27.340 and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:31.840 Abraham Kuyper, who was a Dutch theologian, 00:10:32.279 --> 00:10:34.039 around the turn of the 20th century, 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:35.639 used an illustration, 00:10:35.959 --> 00:10:38.039 which I guess was really apt for his own time, 00:10:38.179 --> 00:10:41.219 because places were coming onto, 00:10:41.419 --> 00:10:44.779 you know, electricity was being spread, 00:10:44.959 --> 00:10:46.860 and places were coming onto the grid, 00:10:47.259 --> 00:10:49.699 and he used the illustration of a whole city 00:10:49.699 --> 00:10:53.559 being put on the grid, the electricity grid, 00:10:53.740 --> 00:10:56.019 so power is given to the whole city, 00:10:56.019 --> 00:10:58.779 so that's like Pentecost. 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:02.299 But then, in sort of subsequent days, weeks, months, 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:04.100 outlying villages, 00:11:04.519 --> 00:11:06.720 and even individual houses 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:09.539 are linked up to the electricity grid, 00:11:10.059 --> 00:11:13.600 and that is like what happens when we today come to faith. 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:14.639 If you as an individual, 00:11:15.059 --> 00:11:16.799 when you put your trust in Jesus Christ, 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:19.659 it's like you're linked up to the grid. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:21.899 You receive the power of the Holy Spirit, 00:11:22.299 --> 00:11:23.960 the Holy Spirit works in your life, 00:11:23.960 --> 00:11:26.519 you are filled with the Spirit, 00:11:26.519 --> 00:11:29.360 when you come to faith in Jesus Christ. 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:34.320 And then the fourth thing that happens is languages. 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:35.860 In verse four, 00:11:35.940 --> 00:11:39.420 that they began to speak in other tongues or languages 00:11:39.420 --> 00:11:42.300 as the Spirit enabled them. 00:11:43.940 --> 00:11:47.040 So this is a miracle of speaking. 00:11:47.540 --> 00:11:49.000 It's not a miracle of hearing, 00:11:49.100 --> 00:11:50.060 it's a miracle of speaking. 00:11:50.060 --> 00:11:53.540 They actually spoke in many different languages. 00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:57.200 It was a sudden, miraculous ability to speak in languages 00:11:57.200 --> 00:11:59.960 that they had never previously learned. 00:12:01.860 --> 00:12:03.700 These are human languages, 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:07.639 languages spoken by different ethnic groups, 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:09.480 and it's the Spirit, 00:12:09.580 --> 00:12:10.240 the Holy Spirit, 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:12.540 that enables them to do this. 00:12:13.740 --> 00:12:17.540 Now, the following verses sort of explain this a bit more. 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:18.940 In verse five, it says that 00:12:18.940 --> 00:12:21.280 there were staying in Jerusalem, 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:24.860 God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 00:12:25.580 --> 00:12:27.460 And they were there for the festival, 00:12:27.680 --> 00:12:29.040 the Feast of Pentecost. 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:35.440 Many Jews who were sort of scattered around the world 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:37.520 would retire to Jerusalem 00:12:37.520 --> 00:12:39.320 to live out the rest of their days there 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:40.740 in the Holy City. 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:44.240 And also, people went on pilgrimage. 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:45.320 People went as pilgrimage, 00:12:45.580 --> 00:12:47.039 particularly at festival time, 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:49.039 to Jerusalem. 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:51.779 And in verse six, we read that 00:12:51.779 --> 00:12:53.080 when they heard this sound, 00:12:53.259 --> 00:12:55.440 a crowd came together in bewilderment, 00:12:55.960 --> 00:12:57.480 because each one heard 00:12:57.480 --> 00:13:00.019 their own language being spoken. 00:13:01.460 --> 00:13:03.899 So these people who had come to Jerusalem, 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:06.120 they would speak the language 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:08.019 of the place they had grown up in. 00:13:08.019 --> 00:13:11.539 Probably many of them didn't have much Aramaic, 00:13:11.620 --> 00:13:15.000 which was the local language in Jerusalem. 00:13:16.939 --> 00:13:18.299 Then in verse seven, we read that 00:13:18.299 --> 00:13:20.279 utterly amazed, they asked, 00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:24.019 aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:27.240 Then how is it that each of us hears them 00:13:27.240 --> 00:13:30.079 in our own native language? 00:13:31.939 --> 00:13:36.000 Galilee was not known as a place of learning. 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:39.059 It had a reputation for kind of being out 00:13:39.059 --> 00:13:42.100 in the sticks, being a rural backwater. 00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:45.480 There was no way that these Galileans, 00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:46.259 of all people, 00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:49.840 could know all these different languages, 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:52.259 some of which came from very far away. 00:13:53.860 --> 00:13:56.220 In fact, we've got a slide with a map. 00:13:58.279 --> 00:13:59.500 Can we have the next slide? 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:04.259 Yeah, I don't know how clearly you can see that, 00:14:04.360 --> 00:14:09.500 but it's got the names of the different places 00:14:09.500 --> 00:14:11.659 just scattered around the Mediterranean 00:14:11.659 --> 00:14:12.840 and the Middle East. 00:14:13.580 --> 00:14:16.779 So, and Luke lists them in verse nine. 00:14:16.940 --> 00:14:18.799 Pardians, Medes, Elamites, 00:14:19.500 --> 00:14:21.440 residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, 00:14:21.940 --> 00:14:24.340 and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:26.480 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:29.000 parts of Libya near Cyrene, 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:30.420 visitors from Rome, 00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:33.039 both Jews and converts to Judaism, 00:14:33.980 --> 00:14:36.379 Cretans and Arabs. 00:14:36.680 --> 00:14:38.600 We hear them declaring the wonders of God 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:40.139 in our own languages. 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:44.860 Now, for those of us, 00:14:44.980 --> 00:14:46.139 probably the majority here, 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:47.700 whose first language is English, 00:14:48.659 --> 00:14:51.019 it's probably hard for us just to imagine 00:14:51.019 --> 00:14:52.259 how amazing this was 00:14:52.259 --> 00:14:55.379 because almost everywhere you can go in the world, 00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:57.319 you will find some people at least 00:14:57.319 --> 00:15:00.240 who will know at least a bit of English. 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:04.819 But imagine a Gaelic speaker 00:15:04.819 --> 00:15:07.720 traveling to Pyongyang, 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:09.720 the capital of North Korea. 00:15:10.580 --> 00:15:12.679 And there they encounter 00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:16.000 a rural North Korean peasant farmer 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:18.120 getting up in the public square 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:21.019 and addressing them in perfect Gaelic. 00:15:22.100 --> 00:15:24.720 And there you get a bit closer 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:25.799 to what's happening here. 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:27.639 But it's not just one language, 00:15:27.799 --> 00:15:29.240 it's in loads of different languages 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:31.259 that people hear, 00:15:31.379 --> 00:15:32.840 the apostles, the disciples, 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:33.720 speaking to them 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:35.259 the wonders of God 00:15:35.259 --> 00:15:37.039 in those languages. 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:44.480 So, Peter goes on to 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:46.419 relate these events 00:15:46.419 --> 00:15:48.299 to Joel's prophecy 00:15:48.299 --> 00:15:51.219 of the last days 00:15:51.219 --> 00:15:52.419 when God would pour out 00:15:52.419 --> 00:15:55.120 his spirit on all people. 00:15:56.439 --> 00:15:57.299 But there's another 00:15:57.299 --> 00:15:59.240 Old Testament passage 00:15:59.240 --> 00:16:01.620 which is not referenced explicitly, 00:16:01.799 --> 00:16:03.259 but I think is in the background here. 00:16:04.019 --> 00:16:05.639 And I think Luke hints at it. 00:16:05.639 --> 00:16:08.980 That's Genesis chapters 10 and 11. 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:12.980 The list of different nations 00:16:12.980 --> 00:16:14.899 in verses 9 to 11. 00:16:16.259 --> 00:16:18.759 Maybe Luke is kind of echoing 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:20.039 the list of nations 00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:22.120 that is given in Genesis chapter 10. 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:24.299 After the flood at the time of Noah, 00:16:25.019 --> 00:16:28.439 it just recounts how different nations 00:16:28.439 --> 00:16:30.240 emerged from Noah's descendants 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:33.379 and spread out across the globe. 00:16:33.379 --> 00:16:38.039 And then in Genesis chapter 11, 00:16:38.539 --> 00:16:40.899 we read of the Tower of Babel. 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:42.200 Let me just read that to you. 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:45.000 This is Genesis 11 from verse 1. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:48.240 Now the whole world had one language 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:49.379 and a common speech. 00:16:50.340 --> 00:16:51.439 As people moved eastward, 00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:53.340 they found a plain in Shinar 00:16:53.340 --> 00:16:55.879 and settled there. 00:16:56.740 --> 00:16:58.080 They said to each other, 00:16:58.440 --> 00:16:59.679 come, let's make bricks 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:00.679 and bake them thoroughly. 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:02.679 They used brick instead of stone 00:17:02.679 --> 00:17:03.759 and bitumen for mortar. 00:17:04.859 --> 00:17:05.339 And they said, 00:17:05.879 --> 00:17:07.279 come, let us build ourselves a city 00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:09.039 with a tower that reaches to the heavens 00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:11.659 so that we may make a name for ourselves. 00:17:12.299 --> 00:17:13.659 Otherwise, we will be scattered 00:17:13.659 --> 00:17:15.240 over the face of the whole earth. 00:17:16.779 --> 00:17:19.119 But the Lord came down to see the city 00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:21.240 and the tower the people were building. 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:22.980 The Lord said, 00:17:23.339 --> 00:17:25.579 if as one people speaking the same language, 00:17:25.919 --> 00:17:27.200 they have begun to do this, 00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:29.079 then nothing they plan to do 00:17:29.079 --> 00:17:30.639 will be impossible for them. 00:17:31.839 --> 00:17:32.919 Come, let us go down 00:17:32.919 --> 00:17:34.279 and confuse their language 00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:35.899 so they will not be, 00:17:36.639 --> 00:17:38.279 so they will not understand each other. 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:41.019 So the Lord scattered them 00:17:41.019 --> 00:17:42.960 from there over all the earth 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:44.960 and they stopped building the city. 00:17:45.679 --> 00:17:47.500 That is why it was called Babel 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:49.079 because there the Lord confused 00:17:49.659 --> 00:17:51.899 the language of the whole world. 00:17:52.819 --> 00:17:54.559 From there, the Lord scattered them 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:57.879 over the face of the whole earth. 00:17:59.740 --> 00:18:00.519 So at Babel, 00:18:01.179 --> 00:18:03.240 there was a communication breakdown 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:06.919 in judgment on the arrogant plans 00:18:06.919 --> 00:18:07.859 of that society. 00:18:09.419 --> 00:18:10.019 Pentecost 00:18:10.019 --> 00:18:13.599 is a communication breakthrough. 00:18:15.399 --> 00:18:17.779 Immediately following that account 00:18:17.779 --> 00:18:20.000 of Babel in Genesis 11, 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:22.740 we have another genealogy. 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:24.519 And from all those different nations, 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:26.359 God selects one man, 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:27.440 Abram, 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:28.559 out of them all. 00:18:30.220 --> 00:18:32.420 And God promises that through Abram, 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:36.220 all the families of the earth 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:37.319 would be blessed. 00:18:37.400 --> 00:18:39.259 That's in Genesis 12, verse 3. 00:18:40.740 --> 00:18:42.559 That all peoples on earth 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:44.799 will be blessed through you. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:46.539 And now, 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:47.919 at Pentecost, 00:18:48.019 --> 00:18:49.460 God had begun to fulfill 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:50.879 that promise 00:18:50.879 --> 00:18:51.700 through the death 00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:52.879 and resurrection 00:18:52.879 --> 00:18:54.720 and ascension of Jesus into heaven. 00:18:55.399 --> 00:18:56.139 Through those events, 00:18:56.359 --> 00:18:56.819 salvation 00:18:56.819 --> 00:18:58.519 for the world 00:18:58.519 --> 00:19:00.799 is achieved, 00:19:01.639 --> 00:19:02.379 is realized. 00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:04.440 And now, 00:19:04.879 --> 00:19:06.440 God sends the Holy Spirit 00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:08.220 to give power 00:19:08.220 --> 00:19:10.019 to the disciples 00:19:10.019 --> 00:19:11.779 to witness about Jesus 00:19:11.779 --> 00:19:13.299 to the ends 00:19:13.299 --> 00:19:14.899 of the earth 00:19:14.899 --> 00:19:15.599 in fulfillment 00:19:15.599 --> 00:19:16.399 of that promise 00:19:16.399 --> 00:19:16.859 to Abram 00:19:16.859 --> 00:19:18.180 that all peoples on earth 00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:19.759 would be blessed 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:21.480 through him, 00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:22.259 through his offspring. 00:19:23.980 --> 00:19:24.920 And the sign 00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:25.619 that God gives, 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:26.579 along with the sending 00:19:26.579 --> 00:19:27.500 of the Holy Spirit, 00:19:28.779 --> 00:19:29.500 is that now 00:19:29.500 --> 00:19:31.759 God is breaking through 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:32.500 those barriers 00:19:32.500 --> 00:19:33.359 set up at Babel 00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:33.819 in judgment 00:19:33.819 --> 00:19:35.079 on the godless pride 00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:35.579 and arrogance 00:19:35.579 --> 00:19:36.399 of that society. 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:38.440 God's word, 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:39.059 his message, 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:39.779 the good news 00:19:39.779 --> 00:19:40.639 of Jesus Christ 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:41.720 is not just 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:42.500 for one people 00:19:42.500 --> 00:19:43.580 or nation 00:19:43.580 --> 00:19:44.860 or language, 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:45.759 but for all. 00:19:47.800 --> 00:19:48.100 Now, 00:19:48.420 --> 00:19:49.440 all the people there 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:50.060 at Pentecost 00:19:50.060 --> 00:19:51.200 were Jews, 00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:52.200 either by birth 00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:53.380 or by conversion 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:54.080 to Judaism. 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:56.500 The gospel impacting 00:19:56.500 --> 00:19:57.860 non-Jewish nations 00:19:57.860 --> 00:19:58.680 comes later 00:19:58.680 --> 00:20:00.060 in Acts. 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:02.560 But this event 00:20:02.560 --> 00:20:04.180 anticipates 00:20:04.180 --> 00:20:04.640 and signposts 00:20:05.460 --> 00:20:06.740 the good news 00:20:06.740 --> 00:20:07.700 of Jesus Christ 00:20:07.700 --> 00:20:09.780 going to every nation 00:20:09.779 --> 00:20:10.759 and tribe 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:11.980 and especially 00:20:11.980 --> 00:20:13.279 language 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:15.980 because the good news 00:20:15.980 --> 00:20:16.799 of Jesus Christ 00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:19.000 is for everyone. 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:21.619 now, 00:20:21.859 --> 00:20:22.779 in the past, 00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:24.619 I myself have preached 00:20:24.619 --> 00:20:25.480 on Pentecost 00:20:25.480 --> 00:20:27.180 being a reversal 00:20:27.180 --> 00:20:28.480 of Babel. 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:30.579 But that's not 00:20:30.579 --> 00:20:31.200 quite right. 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:32.920 If it were, 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:33.480 the apostles 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:35.019 would have maybe 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:36.019 declared the praises 00:20:36.019 --> 00:20:36.440 of God 00:20:36.440 --> 00:20:37.599 in their own language, 00:20:37.660 --> 00:20:38.279 in Aramaic, 00:20:38.700 --> 00:20:39.640 and everyone would have 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:40.920 miraculously understood them. 00:20:41.640 --> 00:20:42.579 But that's not 00:20:42.579 --> 00:20:43.539 what happens here. 00:20:45.019 --> 00:20:45.519 Instead, 00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:46.019 the Spirit 00:20:46.019 --> 00:20:47.240 enables the disciples 00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:48.660 to speak 00:20:48.660 --> 00:20:49.920 in the numerous 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:50.380 languages 00:20:50.380 --> 00:20:52.259 that were understood 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:53.359 and represented there 00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:54.339 in Jerusalem 00:20:54.339 --> 00:20:55.019 at the feast. 00:20:56.579 --> 00:20:57.559 God does not 00:20:57.559 --> 00:20:58.160 abolish 00:20:58.160 --> 00:20:59.059 the different languages. 00:20:59.940 --> 00:21:00.240 Rather, 00:21:00.359 --> 00:21:01.339 He communicates 00:21:01.339 --> 00:21:03.740 in those languages. 00:21:05.380 --> 00:21:06.240 And that's really 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:07.160 important for us 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:07.559 today. 00:21:08.700 --> 00:21:09.279 There are 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:10.180 many different 00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:10.960 religious traditions 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:13.579 that claim 00:21:13.579 --> 00:21:14.599 that one particular 00:21:14.599 --> 00:21:15.240 language is 00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:16.420 the sacred language, 00:21:16.500 --> 00:21:17.359 the holy language. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:18.599 It might be Arabic 00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:19.400 or Sanskrit 00:21:19.400 --> 00:21:21.099 or Pali 00:21:21.099 --> 00:21:22.980 or Latin 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:24.259 or Syriac 00:21:24.259 --> 00:21:25.220 or some other language 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:26.279 that people say 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:27.019 that is the language 00:21:27.019 --> 00:21:27.799 that God speaks. 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:28.940 That's the sacred language, 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:29.880 the holy language. 00:21:31.339 --> 00:21:32.420 But according to the Bible, 00:21:32.660 --> 00:21:34.680 there is no one language 00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:36.140 that God communicates in. 00:21:36.940 --> 00:21:37.740 God speaks 00:21:37.740 --> 00:21:40.019 in every language. 00:21:40.019 --> 00:21:40.299 language. 00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:42.879 Just think about that 00:21:42.879 --> 00:21:43.240 for a minute. 00:21:43.900 --> 00:21:45.259 This service 00:21:45.259 --> 00:21:45.660 today 00:21:45.660 --> 00:21:46.339 is 00:21:46.339 --> 00:21:47.460 in English, 00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:48.799 the English language. 00:21:49.819 --> 00:21:51.160 And for most of us here, 00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:51.680 that's 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:52.119 our 00:21:52.119 --> 00:21:52.980 mother tongue. 00:21:53.980 --> 00:21:54.480 We hear 00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:55.279 the word of God 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:55.680 read 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:57.079 and preached 00:21:57.079 --> 00:21:58.680 in English. 00:21:59.180 --> 00:22:00.200 And we respond 00:22:00.200 --> 00:22:01.200 in praise to God 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:01.680 in singing 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:02.319 and praying 00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:04.400 in English, 00:22:05.059 --> 00:22:05.440 a language 00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:06.440 that didn't exist 00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:07.400 at the time 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:08.019 of Pentecost 00:22:08.019 --> 00:22:09.639 and whose roots 00:22:09.639 --> 00:22:10.539 lie in languages 00:22:10.539 --> 00:22:11.079 spoken 00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:12.900 at the furthest 00:22:12.900 --> 00:22:13.799 corners of the earth 00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:14.519 from the perspective 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:15.740 of Jerusalem. 00:22:17.180 --> 00:22:18.139 But the fact 00:22:18.139 --> 00:22:19.019 that we don't even 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:20.400 think about that 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:21.079 most of the time 00:22:21.079 --> 00:22:23.000 is really significant. 00:22:23.660 --> 00:22:24.740 It's just so 00:22:24.740 --> 00:22:25.759 normal, 00:22:25.879 --> 00:22:26.579 so natural 00:22:26.579 --> 00:22:27.720 to us 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:29.500 because the gospel 00:22:29.500 --> 00:22:30.599 has made itself 00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:31.099 at home 00:22:31.099 --> 00:22:33.200 in the English language. 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:34.220 And that's, 00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:34.639 of course, 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:35.259 just as true 00:22:35.259 --> 00:22:36.559 for those of you 00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:37.240 who speak in 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:39.400 other languages, 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:40.099 the other languages 00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:40.900 some of which 00:22:40.900 --> 00:22:41.980 we read 00:22:41.980 --> 00:22:42.920 from earlier. 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:46.120 And 00:22:46.120 --> 00:22:47.120 the fact 00:22:47.120 --> 00:22:47.980 that we don't 00:22:47.980 --> 00:22:48.700 even think about 00:22:48.700 --> 00:22:49.339 this most of the time 00:22:49.339 --> 00:22:50.240 is really significant. 00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:51.859 It's the work 00:22:51.859 --> 00:22:53.539 of the Holy Spirit, 00:22:54.140 --> 00:22:54.640 the Spirit 00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:55.279 of Christ, 00:22:56.140 --> 00:22:56.660 the Spirit 00:22:56.660 --> 00:22:58.380 of Pentecost, 00:22:58.500 --> 00:22:59.000 the Spirit 00:22:59.000 --> 00:22:59.700 of 00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:00.700 mission. 00:23:02.279 --> 00:23:03.019 That work 00:23:03.019 --> 00:23:03.700 that was begun 00:23:03.700 --> 00:23:04.779 here on the day 00:23:04.779 --> 00:23:05.559 of Pentecost 00:23:05.559 --> 00:23:07.279 and is 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:09.399 manifested 00:23:09.399 --> 00:23:10.259 by this 00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:11.680 miracle of languages. 00:23:12.859 --> 00:23:13.420 And we should 00:23:13.420 --> 00:23:14.180 give thanks for that, 00:23:14.299 --> 00:23:15.039 give thanks that we 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:16.440 can approach God 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:17.700 in our own language, 00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:18.680 in our own mother tongue. 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:21.059 It also 00:23:21.059 --> 00:23:22.259 tells us that 00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:22.879 the work of 00:23:22.879 --> 00:23:24.200 Bible translation 00:23:24.200 --> 00:23:25.240 is so important 00:23:25.240 --> 00:23:26.740 and so in tune 00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:27.339 with what is 00:23:27.339 --> 00:23:27.920 happening here, 00:23:28.460 --> 00:23:29.240 the work of the Spirit 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:30.039 at Pentecost, 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:31.519 so that everyone 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:32.579 may read and hear 00:23:32.579 --> 00:23:33.419 the Word of God 00:23:33.419 --> 00:23:34.539 in their own 00:23:34.539 --> 00:23:35.199 language, 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:35.679 in their own 00:23:35.679 --> 00:23:36.259 mother tongue. 00:23:37.399 --> 00:23:38.379 And hear the voice 00:23:38.379 --> 00:23:38.899 of God 00:23:38.899 --> 00:23:39.960 in their own 00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:40.500 language. 00:23:42.039 --> 00:23:43.159 500 years ago 00:23:43.159 --> 00:23:44.059 this month, 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:45.480 the New Testament 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:47.339 was first published 00:23:47.339 --> 00:23:49.019 in modern English. 00:23:51.019 --> 00:23:51.859 William Tyndale, 00:23:52.059 --> 00:23:52.679 the man who 00:23:52.679 --> 00:23:54.279 translated it, 00:23:54.519 --> 00:23:55.000 labored hard 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:55.639 on that task 00:23:55.639 --> 00:23:56.279 and he had, 00:23:56.619 --> 00:23:57.460 he suffered exile, 00:23:57.519 --> 00:23:58.259 he was exiled 00:23:58.259 --> 00:24:00.359 and in the end 00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:01.279 suffered martyrdom 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:03.579 for his efforts. 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:05.859 And yet what he achieved 00:24:05.859 --> 00:24:06.819 had just 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:08.359 enormous effect 00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:09.879 on the English 00:24:09.879 --> 00:24:11.000 speaking world. 00:24:11.299 --> 00:24:11.740 And indeed 00:24:11.740 --> 00:24:12.579 that influence 00:24:12.579 --> 00:24:13.480 is still here today. 00:24:14.019 --> 00:24:14.799 Even in modern 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:16.000 translations 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:16.779 his influence 00:24:16.779 --> 00:24:17.259 is there 00:24:17.259 --> 00:24:17.720 and indeed 00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:19.799 in English language 00:24:19.799 --> 00:24:21.099 he has left 00:24:21.099 --> 00:24:21.720 his mark. 00:24:22.779 --> 00:24:23.799 And we should 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:24.720 give thanks for that, 00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:27.200 that God 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:28.380 used him 00:24:28.380 --> 00:24:29.420 to translate 00:24:29.420 --> 00:24:30.440 the Bible 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:31.400 into our own 00:24:31.400 --> 00:24:32.000 language. 00:24:33.140 --> 00:24:33.579 And of course 00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:34.220 it's not just English, 00:24:34.339 --> 00:24:35.500 it's in countless 00:24:35.500 --> 00:24:36.480 other languages too. 00:24:36.660 --> 00:24:37.460 Just last October 00:24:37.460 --> 00:24:38.960 I was at a conference 00:24:38.960 --> 00:24:39.539 in Pakistan 00:24:39.539 --> 00:24:40.180 and I met 00:24:40.180 --> 00:24:40.839 a man there, 00:24:40.980 --> 00:24:41.700 he wasn't a Christian, 00:24:41.819 --> 00:24:43.039 he was a 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:44.259 Shia Muslim 00:24:44.259 --> 00:24:45.380 cleric 00:24:45.380 --> 00:24:47.319 from the far 00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:48.220 north of Pakistan, 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:49.259 a place called 00:24:49.259 --> 00:24:49.900 Baltistan. 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:51.339 The language 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:51.980 there is 00:24:51.980 --> 00:24:52.420 Balty. 00:24:53.360 --> 00:24:54.339 And he said, 00:24:54.339 --> 00:24:55.159 oh I've got a friend 00:24:55.159 --> 00:24:56.500 who's been involved 00:24:56.500 --> 00:24:57.500 in translating 00:24:57.500 --> 00:24:59.779 the gospel 00:24:59.779 --> 00:25:02.259 into my language, 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:02.919 into Balti. 00:25:03.539 --> 00:25:04.199 And he tried 00:25:04.199 --> 00:25:04.500 to get him 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:04.879 on the phone 00:25:04.879 --> 00:25:05.679 to speak to me 00:25:05.679 --> 00:25:07.199 but that call 00:25:07.199 --> 00:25:07.519 failed. 00:25:07.779 --> 00:25:08.779 But it's just 00:25:08.779 --> 00:25:09.359 amazing just 00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:10.299 to hear of that. 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:11.240 They're in 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:11.939 northern Pakistan 00:25:11.939 --> 00:25:12.659 in this language 00:25:12.659 --> 00:25:13.299 receiving 00:25:13.299 --> 00:25:14.919 the New Testament 00:25:14.919 --> 00:25:16.819 in their own 00:25:16.819 --> 00:25:17.459 language. 00:25:17.819 --> 00:25:18.159 And of course 00:25:18.159 --> 00:25:18.779 that's repeated 00:25:18.779 --> 00:25:19.559 again and again 00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:21.459 all across 00:25:21.459 --> 00:25:22.179 the globe. 00:25:22.180 --> 00:25:22.240 hope. 00:25:24.519 --> 00:25:25.340 I've been in 00:25:25.340 --> 00:25:26.120 prayer meetings 00:25:26.120 --> 00:25:27.960 where people 00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:28.380 have just been 00:25:28.380 --> 00:25:29.340 told, you know, 00:25:29.380 --> 00:25:29.960 pray in your own 00:25:29.960 --> 00:25:30.380 language. 00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:30.940 And there's been 00:25:30.940 --> 00:25:32.299 people from 00:25:32.299 --> 00:25:33.160 speaking Persian, 00:25:33.980 --> 00:25:34.440 Dari, 00:25:35.400 --> 00:25:35.880 Sarani, 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:36.980 and other languages 00:25:36.980 --> 00:25:38.080 praying in those 00:25:38.080 --> 00:25:38.820 languages in that 00:25:38.820 --> 00:25:39.060 meeting, 00:25:39.180 --> 00:25:39.640 praying in their 00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:40.360 own mother tongue. 00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:45.159 And I think 00:25:45.159 --> 00:25:46.059 Pentecost tells us 00:25:46.059 --> 00:25:46.639 that Christian 00:25:46.639 --> 00:25:48.459 mission that is 00:25:48.459 --> 00:25:49.219 in step with 00:25:49.219 --> 00:25:50.039 the Holy Spirit 00:25:50.039 --> 00:25:51.779 is in no way 00:25:51.779 --> 00:25:53.219 imperialistic. 00:25:53.939 --> 00:25:55.539 That true 00:25:55.539 --> 00:25:56.459 biblical faith 00:25:56.459 --> 00:25:57.000 is not an 00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:58.199 imperialistic faith. 00:25:58.879 --> 00:25:59.399 It doesn't seek 00:25:59.399 --> 00:26:01.259 to impose on 00:26:01.259 --> 00:26:01.919 listeners, 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:02.679 on new people, 00:26:03.179 --> 00:26:03.939 a language and 00:26:03.939 --> 00:26:05.319 a culture from 00:26:05.319 --> 00:26:05.939 outside. 00:26:06.819 --> 00:26:07.579 But the gospel 00:26:07.579 --> 00:26:08.479 makes itself at 00:26:08.479 --> 00:26:09.699 home in every 00:26:09.700 --> 00:26:10.799 language and 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:11.380 culture that it 00:26:11.380 --> 00:26:11.840 goes to. 00:26:12.779 --> 00:26:13.779 Now, sadly, 00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:14.460 sometimes the 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:16.220 church has not 00:26:16.220 --> 00:26:17.500 been or was in 00:26:17.500 --> 00:26:18.140 step with the 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:18.940 Holy Spirit in 00:26:18.940 --> 00:26:19.779 that. 00:26:20.279 --> 00:26:21.200 It has imposed 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:22.220 an outside 00:26:22.220 --> 00:26:22.920 language and 00:26:22.920 --> 00:26:23.319 culture. 00:26:24.759 --> 00:26:25.660 But the work of 00:26:25.660 --> 00:26:26.240 the Holy Spirit 00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:27.080 is to communicate 00:26:27.080 --> 00:26:28.720 in every language, 00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:29.519 in every culture 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:30.920 on earth. 00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:46.360 God is also a 00:26:46.360 --> 00:26:47.920 God who creates 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:48.820 and loves, 00:26:48.820 --> 00:26:50.800 and God is to 00:26:50.800 --> 00:26:51.900 bring unity to 00:26:51.900 --> 00:26:52.900 all things in 00:26:52.900 --> 00:26:53.700 heaven and on 00:26:53.700 --> 00:26:55.039 earth under 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:55.560 Christ. 00:26:55.559 --> 00:26:55.759 Christ. 00:26:56.960 --> 00:26:58.139 But God is also 00:26:58.139 --> 00:26:58.839 a God who 00:26:58.839 --> 00:27:00.399 creates and 00:27:00.399 --> 00:27:02.039 loves diversity. 00:27:03.019 --> 00:27:04.220 Every snowflake 00:27:04.220 --> 00:27:06.339 is unique. 00:27:07.099 --> 00:27:08.220 Every acorn 00:27:08.220 --> 00:27:09.000 is unique. 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:09.679 Every set of 00:27:09.679 --> 00:27:10.440 fingerprints is 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:10.839 unique. 00:27:12.519 --> 00:27:13.159 And in the 00:27:13.159 --> 00:27:13.919 renewal of all 00:27:13.919 --> 00:27:14.899 things, in the 00:27:14.899 --> 00:27:16.000 new creation, 00:27:16.679 --> 00:27:17.859 we will see that 00:27:17.859 --> 00:27:18.500 diversity. 00:27:19.500 --> 00:27:20.399 In the redeemed 00:27:20.399 --> 00:27:21.179 human race, 00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:23.139 we will see not 00:27:23.139 --> 00:27:24.179 the abolition of 00:27:24.180 --> 00:27:25.039 diverse cultures 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:25.600 and languages, 00:27:26.560 --> 00:27:26.960 but they're 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:27.620 bringing together 00:27:27.620 --> 00:27:28.380 in their renewal 00:27:28.380 --> 00:27:29.720 and redemption 00:27:29.720 --> 00:27:31.720 in Jesus Christ. 00:27:33.060 --> 00:27:33.620 That is why one 00:27:33.620 --> 00:27:34.240 of the final 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:35.420 visions we have 00:27:35.420 --> 00:27:35.759 in the New 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:36.820 Testament is in 00:27:36.820 --> 00:27:37.120 the book of 00:27:37.120 --> 00:27:37.980 Revelation 7 00:27:37.980 --> 00:27:38.620 verse 9, 00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:40.900 where John the 00:27:40.900 --> 00:27:41.560 seer writes, 00:27:42.100 --> 00:27:42.820 After this I 00:27:42.820 --> 00:27:43.420 looked, and there 00:27:43.420 --> 00:27:44.259 before me was a 00:27:44.259 --> 00:27:45.000 great multitude 00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:46.400 that no one 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:47.019 could count, 00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:48.160 from every 00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:49.400 nation, tribe, 00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:51.019 people, and 00:27:51.019 --> 00:27:51.560 language, 00:27:52.460 --> 00:27:53.620 standing before 00:27:53.619 --> 00:27:54.159 the throne, 00:27:54.399 --> 00:27:55.319 and before 00:27:55.319 --> 00:27:55.799 the Lamb. 00:27:56.579 --> 00:27:56.959 Amen. 00:27:57.059 --> 00:27:57.379 May God 00:27:57.379 --> 00:27:58.819 bless his 00:27:58.819 --> 00:27:59.979 word to us.