The Spirit of God Revives What You Thought Was Dead

Introduction

When the day of Pentecost came, the disciples were all together in one place, in unity. And suddenly, a violent wind came down from heaven and filled the entire house. That same breath wants to blow over your life today. Brendan White reminds us that Pentecost is not just a holiday the Church checks off on its calendar: it is the day God pours out his power on all flesh. The same Spirit who raised a valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37 wants to revive what you thought was dead in your life.

Message Outline

1. Pentecost: A Powerful Day to Celebrate

• In the Old Testament, Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks, fell 50 days after Passover. It was a harvest festival: the people brought the first fruits of their harvest before the Lord.
• The Pentecost of the book of Acts represents the first fruits of the Holy Spirit poured out on the Church.
• Fifty days after the Exodus from Egypt, the Law was given at Sinai, with wind and fire on the mountain. And 50 years after seven sabbatical years came the Jubilee; the year of freedom from slavery and death.
• Pentecost is the day God pours out his power on flesh. A gift that Jesus received from the Father and promised to his Church.

2. The Spirit Will Be Revived

• In Ezekiel 37, the Spirit of God leads the prophet into a valley of dry bones. God asks him: “Can these bones live?” Only God can make it happen.
• Ezekiel prophesies and the breath of God enters those dry bones. They come back to life.
• This Pentecost, just as Jesus breathed on his disciples in John 20, God can breathe and revive what seems dead in your life.
• In John 7, Jesus says: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me.” And he adds that rivers of living water will flow from within those who believe in him; he was speaking of the Spirit. The dried-up things in your life can be revived by the waters from heaven.

3. The Spirit in Power

• In Acts 2, Peter, an ordinary fisherman, stands before a crowd and preaches with an authority he had never had before. Something extraordinary had taken place.
• Ordinary people can do extraordinary things when the Spirit of God rests upon them.
• The people around you can look at your life and wonder how all of this was possible. And you can answer: “It was God.”
• The Spirit of God can take you further and do more than you can imagine. He gives you the power to persevere, to act, to bring down giants, and to make an impact in your city.

4. The Spirit Who Transforms Hearts

• In Acts 2:16, Peter quotes the prophet Joel: “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.”
• The Spirit transforms. He changes hearts; he softens what was hard. He brings about changes that are impossible in the natural.
• Brendan shares: when he was young, the Spirit worked in his life. His friends wondered: “What happened to you, Brendan?” One evening, he asked a friend to pray with him, and the friend asked him the same thing. In an instant, it was as if the heavens had opened.
• One of his friends who was living in depression suddenly received a joy like never before. The Spirit of God transforms and restores.

5. The Spirit Who Reminds You That You Are Not Alone

• The Holy Spirit reminds us that we are not alone. God equips us; he is with us; he wants to walk the journey with us.
• The Lord can send our defender, our advocate; the advantage of heaven.
• Peter preached at Pentecost, and 3,000 people were saved and baptized. They repented and were baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit.
• The same God wants to fill your life today, refresh you, and declare your victory.

Key Takeaways

• Pentecost is the day God pours out his power on all flesh; a gift from the Father that Jesus promised to his Church.
• Just as in Ezekiel 37, the breath of God can revive what seems dried up and lifeless in your story.
• The Spirit makes an ordinary person capable of extraordinary things: persevering, acting, bringing down giants.
• The Spirit transforms hearts, softens what was hard, and brings about changes that the natural cannot produce.
• The Holy Spirit reminds you that you are not alone; he is your defender, your advocate, your companion on the journey.

Personal Application

1. Is there a part of your life that looks like a valley of dry bones? Are you ready to let the breath of God blow through it?
2. When you look at your journey, where do you see the Spirit having transformed you; and where are you still waiting for a deep work?
3. What is keeping you today from coming to Jesus so your thirst can be quenched by the waters from heaven?
4. Is there a “giant” in your life that you are trying to bring down by your own strength alone, without relying on the power of the Holy Spirit?
5. How will you practically live this week in the awareness that the Holy Spirit is your defender and that you are not alone?

Bible Verses Cited

• Acts 2:1–4 · The Day of Pentecost
• Acts 2:16–19 · The Prophecy of Joel Fulfilled
• Ezekiel 37:1–14 · The Valley of Dry Bones
• John 7:37–39 · Rivers of Living Water
• John 20:21–22 · Jesus Breathes on His Disciples

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pentecost according to the Bible?

In the Old Testament, Pentecost is an agricultural festival falling 50 days after Passover: the people of Israel presented the first fruits of their harvest before God. In the New Testament, Acts 2 recounts how, 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples who were gathered in unity. A violent wind filled the house, tongues like fire rested on each of them, and they began to speak in other languages. Christian Pentecost is the day God pours out his Spirit on all flesh and the Church is publicly born.

What does it mean to “be filled with the Holy Spirit” today?

Being filled with the Holy Spirit means letting God pour out his presence and his power into your life. Practically, it means that God can revive what seems dead in you, transform your heart, give you the strength to persevere, and remind you that you are not alone. As Brendan shares, the Spirit can act in an instant, open the heavens, restore a lost joy, and give meaning to a life that had none. It is not a passing emotion but a deep work that changes things impossible in the natural.

What is the connection between Pentecost and baptism?

In Acts 2, after Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people repented and were baptized. They went into the water as an outward sign of an inner choice: to leave behind the old life and walk with Jesus. Water baptism and baptism in the Holy Spirit go together: one publicly declares what God has done in the heart; the other fills the believer with power from on high. That is why many churches, like Hillsong Paris, choose Pentecost to celebrate baptisms: the same Spirit who came down 2,000 years ago continues to fill those who give themselves to Christ.