Ready for Rain 5
Regeneration, restoration, revealing
We are now going to get into one of the most exciting sections of the Bible—the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the harvest of souls which resulted. Today we will not only look at Acts chapter 2, but we will also examine the “three R’s” of the Holy Spirit, that is, the three main activities of the Holy Spirit in the people of God.
But before we get into Acts 2, we must take a look at what the disciples of Jesus were doing for the 40 days between the ascension of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Regeneration
You will recall that before Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion, the disciples were often having discussions about who would be the greatest in the new government which they believed Jesus was about to set up. There were power struggles among them, and jealousy.
We must also remember that when Jesus was taken from them and eventually killed, their whole world was shattered. Fear, confusion, disappointment, and deep sorrow filled their lives. We’re talking a very painful paradigm shift. All of a sudden their Master was gone. All their hopes and dreams were gone as well.
In the days and weeks that followed, the followers of Jesus would search the Scriptures and learn a lot about how Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies written about Him in the Old Testament. They would learn that His death was absolutely necessary for their salvation. Their hearts would become softened by the Holy Spirit, and they would experience the new birth, about which Jesus spoke to Nicodemus. The Holy Spirit, remember, was always active and present in people’s lives, since the beginning.
So we have lots of prayer, Bible reading and exploration, and God’s people humbling themselves and forgiving one another. Over five weeks of this kind of activity, and you too will experience the kind of new life they experienced!
Jesus had directed His disciples to tarry in Jerusalem
“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:49
We take it up right here, in the midst of the tarrying:
In obedience to Christ's command, they waited in
Definitely not an idle time for the disciples. Notice they were continually in the temple, seeking the Lord, praising the Lord, and presenting their requests to the Father in the name of Jesus. That is the name that holds ALL AUTHORITY!! And now they came by faith right into the presence of the Father through Jesus the Son!
They knew they had an Advocate, a Representative in heaven, who was interceding before the Father for them. They took Jesus at His Word, and they pressed their petitions to the throne of grace!
What I want you to keep in mind this morning is that the experience of the disciples is to be our experience. The preparation the disciples experienced we are to experience, if we are to receive the Holy Spirit in Latter Rain power.
We are to have the confidence to come before the throne of grace, and to present our needs and our petitions there in the name of Jesus. We are to look for excuses to come to the house of God to pray, to learn the ways of the Lord, and to bless the Lord. This is what the Lord is calling us to do.
As the disciples waited for the fulfillment of the promise, they humbled their hearts in true repentance and confessed their unbelief. As they called to remembrance the words that Christ had spoken to them before His death they understood more fully their meaning. Truths which had passed from their memory were again brought to their minds, and these they repeated to one another. They reproached themselves for their misapprehension of the Saviour. Like a procession, scene after scene of His wonderful life passed before them. As they meditated upon His pure, holy life they felt that no toil would be too hard, no sacrifice too great, if only they could bear witness in their lives to the loveliness of Christ's character. Oh, if they could but have the past three years to live over, they thought, how differently they would act! If they could only see the Master again, how earnestly they would strive to show Him how deeply they loved Him, and how sincerely they sorrowed for having ever grieved Him by a word or an act of unbelief! But they were comforted by the thought that they were forgiven. And they determined that, so far as possible, they would atone for their unbelief by bravely confessing Him before the world. Acts of the Apostles, 36
My friends, have we not misunderstood and disappointed the Lord Jesus, by our lack of faith and lack of dedication? We are in the same boat as the disciples. We should want to show Jesus how much we love Him and appreciate Him, by our actions. A godly sorrow, my friends. That is what true repentance really is. A deep sorrow for hurting Jesus, for that is what sin does—it hurts our Lord. But repentance is more than a sorrow for sins. It is also a turning away from sin:
“Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life.” Steps to Christ, 23
This kind of godly sorrow for sin, to the point of turning away from it completely, only comes from God. The Bible says that God gives repentance to
“God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to
Truly the Lord is gracious and kind to us in giving us the very things we need to come to Him in the first place! Through His Spirit, God draws us to Himself, and through His Spirit He helps us to see our sinfulness and need of cleansing.
“Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4
The disciples prayed with intense earnestness for a fitness to meet men and in their daily intercourse to speak words that would lead sinners to Christ. Putting away all differences, all desire for the supremacy, they came close together in Christian fellowship. They drew nearer and nearer to God, and as they did this they realized what a privilege had been theirs in being permitted to associate so closely with Christ. Sadness filled their hearts as they thought of how many times they had grieved Him by their slowness of comprehension, their failure to understand the lessons that, for their good, He was trying to teach them.
These days of preparation were days of deep heart searching. The disciples felt their spiritual need and cried to the Lord for the holy unction that was to fit them for the work of soul saving. They did not ask for a blessing for themselves merely. They were weighted with the burden of the salvation of souls. They realized that the gospel was to be carried to the world, and they claimed the power that Christ had promised. Acts of the Apostles, 37
Notice that the disciples prayed earnestly for a fitness to reach people for Christ! That is where we are, my brother, my sister. I know that deep within each of us is a longing to somehow be used by God to bring people into His kingdom. Am I right? Raise you hand if it is your innermost desire to bring precious souls into God’s kingdom.
The answer, again, is surrender, my friends. When we allow the Lord to lead us to repentance, and we search our hearts, and we confess our sins to our Father in heaven in the name of Jesus, we experience forgiveness and cleansing. We receive also a new nature and a new Spirit-filled life! And we naturally want to tell others about the love and power of God in Christ, but we realize our great spiritual need and our bashfulness and lack of words and courage. So we cry out to God for an outpouring of His Holy Spirit, without whom we cannot possibly engage in soulwinning. And God answers that prayer, my friends! He answers that prayer for His Spirit, just as He did for the disciples of old.
Notice that this regeneration experience of the disciples also led them to seek healing on the horizontal plane. They forgave one another, and they grieved that they had allowed themselves to get divided by disagreements and self-seeking. God wants there to be healing in our personal relationships, my friends. And true conversion brings about this healing with our Creator and with our fellow disciples.
Jesus’ disciples were now experiencing the conversion of which Jesus spoke, while He was yet with them:
“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” Luke 22:31-33
Here “returned” comes from the same Greek word as “converted”, and the King James actually has this right, using the word “converted.” Before the arrest, trial and death of Jesus, Peter thought he was ready to be obedient even unto death. He thought he had strong faith. But when his faith was severely tried, Peter denied that he even knew the Lord Jesus! Before we come down on Peter too hard, we must remember that we ourselves do the same thing whenever we give in to a particular sin. Every temptation we face is a testing of our faith. We deny Jesus when we give in to sin.
And so like Peter the Lord calls us back to Himself. He draws us to Himself through His Holy Spirit, and He brings us to conversion. We have then “returned” to God.
Now, when we get to Pentecost and beyond, after Peter has humbled his heart and received a new nature from God, we find indeed a Peter who is willing to be imprisoned, willing to be laughed at, willing to suffer reproach for Christ’s name, willing to risk his life for the sake of the Gospel, and willing to DIE if that is what it takes to be true to Jesus!!
That change, my friends, is what true conversion brings. This is where the disciples were at by the time they came to Pentecost. They had experienced the REGENERATION of the Holy Spirit. They had been born again from above.
Regenerate: To give new life or energy to; revitalize; renew.
Regeneration is revitalization and renewal.
In the Bible, there are two types of regeneration that are mentioned. Jesus speaks of the regeneration that will take place at His Second Coming, when we will actually receive new resurrected, spiritual bodies that will never age or decay:
“Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
That is the future regeneration that we will experience, when “this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality,” and “death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). This “quickening”, or being made alive, is wrought by the power of the Holy Spirit: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).
But there is also a regeneration which takes place at the time of our conversion. It is also through the agency of the Holy Spirit, and it is just as transformative as the regeneration that takes place at our Lord’s return:
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. Titus 3:4-8
Here again, just as in Ephesians 2:8-10, we see the proper place of good works for the believer. They do not come into play in the forgiveness and mercy of our Lord—in our coming to Christ. But, in a relationship with Christ, they are important and they are natural for the regenerated person.
Notice it is the Holy Spirit who washes, regenerates, and renews us. WE CANNOT POSSIBLY REGENERATE OURSELVES! But neither can the Holy Spirit regenerate and renew us without our permission and our cooperation.
Restoration
Remember that the plan of salvation restores everything that was lost in the garden of Eden. We were created in the image of God, but that image was marred, and well nigh obliterated in us, because of sin:
Iniquity has debased the form of human beings, and has well nigh obliterated the image of God from their hearts.--Manuscript 18, 1892
That is what sin has done to us. And here is a more complete statement from the book Education:
When Adam came from the Creator's hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness to his Maker. "God created man in His own image" (Genesis 1:27), and it was His purpose that the longer man lived the more fully he should reveal this image--the more fully reflect the glory of the Creator. All his faculties were capable of development; their capacity and vigor were continually to increase. Vast was the scope offered for their exercise, glorious the field opened to their research. The mysteries of the visible universe--the "wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge" (Job 37:16)--invited man's study. Face-to-face, heart-to-heart communion with his Maker was his high privilege. Had he remained loyal to God, all this would have been his forever. Throughout eternal ages he would have continued to gain new treasures of knowledge, to discover fresh springs of happiness, and to obtain clearer and yet clearer conceptions of the wisdom, the power, and the love of God. More and more fully would he have fulfilled the object of his creation, more and more fully have reflected the Creator's glory. Education, 15-16
This gives us an idea of the high ideal that God had for us, from the beginning. This is what was forfeited when our first parents chose to stop trusting God and to sin. This also is quite instructive, because it shows us the kinds of activities and discoveries we will take part in when we are in heaven and on the new earth! It will definitely not be BORING!
But by disobedience this was forfeited. Through sin the divine likeness was marred, and well-nigh obliterated. Man's physical powers were weakened, his mental capacity was lessened, his spiritual vision dimmed. He had become subject to death. Yet the race was not left without hope. By infinite love and mercy the plan of salvation had been devised, and a life of probation was granted. To restore in man the image of his Maker, to bring him back to the perfection in which he was created, to promote the development of body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his creation might be realized--this was to be the work of redemption. This is the object of education, the great object of life. Education, 15-16
This should be the grand object of all our schools, and the philosophy and practices of our schools should be in harmony with this over-arching goal: to restore our young people to the image of God. This should also be the goal of parents. But so often our schools cater to the pressure of compromising parents, and because they wish to be appealing to parents and to new students, they compromise the principles that God gave this church from the beginning.
The plan of salvation restores us to the image of God, if we allow it. Restoration begins at conversion, and continues throughout our lifetime. It is a grand privilege to be restored to the divine image, and we should consider it such. Our heavenly Father is so loving to send His Holy Spirit into our lives in order to bring us back to His character. It is the character of God that is being formed within us.
Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored. Lamentations 5:21
And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”
25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.” Mark 8:24-26
Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:24-25
But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
O, how we need for the glory of Christ Jesus, who is in the image of God, to shine on us!! O, how we need to return to Jesus, the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls!! O, if we are willing, we can indeed be restored to the image of God!! Turn us back, O Lord, and we will be restored!!
The grand object of salvation—our restoration to the image of God. The Bible says that God is LOVE (1 John 4:8). Love is part of His character. So is goodness, mercy, and truth:
Nature testifies that One infinite in power, great in goodness, mercy, and love, created the earth, and filled it with life and gladness. Ministry of Healing, 411
His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth. Christ’s Object Lessons, 415
We who are being restored to God’s image are to reveal the character of God to the people all around us. As we grow in grace, and spend daily time with Jesus in prayer and reading His Word, His character becomes ours: our lives become filled with His goodness, mercy, love, and truth. This is what the world desperately needs, my friends. This is a natural occurrence when true conversion takes place in a person’s life. You want to share the Lord with others. The Holy Spirit in you looks for ways and opportunities to share Jesus with others.
This is exactly what happened to the early disciples. They waited for the descent of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus had directed them. Then they were moved and empowered by the Holy Spirit to present the gospel of Christ and the truth of God to the people, boldly. We take it up in Acts chapter two and verse 1:
Revealing
Acts 2
Coming of the Holy Spirit
1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
A rushing mighty wind—that is the sound that the Holy Spirit of God made, as He came upon the waiting disciples. Jesus had already compared the Holy Spirit to wind when He said this:
“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:7-8
Jesus was saying that the Spirit directs and guides our lives according to the will of the Father, and we should be ready to go when the Spirit says go. The sound aspect is not usually noticeable when the Holy Spirit is poured out on God’s people. Indeed it can be a very quiet occurrence.
But God made sure that the Holy Spirit made NOISE when He came, for the sake of the people who were gathered at
God wanted them to hear the sound of the rushing mighty wind, and He wanted them to hear the sound of the various languages. GOD WANTED THEIR ATTENTION, AND HE GOT THEIR ATTENTION!
And what form did the Holy Spirit take, when He lighted on the disciples? He took the form of FIRE, did He not? John the Baptist had said of Jesus:
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11
The Holy Spirit is compared to wind, to show how He directs and guides us, even though He is invisible. The Holy Spirit is compared to fire, to show how He cleanses, refines, and purifies us, and how He burns away the sin in our lives that like a cancer seeks to destroy us. The fire also represents the zeal with which the disciples would now engage in the gospel work.
The disciples had undergone 5 weeks of Holy Spirit cleansing already. They were already experiencing unfeigned love for each other and for God. They were already revealing the love, purity, goodness, mercy, and truth of God in their lives. So this was a baptism of fire for them—an extra equipping and infilling of the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus had promised would happen, if they would humble themselves and pray for it.
Are you praying for the Holy Spirit to cleanse you and to fill you? You ought to be, everyday. And you ought to be surrendering to everything the Spirit teaches you.
Jesus was now able to pour out His Holy Spirit, because His sacrifice had been officially accepted by the Father in heaven, and Christ was now in possession of all authority and power:
Christ's ascension to heaven was the signal that His followers were to receive the promised blessing. For this they were to wait before they entered upon their work. When Christ passed within the heavenly gates, He was enthroned amidst the adoration of the angels. As soon as this ceremony was completed, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in rich currents, and Christ was indeed glorified, even with the glory which He had with the Father from all eternity. The Pentecostal outpouring was Heaven's communication that the Redeemer's inauguration was accomplished. According to His promise He had sent the Holy Spirit from heaven to His followers as a token that He had, as priest and king, received all authority in heaven and on earth, and was the Anointed One over His people. Acts of the Apostles, 38-39
Now, it’s important to understand what these tongues were, and what they were not. They were not babble, gobblygook, jibberish, or some unknown heavenly language. I’ve heard what some in our day call tongues, and they refer to it as a heavenly language that the Holy Spirit gives. This is a false concept altogether!
The gift of tongues is the ability to speak the message of the gospel, and the truth of God’s Word, in a previously unlearned language. That is what the gift is. We know this is what the genuine gift is, because the disciples were speaking actual existing languages, so that the visiting people groups could understand the gospel. Let’s continue with Acts chapter 2 verse 5:
The Crowd’s Response
5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”
13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
During this Pentecost season, there were visitors to
locales and evangelize their people—they would carry the message of the gospel to the farthest corners of the globe!
They were all “amazed and perplexed” because #1 they could not believe that these Jewish men of Judea and
Listen, if you share your faith in the 21st century, some of the people with whom you share will have never heard the story of Jesus before. We are living in a postmodern age, and there is much confusion all around us. People are greatly confused, and they desperately need understanding and truth to set them free.
Now, all of the disciples upon whom the Holy Spirit had fallen were presenting the story of Jesus in a language they had not previously learned. They were fluent in this new language! An absolute miracle of God. From now on they would be able to speak fluently the language of the people with whom they were working. Their message would be pure, simple, and accurate.
The Holy Spirit enabled them to speak in these various languages, because this was an impossible situation really. It would have taken them a lifetime to learn these languages so well. This language barrier really presented a great hindrance to the presentation of the gospel. So God made up for their deficiencies, so that they could continue to work. God will always make up for our deficiencies when it comes to doing His work in this world!! Do you believe that? Language barriers, financial barriers, resource barriers, talent barriers, it doesn’t matter with God!! We must simply follow His direction when He is leading us, and let God take care of our deficiencies!! He is capable, I tell you.
Now, present in this gathering, obviously, were priests and rulers of the Jewish leadership. They had just recently put Jesus the Nazarene to death, and they pretty much thought they had seen the last of His followers. Things had been fairly quiet over the past month or so. Now, Jesus’ disciples are presenting the complete story of Jesus in all the known languages of the world! This was bad! Real bad. So they came
up with a rumor that these men were actually drunk, and that they had been getting into the new wine that was part of the festival.
They knew very well that new wine is nothing more than grape juice, and doesn’t contain any alcohol. But they pull a fast one on the people, some of whom were ignorant of these things. Clearly, though, the people attested to the fact that the disciples were speaking real languages fluently.
When Peter stands up to speak, he recognizes that this happening is a direct fulfillment of Joel chapter 2:
Peter’s Sermon
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in
17 ‘ And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
21 And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.”
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
Here is the gospel in summary—Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected! It’s important that Peter speak words that legitimize his own authority and reason for speaking, and that it why he brings the words of a respected prophet into the mix. It is important that he describe Jesus’ holy life, His illegal treatment by the Jewish leadership, His crucifixion, and His powerful resurrection. The people need to know that Jesus Christ is for real, that He is the legitimate Messiah of God, and that His ministry is based on prophetic utterances. But Peter can’t really get into the teachings of Jesus, because that would anger some of the people, who still believe Jesus to have been an impostor. So the Holy Spirit moves Peter to talk about David, whom all the Jews revered as an icon in the
25 For David says concerning Him:
‘ I foresaw the LORD always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’
29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:
‘ The LORD said to my Lord,
“ Sit at My right hand,
35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the
15
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Jesus had taught the people of Judea and Galilee about the
The people are CUT TO THE HEART, and convicted of sin, because THE HOLY SPIRIT ATTENDED THE APOSTLES’ WORDS! IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO CONVICTS AND DRAWS PEOPLE! OUR WORDS CAN ONLY HAVE INFLUENCE AND POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ATTENDING OUR WORDS. AND THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL ONLY ATTEND OUR WORDS, AND BRING THEM HOME TO OUR HEARERS’ HEARTS, IF WE OURSELVES ARE SURRENDERED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND OBEDIENT BEFORE GOD.
When Peter presented Christ and told the people to REPENT, the people REPENTED and followed Peter’s direction to be baptized. Not only were some 3,000 people baptized and joined to the church in one day, but they all received the baptism of fire or the Holy Spirit as well, as part of their water baptism. And today, when we are born again, converted, and are baptized, assuming we are fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit, WE TOO RECEIVE A BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!
A Vital Church Grows
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
God is always trying to save His people from a perverse generation! He is doing the same today! Today He sees His people scattered in the midst of a corrupt and fallen generation, and He is lovingly calling His people out of that corruption. He is saying, “Don’t stay in that situation any longer! Come out of her, and be clean before Me! Quit participating in the sins of this world! Be separate, and holy before Me!” And only God can make a person holy, remember that.
We have become way too comfortable with the sins of this age—
* sins that have to do with the kind of entertainment we enjoy—movies that display sex, immodesty, violence, magic, and occultism, and sports and recreation that feature brute force, violence, pride, and which cater to animal instincts. God is calling us AWAY from such things, even if it means standing out from our friends and from our society! Since when does society have it right, anyway? In every age, true disciples of Jesus Christ have always stood out from the crowd, and they have followed a different Leader. In every age God’s people who were honest in heart have had the courage to be the peculiar, chosen people of God—peculiar not in a weird way, but in a good way, a holy way, a high way. Do you have the courage to leave these activities behind?
We have become way too comfortable with the sins of this age—
* sins that are related to the food we eat and the drinks we drink—high sugar and high fat foods and drinks, and drinks containing alcohol or caffeine, which are very bad for our bodies.
* sins that have to do with the careless way we spend the Sabbath hours in making purchases and engaging in and viewing sports activities. When we do these things, we are not only desecrating the holy Sabbath, but we are damaging our own relationship with God, at a time when we are to devote 100% attention to His ways, His Word, and His people.
We have become way too comfortable with the sins of this age—
* sins that have to do with the way we dress immodestly—the wearing of jewelry and low-cut and skimpy clothing that is not appropriate for sons and daughters of God. The Bible is very clear that Christians are not to wear jewelry or dress in such a way as to promote unholy desires in others. We have a responsibility to one another.
IN SHORT, WE HAVE ADOPTED THE SINFUL, FALLEN, UNHEALTHY WAYS, HABITS, ROUTINES, AND PASTTIMES OF THIS CORRUPT GENERATION!!
AND GOD IN LOVE IS PLEADING FOR US TO LEAVE IT BEHIND THIS MORNING!! ARE YOU LISTENING, PEOPLE OF GOD? ARE YOU WILLING TO LEAVE THE CLUTCHES OF THIS PERVERSE GENERATION, AND STEP INTO THE FULNESS OF GOD’S SPIRIT?
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
1 Corinthians 10:1-12
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9
Today God speaks to us His people, saying:
“Enough is enough!! Take off your ornaments and your seductive clothing, and let Me adorn you with My righteousness!! Let me place on you garments of holiness and simplicity, in which you can go the highways and byways and talk to My sheep, who are scattered all around you! You represent Me, so dress is such a way to be a winning and drawing force in their lives! Come away from the violence, selfishness, and competition displayed in modern sports!! My Spirit is not in these things! Love Me more than the state in which you live, and the state’s football team that brutishly promotes pride in human accomplishment!! Come away from the pride and selfish ambition of the games and automobile races!! Stop polluting My holy Sabbath!! Stop going in your own path on My Sabbath!! Take time to talk with Me and to listen to My voice in Scripture and in nature! I am your Master Builder—
the Shaper of your very life!! But how can I mold you and shape you if you are running as fast you can in the opposite direction—when you adopt the fallen practices of this world—when you can’t wait for Sabbath to be over? Come out of her, and be separate, so that My Spirit can find a suitable resting place in your life. It’s time for you to reveal My love, My goodness, My mercy, and My truth to this world!! Will you offer yourself in humble service? Many are waiting for you to teach them My ways.”
_______
Notice that the people who listened to Peter that day “gladly received his word” and they were baptized! 3,000 souls led to the Lord in a single day! You know, that kind of response is happening right now in our day! The Spirit of God is still using those who are willing and speaking through them. The Spirit of God is still convicting people of the truth of what they are hearing. Are you listening to the message that the Holy Spirit is trying to deliver to you today?
God is calling upon us to reveal Him to our world! This is our duty and our privilege! The Holy Spirit will help us to reveal the goodness and power of the Lord to our world!
He whose heart is aglow with the love of Christ will regard it as not only a duty, but a pleasure, to aid in the advancement of the highest, holiest work committed to man--the work of presenting to the world the riches of goodness, mercy, and truth. Acts of the Apostles, 338
It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth. Christ’s Object Lessons, 415
Those who wait for the Bridegroom's coming are to say to the people, "Behold your God." The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them. Christ’s Object Lessons, 415
The powerful, life-changing grace of God! That is our testimony! Our own lives are to speak volumes!
The light of the Sun of Righteousness is to shine forth in good works--in words of truth and deeds of holiness. Christ, the outshining of the Father's glory, came to the world as its light. He came to represent God to men, and of Him it is written that He was anointed "with the Holy Ghost and with power," and "went about doing good." Acts 10:38. In the synagogue at Nazareth He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to 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 preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Luke 4:18, 19. This was the work He commissioned His disciples to do. "Ye are the light of the world," He said. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:14, 16. Christ’s Object Lessons, 416-417
This is the work which the prophet Isaiah describes when he says, "Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward." Isaiah 58:7, 8. Thus in the night of spiritual darkness God's glory is to shine forth through His church in lifting up the bowed down and comforting those that mourn. Christ’s Object Lessons, 417
There are many from whom hope has departed. Bring back the sunshine to them. Many have lost their courage. Speak to them words of cheer. Pray for them. There are those who need the bread of life. Read to them from the word of God. Upon many is a soul sickness which no earthly balm can reach nor physician heal. Pray for these souls, bring them to Jesus. Tell them that there is a balm in
Form and ceremony do not constitute the
Again, as the Holy Spirit indwells us, we are to bring forth fruit unto righteousness, SO THAT the people of this world may TRULY SEE WHAT GOD IS LIKE! So that they will come into the Lord’s fold, and be saved.
The goodness, mercy, and love of God were proclaimed by Christ to Moses. This was God's character. When men who profess to serve God ignore his parental character, and depart from honor and righteousness in dealing with their fellow men, Satan exults, for he hasinspired them with his attributes. They are following--In the Track of Romanism. Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers, No. 9, page 19
It has always been the way of Satan to deal deceitfully and dishonestly with people. He is a master of deception and false comfort. Romanism was the devil’s masterpiece of deception and untruth. That religious system is condemned in the Word of God, and rightly so. God wants us to be honest with people—to have integrity and authentic love for people. The parental love of God should flow right through us. We should love as God loves.
Upon every truly converted soul--every one who believes in Christ as the world's Redeemer--God has laid the obligation of co-operating with him who gave his life for a perishing world. To every one who is in ease in
The light of the truth for this time is now shining upon the cabinets of kings. The attention of statesmen is being called to the Bible,--the statute-book of the nations,--and they are comparing their national laws with its statutes. As representatives of Christ, we have no time to lose. Our efforts are not to be confined to a few places where the light has become so abundant that it is not appreciated. With unmistakable clearness the light of truth is to be revealed to many people and nations and tongues. The publications containing present truth are to be translated into many languages. The Review and Herald, July 7, 1903
My brethren and sisters, God now calls upon you to consecrate yourselves to him in willing obedience. He calls upon you to proclaim his law with fearlessness, with the intelligence with which those whose hearts are sanctified by the truth ever reveal this truth to others. The third angel's message is now to be proclaimed in every land. It is to be borne to English-speaking people, and to those of every other language. Let believers, as active recipients of God's blessing, diffuse the light of his truth to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, in obedience to the commission, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." We are not half awake to the importance of this commission. May God place the burden of the proclamation of the message upon his people now, just now, is my prayer. The Review and Herald, July 7, 1903
Enoch kept the Lord ever before him, and the Inspired Word says that he "walked with God." He made Christ his constant companion. He was in the world, and performed his duties to the world; but he was ever under the influence of Jesus. He reflected Christ's character, exhibiting the same qualities in goodness, mercy, tender compassion, sympathy, forbearance, meekness, humility, and love. His association with Christ day by day transformed him into the image of Him with whom he was so intimately connected. Day by day he was growing away from his own way into Christ's way, the heavenly, the divine, in his thoughts and feelings. . . . His was a constant growth and he had fellowship with the Father and the Son. This is genuine sanctification. In Heavenly Places, 337
Our heavenly Father claims not at our hands that which we cannot perform. He desires His people to labor earnestly to carry out His purpose for them. They are to pray for power, expect power, and receive power, that they may grow up into the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.
Not all members of the church are cultivating personal piety; therefore they do not understand their personal responsibility. They do not realize that it is their privilege and duty to reach the high standard of Christian perfection. . . . Are we looking forward to the latter rain, confidently hoping for a better day, when the church shall be endued with power from on high and thus fitted for work? The latter rain will never refresh and invigorate the indolent, who do not use the powers God has given them.
We are in great need of the pure, life-giving atmosphere that nurtures and invigorates the spiritual life. We need greater earnestness. The solemn message given us to give to the world is to be proclaimed with greater fervency, even with an intensity that will impress unbelievers, leading them to see that the Most High is working with us, that He is the source of our efficiency and strength. . . .
Are you using all your powers in an effort to bring the lost sheep back to the fold? There are thousands upon thousands in ignorance who might be warned. Pray as you have never prayed before for the power of Christ. Pray for the inspiration of His Spirit, that you may be filled with a desire to save those who are perishing. Let the prayer ascend to heaven, "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations" (Psalm 67:1, 2).
To the members of the early Christian church was given a sacred trust. They were to be executors of the will in which Christ had bequeathed to the world the treasure of life eternal. . . . In the trust given to the first disciples believers in every age have shared. God desires that every believer shall be an executor of the Saviour's will. . . . The unselfish labor of God's people in ages past is to His servants today an object lesson and an inspiration. Today God's chosen people are to be zealous of good works, separating from all worldly ambition and walking humbly in the footsteps of the lowly Nazarene. . . .
At this time, when the enemy is working as never before to engross the minds of men and women, we should be laboring with increasing activity. Diligently, disinterestedly, we are to proclaim the last message of mercy in the cities--in the highways and byways. All classes are to be reached. As we labor we shall meet with different nationalities. None are to be passed by unwarned. The Lord Jesus was the gift of God to the entire world-- not to the higher classes alone, and not to one nationality, to the exclusion of others. His saving grace encircles the world. Whosoever will, may drink of the water of life. A world is waiting to hear the message of present truth. . . . In Heavenly Places, 337-340
Yes, the enemy is working harder than ever before to blind people! But God is working harder, my friends!
“So mightily can God work when men give themselves up to the control of His Spirit.” Acts of the Apostles, 49
It’s up to us! We must surrender to the control of God’s Spirit! We have the privilege of having our soul temples cleansed from all sin, so that we can rightly represent the character of Jesus to the world!
“One interest prevailed; one subject of emulation swallowed up all others. The ambition of the believers was to reveal the likeness of Christ’s character, and to labor for the enlargement of His kingdom.” Acts of the Apostles, 48
This was the disciples’ ambition—their highest ambition—to reveal in their lives the likeness of Christ’s character, and to labor for the enlargement of the
Indeed, the Latter Rain of the Holy Spirit is given for the purpose of gathering in the harvest of souls. Do you want to be a part of that?
"When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own. Christ’s Object Lessons, 69
Why is it so important for this final generation to perfectly mirror the character of Christ Jesus? Because there is a Great Controversy going on! The devil has claimed for over 6,000 years that God is unfair, that God is a tyrant, that God’s law is faulty and cannot be kept by anyone! The devil has claimed through the eons, both in heaven and on earth, that God’s justice would demand the death of a lawbreaker—that God is so mean and cruel that He would not be capable of showing mercy for sinners.
But when the spotless Son of God gave up His very life on the cross of
Then, when Satan realized that he had lost that argument, he set in force an equally deadly lie: that now that man has been saved by grace, he no longer must keep the law of God. Jesus also puts this lie to rest by keeping the law perfectly in His earthly life, and by restoring us to His very image through His Holy Spirit, so that we too can obey the Lord in Sprit and in Truth.
The devil, at this point, is truly beside himself, because he knows he is running out of time, and he knows that enough of God’s people are starting to surrender to God fully, and to appreciate the full significance of a new nature!
We have the privilege of vindicating God’s character before the world and the universe! The world must see what God is truly like, because Satan has lied about God. God uses us to reveal Himself to people.
It is time, my friends, to put the devil out of his misery, to give up the control of our lives to our God, to be filled with power from on high, and TO FINISH THE WORK AND BRING IN THE HARVEST, TO THE GLORY AND HONOR OF JESUS!!