New Winen And Oil

I have mentioned recently that the Lord operates in seasons with how and when He blesses His people.

In my own (personal) life, I have sensed different words of instruction and (especially) correction from God.

Perhaps the reason for this is that the Lord has so many things He is trying to set me straight on.

In fact, I’d like to testify that God has instructed and corrected me on a few things just since coming here. But maybe I am not the only one that feels that way.

I told those who were here last Wednesday night that I believe the Lord is moving our church in a new direction. God wants to refresh each of us with the anointing power of His Holy Spirit.

At the close of that service (on Wednesday) all of us were blessed and refreshed by the Holy Spirit.

My hope today is that we all will begin to appreciate what the Lord is doing for us in these days.

It is good to be a part of God’s family.

His blessings are great and abundant.

We know this by what we read at the opening of this morning’s service from Joel chapter two:

The threshing floors shall be filled with grain; the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

Let’s pray before we read from God’s Word.

Prayer:

I anticipate a move of the Holy Ghost (in this body of believers) that will bring to us the New Wine and Oil. How about you?

In our teachings on Wednesday night, we have studied that it is (none other than) Jesus Himself Who has sent to us the anointing power of the Holy Ghost.

Jesus always gets all of the glory.

Jesus told the disciples in John 16:7 -

I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Jesus sends the Holy Spirit and gets all of the glory!

Text: John 14:8 through 17

The times you and I are living in are considered by most Bible scholars to be, “Pre-Revival”.

This is because these are the “Last Days”. I am pleased these are the “Last Days”. How about you?

You should know that in the early days of the Old Testament, the children of Israel needed the Lord to bless their crops of grapes and their olives. And as a result they were blessed with the New Wine and Oil.

The season for growing their crops was often long and without the much needed rain. Their growing season began with rain and often ended with rain.

God spoke to His people in Duet 11 and made this promise:

‘ I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.

How many of you are in need for the Lord to bring to you some of that “Early Rain and the Latter Rain”?

The Lord continued that promise on into the days of the New Testament. And thousands of years later, the Lord brought to the new believers the New Wine and Oil.

The Lord’s rain came to the children of God as He did great things (in His first rain) on the Day of Pentecost.

This event is recorded for us in Acts 2. It has been said that this was the “Early Rain”, and it was an exciting event in church history. But today we need the Lord to bless His people once again with His “Latter Rain”.

Church, the days are short. That is -

We are living in the last days before the return of Christ.

We need the Lord to rain down on us the awesome strength and power of His Holy Spirit.

We must have the abundance of the Lord’s Harvest. We need the New Wine and the Oil to, once again, anoint and strengthen our lives.

I truly want all of these things, but I challenge us with this thought. We need to expect God to pour out His New Wine and Oil in His way and in His time, not ours.

What do I mean by that?

Let me ask this:

1. What and how do we expect God to move?

2. Are we open for whatever God wants?

I ask this because when the Lord begins to move, I believe we should expect only one thing.

That is, God to do for His church the unexpected.

The next Great Revival and outpouring of the Holy Spirit will not necessarily look like, or be like, the last one.

I sincerely believe that I will be astonished, amazed and even overwhelmed with what God will do.