I heard a story about an older couple that had finished their lunch and made their way into the living room to prepare themselves for an afternoon nap in their recliners. They were both about to doze off when the grandfather clock began to chime signifying the new hour. It began one chime, two chimes, three chimes and all the way up to thirteen chimes. The husband turned to his wife and asked, “What time is it?” The wife said, “I don’t know, but it’s later than it’s ever been before.”
I am convinced that we are living in the last days, and the spirit of this age is doing everything in its power to lead us away from God. As we look around at the moral climate of our nation we have to admit that it’s not good. There is child abuse in churches, steroids at the ballpark, drugs in the mountains, violence at the polls, profanity and homosexuality on the television and sex at middle school parties.
As one man said, “Today we live in the midst of crooked deals, pet pills, cheap thrills, and sometimes you can’t tell the Jack’s from the Jill’s.”
Several years ago someone asked Dr. Billy Graham why he was trying to set the church back one hundred years with his evangelistic crusades. To which he responded, “One hundred years, well excuse me, I was trying to set it back 2000 years.”
Church, we need a fresh out pouring of the Presence of God once again in our hearts and in our lives.
As the human race our glory is not in strength for there are many animals with more strength than us. Neither is our glory in our intellect, but our glory as a human life is in our spiritual nature. We have a living soul. When we were created we were created good and holy. We were created a moral agent fitted for life in Christ. And it was from the beginning established that God could not live in wickedness. However when we were created we were given the ability to choose. However, in the garden Adam and Eve chose to sin. Rom. 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Because of this every man is born into sin. We are born with the carnal nature on the inside. But about 2000 years ago God gave his own son to provide a remedy for this carnal nature. He provided a way for the complete removal of this carnal nature. He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts by faith.
This evening I want to take another look back at this story of what took place in the Upper Room and I hope to encourage our hearts to band together in prayer that God will once again pour out His Presence upon us.
What they had we need, and I am praying, “Do it again Lord, do it again!”
I. There had been a Promise Given.
Jesus promised the disciples in Luke 24:46-49, “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”
John the Baptist said in Matthew 2:11, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”
God promised in Isaiah 44:3, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:”
Jesus promised in John 7:37-39, “…If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.”
God keeps his promises. When He says he is going to do something, He does it. The disciples did not just happen to gather in the upper-room, but they were there because Jesus had promised them that he would pore out the Holy Spirit upon them and that is why they were there. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is not slack concerning his promises. When He says something He WILL do it! I’m afraid that in our day we have decided that God does not want to sanctify us. Somehow many have come to the conclusion that we just don’t fit the bill somehow and it won’t happen for us. There is just no way that we can live a holy life before God and man. But Jesus has promised, and what he says he will do!
As D. L. Moody said, "Trust in yourself, and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in your friends, and they will die and leave you; trust in reputation, and some slanderous tongue may blast it; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity." Luther gave a similar testimony when he said, "I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess."
We must place our faith and trust in the promise of God to not only save us but to sanctify us.
II. They held a Prayerful Gathering.
Verse 1 tells us that they “were all with one accord in one place.” The Greek word used here for ‘in one accord’ is the word homothumadon. “This word is very expressive: it signifies that all their minds, affections, desires, and wishes were concentrated in one object, every man having the same end in view; and, having but one desire, they had but one prayer to God, and every heart uttered it. There was no person uninterested-none unconcerned-none lukewarm; all were in earnest; and the Spirit of God came down to meet their united faith and prayer. When any Assembly of God’s people meet in the same spirit they may expect every blessing they need.”
This same Greek word is used in Acts 1:14 where we find, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication…” This word is used 12 times in the Bible and 11 of those times are in the Book of Acts. Here we find a people who were in unity expecting God to move!
• They had Unity of Purpose.
• They were in Unity of Place.
• They were in Unity of Persistence.
• They were in Unity of Prayer.
• They received Unity of Provision!
They forget about their bickering about who was the greatest among them. They forgot about their foolish differences and came together to focus on one thing and that was God alone! If you want to be sanctified you are going to have to forget your bitterness, and forgive those who have made you bitter. It is time to get in one accord in the upper room! Can you imagine what would happen if we could get 120 people in our day to forget about how they’ve been done wrong and to get in one accord?
If we desire to be sanctified we are going to have to have a prayerful gathering where we forget about our problems and focus on God.
III. There was Personal Commitment.
When Jesus ascended up into heaven there were 500 people there when he told them to tarry together until they were filled with the Spirit, but there were only 120 in the upper room. Apparently 380 of them chose not to make the personal commitment that was required in order to be filled with the Holy Ghost. You see, it takes personal commitment in order to be sanctified. It is not good enough for just your pastor to be sanctified, or you father or mother, but each one of us must make the choice, and make the commitment necessary to receive this second work of grace.
Perhaps one of the saddest scriptures in the Bible is that where the Apostle Paul disclaims, “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica.” (2 Timothy 4:10) Demas, Paul’s friend and fellow laborer, who is mentioned at least twice in the letters of Paul as his friend, had forsaken Paul. Perhaps he decided that the cost was too great. The trials too many. The sacrifice too much, in order to serve Christ. He decided the world was more attractive. But can I tell you tonight, the sacrifice is not too great! The trials are not too many, for God is on our side.
In 1925, Betty Stam said: "Lord, I give up my own purposes and plans, all my own desires, hopes, and ambitions, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all utterly to Thee, to be Thine forever. I hand over to Thy keeping all of my friendships; all the people whom I love are to take second place in my heart. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Work out Thy whole will in my life, at any cost, now and forever. To me to live is Christ. Amen." Nine years later on December 8, 1934, Betty and her husband, John Stam, calmly and bravely laid down their lives for Christ when they were martyred by Chinese Communists.
We will have to be that committed in order to receive the upper room experience. Our pray must be, ‘whatever the cross, whatever the loss, I give my life to Thee.’
If you desire to be sanctified you must personally grasp, or make that commitment, necessary to be sanctified. Each one of the 120 that were in the Upper Room that night had to make that personal commitment, no one was forcing them to do so, but when they did, I want to notice finally that…
IV. The Provision was Given.
“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost...” (v.2-3a)
God had promised that he would send another comforter, they had gathered in one accord, and the provision was granted. God does not make a promise he won’t keep.
Conclusion:
Church, I believe that we need another Pentecost experience! I believe it is time for our church to band together in unity and seek God! I believe it is time we band together in unity and declare just whose side we are on!
The world in which we live is quickly approaching a time of divine judgment; a time when the Lord will make that ultimate pronouncement of blessing upon those who have stood with Him, and of condemnation upon those who have stood against Him. As the age-old spiritual battle between good and evil draws ever closer to its preordained climax, it becomes essential that the soldiers of Christ display their banner and declare their loyalty. The world must know whose side we are on!
Joshua instructed the people to choose whose side they were on, but as for him and his house; he was determined to serve the Lord.
How about you? Have you been riding the fence spiritually speaking? The carnal nature will try to cause you to be spiritual fence rider. But like Joshua, we must let the world know whose side we are on.
The tale is told of a soldier during the Civil War who simply could not make up his mind which side of the conflict he supported. So, he dressed in a blue coat and gray pants, and walked down the center of the battlefield confident of his approval by both sides...and was immediately shot by both sides!
Jesus tells us we can’t be “fence riders” when the issues involve matters of eternal consequence. We must choose. “You are either with Me, or against Me,” our Lord declares, “but you cannot be both!”
Another story is told of an elderly German woman who, as her village was being entered by an American unit during the final days of the Second World War, she stood in the middle of the street holding a small U.S. flag. Her friends told her she was crazy; she should hide and wait to see who would win. She replied, “I already know who’s going to win, and I want them to know which side I’m on!”
Soldiers of Christ, it is time for us to stand bravely before the enemy and declare our loyalty in a loud, clear voice. After all, we’re on the winning side!
Church, why don’t we band together and seek God for a fresh outpouring of His Presence in our own hearts and lives, and in our church? I told you this morning that He wants to come, why don’t we begin to band together in unity and seek His face until He does in fact ‘rend the heavens and come down’ among us?
Do it again Lord, do it again!
