Prayer-
Introduction-
Do you know what the most important thing in your life is? It is not your family, your job, your house, kids, dog, money… it is your relationship with the Lord. If your relationship with the Lord is right everything else will fall into its place. Most of us learn that lesson too late. Most have made “other things” our priority.
The Book of Acts talks about the Holy Spirit of God coming down upon the 120 people who were in one accord in the upper room in Jerusalem waiting “for something special to happen.”
” How many are hungry and waiting for something to happen?
They were instructed by Jesus Himself to wait until it happens and that what would happen would change them forever. Their lives would never be the same again. They would be equipped to do what God had called them to do.
I think sometimes we misuse the word “come” when we are talking about the Holy Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit is eternal! Part of the Trinity -God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was with King David. The Holy Spirit led the prophet Isaiah.
The Holy Spirit was there when this world was void and the Holy Spirit was standing with Jesus at creation.
The Holy Spirit of God is always trying to reach out to each generation with His presence.
Check this out-
We are sinners! We are sinners because we have sinned against God- there are no good people who will be good enough to get past their sins without Jesus.
Jesus came to redeem us from our sins by going to the cross and paying for our sins. A sinless Jesus saves us from our sins.
He died a horrible death on the cross, but if it stopped there, we would still be in our sins.
It took his death and his resurrection to pay for your sin and my sin.
No shed blood, no death, no resurrection, no salvation.
After his resurrection, He was seen by hundreds of people including his disciples.
He instructs them that they are to be in one accord, in one place, and the Holy Spirit of God is going to come upon them and dwell within them and He would change their lives forever.
Jesus must go so the Holy Spirit can come and He (Holy Spirit) would be the power needed in our lives to survive this corrupt and evil world.
We cannot do it in our own strength, but we must wait on God and be filled with His Spirit.
That is the gospel!
The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Nutshell)
The sanctified life is being surrendered to God and filled with His Spirit to empower our lives in His strength.
That is the last words of Jesus to His followers and the last words for us as we serve God some 2000 years later!
Seek the Spirit of God, “receive power when the Holy Spirit of God comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
If you don’t believe that, or you are not willing to respond to that commandment, you will never live your life as intended by the Lord!
Peter addresses the crowd of people there who had no idea what had just happened and explained it was God doing a new thing!
They used words like amazed and perplexed
We are not drunk. It is the Lord pouring out His Spirit on us. And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
2:37- “When the people heard this; they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, brothers what shall we do?”
“Peter replied, repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit of God is a gift to believers!
As an unbeliever, you cannot be empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to live the life intended by God. He says repent of your sins, ask the Lord into your life, desire to be filled with His Spirit, all in the powerful name of Jesus!
Prevenient Grace draws you toward God
Repentance in Jesus brings the forgiveness of your sins and saves you.
Seeking the Holy Spirit, desiring His presence in your life, surrendering your life to Christ and giving Him all of you brings the filling of His Spirit into your life and brings God’s power.
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
We need God’s Spirit to fill us to overflowing!
We need to come to the heart issue and ask God to forgive our sins and we need to repent of them and allow God to change our lives forever!
There are some directives given to the apostles that are just as fresh for believers today as it was then… it is our text.
Sermon title “Then Peter stood up”
Peter was present on the day of Pentecost and along with the 120 other people experienced the Holy Spirit power fall on them and from that day on, they were never the same.
Peter then, after he was filled with the Holy Spirit of God addressed the crowd that had gathered (2:14) and explained it was not drunkenness, but the power of God that allowed these men to speak the word of God in power and might!
PETER STOOD UP…
Peter on his way to the temple, moving out in the community that God called him too comes to a crippled beggar at the temple gate- (3:6) “Peter looked straight at him as did John. Then Peter said, Look at us! (Peter stood up) so the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
Peter speaks to the onlookers- (3:12) “When Peter saw this, he said to them: (He stood up) “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we have made this man walk”
Do you see what can happen when the Lord finds people to stand up and be willing to be used of God- Things happen!
It happens when we allow the Holy Spirit to be active in our lives and we do what God has commanded of us.
How we can do that?
Acts 2:42-47 Read from the Bible
They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship with each other.
Linking these acts together-
They were learners of the faith- they persisted in listening to the word of God and studying the Word of God.
Do we have to be in church every week to be saved? No. but there is a lot of people running on empty because they have not been to the filling station for a long time.
The Holy Spirit is our source and guidance and our power to move forward in our lives.
As believers, we should always be looking forward.
The riches of God are fresh and new everyday! It is a wasted day for a believer when he does not learn something new from the word of God.
The church, each one of us must be a church of fellowship. TOGETHERNESS.
You always hear of groups saying they are a band of brothers or a sisterhood- well the church (universal) must be a band of brothers and sisters to see the victories that God is wanting for our lives and for the church to move forward.
The men and women were people directed by the Spirit of God.
They received power and direction as they sought out the Lord.
In the zone- have you ever heard that term?
In the zone is a good thing- zoned out is a bad thing.
The difference is when you are in the zone everything flows and there is ease and comfort. Being zoned out is a place where you are at and people start asking you if you are okay.
In the zone in sports is to find the sweet spot!
When the baseball appears so big, you can’t help but hit it.
The basketball thrown with ease like the rim is as big as a hula hoop.
The golf ball lands right where you want it.
You get the point- there are principals that allow us to get in the zone- that presence the apostle Paul talks about is “Walking in the Spirit” after he had a Damascus road experience with God, He began walking in the spirit and found that to be his sweet spot for getting things done for the Lord.
We no longer have to do things in our own strength and we no longer have to do things by ourselves.
No one finds the zone without being devoted to the cause-
Are you studying for yourself?
Are you reading for yourself?
Are you committing some to memory?
They wanted more!
They were hungering for more of God.
They were no longer wanting to wade in at the shallow end of the pool, but wanted to go deeper in the Lord.
We are not to be spectators- we are to be participators
We are to be members of the fellowship.
Breaking of bread and to prayer
The breaking of bread is community- fellowship with a purpose.
They broke bread to remember what Jesus had done- taking of communion. But Godly fellowship is the sharing of a meal and coming together for a common cause, common purpose.
The fellowship, community, assembly is not just a place that you go, it is to be devoted to the gathering of God’s people.
Shared meals are relational. It shows you matter to me and I matter to you.
We eat together
We encourage each other
We support each other
We pray for each other.
To be in the zone spiritually, God knew we needed each other.
When the passion and purpose are more than the fears, we will see God move in a mighty way!
When we see the church desiring more of God and less of self, desiring to be in fellowship not only with God, but each other, we will see lives impacted with the truth of God.
Closing,
The early church was a dynamic growing church that turned the world upside down and pushed back darkness! Why? Because they took God at his word and were empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to do things in the power of God instead of the power of man.
We can do the same!
“So continuing daily in one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
Most people’s lives are train wrecks waiting to happen- I am praying that the Holy Spirit of God would get a hold of our hearts and turn not only our lives around, but this community around!
The church in a lot of minds right now is not the most important thing- they know of God but they do not know God. That doesn’t change the fact that our relationship with the Lord is the most important thing in our lives. What has to happen? We have to come to God with a heart that is hungry and ready to receive from Him.
Our church in Cali Columbia has 10,000 people every week- in a church that seats 1000. They have ten services every Sunday. 1000 in and at the end of service the walls drop down like a bay door and 1000 leave and 1000 come in. Why do they do it? Because they are hungry for God. 3rd world countries people walk miles to church- Why? Because they are hungry. What is it going to take in the Western world to experience Pentecost? People coming hungry for God.
That is my prayer and I hope it is your prayer- Then Peter stood up… He is waiting for you to stand up.
Amen.
