Do It Again Lord – Do It Again!

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!