DOING THINGS WE’VE NEVER DONE TO GET THINGS WE’VE NEVER GOTTEN
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: HE LOVED DRIVING TRAINS
1. In the early days of Texas, there was a man who drove trains for a living. He loved his job, but he was too reckless and caused a crash. He lived, but a one person died. He was found guilty, and was sentenced to death by electrocution.
2. As his last meal he requested a single banana. Then he was strapped into the electric chair, “Old Sparky.” The switch was flown, sparks flew and smoke filled the air- but nothing happened. The man was perfectly fine.
3. An obscure old Texas law said that if an execution failed, it was a sign of divine intervention, so the man was to go free. Somehow, the man got a job again driving trains, had an accident, this time killing two people.
4. Again he was sentenced to execution. For his final meal, the man requested two bananas. After eating the bananas, he was strapped into the electric chair. The switch was thrown, sparks flew, but nothing happened!
5. Well, this of course meant that he was free to go. It all happened a third time – wreck, 3 deaths, sentenced to execution. This time at his last meal he requested 3 bananas.
6. "No," said the executioner. "I've had it with you walking out of here unharmed. No bananas!” The man was strapped into the electric chair, the switch was pulled, sparks flew, smoke filled the room- but the man was still unharmed. The executioner was speechless.
7. The man looked at the executioner and said "Oh, the bananas had nothing to do with it. I'm just a bad conductor."
B. TEXTS
AT JERUSALEM: 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet…” Acts 4:32-35.
EPHESUS: 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Acts 19:10-12.
C. COMPARISON, THEN & TODAY
1. The Bible describes a Christianity that was so strong that it conquered every idea and every culture that it contacted. Cities and nations were turned upside down. People were willing to die the most gruesome deaths for it, or to lose their property and possessions.
2. A supernatural power was loose among them that healed the sick, drove out demons, twice blinded its opponents and made hypocrites fall dead on the spot. Within one generation, only by word of mouth, everyone within the known limits of civilization was reached with the Gospel! Incredible!
3. What a contrast with the Christianity of today, which in the U.S.A. seems to struggle to be heard and its adherents constantly vacillate between devotion to Christ and devotion to the world! It knows little or no miracles, and since 2007, the number of people calling themselves Christians has dropped nearly 10%.
4. What’s wrong with this picture? Obviously something about early Christianity was different from modern Christianity. The power of Jesus Christ was much stronger in the early Believer than the Believer of today.
5. Now, we can be satisfied with our lack, or we can find out what they had that we don’t and lay hold of it.
D. THESIS
1. ONE THING WE CAN’T DO: KEEP DOING THE SAME THINGS AND EXPECT A DIFFERENT RESULT! Albert Einstein said (or James Jensen); “The definition of ‘insanity’ is “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”
2. This, applied to spiritual things, means that we can’t continue our half-hearted, part-time Christianity and expect dynamic N.T. results. Rather, we must attempt to adopt Bible devotion, practices, and obedience – then we can expect to have Bible results!
3. This message is entitled, “Doing Things You’ve Never Done to Get Things You’ve Never Gotten.” We’re going to look at 3 things Bible people did that seemed to have made a great difference in their lives.
I. FASTING & PRAYER
A. TEXT
1. In Daniel 2:14-19, the King of Babylon was going to put all the wise men to death because they couldn’t interpret his dream.
2. If Daniel was to save his life (and his friends), he MUST HAVE a revelation from God. They sought God and he got the revelation.
3. He told later how he sought God; “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes …& made my confession” Dan. 9:3-4.
B. FASTING AS A N.T. PRACTICE
1. The Lord Jesus Himself fasted and talked about fasting in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 6:16-18). He said His followers would fast (Mt. 9:5; Mk. 2:20; Lk. 5:35). “WHEN you fast…”
2. Fasting was a regular practice of the early Church (Acts 10:30; 13:2-3; 14:23; 1 Cor. 7:5; 2 Cor. 6:5, 11:27). 7X
3. Why’d they do it? Because there’s a secret power is added to prayer when we fast.
4. When the 9 disciples at the Mount of Transfiguration couldn’t cast the demon out of the boy, they asked Jesus WHY they couldn’t do it.
5. Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief;[Gr. ‘little faith’] for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Mt. 17:20-21.
6. The disciples had encountered a problem - insufficient power in the Spirit. Jesus said the solution was fasting & prayer.
C. WHY IS FAITH SO IMPORTANT?
1. We’re SAVED through faith; We STAND by faith; Christ DWELLS IN our hearts through faith. We’re to "CONTEND for the faith once for all delivered unto the saints" Jude 3.
2. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Heb. 11:1.
3. HUMOR
a. Faith is a characteristic of God.
b. A lady’s grandson was visiting one day when he said, "Grandma, did you know that you and God are a lot alike?"
c. The lady was flattered; at last someone had noticed! “So Billy,” she said smiling, “how is it that God and I are alike?”
d. With big, knowing eyes he said, "You're both really old!"
D. HOW FASTING GIVES US SPIRITUAL POWER
1. For the NEW LIFE to grow, it must DISPLACE the old. As John put it, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (3:30).
2. Ex.: Oak leaves which hang on all winter; the wind can’t dislodge. But next spring the sap pressure pushes them out!
3. Like the man with the 2 dogs: the one he fed was the one who won the fight.
4. Food is the main appetite of the body. As we fast, we weaken the old human nature and the new spiritual nature in Christ gains strength.
II. THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
A. VITALLY IMPORTANT
1. PROPHET JOEL. “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” 2:28
2. JOHN THE BAPTIST. "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down & untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mk. 1:7-8.
3. LORD JESUS. “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." Luke 24:45-49.
4. AT ASCENSION. "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:4-5.
5. FULFILLMENT. “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1-4.
6. HUMOR: DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE SPIRIT
Don Simms recently overheard his young nephew reassure his sister, “You don't have to be afraid of the Holy Ghost. It's just God with a sheet over His head.” (Readers Digest)
B. WHAT THE BHS IS NOT:
1. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not to be confused with salvation. In Luke 10:20, Jesus told the apostles they were saved. So Acts 2:1-4 wasn’t connected to salvation.
2. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit was given to the Church to give us POWER to live the Christian life: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses…” Acts 1:8. THE BHS GIVES YOU…
a. COURAGE to speak, Acts 4:31, refilled & spoke boldly
b. CONVICTION to obey God, Ez. 36:27. “And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
c. CONFRONT the Demonic. The early Christians had power over evil spirits because they were full of the Spirit of God!
“And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” Mk. 16:17-18.
d. TEACH TO PRAY. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us” Rom. 8:26.
3. We all get the Spirit when we get saved, but it’s the difference between drinking a glass of water and jumping into a swimming pool! Gr. word is “baptidzo” – immerse, soak, etc.
C. WE NEED THIS TODAY!
1. If God felt the church needed the fullness of the Spirit in the beginning stages of the church, then why wouldn’t we think the church needed that fullness in the terrible Last Days?
2. Paul pointed out the folly of such thinking. “Having begun in the Spirit, will you now be perfected by the flesh?” Gal. 3:3.
3. Dwight Moody was to speak in a series of meetings across England. An elderly pastor protested, "Why do we need this 'Mr. Moody'? He's uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?" A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, "No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody."
4. God will use you and work through you when He has complete possession of You! Be filled with the Spirit!
III. DEEP, INTERCESSORY PRAYER
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Harriet Beardslee, Missionary to India, was with another single missionary, sleeping in a canvas-covered wagon. Outside, the fire was still burning brightly.
2. “Suddenly, we felt our wagon shake violently! A huge, man-eating tiger from the jungle put his heavy front paws on the end of our wagon and thrust his massive, furry head inside the canvas curtain. He bared his 7-inch-long fangs and unleashed an unearthly growl deep in his throat.
3. “We were terrified. He was only feet from us.” “What would you do if you’d been there?” she asked the 60 children sitting rigidly in fear before her. One boy; “I’d run and get in bed with my mother!” he gasped.
4. Beardslee continued, “Then I remembered two things; never break your stare with a tiger and that prayer works. Those two things gave me courage!
5. “I whispered to my companion, “You pray and I’ll stare.” She prayed and I stared straight into the tiger’s huge eyes. I stared until my eyes hurt and tears started streaming down my cheeks. The tiger kept staring at me, unmoving.
6. “Finally,” she continued, “After about a half hour, the tiger lowered one giant paw to the ground, but kept on staring. Then he lowered the other paw and began to back slowly, slowly away. Finally he turned and ran into the jungle.”
7. Sixty children exhaled simultaneously with profound relief. We learned that night the power of prayer!”
B. OBSERVE THE LAWS OF PRAYER
1. Pray in the NAME of Jesus. It’s your Password to heaven.
2. Prayer must be SPECIFIC, pick one thing at a time.
3. Prayer should be PERSISTENT. “Pray until something happens” – P.U.S.H.
4. Prayer should be FERVENT. James 5: 16 says, “…Effectual fervent prayers of a righteous person avails much.”
5. Prayer should be done IN FAITH, faithless prayer would affect nothing. You have to believe that what you asked the Lord to so, He has done it.
6. Prayer must be according to GOD’S WILL. You must seek the word of God to confirm what you are asking. For example, you would be wasting your time if you pray that God should give you a second wife.
7. Prayers must be RESISTANT. Whatever is pushing you down must be pushed back with greater force. Don’t wait until you feel like doing it before you start doing it.
8. Prayer should NOT LIMIT or dictate to God how He should answer. You just pray and leave Him to answer. Don’t be like Naaman who wanted Elisha to lay his hands on him. He did not know that that was not God’s chosen way of healing him.
9. Prayer should be done with the full realization that GOD’S RESOURCES ARE UNLIMITED.
10. Prayer should be BASED ON THE PROMISES OF GOD. Prayer should be done with authority. Pray with authority; don’t pray like a servant who would call himself an unworthy servant and miserable sinner.
11. Prayers should be done COUPLED WITH PRAISES.
C. LEARN TO PLEAD YOUR CASE:
1. Abraham interceded for his nephew Lot & family in Sodom(Gen. 18), arguing that destroying the righteous with the wicked wasn’t just. God sent angels to remove his family.
2. Moses stood in the gap and interceded with God not to destroy Israel when they sinned, arguing that a). God had promised to bring them into the promised land and b). that the Egyptians would hear of it and say God had only brought them out to destroy them, not to deliver them. Moses prevailed.
3. Daniel fasted and prayed, claiming the Bible promise of deliverance for Israel after the 70 years of captivity. God sent an angel to assure him it would be done.
CONCLUSION
A. PARTICIPATION THE ONLY WAY
1. Spiritual growth requires we move beyond the futile attempts to grow passively and start actively engaging our faith.
2. Howard Hendricks has correctly discovered, "There is no such thing as a correspondence course for swimming." If you want to swim you must get in the pool. Proactive faith requires "getting wet." Maybe that is why "only 4/100 Christians in America ever share their faith in Christ."
3. I want to encourage you to fast, to be filled with the Spirit, and to practice deep, intercessory prayer. These increase your spiritual power.
B. ILLUSTRATION
1. A long time ago, an Aborigine who probably should have been a physicist was sitting around thinking when he realized something.
2. "If I move my arm in an arc, the tips of my fingers will have travelled a greater distance than my elbow. Yet they will have done it in the same amount of time. Therefore, if velocity = distance divided by time, the tips of my fingers must have moved more quickly than my elbow."
3. Then he got an idea. "If I can somehow extend the length of my arm, I will be able to throw my spear much more quickly and for a greater distance."
4. And that was how he invented the woomera [atlatl]- a device to extend the length of the arm for the purpose of throwing spears. Now stay with me here; this has a point.
5. The relationship between prayer and fasting is like the relationship between the woomera and the spear. The spear is a very effective weapon, all by itself. But when you combine it with the woomera, it's much more powerful.
6. Projectile speeds of over 93 mph, over 100 yards!
C. THE CALL
1. How many are tired of half-hearted, part-time Christianity and want a dynamic walk with the God of the Bible?
2. How many of you would pledge to attempt greater prayer, fasting, and being filled with the Holy Spirit in the near future?
3. The most important decision is to get your life right with Jesus Christ. How many would say, “Pastor, I want to begin walking with God?” Let’s pray.
