Sermon Tone Analysis

An Undeniable Experience with God

When God Shows Up!

!!!

When There Is A New Reformation

Luke 24:49; Acts 2:1-4

 

 

“Cultural anthropologists have discovered that approximately 90 percent of the cultures on the face of this planet have and enjoy the ability to enter into trance, ecstasy, or a similar altered state of consciousness with ease.”[1]

In fact, “From their study of the human brain and nervous system, cognitive neuro-scientists have concluded that God has incredibly ‘hard-wired’ the human body for ASC experiences.”[2]

So, it seems clear that God wants to show up in our lives!

Therefore, I am preaching this series of message entitled:  “An Undeniable Experience with God” or “When God Shows Up!”

 

/(We honor those of you who are grandparents and encourage you to take seriously your place in the lives of your children and grandchildren.

I would normally preach a message just for us grandparents, but I’m in the middle of this very important series, so please forgive me, as I plod towards finishing it.)/

·        In the *first* message, I discussed God’s leading for this series and the differences between Mediterranean culture and American culture—particularly as they relate to dealing with experiences.

·        In the *second* message, we began to look at six (6) stories that deal with undeniable experiences with God or six times when God shows up.

·        The encounter that we explored in the *second* message was when God showed up in the life of *Abraham* (*/test/*).

·        In the *third* message, we explored the encounter that *Moses* had with Jehovah, through a *burning bush* (*/mission/*).

·        In the *fourth* message, we explored how God showed up, when *Elijah* *challenged* the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah.

(*/God showed up when Elijah was challenging the nation of Israel to make a godly choice./*/)/

·        In the *fifth* message, we explored the encounter that *Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego* had with God.  (*/God showed up when they stood against the godless culture of Babylon./*/)/

Today we move to God showing up at a pivotal point in the history of redemption.

/(Please notice with me Luke 24:49.

I’ll read this aloud for us, as you follow along silently./

/Now, please notice with me Acts 2:1-4.

I’ll also read this aloud for us./

/(Let’s talk first about:)/

 

I.

The Expectation.

1.

Great expectations for the spiritual versus virtually none!

2.     The Mediterranean expectation of holy men.

3.     The expectation of Christ’s prophetic promise of power.

*Consequently, the point is, the people of the Bible expected God to show up, when we simply don’t!*

 

/(We’ve consider expectation, so let’s look at:)/

 

II.

The Environment (Circumstance).

*The two passages that I read are the promise and the fulfillment of the promise.*

I’ve studied these and other related passages in great detail and the promise~/fulfillment motif is historically, exegetically, grammatically, and theologically certain.

So, the environment entailed the following:

 

1.

The expectation of a prophetic promise.

/Spirit and Kingdom in the Writings of Luke and Paul /*affirms my thesis that Luke is writing from a different theological perspective than Paul and should not be read through Paul.*

When we let Luke speak for himself,

 

·        the promise of the Holy Spirit,

·        the promise of the Father,

·        the filling of the Holy Spirit,

·        the baptism in the Holy Spirit,

·        being clothed with power from on high,

·        etc.,

all refer to the empowering of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost!  *So, the disciples and their company had an expectation of being clothed with power from on high.*

*We not only have a lack of expectation for spiritual things, we have a bias against spiritual things!*

I’ll deal with this bias shortly.

\\ /(We move forward.)/

2.

They were waiting in an upper room.

In Luke 24:49, the word “stay” is translated “tarry,” in the KJV.

Extreme Pentecostals have taken that word and filled it with unwarranted practices (/examples/).

However the word “tarry,” in the Greek, means to wait!

The disciples were waiting in an upper room, in Jerusalem, for the promise of the Holy Spirit.

This is the contrast of

 

·        working versus waiting,

·        trying versus trusting,

·        the flesh versus the Spirit,

·        religion versus relationship with Christ, and

·        idolatry versus invocation of the true and living God.

 

/(The environment is also seen in the fact that:)/

 

3.

They were all together.

They were all in the upper room.

All of the close followers of Jesus gathered in that upper room.

There are times when all who are serious about the promises of Jesus should gather together.

/(Finally, the environment is seen in the fact that:)/

 

4.

They were all together in one place.

*The phrase “in one place,” means literally on one accord.*

We assume that they were praying while they were waiting and this praying was done “on one accord.”

Jack Hayford wrote in his /Spirit Filled Life Bible For Students/, “The word means “being unanimous,” “having mutual consent,” “being in agreement,” “having group unity,” “having one mind and purpose.”

No wonder the devil tries to break our unity:  he’s trying to keep us from being filled with the Spirit!

       *Please understand that according to the prophetic typology, the Holy Spirit was scheduled to come on The Great Day of Pentecost.*

So, these environmental characteristics didn’t make the Holy Spirit come or guarantee His coming.

*These circumstances were more preparatory than conditional!*

\\        The Holy Spirit came to earth in a whole new dispensation, dynamic, and dimension.

He came:

 

1.

To empower the NT.

Saints with the spirit of prophecy.

2.     To empower the NT.

Saints to be spokespersons for the NT.

Reformation.

3.     To empower the NT.

Saints to proclaim the Kingdom, i.e. the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ!

 

       *We are in the midst of a new reformation!*

That reformation is called Biblecostal™ Theology.

/(How does the Biblecostal™ Reformation fit in with the Protestant Reformation?)/

 

1.

I believe that the Protestant Reformation is still going on and the Biblecostal™ Reformation is a part of the Protestant Reformation.

2.                There are truths of the first-century Church that were lost, but which God is restoring.

Furthermore,

3.                I believe that the Protestant Reformation was incomplete.

It was meant *not* only to restore the *truths* that were lost from the first century Church, but the *power* also.

Dr.

Bill Hamon sees the Protestant Reformation as one of the historic moves of God in the scheme of God’s restoration.

A truly Holy Spirit-inspired movement will bring *revelation* and *enlightenment* of certain Scriptures that reveal truths and practices which were lost during the Dark Ages of the Church and which have *not* been properly understood and practiced.

Using his terminology, we are *not* really a historic move of God, but we are facilitating a *revival* of truths that have already been *restored*—even though they may *not* have been totally accepted.

Therefore, I use the word “reformation” because Biblecostal™ Theology is a reformation of the theology and practices of The House of the Lord and Evangelicalism, with respect to the Holy Spirit.

/(We have covered the expectation and the environment.

Now, let’s consider:)/

 

III.

The Experience.

*Suddenly!*