This is the day the
Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in Him. He blessed us with a
wonderful Wednesday evening gathering for fellowship and study. We revisited the
passage from Acts 2. God is at work in all ages in accomplishing His mighty
deeds. In Exodus 19 we read about the sights and sounds. There was a powerful
storm, and a dense cloud. There was a blast from a ram’s horn. The whole
mountain was covered with smoke as from a furnace, because the Lord was there in
fire. The mountain shook violently, the sound grew louder, and finally the
Lord’s voice was heard from the midst. T he glorious presence of the Lord
appeared on Mt.Sinai in full force, revealing to His people His power and
purity.
After Jesus had been lifted
from the earth for 10 days, and the day of Pentecost had come. The disciples
were in one accord, of one heart and mind, together in the Upper Room. Once
again the presence of God showed up, almost with the same effects. In the Old
Testament, tradition had always associated storms, fire and a voice with the
presence of God. A mighty wind like a storm, fire that looked like tongues
resting upon each person there, and other languages, speaking God’s words to
different people groups. Pentecost was an updated Mt.Sinai.
I t was also upgraded, too. The fire on Mt.Sinai was only for Moses, everyone else standing at a distance. Only Moses got the fire of God in His life. Only Moses got God’s power. Only Moses understood God’s presence. Beginning with Pentecost, however, God’s power, God’s purity, and God’s presence are for all believers.
Ephesians 2:22 says, “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” This shows that the Spirit is not just for the occasional believer. The power, the mighty rushing wind, is for each of us. That fire is the refining fire of God. It changes us. It cleanses us. It makes us like Him. It was prophesied in the OT. Malachi 3 says, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness.” That refining fire will burn away the excess stuff in our hearts. John the Baptist described Jesus’ ministry with these words: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
I t was also upgraded, too. The fire on Mt.Sinai was only for Moses, everyone else standing at a distance. Only Moses got the fire of God in His life. Only Moses got God’s power. Only Moses understood God’s presence. Beginning with Pentecost, however, God’s power, God’s purity, and God’s presence are for all believers.
Ephesians 2:22 says, “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” This shows that the Spirit is not just for the occasional believer. The power, the mighty rushing wind, is for each of us. That fire is the refining fire of God. It changes us. It cleanses us. It makes us like Him. It was prophesied in the OT. Malachi 3 says, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness.” That refining fire will burn away the excess stuff in our hearts. John the Baptist described Jesus’ ministry with these words: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
Though we are stubborn ,
unforgiving, bitter, selfish, secluded, complaining, ungrateful, and faithless,
the Lord Jesus forgives us and the Holy Spirit gives us the power over sin, to
live victorious lives. Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to
debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” The work of the Holy Spirit is
Jesus at work now in our lives and through our lives. He produces the fruit of
the Spirit in the lives of the believer here and now.
The late Bill Bright used
to tell this story. During the Depression, a field known as Yates Pool, was a
sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on
his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he
was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his
family (like many others) had to live on government subsidy.
Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract.
At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day.
Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he’d been living on relief. He had been a potential multimillionaire living in poverty. The problem was that he didn’t know the oil was there, even though he owned it.
Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract.
At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day.
Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he’d been living on relief. He had been a potential multimillionaire living in poverty. The problem was that he didn’t know the oil was there, even though he owned it.
"His divine power has given us everything we need
for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own
glory and goodness."
2 Peter 1:3 NIV
2 Peter 1:3 NIV
In
Christ,
Brown
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