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Even Now: I Will Pour Out My Spirit
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Today I want to talk to you about “Even Now: I Will Pour Out My Spirit.” The Bible says these words in Joel chapter 2, verse 28 through 32. If you have a copy of God’s Word, please find it with me and read along.
He says, “After this,” those few words are very critical, you might want to note in your Bible. “I will pour out My spirit on all humanity. Then your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will have dreams and your young men will see visions. I will even pour out My spirit on the male and female slaves in those days. I will display wonders in the heaven and on the earth, blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood before the great and inspiring day of the Lord comes. Then,” did you get it? “Then,” now listen carefully. Always be thankful for the thens in scripture. “Then everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh, on the name of the Lord will be saved. For there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem as the Lord promised among the survivors, the Lord calls.”
Our day has much in common with the days of Joel. In Joel’s day crisis after crisis occurred, just as in our contemporary times we are in the midst of many crises. We have faced the crisis of terrorism, the crisis of war, the crisis of natural disaster, the crisis of an attempt to revise and redefine the meaning of marriage. We’ve even faced the crisis of a struggling regional, national, and global economy. But there’s something in God’s Word that I want you to really grab a hold of today, and you need to be encouraged.
The reason you need to be encouraged is because a crisis can lead to a breakthrough. I mean you come to moments in your life when God squeezes you, when God literally puts you in the midst of the storm. When that happens, that’s not a time for panic; that could be a moment for a mighty breakthrough by the Lord. Have you ever had one of those breakthroughs in your life when crisis has occurred?
Now in order for us to interpret the book of Joel correctly, and I’m real big on interpreting the Bible accurately, then we need to understand once again as we have learned what the book of Joel is teaching us. In Joel 1:1 through 14 he talks about a present crisis that exists upon God’s people because they were away from God. He judged them. He withdrew His protection. He withdrew His provision. He withdrew His joy.
Chapter 1, verse 15 through chapter 2, verse 11, he says if you think that judgment’s bad, there’s coming a judgment upon all the world one day called The Day of the Lord, and that will be a mighty judgment that will happen in a apocalyptic manner that will literally make everyone on this earth shutter. And evidently he got the attention of the people of God with his message of the present judgment and the impending judgment that the people came to God, they were returned to God in chapter 2, verse 12 through verse 17, and they returned to God in repentance, and in faith, and in fasting, and in prayer. They radically made a lifestyle change. They did it individually, but they also did it collectively through sacred assemblies, what we call solemn assemblies, and they came to God, and they repented to God themselves personally, but also as a group.
And then the Bible says that God heard their prayer. Amen. Isn’t it good when God hears your prayer? And the scripture said in chapter 2, verse 18 through chapter 2; verse 27 that God relented from the calamity that He was about to call them to. And He turned from His mindset of judgment, and all of a sudden He withdrew the judgment, and He began to bestow upon the people of God protection and provision and joy again. And God answered their prayer. God answered their prayer. God answered their prayer.
And then he says these words, “After this…” chapter 2, verse 28 through chapter 2, verse 32. He said, “After this…” After what? After the threat of the present and the impending judgment, no, after repentance occurred. After God’s people returned to Him. He said something powerful. He said after this I will pour out My spirit. That there is a word about the Spirit of God here coming upon people everywhere. God reported, or excuse me, God rewarded their repentance and God granted them what we would call a revival of the Holy Spirit. Joel prophesied according to chapter 2, verse 28 through 32 that there would be a day when the Holy Spirit would come upon all people, and all of a sudden God would do supernatural and wonderful things in their midst.
Now we understand that we need to interpret chapter 2, verse 28 through 32 through the lens of the New Testament as well over in Acts chapter 2. However, the complete fulfillment of Joel 2:28 through Joel 2:32 will take place nearer to the second return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because the gospel will be preached to the entire world, Jesus said in Matthew 24, and the power of God will fall on those who preach it, on those who live it, and on those who receive the gospel. Therefore, I want you to understand today from the authority of the Word what the Word is telling you and telling me. Listen to what the Word says.
1. I will pour out My Spirit on everyone. Wow. We find that in verse 28. He says I’m going to unleash My Spirit, spill out My Spirit, pour out My Spirit on all humanity. We must interpret Joel 2:28 through chapter 2, verse 32 through Acts chapter 2. You’ve got understand prior to Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit would come. He would endow people for a certain task, and then He would leave. He would come. He would go. But after Acts 2, the day of Pentecost, all of that changed. From then on the Holy Spirit came, and He dwelled in people’s lives forever once they trusted Christ as Lord and Savior, exhibiting repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ. No longer would He come and go, but when He came, He stayed. Aren’t you glad He stays?
You see in Peter’s message in Acts chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost, you know who he quoted? He quoted Joel. Did you know that? That he quoted him in what we know as Joel 2:28 through 32, the passage I just read. And he said that hey Joel called it first. Now what would happen is that when the Spirit of God came in such a powerful way, people didn’t quite know how to take that. They accused the people of being drunk with wine. And Peter said no bros, you don’t understand. That’s not what’s happening. Joel already told us this was going to happen, and all, all we have seen, this is the day when it begins! And the Spirit’s being outpoured to everyone. This was Peter’s explanation who preached at Pentecost to the skeptics of his day.
Joel said it first, Peter affirmed it in Acts 2, and people began to experience it in Acts 2, and there would come a day when the Holy Spirit would so move and be poured out, and spilled out, and fall out upon the people. Listen to this. There would be such a day when the Holy Spirit would pour out, fill out, and so just spill out upon all the people that all distinctions would end! And all rankings would conclude and terminate. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for us to be big enough in Jesus and empowered so much by the Holy Spirit that we stop labeling people, and making distinctions of people, and ranking people, and all of a sudden there would just be this moment of grace, this day of grace where we would truly all be equal at one place, and that’s at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ? All of that was initiated on the day of Pentecost, and fulfillment initially of Joel 2:28 through 32.
Joel 2:28 through 32 tells us, Acts chapter 2 affirms it, and the rest of the New Testament talks about that when the Holy Spirit comes in great power, there will be three evidences given. First there will be the:
(1) Preaching of the gospel. The Bible says in verse number 28 of Joel 2, if you will look at it again. He says, “Then your sons and your daughters will prophesy.” The word prophesy there is the word preach. And this is exactly what happened at Pentecost when the Spirit of God came. Understand people came to the feast of Pentecost from all over the world in that gathering. What they thought they were there to do was to celebrate a Jewish feast. What God brought them there to do was to pour out, and spill out the Holy Spirit of God. And He absolutely did that. He gathered people from all over the world, and all of a sudden miraculously, and supernaturally, all of a sudden they heard the gospel of Jesus for the first time! That Christ had died for their sins, and if that if they came to Him in repentance, He would forgive and cleanse all of their sins! They had never heard that before!
Which brings us to an understanding, the reason it’s called the gospel, it’s good news, and when you’ve never heard it before it’s good news. For some of you it’s all news! But I’m telling you it’s good news in your hearts right with God. It’s good news if you want forgiveness! Good news if you want to go to heaven! Good news if you want to know Jesus is in your life, it’s good news. And I tell you what they heard the good news and guess what? They heard the good news in their own language, and in their own dialect. That’s a miracle.
In fact that miracle is so amazing and so supernatural it seems at times that the miracle itself is glorified. In other words the mode of the miracle. But listen, the ultimate miracle here in Acts 2 was not the mode of communication through the gift of tongues, the various languages and dialects that were spoken; those were not unknown tongues, they were known tongues and languages that the Holy Spirit did a miracle and He unleashed the gospel through those men and women. And they, they, they spoke forth the message of the gospel in languages that they did not even know themselves, in dialects they did not even understand. It was a matter of a miraculous move of God.
But that’s still not the miracle ultimately! The miracle ultimately was that everybody who was there heard it in their own language and dialect. And you know what they heard? They heard the gospel. Do you know what the gospel is? The good news. They heard it for the first time ever. And they were told the one that used slew on the cross, the one you killed on the cross, God on the third day raised Him from the dead so that you might have forgiveness of sins, and eternity with God in heaven. And I want to tell you that beats the dog out of that old Jewish legalism they had heard. It whipped it strongly.
Oh listen friend because we have the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives if we know Jesus Christ, we must communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world beginning right here in Northwest Arkansas, in America, and ultimately to the world. You see God is calling us not only to receive the gospel, but to communicate the gospel. But not only to receive and to communicate the gospel, but to live the gospel. The gospel is not simply, simply that you receive in your life, but is something you live in your life. Everything in your life is altered by the gospel. You see life differently because of the gospel. You live life differently because of the gospel. You make decisions out of life or in life because of the gospel, because the gospel should be the center of your life.
Well the message of the gospel, and the power of the Holy Spirit Joel said is going to happen when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit comes. But not only is the preaching of the gospel going to happen, but he also says you will begin to dream the dream, you will be:
(2) Dreaming the dream. He talks about how the old men dream dreams. This dream was sharing the gospel with everyone globally. What a dream. Periodically God in Bible times would reveal His will, His way through dreams. He spoke to His people in this manner. By no means would I say God doesn’t do that anymore, but I want to tell you something today and make it real clear to you, God doesn’t have to do that anymore. He has given you far greater revelation and clarification than a dream. He has given you the entire book from Genesis to Revelation. He needs not say anything else if He so chooses. It is the final word. But yet, He’s God, and God can do that if He may. And if God wants to, He can do it. And even though that may no longer be His quote usual mode of communication with us, He can do it.
This is what I do believe God is able to do, and God will do. God will give us dreams about He wants to use us to communicate the gospel. God will give us dreams about we see ourselves feeding into this plan of God. You see, listen, we have to, we have to connect the dots today. Are you listening? It doesn’t matter today whether you work at Hunt, Wal-Mart, Tyson, private business, politics, education, whatever it is your gig is, or you take care of your kids at home, it doesn’t matter what all that is; what matters is that God is placed you right now in that particular place for such a time as His for you to understand you’re there not only for yourself, you’re there for the gospel. That’s what you’re there for. Some of us begin to realize that the lights are going to come on, and we’re going to start seeing a much greater work of God in our lives.
Our church needs to dream the dream of the gospel. Ah man, I tell you what, our church needs to dream the dream of the gospel, going to the ends of the earth. I mean we need to dream the dream. But he says not only will you be dreaming the dream, and preaching the gospel. He said when the Holy Spirit comes all of a sudden you’re going to be able to see the future. You’re going to be able to be involved in:
(3) Seeing the future. He says in Joel 2:28. He says your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. I’m trying to figure out if I’m old or I’m young. But I think I’m both. I really think I’m in between. Do you know why I think I’m in between? Because I, I, I have dreams. And I’m not talking about going to bed at night and dreaming. I’m talking about I have dreams about the gospel. I have dreams about how God may want to use me for the gospel. Eric, I see the future of, of how God wants to use me for the gospel. I don’t understand all that. Don’t know how it’s all going to work out ultimately, but I want to tell you something, it’s not about where you do it, it’s just about you doing it. It’s not about how you do it; it’s about you doing it. And God is showing me; God is giving me a future committed to the gospel. Whatever goes on in my life, you see what we have to understand is while this is more common in the era of Bible days that God would speak through dreams, and through visions, yet a vision is a blessing of God. And vision, you know what it is? It’s seeing it before you see it. That’s what it is.
Years ago, 8 years ago I was driving right out here. I was at the red light here on Horsebarn Road. What a name. And Horsebarn Road, and I thought, I said this is it. I saw it before I saw it. There wasn’t anything built here. There was a barn right here, a stinking barn right here, and vacant land, and I saw it. I saw a church. I saw crosses. I saw it. I didn’t go to sleep and have a dream, but I saw it. I saw this place being where the gospel could be taken to the world. And while they think they came to do business in America, right here, oh no, they came to get the gospel right here while they do business in America. You see we see the future. He gives us vision about the future. He gives us a heart for the future. I’ve got a question for you. What kind of vision do you have about how God wants to use you for the gospel? How do you see yourself being used for the gospel?
You see, many of us, we need a resurrection of vision. Some of us all we dream about is the next gig we’re going to get, the next thing we’re going to do. How shallow! No, life is much more than about that. All that stuff is going to go away one day friend. Work all your life for…it’s over. And the only thing that’s going to last ultimately is how God uses you for the gospel! And you’re not taking anything with you when the box sits here in this church, there’s nothing there man. I don’t care if you put pictures of your grandkids, or they do, you can’t do it. Or something commerative to you, I’m telling you it’s not going there. The only thing going is what Jesus has done in your life, and anybody you’ve influenced for the gospel. That’s it. Period. Zero. Zero.
I really believe God wants to give us a vision of how He wants to use us for the gospel. Would you please get that vision? Would you not be centered on yourself, but centered on the gospel? The Word here says that when the gospel, or when the Spirit comes, the Word will be preached. It will be communicated to all people, and, and there will be moments when you see your future, and how the gospel fits in. You will dream about how God wants to use you for the gospel. Therefore He says I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity. Oh man, isn’t that wonderful today? That means you. That means me. There’s no, He didn’t say preachers. Aren’t you glad? He didn’t say oh I’m going to do it on all those folks I called. That’s all they do. No. No. He said on all humanity. Remember no distinctions, no ranks, no serial numbers, no preferences. It’s all about Jesus when you come to Joel chapter 2, verse 28 through 32.
But He also said:
2. I will pour out My Spirit in the Final Days. The final days. Chapter 2, verse 29 through 32 talks about those final days. What about those final days? Now remember what we taught you earlier? The initial fulfillment of Joel 2:28 through 32 is in Acts chapter 2. Remember that? But listen, ultimately that fulfillment will happen the nearer we get to the second coming of Jesus Christ. The nearer we get to the second coming of Jesus Christ it will occur. Why? Because, remember what Jesus said? Matthew 24, the gospel will be preached to the ends of the earth. And I believe the power of God will fall on those who preach it, those who live it, and those who receive the gospel.
Joel says quote the days, notice what he says. It’s right there in the scripture. He says in those days. What days is he talking about? Huh? What is he talking about? He is relating that to the final days. That’s what he’s talking about. The days when we are approaching the judgment of God in the final days before the Lord Jesus comes again. Oh listen I’m telling you now this Word is so real, I believe this Word so much. I really believe…I really want you to sit up and I want you to listen. I don’t want you to miss what God’s saying today. Listen carefully, Joel is saying there will be an increasing amount of the Holy Spirit poured out as the increasingly, as the gospel increasingly is shared prior to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the final judgment.
I believe that we are in that era. I believe we are on the brink of the mightiest, greatest movement of God in the history of the world. That’s what I believe. In fact, there are certain parts of the world right now where we are seeing already unbelievable, supernatural evidences of the work of God that can only be explained by the supernatural, powerful God who is committed to the gospel going to the ends of the earth.
How will this happen? Well. Joel says it’s going to happen in two ways. First of all it’s going to happen:
(1) Through wonders. Wonders. People will witness Joel says the supernatural works of God. These signs and wonders, which is what we simply try to glorify because we’re so shallow, but these signs and wonders will point us to the God behind the miracles, not to the miracles themselves. He says, and he uses imagery, now I want you to get this. You can see it in Joel 2:29 through 32. He talks about the blood. He talks about fire. He talks about smoke. You know what blood, fire, and smoke are related to? Are you listening? The Final Days.
Then he talks about the sun. He talks about the darkness. And he talks about the moon turning to blood. You know what those are related to? Are you listening? The Final Days. And through these wonders that will begin to happen before Jesus comes again, and the final day of the Lord occurs, according to verse 31, and you’ve got to see it in 31. Notice what he says. The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood when? Before the great and awe-inspiring day of the Lord comes. Wow.
So then in these final moments of human history God will move so miraculously that not only will He call us to Himself through judgment, but listen ladies and gentlemen, He will call us to Himself through the impending threat of the ultimate judgment of God, but He will call everyone! And He is calling us to Himself when those wonders are unveiled, when those wonders are revealed, He is calling us.
But He is also calling us:
(2) Through salvation. Oh what a powerful word. Verse 32
declares that everyone, verse 32 declares that anyone, verse 32 declares whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. You know what that word saved means? It means to be delivered! It means to be rescued! Not only from the present judgment, not only from the impending judgment of God on the day of the Lord, but from the penalty of sin! I am doomed! I am a fallen creature! I am a sinner by my nature, and by my choices, and I am doomed to an eternity without God in the place called hell until, according to Ephesians 2, He woke up my spirit, and He brought the dead to life again. And by His grace He saved me, and He changed my life. And by that grace all the sin was removed, including the penalty of my sin. And on that October 16th night, 1971, I was rescued! I was delivered. What about you friend? What about you? Have you ever been rescued? Have you ever been delivered?
You see Acts chapter 2 talks about it in Peter’s message. But then also Paul talked about it because of what Peter said, because of what Joel said ultimately. And you know what Paul said in Romans chapter 10, verse 13? He said whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be say it out loud, saved. Wow this is an amazing universal invitation for all to be saved! Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Let me ask you today, have you ever called upon the name of the Lord? When did you call upon the name of the Lord? Huh? When? Where were you when you called upon the name of the Lord? You’ve heard me say it at least a hundred times, you may not know when you called on the name of the Lord, but you will never forget where you were when you called upon the name of the Lord. Where were you when you called upon the name of the Lord? Oh I tell you what today, you may not know when, and you may not even know where, but why don’t you make when on February 7, 2010, Super Bowl Sunday down in Miami, but Super Bowl Jesus right here?
And He changes everything in your life! Everything in your life! And He gives you promise and hope, and forgiveness, and ultimately eternity. And why don’t you make this place, the Church at Pinnacle Hills, or our second service there at Springdale, make that the place where you receive Jesus as your Lord and your Savior. Which one? Make it today. Make it here. I’m telling you this is an amazing universal initiation to everyone. A powerful word.
Now what I’m about to tell you, you cannot miss. You cannot dial out. You cannot miss it. And I ask you today, are you really ready to receive it? Are you ready? Here it is. The closer we get to the coming of Jesus, the more outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will come upon the world. And the more outpouring of the Holy Spirit that comes will result in an increasing sharing and explosion of the gospel message globally. And in this climactic and cosmic moment, as this revival of the Holy Spirit and gospel explosion happens simultaneously, and globally, we will see an ever increasing, and ever exceeding number of people responding to the message of the gospel! Responding in unprecedented ways to Jesus Christ.
And the result will be the greatest worldwide harvest in the history of the world because God bestows in His final days His final call. He bestows in the final days His great, unusual wave of grace upon the world, and that grace, and that spirit will be so powerful, it will be irresistible to those who are willing to say yes to Jesus, and I’m telling you He will change it all. Do you get it?
You say, “Ah Ron, I don’t know about all that. I don’t know if I believe all that. I can’t drink your kool-aid.” Well baby I ain’t drinking Kool-aid. And by the way, it doesn’t really matter if you believe it or not; God’s going to do it. This isn’t about what you think, and you having a talk show; it’s just simply about what the Word says. It’s what the Word says.
You say, “I don’t know, I don’t know if I can still get all that. I don’t quite understand that.” Well let me ask you a question. What’s your idea? What do you think is going to happen? Listen, Revelation 5, Revelation 7 says at the throne of God, which after the rapture of the church occurs, at the throne of God will be every tribe, every language, every tribe represented. At the throne of God bringing praise and glory to Jesus. Now if that’s going to happen, guess what’s going to happen before? A great outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God where there will be a gospel explosion occurring simultaneously, and the greatest worldwide harvest in the history of humanity will occur. I tell you I believe today we’re on the brink of a global harvest unprecedented in the history of the world.
Therefore, I want to tell you today if you don’t get it, get it. It’s a great day to be a Christian. It’s a great day to center your life on the gospel. It’s a great day to be a Jesus committed believer! It is a great day to advance the gospel! It’s a great day for you to understand that God has placed you in whatever you’re in for the gospel. It’s a great day! It’s a great day to be a part of a local church that’s committed to gospel sharing, and gospel living, because I’m telling you if we’re where we need to be, God will pout out the Spirit when He’s ready to pour out the Spirit.
But we’ve got an issue. And with this I close. The issue is we have hurdle to get over. And it’s a honking hurdle. It’s big. Now it’s going to surprise some of you but I used to run hurdles in high school. But you see, in high school I was 6’5”, now I’m 5’8”. You know they say you go down. I mean I’ve had this excessive go down. But I was pretty good at it. You know I ran the 100-meter hurdles. I ran the 300 hundred meter hurdles. Those are out of the pit of hell by the way, but I ran them. I was pretty good. But we’re facing a hurdle much bigger than that. Jesus talked about this hurdle we’ve got to get over. He talked about it Mark 2:22. You know what Jesus said? He says, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. But,” listen to what He says, “But, new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
You know what the wine is He’s referring to? He’s referring to the grace of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is an emblem; the wine is an emblem of the Spirit of God in the New Testament. And what Jesus was saying is if we are willing vessels that are flexible, He’s going to give us new grace, and new movings and outpourings of the Holy Spirit. But He said the problem is, He said if you think I’m going to give that to you in your old wineskin. He said, I’m not going to do it. He said because you’ve got to realize that if I gave you new wine, and I poured it in an old wineskin, those old wineskins are brittle, they’re rigid, they don’t conform, they have no elasticity. And Jesus said if I poured the new wine in the old wineskins, once that wine ferments, it would burst the wineskins. Then what I’ve done, I’ve wasted my wine. Jesus said I ain’t doing that. And Jesus said I’m looking for a people who are willing to be flexible, a people who have elasticity, a people who are not rigid, a people who are willing to conform to what God is doing, a people who are willing to adjust their life, and their whole being around what God is doing in the world! And He says when I find that people, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to pour out My Spirit on those people because I’m going to give new wine to new wineskins who are ready to roll with God, and go with God anywhere, anytime, anyplace in life.
I don’t know about you, that’s what I’ve signed up for. I don’t want stinking religion that binds me, and blinds me. I want a Jesus-centered, gospel-driven, Bible-grounded spiritual life that is ready to advance the greatest message in the history of the world to places and to people where it’s never been before. I challenge you today in the name of Jesus that’s what God wants from you. And you’ve got to understand today it’s not about you going into the ministry, even though God may call you to the ministry. It’s about you understanding whatever you do in your life, God has you there for this time, for this moment, not only for yourself, but for the gospel. And do you realize it doesn’t matter where you work, and what you do, you may have greater gospel influence than I will ever have as a pastor of the local church? And you’ve got to start getting that because when you get that in your life, everything is going to change. May we become people of the gospel, ready for the fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, adjusting to whatever God wants us to adjust to, to do what God wants us to do.
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- MP3:
- http://www.ronniefloyd.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/2Z206L-I-Will-Pour-Out-My-Spirit.mp3
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