WEBVTT 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:02.160 Let's open in prayer. 00:00:02.319 --> 00:00:08.720 Give this time over to the Lord, and we're going to just pick up where we left off last night. 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:14.400 Father, I want to thank you and I want to praise you for Donna's testimony. 00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:30.800 I know of several things that have happened, Lord, that you've done even today and yesterday, last night, that were works of your Holy Spirit that we could not manufacture. 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:32.640 We could not make those things happen. 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:33.920 They were of you. 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:36.240 And we rejoice in that. 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:39.679 Some of which don't need to be public right now. 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:41.439 So we just thank you. 00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:51.600 Lord, for others of us that are searching and seeking for a deeper experience with you, come, Holy Spirit. 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:55.119 Come and move in our midst. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:01:12.239 God, we need some of us need a desperate touch of your love, of your grace, of your mercy, of your healing, salvation in our lives. 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:15.200 So God, we wait on you. 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:31.200 And Lord, as we open up your word, as we open up to the book of Acts tonight, come, Holy Spirit, and give us insights, give us wisdom that we would not naturally have. 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:39.040 We need supernatural wisdom from the mind of Christ and the heart of Christ. 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:40.799 So come, Lord, and do that. 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:41.920 In your name we pray. 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:42.799 Amen. 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:43.680 All right. 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:52.079 I concluded with a with a quote from Ecclesiastes 7.13 last night, and I just want to begin with that. 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:59.359 And the writer of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, says, consider what God has done. 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:01.519 Consider what God has done. 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:19.199 There's something about faith being built through testimonies, through looking back and seeing what God has done, both in biblical and church history, that gives us an understanding of the fact that God tends to repeat his works. 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:24.800 He tends to work in ways that are similar in each situation. 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:26.319 And so that's what we're looking at. 00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:30.960 We're looking at through this idea of windstorm, this work of the Spirit. 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:41.360 And so last night, what I felt like it was important to begin with is painting a picture of the fact that there's really two windstorms going on. 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:46.400 I mean, there is a windstorm of evil in the latter days. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:55.599 And so we are seeing a windstorm of the rise, and we might even say the maturity or the increase of evil. 00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:57.520 And we're going to see that occur. 00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:00.639 We're going to see an increase in evil across the globe. 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:15.280 We're seeing a windstorm that in the latter days, both in Daniel chapter 8, Revelation chapter 12, and other passages speak of, in the latter days, this rising tide of demonic power. 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:29.280 And the word witchcraft, actually, in the group, in the Greek, is where we get the word pharmaco, which is where we have as a root for pharmaceutical. 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:38.319 So drugs that we have today are tied almost exclusively to witchcraft in many cases. 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:49.919 And so as we see young people with illicit drugs, but then as we see adults with prescription drugs, you can get addicted, right? 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:53.120 I mean, some of you here are addicted to drugs. 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:57.120 And it doesn't mean that every time you're addicted to drugs, that it's witchcraft. 00:03:57.199 --> 00:03:57.759 I'm not saying that. 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:03.199 I'm not saying that those that are addicted to drugs in every case that there's demons involved. 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:06.159 I'm just saying that's what the root of the word means. 00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:20.800 So when they were translating the New Testament and they came to this Greek Greek word, they they took that pharmaco word and they translated it in the context that it was written with witchcraft. 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:32.639 And so the reality is that if you're dabbling in drugs for a high and for a for an escape, you could be. 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:36.560 You could be messing around with demonic powers. 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:39.759 And so that wasn't even around 100 years ago. 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:49.040 You know, especially like within the issue of heroin, heroin really was developed around 1874 by two scientists. 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:52.560 And so the idea of heroin came around 1874. 00:04:52.720 --> 00:05:02.079 So that so what I'm saying is that there's a rise, that's just one example of this rise of evil that wasn't around before it is today. 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:08.879 And so as we as we uh come into these latter days, and we're closer today than we were yesterday, right? 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:14.720 And we're closer today than ever the church has been, listen, guys, and this is the good news. 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:24.399 There's actually good news to this, this we talked about last night, is there's a rise in the empowerment of the spirit among the saints. 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:30.160 So we have intelligence that's been given to us that that's what the latter days are gonna be like. 00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:32.639 Now, the now the non-Christian world doesn't know that. 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:33.439 They don't know. 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:34.319 We do. 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:50.879 We have inside information, Book of Revelation, Matthew 24, parts of Daniel, other parts of the Old Testament, that there will be the rise of evil in the latter days, but there's gonna be a rise of power also. 00:05:51.040 --> 00:06:01.759 And so we're focusing in now on how God works in empowering his people and empowering his church in the last days. 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:14.399 Charles Finney said the antecedents, accompaniments, and results of revivals are always substantially the same as in the case of Pentecost. 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:17.519 So turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 1. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:24.399 So we are gonna look now for the next few days, barring tomorrow. 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:33.120 So tomorrow we are not here because they feed the homeless here at Chapel Hills, and many of you have RSVP'd to join that. 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:34.240 I think that's awesome. 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:41.279 So that happens here at the church, and then we'll be back together Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 6. 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:45.680 So look at Acts chapter 1, verse 14. 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:47.680 Look at Acts chapter 1, verse 14. 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:58.319 I want to start there with this windstorm of the Spirit, which we see both scripturally and also throughout history. 00:06:59.759 --> 00:07:23.040 These all, so remember this is the 120 or so that saw Jesus risen from the grave and then watched him ascend to heaven, these all continue with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:31.600 This first point is probably the most important point of everything we're gonna talk about over the next few days. 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:33.199 So don't miss this. 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:40.560 And I had so many thoughts about prayer and most of your writings out there related to revival speak of prayer. 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:45.600 I think this is a better point, though, because I think prayer is the result of this. 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:48.959 And here's the first point: burning desire. 00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:52.160 Burning desire. 00:07:52.879 --> 00:08:01.279 This idea of one accord means to be unanimous, having mutual consent, agreement, one purpose. 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:15.120 This group of 120 were one accord in a burning desire to experience the Lord, to experience whatever was coming. 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:20.480 There was a burning, passionate desire that resulted in one accord prayer. 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:31.519 When we go into prayer tonight during the worship, I challenge us that we would go into prayer. 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:39.759 We don't, you know, I think there's a place for exhortation, but that's what I'm doing right now. 00:08:40.159 --> 00:08:41.600 I'm exhorting you. 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:48.399 But when you go to that mic here in prayer, I want you to pray to the Lord. 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:57.919 I want you to have this passionate desire for the Lord and to cry out to Him, and we will agree with you in corporateness of prayer. 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:03.120 And there was this passionate zeal in the hearts of these saints. 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:05.679 How else could you do this? 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:08.720 I mean, these guys have jobs. 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:10.399 I mean, they have jobs. 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:12.159 They're just they had stuff to do. 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:16.639 They were busier in the first century than we are now. 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:22.480 Because everything depended on them every day. 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:23.919 There were no phones. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:28.480 You had to go find the people you're trying to make business transactions with. 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:30.559 If you didn't show up, it didn't get done. 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:36.320 There were no computers, there was no way for there to be a residual income unless you were super wealthy. 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:41.120 And so the reality was, unless you had servants, you made your income. 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:45.840 So here they are, and we know that it was 10 days. 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:59.919 Ten days are such a zeal, there's such a burning, passionate desire to have God show up with this promise, because that's all we know at that point, this promise of the Spirit that they are passionate. 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:01.600 Let me give you three essentials. 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:04.879 Three essentials that I see in a windstorm for believers. 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:07.279 Number one, burning desire. 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:08.960 Burning desire. 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:11.360 Number two, unity. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:14.159 Number three, prayer. 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:20.720 So, number one, a burning desire that leads to unity and prayer. 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:24.159 A burning desire that leads to unity and prayer. 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:30.799 You're here tonight because of a burning desire that is bringing unity. 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:36.799 You're meeting folks here in some cases that you've never met before, and we're gonna pray and we're gonna seek God. 00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:55.120 Martin Lloyd Jones, great preacher of Westminster Cathedral in London, and a foremost historian on revival, said this. 00:10:55.679 --> 00:11:03.120 The inevitable and constant preliminary to revival has always been a thirst for God. 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:22.080 A thirst, a living thirst for a knowledge of the living God and longing and burning desire to see him acting, manifesting himself and his power, rising and scattering his enemies. 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:35.519 And so in the church today, the cry of our hearts is God, and this would be this is what I would encourage us toward in prayer tonight. 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:39.679 God, give me a burning desire for you if you don't have it. 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:41.279 Ask him for it. 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:45.039 Cry out, God, give me a passion for your word. 00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:47.679 Give me a love relationship with you. 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:50.320 Give me a burning desire. 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:58.080 Now, new believers, I think, just almost naturally, universally have that because they're so desperate for God. 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:03.679 But what happens after you walk with God for a while, you just become comfortable, don't you? 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:05.600 We all struggle with that, don't we? 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:07.120 We just become comfortable. 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:12.320 We we we know our salvation, we we we have a relationship with God that's consistent. 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:13.840 And by the way, there's nothing wrong with that. 00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:15.120 I think that's awesome. 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:25.679 But as we walk with the Lord, there are times where the Lord would say to you, and would say to me, I want to revisit you. 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:37.919 I want to visit you with my spirit again, I want to come storm into your life again and give you a fresh vision of who I am in your life and the power of my spirit working in your life. 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:46.879 Martin Lloyd Jones continues, he says, meditation played such a big part in their lives. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:52.879 They would spend hours thinking, meditating, and ruminating. 00:12:53.200 --> 00:13:00.240 If you like upon the word, but this is something that has almost disappeared. 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:04.399 And our excuse, of course, is that we are all too busy. 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:06.559 Yes, we're all too busy. 00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:12.159 Our whole lives are cluttered up with things that finally will not matter at all. 00:13:12.559 --> 00:13:20.960 You can be so busy in the work, even of the Christian church, that you're doing great harm to your soul. 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:26.399 You can become superficial and dry and eventually useless. 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:31.679 No, meditation is absolutely essential. 00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:36.720 And so, church, we're we're a Bible church. 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:41.440 We're a spirit church, we're a word church, we're a spirit church. 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:55.600 And so, and so to come back to God's word and just simply, even tonight, to ask him, God, give me a hunger for your word and your spirit afresh. 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:59.279 I can't manufacture it, I can't make that happen. 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:04.399 God, would you pour that hunger back into my heart? 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:07.279 Back into my spirit. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:10.399 Because we become lethargic, don't we? 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:18.799 We become comfortable with our form of Christianity that has lost its zeal and it's lost its passion. 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:30.320 But when we look back on windstorms, we look at people that God uses in a windstorm, here's what we find. 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:52.720 We find that there is within them a sense of the poverty of their own soul, the poverty of their own Christianity, the poverty of their own passion for the Lord. 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:55.679 There's a poverty there, but here's the difference. 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:03.440 Because I know so many of us here see that and we become depressed about it, we become despondent about it. 00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:04.639 They don't. 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:06.720 They didn't. 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:13.600 They saw their poverty, they saw their sin, they saw that, but they don't become depressed about it. 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:18.639 It actually drives them to go after God in a deeper way. 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:20.080 Don't miss this. 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:21.200 It's really important. 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:22.960 Because that's not what many of us do. 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:24.399 Many of us become depressed. 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:25.679 Some of you are depressed right now. 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:28.080 It's like, oh, why did I come here tonight? 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:29.519 Is that what he's gonna talk about? 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:35.840 You're like, uh, that's me. 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:39.360 I haven't had a quiet time with the Lord in weeks. 00:15:41.519 --> 00:16:03.840 The difference, though, with these men and women is that they didn't become overly concerned about the poverty of their spirit without taking that to the Lord and using it, using it as if it's an ignition to go after God in a deeper way. 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:08.320 And they did not become depressed, they did not give up, they pressed in. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:10.480 That's our challenge tonight. 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:28.960 Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, George Whitfield, Evan Roberts, men like Billy Graham, Orl Roberts, Dennis Bennett, Chuck Smith, John Wimber, they did not become depressed about the state of the church. 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:32.240 They did not become depressed about the state of their lives. 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:39.919 Rather, they turned it to a fresh zeal and a burning desire for seeking God. 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:45.360 One of the great examples is Martin Luther. 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:52.480 Martin Luther was a man who sought God repeatedly for a visitation upon his life. 00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:59.360 He was so deeply burdened by his sin that he went to Rome in 1510. 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:25.200 He went to Rome in 1510 and he crawled on his bare knees up the hundreds of steps of Santa Scala, this temple area, crawling each time, asking for forgiveness for his sins, because just so you understand a little bit of the background, there was a theological perspective that ruled throughout Rome at that time in the Catholic Church called indulgences. 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:40.160 And the idea behind indulgences was that you could pay for the sins of your dead relatives to take off years that they had in purgatory. 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:48.160 So nobody knew how many years they had except the priest. 00:17:48.559 --> 00:18:04.480 And they would kind of make it up, and then you kept paying to get these indulgences, and by so doing, and it was used pilgrimages and payments, they used that money to pay for St. 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:06.079 Peter's Basilica. 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:09.519 It was a really, really good little operation if you think about it. 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:14.319 I mean, the Pope was actually, you know, kind of a, you know, an entrepreneur. 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:17.440 And he figured it out, you know, how are we going to pay for St. 00:18:17.599 --> 00:18:18.799 Peter's Basilica? 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:23.039 And so they began to really manufacture this indulgence thing. 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:48.799 Um, and so, and so, and so Luther believed it, and he was an Augustinian monk, and he was so he was so fearful of his own sin that he took a pilgrimage in 1510 to uh to uh Rome, being in Rome, feeling like that was probably the most holy place on the face of the earth. 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:57.039 And so he knew that if he that if he tortured his body, that he could win indulgences. 00:18:57.119 --> 00:19:04.160 He even said at one point, I wished that my mother was dead so that I could get her out of purgatory. 00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:08.640 I mean, that's that's how warped this got, folks. 00:19:09.599 --> 00:19:18.640 He said of himself, listen to this, if ever a monk got into heaven by monkery, I should have gotten there. 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:25.119 If it had lasted any longer, I should have tortured myself to death. 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:28.960 Have you ever seen the movie Luther? 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:30.559 I encourage you to see that movie. 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:37.759 You see him, a beautiful picture of what he struggled with with the weight of his sin. 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:43.200 Some of you carry the weight of your sin. 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:50.400 And it creates guilt and it and it creates torture to your soul. 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:53.839 Luther tortured his soul. 00:19:54.000 --> 00:20:00.400 He did everything that the church told him to do in the way of indulgences, and so he crawled on these steps. 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:06.960 He beat himself, he flagellated himself bloody to be forgiven of his sins. 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:18.160 Because he believed that it was his merit, it was on his holiness that he would merit salvation from Christ. 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:42.559 But it was during his lectures in the Psalms 1513 to 1515 that Luther became a new man, believing that salvation was not by any merit done by man, but rather, listen, the acceptance by faith of the merit of Christ at Calvary. 00:20:44.079 --> 00:21:03.039 That what Christ paid for was merit enough for your salvation, but that we accept that by faith, which became the great theme of the Reformation, justification by faith. 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:05.839 Church, don't miss this. 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:18.000 You are justified by faith alone, by grace alone, through the works alone of Christ, not yours. 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:22.799 For by grace you've been saved through faith, not of yourself. 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:28.960 It is a gift of God, not as a result of our works, that no man should boast. 00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:44.240 You have been created by him as his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works of which he has prepared beforehand, which Victor quoted last night. 00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:59.680 Luther's belief that we could not earn our salvation by our good works, that Jesus paid it all at Calvary, that we could enter into a personal, vital, dynamic relationship with Christ by faith, literally set off a spirit. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:05.599 Spiritual atomic bomb in an age of religious legalism. 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:14.480 You are justified, you are sanctified by faith in Christ alone. 00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:23.359 Because when you put your faith in Christ alone, his spirit, which we're going to talk about on Thursday, we're going to talk about the Spirit, the power of the Spirit. 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:26.000 The Spirit enters your life. 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:31.440 And the Spirit begins to do a fresh new work because you're born again. 00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:38.559 And in so doing, the walk, the reception of Christ by faith becomes the walk of faith. 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:47.440 So our justification that we are saved, past, present, and future, of all of our sins right now continues for the rest of our life. 00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:52.160 And so as we walk out that sanctification, it is always a walk of faith. 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:57.599 And that was an atomic bomb, a spiritual atomic bomb in Europe at that time. 00:22:58.240 --> 00:23:06.720 And suddenly, as this message got out through the Gutenberg Press, which there had never been a, there'd never been a printing press up to that point. 00:23:06.880 --> 00:23:18.480 And so mass production of these leaflets and listen at 15 million words is what Luther produced in his lifetime. 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:23.119 He's the most prolific writer of all time. 00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:28.880 All because he discovered justification by faith. 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:31.279 Here's the contributions of Luther. 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:32.160 Don't miss this. 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:35.440 Here's the contributions of Martin Luther. 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:41.519 Number one, a man is justified by faith alone and not by our works. 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:47.519 We are justified, you are saved through faith alone, not by your works. 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:56.240 That was almost, almost, not completely, but almost non-existent in the teaching of the church up to the point of the Protestant Reformation. 00:23:57.119 --> 00:24:08.079 John Wycliffe had taught this, and others, Huss and others had taught this beforehand, but it really came alive under Luther because of the printing press that went out. 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:15.680 Number two, each believer has access to God directly apart from any human intermediaries. 00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:25.920 Now you've got to understand that up to this point you went to a priest, and as a pastor here, I would have a confessional booth, and you had to come and confess your sins to me. 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:32.559 You had to go through me, or you had to go through a saint to be forgiven of your sins. 00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:43.680 And Luther, as he just rediscovered the scripture, sola scriptura, scripture alone, we didn't have, we don't have to have a human intermediary, we have the Spirit of God. 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:55.839 Number three, the Bible is a supreme source of authority for both faith and life, and anyone, anywhere, can hear from God and be led by God. 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:59.119 And so this is our guide. 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:06.000 The poorest of the poor, the richest of the rich, can go to God's word and hear from God. 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:09.440 You don't have to have gone to seminary, you don't have to know Latin. 00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:10.640 You don't have to know Greek. 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:12.319 You don't have to know Hebrew. 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:18.000 And that's why one of the first things that Martin Luther did is he translated the Bible into German. 00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:21.519 And it's still a German translation that is used in Germany. 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:22.559 It was so good. 00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:27.200 And so he was a scholar in the languages, and so he translated the Bible. 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:29.359 And so do you understand that, Church? 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:39.279 You can you can wake up in the morning and you can open the scriptures and God can speak to you. 00:25:40.559 --> 00:25:44.480 And no pastor, no priest needs to be there. 00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:46.400 You can hear from God. 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:52.079 That's the best that's the best news besides salvation that there is. 00:25:52.319 --> 00:26:02.960 That wherever we go, whatever struggles you're going through, whatever's happening in your life, you can you can go to God's word, you can open it up, and God will speak to you every day. 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:11.200 The living, true, one, supreme creator of the universe can speak to you. 00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:17.920 And you receive it by faith, and you're led, and you're and you're guided by Him. 00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:20.960 Man, that's great news. 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:22.880 That's great news. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:28.559 You may not have a mentor in your life, you may not have, you may not even be in a D group. 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:30.640 Heaven forbid. 00:26:31.119 --> 00:26:34.960 But you you are you can hear from God, God can speak to you. 00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:38.240 And then fourthly, all people are priests. 00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:40.079 This is unheard of at the time. 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:47.599 All people are priests, endowed by God with gifts and callings to be used for God's glory. 00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:50.799 So every one of you are endowed with spiritual gifts. 00:26:51.039 --> 00:27:05.440 Some of you are evangelists, some of you are teachers, some of you are administrators, some of you are gifted in numbers, some of you are gifted with people, some of you are counselors. 00:27:05.599 --> 00:27:17.119 I mean, there's these gifts that are released into your life when you come to know the Lord that you can now revel in, you can now live out, you can now experience in your life. 00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:20.240 It's called the priesthood of all believers. 00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:22.720 That was the doctrine that came from this. 00:27:23.039 --> 00:27:28.079 This burning desire always leads to prayer. 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:41.599 And I want to share about the about the uh this work of prayer that happened through Hernhut, Count Lord Zinzendorf. 00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:49.039 I just think this is a powerful example of an awakening that occurred in the 1700s. 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:58.799 The gathering of prayer of a group of really discordant, kind of angry, rebellious people. 00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:08.960 I mean, I was studying today in my personal time with the Lord before I went into preparing for tonight, and I've been going through the life of David. 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:22.319 And uh remember that when David basically got kicked out of Saul's palace, went to a cave, the cave of Addalum. 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:29.200 And it says, everybody that was distressed, everybody that was rebellious, thieves, 400 men gathered him. 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:30.240 Can you imagine that? 00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:41.519 They're in this cave, and they're all like thieves and muggers and probably drug addicts and just a whole, just a messed up, a motley crew, to say the least. 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:46.160 I mean, everybody's probably like watching their pockets with this group. 00:28:46.319 --> 00:28:48.079 But that's who he starts with. 00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:56.319 And then we come later, and we read about David's mighty men. 00:28:56.960 --> 00:29:00.640 300 mighty men, and then 30 mighty, mighty, mighty men. 00:29:01.039 --> 00:29:09.440 That he formed and he began to he built them into this elite commando fighting force. 00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:12.799 So I'm so I'm reading this, and I'm thinking about the talk that I'm saying. 00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:14.079 This is this is Hernhut. 00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:21.200 This is what happened in Moravia in Hernhutt, the village of Hernhut. 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:24.720 Hernhut means the Lord's watch. 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:27.599 It's in present-day Germany. 00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:47.039 Came about on June 17th in 1722 when a little band of religious fugitives from Moravia in what is now modern Czech Republic asked Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf if they might settle on his land. 00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:49.279 The Count agreed. 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:55.680 One Moravian leader was Christian David, a potter who burned with zeal for the things of the Lord. 00:29:55.839 --> 00:29:57.119 Here's what was happening. 00:29:57.359 --> 00:30:14.960 After the Reformation, there was this new group of believers that were raised up who came along who began to believe that the Reformation didn't go far enough in pietism, sanctification, issues of zeals of the heart. 00:30:15.119 --> 00:30:18.559 And so they started getting persecuted, even in Lutheran lands. 00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:24.880 So even though they were Protestant, they began to be persecuted because they kept praying for revival. 00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:31.680 They kept asking for a deeper walk with God, and they were outside the confines of the church. 00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:36.240 And we don't have time to go into it, but the actual, you know, I grew up Lutheran. 00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:37.759 Anyone here grew up Lutheran? 00:30:37.920 --> 00:30:43.680 You know, if you grew up Lutheran, it's I always used to say that Lutheran is kind of Protestant Catholicism. 00:30:43.920 --> 00:30:55.680 Because it's the actual service itself, I've been to Catholic churches, I've been to episcopal churches, and then I've been to Lutheran churches, and they're very, very similar in many ways. 00:30:55.759 --> 00:31:03.599 And so I mean, I was a crucifer, which means I came in, I march in with the cross on a Sunday morning, and you have to hold it like this. 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:07.119 And you really, that's one of the things you get trained in is how to hold it like this. 00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:10.799 And you have a little belt thing, you can put the put the big cross in. 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:12.480 You've got this massive gold cross. 00:31:12.640 --> 00:31:29.519 So I come marching in with my robe and everything, and then I've got the choir behind me, and then behind the choir or in front of the choir, according to however they're doing, and that church is the pastor and the reader, and then dad's got the stole and everything, and you know, and all that. 00:31:29.680 --> 00:31:30.640 I just thought that's normal. 00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:31.200 That's what you're doing. 00:31:31.839 --> 00:31:32.880 Everybody does that, right? 00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:34.880 That's just the way I grew up, man. 00:31:35.119 --> 00:31:47.440 So, so that's so that was so imagine hundreds, you know, over 500 years ago, it's it smells and acts and looks a lot like a Catholic church. 00:31:47.599 --> 00:31:55.039 And so there's these, there's these believers that are reading Luther stuff and they're reading the Lutheran um German translated Bible. 00:31:55.119 --> 00:32:00.240 They don't even have to be able to read Latin, and they're reading it, and they're going, what? 00:32:01.279 --> 00:32:05.440 And I mean, this says here that they were filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:32:05.599 --> 00:32:11.759 This says here that in the power of the Holy Spirit, they saw God move, and they started believing that kind of stuff. 00:32:11.920 --> 00:32:24.720 So they're coming from all over Europe, and then word kind of gets out that there's this guy who's really wealthy and he's got some land, and he's he'll let you come and build your house here. 00:32:25.039 --> 00:32:36.640 So in 1722, they start gathering there on the count's property, and Count Zinzendorf is a man of deep religious beliefs. 00:32:36.799 --> 00:32:40.400 He um at six years old, he was writing love letters to the Lord. 00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:43.759 And he and his wife are just uh they're devoted to Christ. 00:32:43.920 --> 00:32:44.960 They say, come on, come on. 00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:46.559 So they start letting them in. 00:32:46.880 --> 00:32:56.799 But it becomes this gathering place of all these despondent, kind of rebellious, they love Jesus, but they hate other people, kind of people. 00:32:57.359 --> 00:33:09.519 Um so there was Lutherans, there's separatists, there's reformed, and there's brethren living side by side, tons of different creeds, all kinds of beliefs. 00:33:09.680 --> 00:33:11.519 Well, you know what happened. 00:33:12.240 --> 00:33:20.319 It just became a melting pot of rebellion and issues, and they're at each other's throat by 1727. 00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:27.519 So by 1727, they're about ready to just blow this place up because there's so many squabbles and problems. 00:33:27.680 --> 00:33:40.880 But on August 13th, 1727, at a baptism and communion service, the Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way, and they call it the Moravian Pentecost. 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:44.880 And here's the way it's described by Christian David. 00:33:44.960 --> 00:33:46.240 That's the potter. 00:33:47.200 --> 00:34:08.239 On the 13th of August, Christian David wrote, It is truly a miracle of God that out of so many kinds and sects, as Catholics, Lutheran, Reformed, Separatist, Gitchtelian, whatever that is, and the like, we could have been melted together into one. 00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:17.199 From that time on, said David Nietzsche, Hernhut became a living congregation of Christ. 00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:24.480 Then we were baptized by the Holy Spirit himself to one love, said Spangenberg. 00:34:24.800 --> 00:34:34.800 August 13th, Zinzendorf concluded was a day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the congregation. 00:34:35.119 --> 00:34:38.800 It was like Pentecost. 00:34:41.519 --> 00:35:00.320 God then took this gathering of so many different kinds of creeds and so many different kinds of people from different walks of life and denominational groups, and for the next 100 years, 24-7 prayer. 00:35:00.800 --> 00:35:02.239 24-7 prayer. 00:35:02.400 --> 00:35:13.920 There became this little hill right outside the village, and the people would get up, they were set up into bands, they called them prayer bands, and these prayer bands would go up there for the next 100 years and pray. 00:35:14.079 --> 00:35:23.599 There was not, for 100 years, there was not a moment when someone wasn't in that hern hut, in that house, praying the Lord's watch. 00:35:25.039 --> 00:35:32.239 And missions flowed out of that to such a degree that they went to the four corners of the globe with missionaries. 00:35:32.400 --> 00:35:33.679 Thousands went out. 00:35:34.000 --> 00:35:36.000 You may know the story of John Wesley. 00:35:36.079 --> 00:35:37.679 John Wesley goes to Georgia. 00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:40.480 He had started the holy club at Oxford. 00:35:41.199 --> 00:35:44.239 But he's always struggling with whether he's saved or not. 00:35:44.559 --> 00:35:47.920 Some of you might be struggling tonight, whether you really are saved tonight. 00:35:48.079 --> 00:35:50.320 Let's, man, let's get that one straight. 00:35:51.199 --> 00:35:54.400 I'll be over there near the, I guess, the Christmas tree. 00:35:54.639 --> 00:35:55.920 They switch, show me. 00:35:56.000 --> 00:35:57.360 That's the Christmas tree over there. 00:35:57.519 --> 00:36:00.239 Near that white, that little white ball right there. 00:36:01.119 --> 00:36:02.960 If you, I mean, I'm serious. 00:36:03.199 --> 00:36:11.599 If you are not sure that you know and are going to heaven with Christ, then come up there and we'll settle that one. 00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:16.639 I'd love to settle that one with you and give your heart to Christ. 00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:21.440 And so, and so they came together and these missions went out. 00:36:21.519 --> 00:36:23.920 And so there's a guy named John Wesley. 00:36:24.159 --> 00:36:31.039 John Wesley just passionately loves God, but he's so unsure of his salvation, but he goes to the mission field. 00:36:31.199 --> 00:36:33.840 So he goes to the state of Georgia. 00:36:34.159 --> 00:36:37.039 That's why there's so much anointing in Georgia today. 00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:42.880 All that come out of Georgia are super anointed with the Holy Spirit because John Wesley was there. 00:36:43.360 --> 00:36:50.559 But he goes there and he builds an orphanage all the while, struggling with his own salvation. 00:36:50.639 --> 00:36:55.440 He gets on a ship to come back to England, and a big storm comes. 00:36:55.599 --> 00:36:59.840 And in that storm, he just fears for his life. 00:37:00.159 --> 00:37:08.880 But there's a Moravian missionary on board, and he's just got so much peace that Wesley comes and him and says, and says, and what's with you? 00:37:09.039 --> 00:37:10.239 And he goes, What do you mean? 00:37:10.320 --> 00:37:14.559 And he goes, Well, I just fear, I fear that we're going to sink. 00:37:14.719 --> 00:37:16.320 And he goes, Well, why do you fear? 00:37:16.559 --> 00:37:23.199 And that began a conversation where he shared with him the peace that he had because he had a security of his salvation. 00:37:23.440 --> 00:37:28.079 And so when they get back to London, Wesley finds where the Moravians are. 00:37:28.639 --> 00:37:33.280 And he finds a little community at Aldersgate, the street of Aldersgate. 00:37:33.440 --> 00:37:49.519 And he comes in, and when he walks in, the pastor is reading Luther's preface to the book of Romans, and he says his heart was strangely warmed. 00:37:50.559 --> 00:37:55.840 And that he knew that Christ was his savior for the first time in his life. 00:37:55.920 --> 00:37:56.880 He was truly saved. 00:37:57.599 --> 00:38:03.599 And from that, Wesley became one of the greatest evangelists that the world has ever known. 00:38:04.320 --> 00:38:08.079 And he preached all over London and then he preached all over England. 00:38:08.159 --> 00:38:16.400 And he came to America and he was instrumental in a part of the first great awakening because of the Moravians praying. 00:38:17.280 --> 00:38:18.880 Men and women, there's power. 00:38:19.039 --> 00:38:20.880 There's power in prayer. 00:38:21.199 --> 00:38:27.280 During a windstorm, I see three things that happen to the people that are touched by the Spirit of God. 00:38:27.440 --> 00:38:28.079 Let me give you those. 00:38:28.159 --> 00:38:30.880 Number one, intimacy with Jesus. 00:38:31.199 --> 00:38:32.960 Intimacy with Jesus. 00:38:33.199 --> 00:38:45.920 When God's windstorm comes, for those who begin to seek God with a burning desire to experience Him, there is a deep longing for intimacy with Christ. 00:38:47.360 --> 00:39:00.719 Secondly, there is a faith that becomes an experience, not just beliefs or a set of beliefs, but it becomes an experience in your heart of faith. 00:39:01.280 --> 00:39:03.840 And thirdly, the Bible comes alive. 00:39:04.079 --> 00:39:06.320 The word of God comes alive. 00:39:06.639 --> 00:39:09.840 Intimacy, faith, Bible. 00:39:10.159 --> 00:39:11.360 Becomes a part. 00:39:11.519 --> 00:39:16.480 And these early believers in the book of Acts are desperate for this promise. 00:39:16.639 --> 00:39:18.400 They're crying out for this promise. 00:39:18.480 --> 00:39:20.639 There's a zeal, a passion. 00:39:21.039 --> 00:39:22.239 They're waiting on God. 00:39:22.320 --> 00:39:23.760 They're frightened. 00:39:25.280 --> 00:39:28.239 Jesus has left them physically. 00:39:28.480 --> 00:39:30.400 They don't know what's going to happen. 00:39:30.559 --> 00:39:31.840 They don't know when it's going to happen. 00:39:31.920 --> 00:39:34.159 They don't even know what the promise means. 00:39:34.880 --> 00:39:37.920 All they know is that the Roman authorities are out there. 00:39:38.239 --> 00:39:46.079 And the Roman authorities, in collaboration with the Jewish religious leaders, have killed Jesus. 00:39:47.599 --> 00:39:48.960 They're next. 00:39:49.519 --> 00:39:50.719 They're next. 00:39:51.440 --> 00:40:04.079 And if you come here tonight with fears, with concerns, with depression, I'm telling you, it wasn't that different back then. 00:40:05.679 --> 00:40:09.199 But there's a zeal that God's going to show up. 00:40:09.519 --> 00:40:12.079 That God's going to come in a mighty way. 00:40:14.559 --> 00:40:17.199 So first of all, church, don't miss this. 00:40:17.679 --> 00:40:19.760 That in a windstorm is a zeal for God. 00:40:20.079 --> 00:40:21.599 In a windstorm is a burning desire. 00:40:21.760 --> 00:40:22.400 Ask God. 00:40:22.719 --> 00:40:25.679 If you don't have a burning desire tonight, ask Him for it. 00:40:26.239 --> 00:40:27.440 Cry out for it. 00:40:28.559 --> 00:40:30.800 God, put that burning desire in my heart. 00:40:30.880 --> 00:40:31.519 Put your hand. 00:40:31.599 --> 00:40:33.280 You know, just put your hand on your heart. 00:40:33.440 --> 00:40:36.320 Say, God, I want a burning desire for you. 00:40:36.559 --> 00:40:38.719 I want a revival in my heart. 00:40:39.679 --> 00:40:42.559 And just wait until you get it. 00:40:43.440 --> 00:40:49.440 One day, two days, three days, four days, five days. 00:40:49.760 --> 00:40:52.159 You keep praying that every day. 00:40:52.880 --> 00:40:56.800