Dreams and Visions of Advent

Dreams and Visions Acts 2.1-21 V.17 in the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams. You may think that I’m picking a strange section of scripture to begin Advent. This message is an overview, a preview, an introduction to our theme throughout December, The Dreams and Visions of Christmas/Advent. I’m not talking about “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”, nor am I speaking about the “visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.” What is Advent? Over the month of December we are going to be looking at the dreams and the visions of the Christmas story. Before we get into that next week I want to talk to you this morning about dreams and visions according to God‘s Word. We are in a time where we have the whole counsel of God in the old and the New Testament’s. In the first book of the Bible and the last book of the Bible we have dreams and visions and all in between. Does God speak today through dreams and visions? I believe He does. But we need to test the spirits just like we read last week from I Thessalonians 5. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil. Dreams and visions cannot be completely understood immediately all the time. The LORD spoke to Habakkuk the prophet, Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.” Habakkuk 2.2-3 I do not believe that Dreams and Visions ought to sought after. As we are seeking God, seeking to be filled with His Spirit they do come from time to time. Having said that I have known some godly people that have said they had neither a dream or a vision. Yet whole works of God contain. It is indicated that since the Day of Pentecost they would be happening. * God spoke to Mary, Joseph and the Wisemen through visions and dreams. He also spoke through the prophets about Christ’s Coming. We will be talking about that during Advent. These were dreams and visions of information, warning and direction. We need that and we get that from God’s Word, the Logos. John 1.1 There is another word for word. It is rhema. It can come in two ways. From our reading the logos, a specific passage takes on special meaning. Someone speaks a Word of Wisdom, or a prophecy. From a dream, vision or prophecy. Helen Wilke. The rhema word can happen when you’re reading a particular passage of Scripture, perhaps one you have seen many times before, and you see it in a new light and see how it applies to your life personally. * We must test these. Psalm 105. 17  and He sent a man before them—     Joseph, sold as a slave. 18  They bruised his feet with shackles,     his neck was put in irons, 19  till what he foretold came to pass, till the Word of God proved him true. The Word of God is true. Wait. I John 4.1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. * Many times dreams and visions come when we are going about our lives. * We must be discerning but also not be closed to God speaking to us. * God often using His Written Word with A Vision or Dream He did so with Nehemiah and Haiti He did so with my coming here. Spanish speaking people moving into the area. Ron Posey’s word… three directly involved, others a hand in. Pastor Mauricio’s vision… Elisha’s vision, Belgium Block statement He did so with Joseph and Mary. Saturate yourself with His Word. Marinate in it. Dwell in it. Continue in it! God is speaking in these last days. We are in an epoch time. Things are happening that have never happened before. the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, Habakkuk 2.3 * We are in an appointed time. We are seeing things happen we have not seen until now in our lifetime. Through God’s Word, through Him speaking to us in unusual ways, we can be like the Men of Issachar, men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take. I Chronicles 12.32 The new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in more European countries on Saturday, just days after being identified in South Africa, leaving governments around the world scrambling to stop the spread. Because of fears that the new variant has the potential to be more resistant to the protection offered by vaccines, there are growing concerns around the world that the pandemic and associated lockdown restrictions will persist for far longer than hoped. God is at work in our lives. I do not think we are understanding fully Christ in us. He resides in us by His Spirit. He is with us. He is in us. He is our Hope of Glory. * In these last days let’s be open to His Holy Spirit. * Let’s remember that He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ever ask or imagine. * Be discerning. Joseph got in trouble for telling his dreams, of course God used it. * Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Devoted To Prayer

Being Devoted To Prayer Acts 2.42-47 Colossians 4.2 Luke 18.1-8 Revelation 16.15 Prayer= addresses to / conversations with God, places devoted to prayer/ synagogue and outside if there was no synagogue Prayer is conversation with the LORD God Almighty. Missionary and evangelist E. Stanley Jones wrote, “The first thing in prayer is to get God. If you get Him, everything else follows. Allow God to get at you, to invade you, to take possession of you. He then pours His very prayers through you. They are His prayers—God-inspired, and hence, God answered. “Prayer’s like the fastening of the cup to the wounded side of a pine tree to allow the resin to pour into it. You are now nestling up into the side of God—the wounded side, if you will—and you allow His grace to fill you up. You are taking in the very life of God.” Devoted= regular and continually, persist, constantly diligent, committed, dedicated, persevere Colossians 4.2 “devoted” to adhere to one, be his adherent, constant to one, to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing, to continue all the time in a place, to persevere and not to faint, to show one's self courageous for, to be in constant readiness for one, wait on constantly So important being devoted to prayer is that Jesus ruthlessly cast out everyone who bought and sold in the temple, and said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations…. But you have made it a ‘den of thieves’ ” (Mark 11:17). We need to be on our guard for those things that can enter our temples and take the place of prayer. The devil has an arsenal full of stuff… everything from bitterness to busyness. He told His disciples the parable of the widow, the friend at midnight and the unjust judge to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He calls us to faithful, persistent, importune, persevering prayer. Romans 12.12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. If you pray only when you have a great need in your life then you are not devoted to prayer. We are to pray always and not give up. What do we need to be devoted to prayer? * Faith Believing prayer makes a difference Believe God answers prayer. Believe that God is able to anything. Believing we receive answers Matthew 21.22 We are to pray from our hearts and have our hearts and mind in prayer. It is not just a recitation. It is communion with Almighty God. The early church depended upon it. They were devoted to it. Faith is believing what God says He will do. * Persistence the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people. Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. Praying for people who need the LORD. They may not feel they do. Praying for people who are addicted. This is very hard. Why we need a fresh move of God’s Spirit today. Lunch with the District Superintendent this week, spoke about the move of God in the 1970’s, how people were delivered from drug addiction instantly. Praying with faith can be so challenging. Not because we do not need it but because we are Laodecian times. Feeling we are rich and have need of nothing. Wealth management. Praying for one another. James 5.16 offered in faith Being devoted to prayer… * Importunity persistence, especially to the point of annoyance. Widow Luke 18.1-8 Friend at midnight Luke 11.5-8 Keep on asking, seeking, knocking Matthew 7.7-8 Inconveniencing ourselves and others. shameless audacity Grayson in Haiti, “Mommy,Mommy, Mommy…” Kimberly mimicking him. We do not inconvenience God but it may look like it. He Who watches over Israel neither slumbers or sleeps. We can call on Him any time and any place. Luke 11.9-10 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. * Perseverance Persistence: Firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. Perseverance: Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Both terms imply that strength and tenacity are needed. Praying always and not giving up. The widow The friend at midnight Jacob, “I will not let You go until You bless me.” Genesis 32.26 We are in demanding times. We need to be devoted to prayer, right up to the end. * It is a spiritual battle for most. Ephesians 6.10-18 Spirit led prayers, Spirit filled prayers are needed for us to be devoted to prayer. Romans 8.26-27 * We need the LORD to open our eyes to the needs all around us. * To be devoted to prayer we must abide in Christ * There is nothing like the joy of answered prayer! Let’s pray. We have a personal account of the genesis of "I Need Thee Every Hour": Hawks writes, "One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks during a bright June morning [in 1872]. Suddenly, I became so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him, either in joy or pain, these words were ushered into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me -- 'I Need Thee Every Hour. . . .'"