July 16, 2022 Miami Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Andrew “Times of Refreshing” Acts 3;19-21
At the beginning of the chapter Peter and John went to the temple and saw there a lame man begging for money. They said they didn’t have any money but would give him what they had. Peter said to the lame man “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk”. I’m sure the lame man would take this healing before any amount of money in the world. The Bible says that the man got up and was leaping and praising God. Peter told the crowd that it was not them but Jesus that had healed the lame man to make him walk. He said it was the God of Abraham that had sent Jesus to save and heal all people. Peter was saying that he and John did not wave a magic wand and make it happen. It was God and Jesus that did the healing, not them. It was faith in Jesus’s name that healed this man right before their very eyes.
Peter is saying to the people that just like this man has been renewed, restored, refreshed, revitalized and lifted up again; it can happen to you too. How? Verse 19 says to repent of your sins and turn to God so your sins will be wiped away. And then what? The times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord. I wonder how many people here today need a time of refreshment. Many people look at their life, at the things going around them in the world today and say ohhhh….for some times of refreshment. This is because there is doom around us and gloom around us. There is violence around us and there is war around us. There is betrayal around us and there are fractured relationships around us. There are people doing all kinds of evil things around us. We hear of all these things happening but when it happens to you or someone you know, there is a whole different perspective.
We must understand that we are not immune to the tragedies of the world and we are not untouchable. There may be clouds over our lives that prevent us from having the joy of the Lord. We need some times of refreshing. Times of refreshing will come and it will happen. The Lord says the way it comes is to repent of your sins and turn to God. One of the problems is that people are turning to all other places and looking for relief in all these other places. The point is that there is only one place to go when you find yourself in need of a time of refreshing. The Lord God Almighty is the ONLY place to go for your refreshing. You can’t go to the palm reader or the tarot card reader or the psychic or the United Nations or the President of the United States for what you need. You can ONLY get what you need from the Lord God Almighty. The time of refreshing will only come from GOD!!
God is bringing upon us and upon the church a time of refreshing. Did you feel it at our church retreat a few weeks ago? The time of refreshing was passing through and is waiting to consume us. The time of refreshing is the fulfillment of Acts chapter 3. Repent, Confess and Turn to God. Then watch and receive the times of refreshing from God. Sometimes we feel weak from our circumstances but when the times of refreshing comes then we have strength that we never had before. It brings a joy that you never had before. The Bible says the joy of the Lord is our strength and with this we get Peace. When the times of refreshing comes and you had despair with no hope, you will suddenly have Hope from God and His refreshing. There is nothing that is impossible for God to fix. If you need Him to work out something then take it to Him. The time of refreshing will come and God will fix all things. There is an answer that is coming and a resolution that is just ahead because of God Our Father. Stick with the Lord and don’t go for anything or anybody else. The times of refreshing will come and the Lord will bring you restoration, restitution, resurrection, renewal, redemption, and revitalization. This is all part of the times of refreshing. You are going to feel different, look and think differently because you are living in the times of refreshing from God Our Father.
AMEN
At the beginning of the chapter Peter and John went to the temple and saw there a lame man begging for money. They said they didn’t have any money but would give him what they had. Peter said to the lame man “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk”. I’m sure the lame man would take this healing before any amount of money in the world. The Bible says that the man got up and was leaping and praising God. Peter told the crowd that it was not them but Jesus that had healed the lame man to make him walk. He said it was the God of Abraham that had sent Jesus to save and heal all people. Peter was saying that he and John did not wave a magic wand and make it happen. It was God and Jesus that did the healing, not them. It was faith in Jesus’s name that healed this man right before their very eyes.
Peter is saying to the people that just like this man has been renewed, restored, refreshed, revitalized and lifted up again; it can happen to you too. How? Verse 19 says to repent of your sins and turn to God so your sins will be wiped away. And then what? The times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord. I wonder how many people here today need a time of refreshment. Many people look at their life, at the things going around them in the world today and say ohhhh….for some times of refreshment. This is because there is doom around us and gloom around us. There is violence around us and there is war around us. There is betrayal around us and there are fractured relationships around us. There are people doing all kinds of evil things around us. We hear of all these things happening but when it happens to you or someone you know, there is a whole different perspective.
We must understand that we are not immune to the tragedies of the world and we are not untouchable. There may be clouds over our lives that prevent us from having the joy of the Lord. We need some times of refreshing. Times of refreshing will come and it will happen. The Lord says the way it comes is to repent of your sins and turn to God. One of the problems is that people are turning to all other places and looking for relief in all these other places. The point is that there is only one place to go when you find yourself in need of a time of refreshing. The Lord God Almighty is the ONLY place to go for your refreshing. You can’t go to the palm reader or the tarot card reader or the psychic or the United Nations or the President of the United States for what you need. You can ONLY get what you need from the Lord God Almighty. The time of refreshing will only come from GOD!!
God is bringing upon us and upon the church a time of refreshing. Did you feel it at our church retreat a few weeks ago? The time of refreshing was passing through and is waiting to consume us. The time of refreshing is the fulfillment of Acts chapter 3. Repent, Confess and Turn to God. Then watch and receive the times of refreshing from God. Sometimes we feel weak from our circumstances but when the times of refreshing comes then we have strength that we never had before. It brings a joy that you never had before. The Bible says the joy of the Lord is our strength and with this we get Peace. When the times of refreshing comes and you had despair with no hope, you will suddenly have Hope from God and His refreshing. There is nothing that is impossible for God to fix. If you need Him to work out something then take it to Him. The time of refreshing will come and God will fix all things. There is an answer that is coming and a resolution that is just ahead because of God Our Father. Stick with the Lord and don’t go for anything or anybody else. The times of refreshing will come and the Lord will bring you restoration, restitution, resurrection, renewal, redemption, and revitalization. This is all part of the times of refreshing. You are going to feel different, look and think differently because you are living in the times of refreshing from God Our Father.
AMEN