"DON'T MISS THE GLORY" TEXT: I Corinthians 15:6 "After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once..." Acts 1:15 "And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty)" Acts 2:1 "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." 2 "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting." 3 "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them." 4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." INTRODUCTION: Without a doubt, these are the last days and there is an end-time move of God happening in the church world. We, in this local church, are on the receiving end of the greatest time of revival and renewal that this church has ever experienced in our 50 year history and we just give God the glory and praise. As I prayed and sought God this past week for the message for this morning, God kept impressing me to preach prophetically to this congregation this morning, and cry out with all that is within me; "Don't Miss the Glory!!!" To understand where I am heading in this message, you must understand this fact: there was over 500 people who were ministered to by our Lord from His resurrection until His ascension (some 40 days later). According to Luke 24:49, Jesus told this group of people (some 500 plus), "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." From Acts 1:15, we know that only 120 ended up in the Upper Room, seeking for the promise of the Father. The question is: Where were the other 380? We are not sure where they were but one thing that we do know for sure; THEY MISSED THE GLORY!!! I. What are some of the possible REASONS that they did not go to the Upper Room? A. Doubt-possibly many of those 500 or so simply doubted that anything would really happen in Jerusalem, so they just did not go there. 1. Satan is the great deceiver and doubt is one of his tools. 2. As I have said before, I don't know why some who name the name of Christ are called believers because they do not believe Him. They should be called Doubters or Skeptics or Reasoners or Questioners but don't call them Believers. B. Too Busy-I am sure, if this was a typical crowd of followers, that there were some who said, "I'm just too busy and I just can't go to that Upper Room." 1. Can you imagine; too busy to receive the promise of the Father? 2. Before you get too shocked at that group of people, stop long enough to examine your own life. ARE YOU "TOO BUSY FOR GOD'S BEST IN YOUR LIFE?" C. Lack of Concern-there were many in this crowd who probably thought that it wasn't really that important and they were not overly concerned about receiving the promise of the Father. 1. Did Jesus really mean what He said or did He just need to say something soothing to His followers before He left to return to heaven? 2. Is it really so important to receive the Holy Ghost? We can go to heaven without the baptism of the Holy Ghost so why bother? 3. Serving Christ is nice but let's don't go overboard. II. WHAT DID THOSE WHO DIDN'T SHOW UP AT THE UPPER ROOM MISS? A. They missed the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. 1. They missed the rushing, mighty wind. 2. They missed the cloven (forked) tongues, like as of fire. 3. They missed the infilling and baptism of the Holy Ghost. 4. They missed the experience of speaking with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. B. They missed the unity and purpose that those present in the Upper Room experienced. 1. There is mighty power and anointing in unity. 2. They were "all with one accord in one place." 3. God blessed this Upper Room crowd because they were not divided but they were united and had a common purpose. C. THEY MISSED THE GLORY!!! III.Other examples in the Bible of those who missed the glory. A. In the Old Testament, SAMSON missed the glory. 1. A mighty man of God but he loved to play as close to sin as possible. 2. The "excitement" of temptation and the "allure" of the carnal captivated Samson's heart. 3. In one fatal, final clip of Delilah's scissors, SAMSON MISSED THE GLORY!!! B. KING SAUL missed the glory but DAVID received the glory. Rebellion cost Saul the glory and the kingdom. 2. On the other hand, humility and obedience gained David the throne and the favor of God for all generations. C. In John 6:66, there was A MULTITUDE of Jesus' followers who missed the glory. 1. He began to demand commitment and expect dedication and "from that time, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." 2. They were along for the miracles and the loaves and the fishes but not for a life-long commitment. THIS MULTITUDE LEFT HIM, WENT BACK TO THEIR MUNDANE LIVES AND MISSED THE GLORY!!! 4. Whether in heaven or in hell this morning, what do you think those who were in this multitude are saying to themselves; knowing that they missed the glory? D. In II Timothy 4:10, DEMAS, trusted co-laborer with the great Apostle Paul, left Paul and missed the glory. 1. Demas left Paul for the paltry sum of "having loved this present world." 2. Oh, how sad, to miss the glory because one "loves this present world." E. In Revelation 2 & 3, we see SEVERAL CHURCHES that missed the glory. 1. Revelation 2:1-7 EPHESUS missed the glory (lost their first love). 2. Revelation 2:12-17 PERGAMOS missed the glory (compromise with the world). 3. Revelation 2:18-29 THYATIRA missed the glory (spiritual adultery). 4. Revelation 3:1-6 SARDIS missed the glory (neglect and defilement with the world). 5. Revelation 3:14-22 LAODICEA missed the glory (lukewarmness and self-sufficiency). DON'T MISS THE GLORY!!! Sermon submitted by Dr. Jim L. Hamby Contact me at JHamby1878@aol.com