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THE THUNDER GENERATION
Mark 3:14-17 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: 16 And Simon he surnamed Peter; 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
I. The Disciples
A. The twelve are called
1. They are ordained
a) They are appointed to a position in God’s ministry
2. They are given their divine mandate
a) They are given specific instructions for their ministry
b) They are to be with Jesus
(1) Have you been with Jesus today?
(2) Have you spent time in prayer, Bible study, fasting?
(3) The first focus in our lives must be, that we have a strong desire to BE with Jesus Christ
(4) Before God can send you out, you first have to BE with him
c) They are to preach
(1) Preaching is something that anyone can do
(2) Preaching is relating the word of God to those around us.
(3) Using the bookmarks, teaching a Bible Study, giving our personal testimony.
d) They will have power to heal
(1) As a disciple of Jesus you have the authority over some things
(2) As a follower of Jesus He has given you power over some things in life.
(a) We walk in, we pray, we believe, and God works,
(b) Lucy – the doctors saw spots on her colon and on her abdomen. But we prayed, they did the tests – and now there are no spots.
e) They will have power to cast out demons
(1) Casting out demons does not only involve possession
(2) It can also mean praying against the powers of the enemy that bind a specific place or situation
(a) The great missionary Billy Cole spent the first two years of his ministry praying against the Spirit of Thailand. When God broke the spirit of Thailand, revival broke out and thousands were brought into the knowledge of Jesus Christ
3. But out of all twelve of the disciples there are three special ones.
4. Jesus designates special nick names for these three disciples
a) Simon – becomes Peter
b) James and John – become the Sons of Thunder
II. James & John
A. Why are these three so special?
B. What makes these three so different from the rest of the disciples?
C. Why are they being singled out to be given special nicknames by Jesus?
1. Jesus had a habit of singling out Peter, James & John
2. Jairus Daughter
a) Jesus arrived at the house of Jairus.
b) Jairus had come to Jesus asking that he would come and pray for his daughter, since she was very sick
c) Jesus agreed to go, and while they were on the way, the servants came and told them that the daughter was dead.
Luke 8:50-51 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. 51 And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.
d) Everyone else didn’t believe that it could be done.
(1) They laughed and said it’s impossible
(2) So Jesus shut them out and only took Peter, James, and John.
(3) They were the only disciples to witness the resurrection of that little girl.
(4) It is possible to get to a place in God – where you see the impossible done in the name Jesus
(5) Where your relationship with God, allows you to see the greatest miracles that He has ever done
3. The Mount of Transfiguration
Luke 9:28-29 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. 29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.
a) Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountain with him to pray.
b) None of the other disciples went with him – only these three
(1) While Jesus was in the mountain praying, His glory began to shine through
(2) We call it the Mount of Transfiguration – and only, Peter, James and John, were able to witness the glory of God firsthand
(3) It is possible to get to a place in God, where when you enter into your prayer hour, the GLORY of God shines brightly in your heart and soul.
4. Prayer in the Garden
Mark 14:33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
a) In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him to pray.
b) When He was in His darkest hour, He looked for those that were strongest to go with Him.
c) When others are in their dark times, they know who to seek out for prayer.
(1) They know who the prayer warriors are in our sanctuary.
5. These were special times and events that others were not able to witness.
D. What separates them from the rest of the disciples?
1. What defines Peter?
a) Peter is defined by his Zealousness for the things of God
b) Peter was always reaching for a deeper relationship with Jesus
2. So what defines James and John
E. James & John
1. Each has a book of the Bible
2. Each book has a major theme
a) The book of James is Faith
James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
b) The book of John is Love
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
c) I believe that they were singled out for these reasons
III. Sons of Thunder
A. A title given to these two Disciples by Jesus
1. There were aspects of their personalities that were like thunder
B. Observations on Thunder
1. Thunder is a distinctive sound
a) Thunder cannot be ignored
b) Thunder can be imitated but not duplicated
c) Thunder can shake foundations
2. Thunder means there is, or will be rain
a) When you hear Thunder you know rain is coming
3. Thunder is caused by lightning
a) Thunder is the sound made by lightning
4. Thunder is equated with power
a) Lightning is electricity = power
IV. The Thunder Generation
A. Will be filled with Faith
1. The thunder generation is ordained by Jesus to be with him
a) Will be called apart and separate
b) Will be there for the majestic moments that no one else witnesses
(1) Jairus Daughter
(2) Mt Transfiguration
(3) Garden prayer
2. Preach the Gospel, Heal the sick, & Cast out Demons
a) Know their God and to do exploits
b) Will be filled with Love
(1) Love your neighbor as yourself
(2) Love one for another
3. Will have a distinctive sound
a) Cannot be ignored
b) The sound of the Holy Ghost
c) Have the sound of praise and worship
d) Shake the foundations of this world
(1) Bro. Edge from come to Beulah land – page 148
(a) Make him stop praying
(2) Brian Lane in Indianapolis – baptized 21 last Sunday
(3) Bro. Reed – went from 50 to 300 in only 3 years
(4) Bro. Downs – in Atlanta just started last year baptized 10 last Sunday
4. Will be caused by lightning
a) God is light
b) God is lightning
c) Static Electricity
Psalm 97:4 His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.
d) Thunder is the result of the appearance of lightning
(1) A thunder generation will be the result of God’s spirit moving through the church & the world
(2) Sis. Shelia – no ulcerative colitis
(3) Others with Cancer cured by God
(4) Financial situations met
(5) Urgent needs met
(6) Families restored
(7) Salvation brought
