<TITLE>07. Par 23-26</TITLE>L-23 Now, just for about fifteen minutes or twenty, I want to take this for a text, "The Leadings Of The Spirit And The Anticipations And Expectations." It would be better for me to place it: "Expectations And Leadings Of The Spirit."
I believe that we get just what we expect. People go to services many times when they hear of something taken place, they go with their minds made up that they're not going to believe a word of it. Then there's no need of going. Whatever you expect, that's what you get.
If you come tonight expecting to find something in the meeting that you could go away and criticize it, the devil will produce that for you. But if you come with an honest heart expecting to see the glory of God, God will reveal Himself to you. It's just what you expect. And in the leadings...

L-24 Now, we find tonight in our opening here, Romans had captured the Israelites and they were under the--the rulership of the Roman empire. And the church had cooled off. But no matter how cold and formal the church ever gets, God always had a remnant of people that He could put His hands on, that believed Him, always had. He always will have.
It had got very low this time. As far as we know, there with John the Baptist, Simeon at the temple, Anna the blind prophetess, just a little handful that was looking and waiting. But they had all settled down and got pretty good jobs as tax collectors and so forth, and were at ease. And for four thousand years the Church had been looking for the promised Messiah.

L-25 And there being at Jerusalem at this time, an old man by the name of Simeon... And I like the way the Scripture states it, "The Holy Ghost was upon him." In that great evil day, great day of formality and indifference, the Holy Spirit could still rest on a man.
And he was old. They called them old teachers "sages." An old sage with a fine reputation, and he was well-known and well-loved among the people. But one day when he was setting in his room and was filled with the Spirit, the Holy Spirit come down upon him and gave him a revelation.
God still gives revelations. And He gave him a revelation and said, "Simeon, you'll not taste death until you seen My salvation." And Simeon believed it. That's the good part. When the Holy Spirit reveals something, let's believe it. For He knows; we do not. I could just see Simeon as he raises from his study, throws his hands into the air, and said, "Bless God forever. I believe it."

L-26 Now, he went to testifying about it. A man that really believes that something has been revealed to him, he's not ashamed to testify of it. Abraham was not afraid, or ashamed, in our message last night, to testify he was going to have that baby by Sarah, when it was totally humanly impossible for it to happen. But he called those things which were not, as though they were. That's faith. And the Bible said, "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong, giving praise to God for His promise."
And Simeon likewise, when the Holy Spirit told him that he was going to see God's salvation, the Messiah, before he seen death, Simeon wasn't afraid, for he knew that God was able to keep that what He had promised. The reason he did this, he was full of the Holy Spirit. He believed it. It was a settled fact.


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