1 Timothy 3:15, "...that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
Text: Hebrews 12:28-29, “(28) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: (29) For our God is a consuming fire.”
Ancillary: 2 Timothy 1:6-7, “(6) Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. (7) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
The Civil War hit home in the Cabell County town of Guyandotte on November 11, 1861. Union troops burned the town in retaliation over a raid pulled off the day before by Confederate cavalry.
Joe Geiger, who has written a book about the Civil War in Cabell County, says Guyandotte’s fate was the result of suspected collaboration with the Confederate raiders and the town’s secessionist reputation.
Geiger said, It’s not really clear exactly how many buildings were burnt. But practically the entire business section was burned and a number of houses as well.
It’s interesting to note Confederate sympathizers’ houses were not the only ones targeted. Many houses belonging to people of Union sympathies were burned as well.
In the fall of 1861, Guyandotte served as a hostile host to a Union recruit camp. The recruits weren’t able to put up much of a fight against the raiders. They were taken prisoner and forced to march to New Bern, Virginia.
According to Geiger, some of the animosity came about because of the march of the prisoners. It began at a full run. They were tied two-by-two with rope and were herded out of town. Apparently, quite a few of the Guyandotte secessionist women were dressed up with their aprons and were yelling at the prisoners and such. The march was very torturous…
The Wheeling Intelligencer newspaper called Guyandotte the “ornaryest place on the Ohio River” and said it ought to have been burned earlier.
That event is called
“The Burning of Guyandotte.”
I’m praying that another fresh fire will begin to burn in Guyandotte tonight and its flames will burn through the Tri-State.
One hundred years ago, In 1924, a Pioneer of the Pentecostal Movement, Lill Horton had a dream. She was in a Church full of stoves, but she was shivering with cold. So, she sought for an interpretation and this was what she received:
“There’s plenty of people (stoves) who need to have the fire of God kindled in them, but they do not have the Holy Ghost to kindle the fire. You need to go where the Holy Ghost fire is burning.”[2]
You are in a Church tonight where God’s fire and shekinah falls and fills the stoves of all who will willingly reach out to Him in faith, call out in repentance and praise Him with their whole heart.
Others in this room tonight have received the Holy Spirit of God, but you’ve allowed the flame to become a barely glowing ember.
You need to hear, heed, listen and obey Paul’s words to Timothy:
“(6) Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. (7) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
It is absolutely necessary that you stir the embers and bring forth a fresh fire tonight.
For 100 years there has been a fire in Guyandotte.
It started in Guyandotte and that same Holy Ghost fire is here tonight.
This campus in located at 350 Staunton Street in the Guyndotte section of Huntington…
But this fire I’m preaching isn’t confined to any street of section.
“Our God Is A Consuming Fire”
The fire of the Holy Ghost crosses rivers and bridges
Social divisions, economic disparities, prejudicial thinking, generational gaps
The Holy Ghost fire I am talking about is a cord of flame uniting every Spirit-filled believer together in their faith and experience:
“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
Our God is a consuming fire!
Look at our text: Hebrews 12:28-29, “(28) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: (29) For our God is a consuming fire.”
This kingdom that began on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 (And when the day of Pentecost was fully come), placed in those 120 Holy Ghost divine power:
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
This kingdom cannot be moved.
It is built and established on a Rock – The Lord Jesus Christ – and the gates of Hell cannot prevail against it.
A consuming fire?
God in Christ is a consuming fire. Our Lord Jesus is “full of grace and mercy, yet He will appear in great wrath to His enemies, who will not let Him reign over them.”[3]
There is a payday someday.
So, we worship Him with reverence – a humility recognizing our unworthiness, and Godly fear – a desire from our most tender area of faith and affection not to offend God.[4]
Why? Although we see Him in this present church age as a God of mild majesty, He still possesses the tremendous power He displayed at mount Sinai, and one day, maybe tonight, He will break forth as a consuming fire against all those who violate His law and despise his gospel.[5]
I used the fire pit last night while cleaning out my garage,
The fire was hot, bright and even singed hair on the back of my hand.
The smoke got all over my clothes, my skin, hair, and even nostrils were full of the smoke…the lasting residue of the fire.
Paul told us what lasting effect the Gift, the fire, of the Holy Ghost has on us:
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
No Fear – no timidity, no cowardice, but boldness
Power – a holy courage, dunamis, miraculous power, strength,
“Power to encounter foes and dangers; power to bear up under trials; power to triumph in persecutions.”[6]
Love – God & Man
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
Sound Mind – To think clearly. Discretion. The Mind of Christ.
Philippians 2:1-11, (1) If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, (2) Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (3) Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. (4) Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. (5) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”
Psalms 15:1-5
(1) LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
(2) He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
(3) He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
(4) In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
(5) He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
The “hill of the Lord,” “His holy place,” “thy tabernacle,” and “thy holy hill,” all refer to the hill of Zion, or Mount Zion, which is where the Temple was built in Jerusalem.
It is a type and shadow of the Church. The Church is that body of Christ established in Acts 2, and the building Jesus built on top of the great mountain. So, we can also read the passage this way:
“Who shall ascend into the Church of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy Church? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”
I want to draw your attention to that phrase: “nor sworn deceitfully,” and the flowing phrase found in Psalm 15, “speaketh truth in his heart.”
I am teaching tonight on this topic: The Voice of Holiness
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
(14) Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion [fellowship, partnership] hath light with darkness?
(15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
(16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
(17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
(18) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
(7:1) Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Perfecting holiness is a lifelong process. There are no shortcuts.
Holiness is a continued work of sanctification, as the Holy Spirit of God perpetually prepares you for a holy purpose:
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:15-16).
Holiness is an essential element of spiritual maturity and is measurable by our actions, thoughts, and speech in relation to what we know.
You are responsible for what you know, and that includes the principles related to holiness, which is why the satan want to keep you blind in order to keep you spiritually immature.
Spiritual maturity is measurable by your behavior and the habits that you develop according to your understanding of God’s Word and His principles.
Habits and conduct develop character. The spiritual character of Christ will not be formed in you if your conduct and habits are not developed in relationship to what is holy.
What you do reveals your true character.
For this reason, how you talk, your speech, is also an indicator of your spiritual maturity and holiness.
James 3:1-12
(1) My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
(2) For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
(3) Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
(4) Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
(5) Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
(6) And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
(7) For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
(8) But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
(9) Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
(10) Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
(11) Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
(12) Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
The Voice of Holiness
I remind you, “Holiness” means “a sacred place…dedicated thing…hallowed…holiness…holy…saint…sanctuary.”[1]
According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, in the New Testament, there are two words for holy and holiness and each is important to having a full understanding of the perpetual work of holiness working in your life as the Holy Spirit of God prepares you for a holy purpose”
Hagiasmos – “Holiness, which in most cases is rendered sanctification. It means separation to God.”[2]
Hagiosune – “Denotes the manifestation of the quality of holiness in personal conduct. This, along with His resurrection from the dead, is what marked Jesus as the Son of God. He was without sin.”[3]
Hear that again: Holiness is “the manifestation of the quality of holiness in personal conduct.”
This includes your voice. The conduct of your tongue.
This is why the late Bill Sciscoe defined holiness as “the amount of the character of Jesus Christ displayed in you, and we’re all at different levels” of spiritual maturity.
Pastor Fairburn reminded me today that in Judaism there is an entire area of teaching regarding the sin of speaking evil, which is known as Lashon Harah.[4]
Part of this teaching says that you need to be careful about passing judgment on other because inevitably you be tempted in the same thing that you verbally judged and spoke of someone else doing.
One Jewish teacher, Rabbi Mendel Kessin, says that “lashon harah (speaking evil) brings prosecution by Satan and shortens one’s life.”
If this is true, then is not only wise to guard your tongue when tempted to speak, or judge someone else, but it may be healthy for you to just be quiet.
“(5) If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (6) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” (James 1:5-6).
Proverbs 8:12, KJV, “I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.” ESV, “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.”
Know when to speak and when not to speak.
The Voice of Holiness refuses to align itself with the devil by joining his prosecuting team as a fellow accuser of the brethren.
Revelation 12:10, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”
Join the Advocate’s side: “(1) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (John 2:1-2).
“God casts a vote for you, the devil casts against you, but you cast the deciding ballot.”[6]
“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth” (Romans 8:33).
Learn to be still…
Psalms 4:4, “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.”
“…be still…” = “to be silent, be still, wait, be dumb, grow dumb”[7]
Try this: “Stop Talking!”
Study to be quiet…
1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, “(9) But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. (10) And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; (11) And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; (12) That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.”
To labour and strive[8]to keep still, to refrain from meddlesomeness or speech, hold peace.[9]
It is not easy, but practicing The Voice of Holiness is well worth the effort when you see how it pleases the Lord and brings His peace into the situation.
Romans 14:10-13
(10) But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. (11) For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (12) So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (13) Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
Matthew 7:1-2, “(1) Judge not, that ye be not judged. (2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
Luke 6:37-38, “(37) Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: (38) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
1 Corinthians 11:31-32, “(31) For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (32) But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
Matthew 12:34-37, “(34) O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (35) A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. (36) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
Make sure that your speech today doesn’t judge you on the day of judgment.
1 Peter 3:8-12, “(8) Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: (9) Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. (10) For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: (11) Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. (12) For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”
Colossians 4:2-6, “(2) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; (3) Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: (4) That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. (5) Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. (6) Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”
Living the principle of The Voice of Holiness will prepare for you an open door of utterance to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Consider this…
2 Peter 2:9-10
(9) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: (10) But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. The word rendered “dignities” here, (δόξας doxas,) means properly honor, glory, splendor; then that which is fitted to inspire respect; that which is dignified or exalted. It is applied here to men of exalted rank; and the meaning is, that they did not regard rank, or station, or office – thus violating the plainest rules of propriety and of religion
Text: 1 Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
Matthew 1:18-25
(18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
(19) Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
(20) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
(21) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
(22) Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
(23) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
(24) Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
(25) And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
They struck Christ, they lied on Him, they mocked Him, Judas Iscariot betrayed Him, Peter denied knowing Him, but Jesus didn’t react with anything but love.
What was in Jesus manifested itself.
God was manifest in the flesh.
God was in Christ and Christ is in you.
What you are full of will become visible when you’re bumped.
An old Indian proverb says, “Whatever you are overflowing with spill out when you’re bumped.”
You say, “That’s not me,” but if it came out of you the Word of God says it is in you:
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).
The Purpose of God in Christ is Reconciliation:
2 Corinthians 5:16-21, “(16) Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (18) And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Reconciliation = “exchange (figuratively adjustment), that is, restoration to (the divine) favor: – atonement, reconciliation (-ing).”[1] Also, “to restore to friendship or harmony.”[2]
First, I am reconciled to Him then I become His ambassador working to bring harmony into other people’s lives.
To be in Christ = water baptism
Christ in you = Holy Ghost infilling
Romans 8:1-11
(1) There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
(2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
(3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
(4) That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
(5) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
(6) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
(7) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
(8) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
(9) But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
(10) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
(11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
2 Peter 1:5-11
(5) And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
(6) And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
(7) And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
(8) For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(9) But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
(10) Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
(11) For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
It is the Mighty God in Christ, In you and then in others.
(3) Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
(4) Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
(5) For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
(6) And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
(7) And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
(8) For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
(9) But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
(10) Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
(11) Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.
The Father of Mercies = Merciful Father
He is “the author, or source of” mercy. “Mercy proceeds from God…he is the source of it…it is his nature to impart mercy and compassion.” Jesus is the Father “of all true joy. It is one of his special and glorious attributes that He thus produces consolation and mercy.”[1]
Mercies = “Compassion, pity, mercy. Bowels in which compassion resides, a heart of compassion. Emotions, longings, manifestations of pity.”[2]
All throughout the book of Psalms (13 times) and the Gospels (13 times) there is a phrase that keeps popping up: “Have Mercy.”
Turn to your neighbor tonight, look them in the eyes, and in your best Elvis Presley impression say, “Have mercy.”
Mercy.
It is what we seek when have sinned, or when we are at our wit’s end.
Our sin is so great that we simply don’t know what to do and we call out to Jesus, “Please, forgive me.” It is a call for the Father of Mercies to take pity on you and to release from your guilt and from the penalty attached to sin.
Have Mercy, is the sincere prayer of the heart crying out for God’s compassion and help to come along help in a time of great struggle.
Have Mercy.
13 times in the Psalms:
4:1, “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.”
6:2, “Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.”
9:13, “Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:”
25:16, “Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.”
27:7, “Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.”
30:10, “Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.”
31:9, “Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.”
51:1, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.”
86:16, “O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
102:13, “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.”
123:2, “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
123:3, “Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.”
13 Times in the Gospels:
Jesus – Matt. 9:13, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
I will have mercy, and not sacrifice – 1 Samuel 15:22, “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”
According to Adam Clarke, These are remarkable words. We may understand them as implying,
1st. That God prefers an act of mercy, shown to the necessitous, to any act of religious worship to which the person might be called at that time. Both are good; but the former is the greater good, and should be done in preference to the other.
2dly. That the whole sacrificial system was intended only to point out the infinite mercy of God to fallen man, in his redemption by the blood of the new covenant. And
3dly. That we should not rest in the sacrifices, but look for the mercy and salvation prefigured by them. This saying was nervously translated by our ancestors, I will mild-heartedness, and not sacrifice.[3]
Matt. 9:27, “And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.”
Matt. 12:7, “But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”
Matt. 15:22, “And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.”
Matt. 17:15, “Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.”
Matt. 20:30-31, “And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.”
Sometimes, your need will push you beyond your limits, past societal niceties, and you will get to a place where you don’t care what anyone thinks – as long as you can get to Jesus.
Mark 10:47, “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”
The Rich Man in Hell, Luke 16:24, “And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
There is no mercy in Hell, no matter how long you cry for it.
The Ten Lepers – Luke 17:13, “And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
The Blind Beggar – Luke 18:38-39, “And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
These all were all healed, or found deliverance.
Why? Jesus is the Father of Mercies.
ECHOES OF MERCY: Isaiah 58:10-12
(10) And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
(11) And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
(12) And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
When you extend mercy that’s been granted to you, the echo of the mercy you received and then passed forward will be remembered for generations.
Mercy is ready tonight to triumph over Judgment, all you need do is cry out to God – HAVE MERCY!
Ephesians 2:4-10
(4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, [The Father of Mercies]
(5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
(6) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
(7) That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. [Echoes of Mercy]
(8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
(9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
(10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
(16) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
(17) Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
(18) I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Isaiah 55:10-11, “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
At no time on earth since Acts 2 has there been a moment when there wasn’t a Spirit-filled believer.
God’s Word is forever settled in Heaven and will accomplish its goal. There are generally, two types of promises God makes with man in the Bible:
Unconditional – The promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not depend on any future action on their part because they were unconditional and would come to pass regardless of anything that these men did or didn’t do:
Genesis 12:1-3 [sevenfold blessing], “(1) Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: (2) And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (3) And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 15:13-18, “(13) And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; (14) And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. (15) And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. (16) But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (17) And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. (18) In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:Galatians 3:15-18, “(15) Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. (16) Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (17) And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. (18) For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”
Joel 2:28-29, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”
Isaiah 28:11-12, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”
Conditional – The Bible contains “if…then” statements. These are requirements that you must meet to receive the promise. They represent future acts that must be obeyed to receive the full promise:
2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Acts 2:37-39, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
God is not accountable to us for what He chooses to so. He is Sovereign, Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, Savior…He is GOD.
Tongues is an initial external sign that must be followed by the continuing evidence of Fruit of the Spirit.
Gal. 5:22-23, “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…”
John 3:8, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
It is the consistent pattern of evidence established by God as essential in the New Birth:
1 Corinthians 12:13, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
Acts 2:4, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Acts 10:46, “For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.”
Acts 19:6, “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”
The tongue is the most unruly member of the body and when you receive the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues you are allowing God to control the most expressive part of your personality. Man’s expression of emotion, intelligence, and communication is articulated through the tongue.
T. F. Tenney asked, “Why not tongues?”
Virtually the entire third chapter of James is devoted to admonishing the church to beware of that little member that boasts of great things. James goes on to refer to the tongue as a fire, and says that it is capable of defiling the whole body. Did you ever hear of fighting fire with fire? This is exactly what happens when the fire of God’s Spirit enters a man and gains control of his tongue.[3]
James refers to the tongue as the most unruly and hard-to-tame member of the body. Is there any wonder that God has chosen this sign to indicate complete submission to Him. The overpowering blaze of the Holy Spirit neutralizes the burning embers of the carnal tongue. At last the most unruly member of the body is conquered, and the Holy Spirit declares through it in a language known only to God, that Christ has been enthroned in the heart of the believer.[4]
Supernatural? Of course! But when we rob Christianity of its supernatural impetus, we have destroyed its vitality and passion.[5]
Some say, “It’s just for the Apostles and Early Church…”
Irenaeus (died 202): “In like manner we do also hear many brethren in the Church, who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages, and bring to light for the general benefit the hidden things of men, and declare the mysteries of God.”[6]
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179: “sang in unknown words with such facility and winsomeness that her utterances were known as ‘concerts in the Spirit’.”[7]
The Waldenses (c. 1217): these followers of Peter Waldo believed in visions and prophecies.[8] Both healing and speaking in tongues were manifested among these heavily persecuted Christians.[9]
Early Quakers: “We received often the pouring down of the Spirit upon us, and our hearts were made glad and our tongues loosed and our mouths opened, and we spake with new tongues as the Lord gave utterance, and as His Spirit led us.”[10]
John Wesley: People in Wesley’s meetings would be filled with the Holy Ghost while he preached.[11]
Thomas Walsh: (one of Wesley’s foremost preachers) made this entry in his diary; “This morning the Lord gave me a language that I knew not of, raising my soul to Him in a wonderful manner.”[12]
In England (1830) there was a revival under Edward Irving where gifts of the Spirit were manifested. One member of the congregations writes: “The moment I am visited with the Spirit, and carried out to God in a tongue which I know not… I am more conscious than ever of the presence of God. He and He alone is in my soul. I am filled with some form of the mind of God, be it joy or grief, desire, love, pity, compassion, or indignation; and I am made to utter it in words which are full of power over my spirit, but not being accessible to my understanding, my devotion is not interrupted by association of suggestions from the visible or intellectual world: I feel myself, as it were, shut in with God in His pavilion, and hidden close from the invasions of the world, the devil, and the flesh.”[13]
Charles G. Finney: “I received a mighty baptism in the Holy Ghost…No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say, I literally bellowed out the unutterable gushings of my heart.”[14]
D. L. Moody: “On the following Sunday night, when I got to the rooms of the Y.M.C.A. I found the meetings on fire. The young men were speaking in tongues and prophesying. What on earth did it all mean? Only that Moody had been addressing them that afternoon.”[15] At a meeting in Los Angeles, Dr. R.A. Torrey told of a service in London where Moody took the pulpit to preach and instead broke into another language. He tried again, with similar results. The third time, after prayer and praise, he was able to preach his message.[16]
Charles H. Spurgeon: A British preacher told how Spurgeon once asked his audience to forgive him that when he got especially happy in the Lord, “I break forth into a kind of gibberish which I do not myself understand.”[17]
How Do I Receive this Phenomenon of the Holy Ghost?[18]
Prepare your heart by obeying Acts 2:38 (Repent).
Understand that God wants you to receive His gift as much as you want it…just ask Him for the Holy Ghost: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13)
You must be hunger to receive His Spirit.
Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
Expect to receive: “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied” (Acts 19:6).
Believe to receive: John 7:38-39, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
Relax!!
Promise of Christ’s Return:
1 Corinthians 15:51-56, “51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
* Instruction in receiving Holy Ghost is NOT teaching someone to speak in tongues. It is the strategic practice of removing common roadblocks that keep people from receiving the Holy Ghost and speaking with tongues. *
You must believe God wants to filled EVERYONE with the Holy Ghost and that God will work through you and confirm your words. Stop worrying about looking foolish. Surrender your fears about ego for the cause of the Gospel.
You must conquer your personal fear…trust that God will come through – Take a risk
Talk clearly and avoid distractions.
Do not speak in Christianese.
Do not talk too fast.
They must understand what the Holy Ghost is and how to yield to it.
Don’t spit on them.
Make sure you have pleasant breath.
Be certain that they can hear you.
Ask them if they would “like to receive the Holy Ghost.”
Explain repentance in simple terms – do not expect the exact result you had.
I usually try to connect them with what they are saying WHILE they are saying it. (Come on, _____You’ve got to mean it when you say it…etc)
Stop them and ask if they “meant what they said.” – according to scripture they are “forgiven.”
Luke 11:9-10, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
Explain what happens next…and BUILD THEIR FAITH.
“Are you ready to receive the Holy Ghost?”
The Holy Ghost is a gift (Don’t beg, plead or even ask…just receive).All you have to do is lift your hands (as a sign of surrender) and begin to say out loud, “thank you Jesus for the Holy Ghost…”
There will come a point VERY QUICKLY…that sounds will come to your mind that you will not understand. When that happens you MUST speak out those sounds (sometimes I ask, “will you do that”).
If the individual is not following your instruction, the chances are very low that they will receive the Holy Ghost. Tell them, “I’m going to lay my hands on your head just like they did in the Bible and when I do the same thing that happened then is going to happen to you. You will receive the Holy Ghost….BUT remember YOU must speak out those things that come to your mind. YOU have to speak the sounds out but the Holy Ghost will tell you what to say.” Ask them “When you hear those sounds will you speak it out?” (have them answer verbally…not nodding their head.)
Have them begin “before” you lay hands on them, then lay hands on them.
Sidenote: (The practice of “laying on of hands”) – Forehead wrist to elbow. No weird massaging. I rarely lay hands on them until the last possible moment.
Once they receive the Holy Ghost confirm it…almost EVERYONE has doubts.
Ask them 1st: “Did you hear yourself speak in tongues?”
Then: “So did God just fill you with the Holy Ghost?”
Don’t allow someone to develop a habit of “seeking” for the Holy Ghost. Stop them after 2 or 3 minutes and build their faith.
Make sure they’ve really repented.
Encourage them.
Close the deal with Baptism – Don’t ask…tell them they need to
(politely command).
(The disciples weren’t shy about commanding baptism).
*** Be Sure to write down their contact information *** (This is how we begin the crucial process of discipleship).
Let’s close our eyes and invite Jesus to talk with us right now
<<Pray a simple prayer asking Jesus to speak and touch the hearts of everyone there>>
Jesus is here with us. The Bible says everyone has a bit of faith inside, and we can use that faith to talk to Jesus. Showing Jesus that we have faith makes Him happy.
We need Jesus. Life without Him is not good. We need Jesus to help us. We want Him to fill our hearts with His Spirit. We have faith, but His Spirit gives us the power to overcome.
When we are filled with the Holy Ghost, Jesus lives in our hearts. He gives us direction. He helps us do what is right. We are all special to God. When we worship Him with all our hearts, He can do special things in our lives.
Prayer 2—Repentance Prayer
For Jesus to live inside us, He has to clean out our hearts. Our faith helps us repent. It is time to tell Jesus we are sorry for the bad things we have thought and said and done. We are all going to ask Jesus to help us change and not do those things anymore.
<<After leading in a simple prayer of repentance,
invite children to the altar>>
Now our hearts are clean for Jesus to live in them, and it is time to ask Him to come into our hearts. If you are ready to use your faith and pray that right now, come to the altar
Prayer 3—At the Altar
Let me tell you three simple steps for praying:
Close Your Eyes: First, close your eyes and think about Jesus and how much He loves you. Right now, all that matters is talking with Jesus. We are not going to look around at anyone else. This time is just for Jesus, when you can show Him you have faith and believe He wants to hear you. Just think about Him and begin to talk to Him like you would talk to your best friend. Use simple words that tell Him how much you love Him and how you want Him to be your best friend. Pray out loud; Jesus likes to hear your voice.
Lift Your Hands: Now we lift our hands and reach to Jesus. We want Him to fill our hearts, so we put our faith to work by raising our hands to Him and showing Him we are open to Him. Keep talking to Jesus and telling Him what you want. If you want the Holy Ghost, ask Him for it. It’s like asking your mom or dad for a gift. Jesus wants to give you His gift.
Talk to Jesus: Talk to Jesus in your outside voice. As you talk to Him, you may feel something very special start to happen. You may begin to feel like you are saying words you cannot understand. That is good, because those words are Jesus talking through you with your voice. Just let those words pour out of your mouth as you let Jesus come live in your heart.
Conclude every session with a time of thanks and praise to God. Also affirm children that they have done a good job of praying. Your prayers are very beautiful to God. He loves it when you reach out to Him. Your faith makes Him happy.
Encourage those who wanted to receive the Holy Ghost but did not that God loves them and is working in their lives. We will continue to pray, and God will continue to touch each of our lives as we continue to seek Him.
[1] This is an updated version of a sermon I originally preached on May 15, 2005, in Rockport, IN, to the congregation of Landmark Apostolic Bible Church, which was then pastored by the late and beloved James Denham.
[7] George H. Williams and Edith Waldvogel, “A History of Speaking in Tongues and Related Gifts,” in The Charismatic Movement, ed. by Michael P. Hamilton, p. 70
[8] R. Kissack, “Waldenses,” The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church, ed. by J.D. Douglas, revised edition, p. 1026
There are moments in life that we call, “mountain top experiences.”
Like a GPS (global positioning satellite), our minds can take us back to places and locations where we fought battles that effected our hearts and minds.
Sometimes, the struggles wrestled within our spirits, and barrages of attack where even our bodies were worn down to the point where we couldn’t see a way through the craggy pass.
There is a place on top the mountain for you.
God has established it there.
Text: Daniel 2:31-35
(31) Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
(32) This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
(33) His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
(34) Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
(35) Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
I am preaching tonight from this thought:
The Great Mountain
It is 606 B.C., and four young men (teenagers really) have been forcibly taken from their homes in the nation Judah, and marched 880 miles into a land of exile to serve Nebuchadnezzar in the gentile city of Babylon, in the land of Shinar.
In Babylon, their captors try to rob them of their identity and these four Hebrew boys (Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah) receive new Babylonian names (Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego).
It might seem simplistic to say this, but I rise to tell you once again that your adversary, the devil, seeks to devour you.
Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”[1]
He wants to erase all identifying markers from your life that would remind you of your identity.
You are a child of the living God. Your Father is the One who created you and made you. You are part of His people and the sheep of His pasture.
You can rest sure tonight in your identity in Jesus.
This foe would love to put on you a name of shame that marks you as his possession, but we serve the only wise God – Jesus Christ.
There are places in Scripture where people received new names, either by the LORD or some loved one because they refused to allow some negative moniker be put on them for the rest of their life.
How would you like to go around with name “Ichabod” (“no glory”[2])? Why Ichabod? Why No Glory?
“And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.”[3]
Every time Ichabod entered a room they all knew he was named for the day God’s presence left the children of Israel when the Philistines in battle took the Ark of the Covenant.
“…The glory is departed…”
There was no one there to say, “NO! We are not going to call him by that name.”
And he went his entire life with that name of shame upon him.
There is Rachel, she is dying, and she is getting ready to pass this life after giving birth to her second son with Israel.
“And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.”[4]
Benjamin = son of the right hand[6](“right hand” symbolizing strength)
You have a name given to you, by the Lord. Do not let the enemy put a name on you that separates you from His presence, and hinders you from reaching your potential in Christ, and in life.
Names like: Loser, Failure, Liar, Thief, Addict, Useless – some of the many names the father of lies has tried to put on you.
But, Jesus, “the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God,” has a name for you.
What is that name?
Will you choose to wear it?
Isaiah 62:1-4
(1) For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
(2) And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.
(3) Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
(4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah [my delight[7]], and thy land Beulah [to marry[8]]: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
God has a great name for you. He wants to delight in you, you are the apple of His eye, and He loves you with an unfailing love.
The name of Jesus Christ is the name we take on when we are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.
That name is “a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”[9]
You became espoused to Jesus Christ the moment baptism took place. Why? Because you were baptized in His name.
If you have not been baptized in His name, then you have not taken on the family name.
You need to take on that name because in Jesus “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”[10]
When you take on that name in water baptism all the characteristics of God are available to you.
Let’s talk about our Husband:
Isaiah 54:5, “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”
Our secular culture today resists the Creation account in Genesis, but when you stop believing in the Creation then you lose contact with your Husband.
You were made in the image of God.
Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
2 Corinthians 11:2, “…I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
When were you espoused to the Husband? When you were born again of water and Spirit.
When you went down in the waters of baptism and took on His name as the preacher said, “I now baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost,” and you came up out of that water a new creature in Christ Jesus taking on His name.
Ephesians 3:14-19, “(14) For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (15) Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, (16) That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; (17) That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; (19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Our identity is complete in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are filled with all the fullness of God, and He has a great love for you.
So, never allow satan the pleasure of calling you by some other name because you have been called by the only saving name that is above every name:
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”[11]
We love the fight, the grit, the determination and the dedication of these four young men to Jehovah:
Daniel and the lion’s den – he refused to stop praying
The three Hebrew children and the fiery furnace (Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah) – they would not bow to an idol. They were told to bow, they were commanded to bow, but they refused to bow.
Don’t bow to an enemy who wants nothing but your destruction.
Do not compromise yourself for other people.
David Johnson & Jared Runck point out the parallels present in the time of Daniel and today:[13]
People are allowed to believe anything at all so long as they don’t happen to believe their beliefs are right and the beliefs of others are wrong.
There is only one way to be saved: you must be born again of water and Spirit to enter into the kingdom of God.[14]
This is the Word of God, this is what Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”[15]
Nebuchadnezzar didn’t care what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego believed, or who they worshipped, as long as they bowed to his great image (Dan. 3:5-6).
Martin Luther King, Jr: The most dangerous type of atheism is not theoretical atheism, but practical atheism —that’s the most dangerous type. And the world, even the church, is filled up with people who pay lip service to God and not life service. And there is always a danger that we will make it appear externally that we believe in God when internally we don’t. We say with our mouths that we believe in him, but we live with our lives like he never existed. That is the ever-present danger confronting religion. That’s a dangerous type of atheism.
In our day, we feel the constant pressure to conform and to be accepted, but that only occurs if you worship their gods (small “g” gods) and cease to worship the One True God.
To stand when everyone else bows…to pray when all others fall silent. You can do that because “we serve the God who delivers from fiery furnaces and lion’s dens.”[16]
These mountain experiences were also proving grounds for their faith: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
Do you think it was easy for these four men to face down everybody? The peer pressure must have been at least as intense as the heat of that furnace.
However, it all began a long time ago when they were teenage boys and the refused to eat the king’s meat.
Do you want to know how to be successful in God? It is in the consistent every day practices and disciplines of faith. Every day growing your faith by doing the right thing one day at a time.
Do not compromise yourself and give up the principles of the Word of God to be accepted by a society that simply wants to destroy you and count you unworthy of the Living God.
Do not allow yourself to turn back to the valley below while climbing the mountain.
You belong spot on top of The Great Mountain.
There is no time to preach about Mt. Horeb, Mt. Sinai. Mt. Moriah, Mt. Gilboa, Mt. Nebo, Mt. Tabor, Mt. Carmel, the Mount of Olives, or Mt. Zion.
No time to tell the stories related to those places where mighty men and women saw their faith’s reward.
Life will take you to a mountain.
We talk about how beautiful it is on the top of the mountain, but nobody wants to talks about the struggle to get to the top of the mountain. We like the valley, the well-watered plains, and we often sing:
When I’m low in spirit I cry Lord lift me up I want to go higher with Thee
But nothing grows high on a mountain so He picked out a valley for me
And He leads me beside still waters somewhere in the valley below
And He draws me aside to be tested and tried in the valley He restoreth my soul[17]
We like it there in the valley. It’s green and plush. The Shepherd has placed us by a stream where we can be restored, but you have to get up at some point and climb that mountain in your life.
It matters really matters what mountain you are climbing, and if you are going to give your all, or not.
Just make certain you make it to The Great Mountain
The Great Mountain
Isaiah 2:1-5
(1) The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
(2) And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
(3) And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
(4) And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
(5) O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
In our text, Daniel shares a vision of a great image.
That vision is a prophetic look at four major world powers that would rise and fall:[18]
Head of gold = Babylon = Lion
Breast and arms of silver = Media-Persia = Bear
Belly and thighs of brass = Greece = Leopard
Legs of iron = Roman empire = Dreadful and Terrible Beast[19]
These kingdoms, each in their own time, would become the dominating power in that part of the world, and would conquer the other kingdoms and territories near themselves.
Nevertheless, the Word of God tells us that there was a stone hewn out of the mountain that struck the feet of the great image and that stone became a Great Mountain.
That Great Mountain – The Great Mountain – The Stone, the Rock, the mountain, is the Lord Jesus Christ.
The “LORD’S house” that Isaiah told us would be “established in the top of the mountains,” which is going to fill the whole earth…
…Just prior to the coming of the Lord for His Bride, the whole earth will have heard of Jesus Christ, and The Great Mountain will have filled the whole earth.
That House, on The Great Mountain, is the Church.
The Great Mountain is the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Children of Israel (2 million of them with their animals) were wandering in the wilderness and had a water supply problem, and they murmured against Moses:
And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.[20]
Paul later tells us the identity of that Rock at Mt. Horeb:
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.[21]
The Holy Ghost is a River tonight that comes out of the Rock.
…Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.[22]
Jesus Christ is the Rock and the Stone
Daniel 2:45, “Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.”
Deuteronomy 32:31, “For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.”
Deuteronomy 32:3-4, “(3) Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. (4) He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
Psalm 18:2, “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”
Psalm 18:31, “For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?”
Psalm 95:1, “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Isaiah 2:10, “Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.”
How do you “Enter into the Rock?” How do you get in Jesus? Peter told us on the Day of Pentecost how to do that:
…God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.[23]
The answer is simple.
Obey the plan of salvation and be born again of water and Spirit.
That is how to enter into the Rock.
Upon this Rock
Matthew 16:13-18
(13) When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
(14) And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
(15) He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
(16) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
(17) And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
(18) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
“Thou art Peter” = Petros – “a (piece of) rock.”[24]
You are a small pebble, Peter, I’m not going to build My church on you…
“And upon this Rock” = Petra – “a (mass of) rock.”[25]
I am going to build My church on this massive boulder, this Stone hewn out of the mountain, which is going to come and crush the feet of this worldly governmental system…
…and establish an eternal Spiritual kingdom that cannot be destroyed.”
That is what Isaiah was prophesying about: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains…”[26]
Jesus declared it: “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”[27]
You are the Church; you are God’s House sitting in the top of the mountain – The Great Mountain – Our Lord Jesus Christ.
No foe can defeat Him; nothing can overcome Him, or supersede Him.
You can be like the foolish man who builds his house upon the sand, if you want to, or you can be like the wise man who says, “I’m going to build my house upon the Rock.
I am going to build my life upon Jesus. I am going to trust in the words of the Master and know that He is going to be with me no matter where I go.
God is with me.”
God is with you.
What have you built upon?
Have you built upon the Rock? The Rock is here to touch, heal, save, deliver and redeem you, if you will simply turn your heart to Him.
The New Testament tells us about that Rock, the Stone, and we understand who Jesus is: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.[28]
In the Old Testament, the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on stone:
Exodus 31:18, “And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”
Exodus 32:15-16, “And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.”
Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the Law written on tables of stone by the finger of God.
He sees the children of Israel doing what they should not be doing and he destroys those tables of stone in exasperation.
You would think that destroying those stone tablets is what stopped Moses from entering the Promise Land.
The reason was that he disobeyed God’s Word, not because he broke stones tablets, but because he broke God’s Word.
Do not break the Word of God through disobedience.
It is established on the Rock, because those stones are a type of Jesus Christ.
That was the Word of God, given to the people of God in the wilderness, and the Bible is says that “Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”[29]
God hewed the tables of stone out of the mountain, and God’s Word was inscribed on them.
Jesus Christ is that Word made flesh – the Stone hewn out of the mountain.
The Church is established upon the Rock.
We stand upon the firm foundation of who Jesus is.
So, no enemy, no foe, can defeat you, or put a name on you that is not identified with Jesus Christ
Unless you allow it.
You have been baptized in His name. You have been established upon the Rock, and wherever you go, you take the Rock with you because you are in mountain of the Lord’s House on the top of the mountain – The Great Mountain – an ever-growing mountain.
“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end….”[30]
How and when does the Stone destroy the image?
How and when does it destroy the godless system of this carnal world?[31]
Through the preaching of the Word, the preaching of Jesus Christ – The Great Mountain – the spreading of the Gospel destroys the kingdoms of this world.
That is how the stone in Daniel’s vision broke the great image.
Daniel 2:34-35, “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.”
The Great Mountain is the Lord Jesus Christ; on top of that mountain is the Church, the kingdom of God.
In addition, we, the Church, will preach Jesus until the Gospel is preached throughout the whole earth.
The message of Jesus Christ is filling the whole earth right now.
When that happens then Daniel’s vision is fulfilled: “and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.[32]
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”[33]
Apostolic Life Cathedral | April 9, 2023 | 7:00 PM
Matthew 26:1-2
(1) And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
(2) Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
In this passage we see
The Christ – The Chosen – The Crucified
The Christ
Ezekiel 34:11-12, 16
(11) For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
(12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
(16) I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
An absolutely oneness view of the Messiah. He came Himself to save His people:
Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Ezekiel 37:24-25
(24) And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
(25) And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
“…David shall be their prince for ever.” = God manifest in the flesh
1 Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
It was this Christ, this Messiah, This One True God in flesh, that gave Himself on the Cross for you.
The Chosen
John 15:15-19
(15) Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
(16) Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
(17) These things I command you, that ye love one another.
(18) If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
(19) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Jas_2:5, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?”
1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”
Rev. 17:14, “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”
The Crucified
See paper: The Crucifixion Fulfills the Passover
Romans 6:6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
Gal. 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Mat. 10:38, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”
Mat. 16:24, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
The Christ – The Chosen – The Crucified
Ezekiel 36:26-27
(26) A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
(27) And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Whenever an anointed man of God hits a nerve in individuals, or groups, when preaching, there is usually a positive or a negative response. We call this “being convicted,” or, simply, “conviction.”
We observe these opposing responses in two passages in the Book of Acts:
1. Those who respond positively – Acts 2:37, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
2. Those who respond negatively – Acts 5:33, “When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.”
One hears and obeys, the other hears and rebels.
One hears the message and desires to hear more from the messenger, the other hears the message and then seeks to destroy the messenger.
Unfortunately, whenever there is a desire to silence the voice of God’s messenger many actions take place that are often dishonorable and that was the way the unbelieving Jews acted towards Stephen.
His defense against the accusations of blasphemy towards God and the Temple shows us that he had an advanced understanding of Judaism and Christ that was on the cutting edge of Divine revelation.
Stephen hit a nerve with the unbelieving Jews of his day and they sought a way to shut him up.
Pastor and author Mark Copeland provides the following outline of Stephen’s Defense before the Sanhedrin:
STEPHEN’S DEFENSE (Acts 7:1-53)
A. GOD’S DEALINGS WITH ABRAHAM (7:1-8)
1. The call to leave Mesopotamia
2. The sojourn in Canaan
3. The promise of possession to his descendants
4. The covenant of circumcision
5. His descendants: Isaac, Jacob, the twelve patriarchs
B. THE PATRIARCHS SOJOURN IN EGYPT (7:9-16)
1. Joseph sold into Egypt, becomes governor
2. Jacob and his sons move to Egypt during the famine
3. The patriarchs buried in Canaan
C. GOD’S DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL BY MOSES (7:17-36)
1. The children Israel in Egypt become slaves
2. The work of Moses, deliverer of Israel
a. Raised by Pharaoh’s daughter
b. Kills an Egyptian, but despised by his brethren
c. Flees to Midian where he lives for forty years
d. The Lord appears to Moses in a burning bush at Mount Sinai
e. Returns to Egypt, delivers Israel and brings them into the wilderness
D. ISRAEL’S REBELLION AGAINST GOD AND MOSES (7:37-43)
1. Moses is the person:
a. Who said God would raise up another prophet like him
b. Who spoke to the Angel on Mount Sinai
c. Who received living oracles to give to Israel
d. Whom the fathers would not obey but rejected
2. Israel is the nation:
a. Who turned back into Egypt in their hearts
b. Who pressured Aaron to make a golden calf
c .Whom God gave up to worship the host of heaven for 40 yrs in the wilderness:
1) They may have offered sacrifices to the Lord
2) They also worshiped Moloch and Remphan – cf. Amos 5:25-27
E. GOD’S TRUE TABERNACLE (7:44-50)
1. The fathers of Israel had the tabernacle of witness
a. In the wilderness, built according to the pattern shown Moses
b. Brought into the promised land by Joshua
2. They also had the temple
a. Asked for by David, who found favor before God
b. Built by his son Solomon
3. Yet the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands
a. For heaven is His throne and earth is His footstool
b. His hand has made all these things – cf. Isaiah 66:1-2
F. ISRAEL’S RESISTANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (7:51-53)
1. Stephen charges the council of resisting the Holy Spirit, as their fathers did
2. Their fathers persecuted & killed the prophets, and they killed the Just One
3. They received the law, but did not keep it
As Stephen ended his defense, the men present were convicted: “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth” (Acts 7:54, KJV).
This episode ends with the men stoning Stephen as he looks to heaven and sees a vision from heaven’s throne room while a young man named Saul watched over the coats of the men who stoned Stephen.
Many would consider Stephen’s defense and death a sign of failure, but I like to think that this event was a catalyst (a prick) for change in the life of Saul, who would later be called Paul and became the Apostle to the Gentiles.
Saul’s persecution of the early church might just have been his rebellion against the conviction of the message Stephen delivered.
How else could he drown out the voice of that first martyr of the way who lovingly forgave and sought God for the forgiveness of those complicit in his death?
Jesus knew that Saul was convicted, which is why He came to him on the road to Damascus, and, finally, Paul responded positively:
“And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:3-6, KJV).
The best response to anointed preaching and conviction is: “Lord, what do you want me to do?”
So, if someone tries to destroy you for the Word of God you are preaching, or because you are simply obeying the Holy Spirit, don’t take it personally, they are not attacking you…they are attacking Jesus.
Because they’re attacking the message and attempting to destroy the messenger it is a sign of hope that they will eventually turn to Jesus and say, “Ok, Lord, it’s too hard and I can’t resist anymore, what must I do to be saved?”
God’s requirement for success is different from ours and on that last day of Stephen’s life God took a moment that appeared to be a failure and turned it into a future victory of eternal significance.
How do you respond when God’s Word preached by God’s messenger convicts you?
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
2 Corinthians 7:10
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
I am interested in the spirit of renewal and expectancy that has entered into the Body of Christ, and I’m thankful for the people who are rising up to say, “I see the Hand of God at work among us and want to be part of this end-time revival.”
To be renewed simply means to retrace our steps to the beginning of our walk with God making new those precious commitments we either let slip from us or that we forgot.
Paul wrote to us to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Eph 4:23).
Tonight, I am fighting for your minds in order to re-establish a principle there, which if grasped will lead you to a fruitful life in Christ Jesus.
My subject:
“The Forgotten Commitment”
-OR-
“The Forgotten Message of Pentecost”
The first word that Jesus preached was not about the gifts of the Spirit, or how to receive your miracle, or seven steps to a prosperous life.
The first word of the Gospel preached by our Lord Jesus Christ is found in Mark 1:15 where He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
This is the first commitment our Lord requires of us – REPENT.
Repent = “to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider,”[1] and “to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins.”[2]
When we initially came to repent we wept, or at least we should have had some sort of sorrow. We sorrowed for the pain we had caused ourselves, others, and Jesus because of our sinful nature.
We were through with living lives of recklessness, and selfishness, and we abhorred the ways that we had treated others, and were appalled by the way our lifestyle had effected those around us.
We repented, we knelt, and we grieved.
Snot, sweat, and tears mixed at the altar as we searched our hearts for every sin and wrong deed we’d ever committed.
Then we made promises, and new commitments. We said, “Lord, I’ll never do that again.”
I look at this altar here in this church house.
I’ve come to ask you, “How many knees have bent at these altars to repent? How many tears have been shed in sincere grief and guilt for sin here on this floor? How many people have stood up and felt the overwhelming sense of joy that a clean conscience gives the repentant child of God?
John the Baptist preached loudly a message of repentance. He said, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matthew 3:8).
The Apostle Paul gave his testimony to Agrippa and said, “Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (Acts 26:19-20).
Repentance is accompanied by a certain conduct that people all around you can observe. That is the fruit, that change of action and behavior is the “works meet for repentance” Paul was speaking about.
When you repented you changed. Your friends noticed it, your spouse noticed, your kids, parents, siblings, co-workers, employees, employers, and acquaintances all noticed the new you.
You didn’t talk like you use to talk, or go where you use to go, or do what you use to do.
You were modest in speech and in dress.
And sin, the very presence of it, sickened you to your stomach.
So, I look at these altars and thank God for the many conversions and repentant hearts that have knelt here over the years that this church has been in this city. They’ve knelt by the hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands.
What happened to them, where did they go? Why aren’t they here anymore?
Some have gone to their eternal reward and have become for us a great cloud of witnesses – Heroes of the Faith.
Others have walked away, fallen, died, or turned back to their former lives of sin.
It takes time for a person to walk away from God. Sometimes they become cold and indifferent to His Presence. So much so that they are even unaware that they’re drifting away from Jesus and turning back to the world of sin and carnality.
How many times did those same knees bend at the same place to repent of the same sin at these very altars?
Repentance is not a one-time thing. You cannot expect to live your entire life without living a lifestyle of repentance.
When you repented you made commitments. Every time you are tempted that commitment is tested. Your response to that testing determines how much your commitment to God really means to you.
Some here have repented & sinned, repented & sinned, repented & sinned for so long over the same things that you don’t even think you can be delivered.
You’ve gotten yourself into a cycle of behavior that is difficult to break.
BUT—you can overcome this trap that you’ve fallen into.
You’ve got remember:
Repentance is not saying, “I’m sorry.” That’s an apology.
Repentance is not feeling bad that you got caught. That’s guilt.
Repentance is not feeling sorry for yourself. That’s egotistical; and self-absorbed.
Repentance is a grief that comes from God, which helps you to confess your sins, forsake your sins, and then commit to never sinning again. It’s a lifestyle.
Repentance becomes “The Forgotten Commitment” when we fail to keep our word.
Repentance becomes “The Forgotten Message of Pentecost” when we rush people through it just to pad our evangelistic numbers of souls filled with the Holy Ghost.
It is time we stop leading people through some sort of Spiritless prayer where no conviction resides and allow God Almighty to once again convict the heart and lead people to repentance.
I long to see bent knees and bodies draped across altars racked with the heaving great sighs of tears, grief, and repentance.
You, sitting there thinking, “This message isn’t for me, you’re preaching to the choir.”
There’s an old Indian Proverb that says, “Whatever you are overflowing with will spill out when you’re bumped.”
What bumps produce incorrect responses from you?
Listen to Romans 2:1-11 tonight:
(1) Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. (2) But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. (3) And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? (4) Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (5) But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; (6) Who will render to every man according to his deeds: (7) To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: (8) But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, (9) Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; (10) But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: (11) For there is no respect of persons with God.
Jesus is calling us tonight to renew our commitments of repentance we made at our conversion.
Remember what you told Him as you repented. You cried out for mercy and He granted it. You made promises and vows that you need to keep…that you must keep.
Some of you have been living a repented life for 20, 30, 40, & 50 years. I’m reminded of a prayer I read about a couple weeks ago: “Lord, let me not today ruin in anything what you have taken all these years to do in my heart and provide for my life”[3]
The late Apostolic preacher and Bible teacher, Bishop Morris E. Golder once said, “The badge of discipleship is a cross.”
This is a daily thing—this life of repentance. Paul said, “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31).
So, how can we make it? There are so many temptations and influences bombarding us from without and within. How can I keep my commitment of repentance when I’m attacked externally and internally?
Grace is the answer. Grace has always been the answer for the Body of Christ.
Repentance is a daily commitment one works at to maintain. Grace is the teacher helping us to maintain that commitment:
“(11) For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, (12) Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; (13) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11-14).
ESV, “Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death”:
“(8) For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. (9) Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. (10) For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (11) For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter” (2 Corinthians 7:8-11).
(16) And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
(17) And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
(18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
(19) To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
(20) And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
(21) And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
The Spirit of the Lord…
Ezekiel 47:1-5
(1) Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
(2) Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
(3) And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
(4) Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
(5) Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
Ezekiel’s vision was of waters to swim in, but these waters began flowing from under the threshold…then they deepened every 1,750 feet.
According to Albert Barnes:
The deepening of the waters in their course shows the continual deepening of spiritual life and multiplication of spiritual blessings in the growth of the kingdom of God. So long as the stream is confined to the temple-courts, it is merely a small rill, for the most part unseen, but when it issues from the courts it begins at once to deepen and to widen. So on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the company of believers, little then but presently to develop into the infant Church in Jerusalem.[1]
This small stream steadily deepens to ankle depth, knee depth, waster deep, and then
Waters to Swim In
How many times have we been the beneficiaries of such waters.
We find ourselves overcome in the presence of the Lord.
His Spirit is so manifest that we just swim in the current of His power.
The Church, born on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, is a Spirit-filled body of believers.
We have enjoyed the deepening of those waters and we can frolic, swim, rejoice, and celebrate in them.
But – There’s more to this river than the satisfaction of our own spiritual highs
These waters carry with them a purpose for the anointed of God.
Ezekiel 47:6-12
(6) And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river [The Dead Sea / The Salt Sea].
(7) Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
(8) Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
(9) And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
(10) And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
(11) But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
(12) And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
The Temple
Your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost
Every Spirit-filled believer has an anointing resting on them.
Psalms 1:1-6
(1) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
(2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
(3) And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
(4) The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
(5) Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
(6) For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Wherever this river flows there is healing, growth, bounty, and all manner of fish are caught…where once the waters were polluted
Now the Spirit of God moving from and through the Church brings life
Let the River Flow
Let the River Flow
So, Jesus goes to church one day, as His custom was…
He’d just finished a 40 day fast following his baptism in the River Jordan…
He was full of the Holy Ghost…
He was handed the scroll of Isaiah and begins read these words…
Luke 4:18-21, “(18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (19) To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (20) And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. (21) And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to do something for somebody else.
I am not a receiver of spiritual experiences whose only purpose is to keep them all to myself.
The anointing flows through me and I become a tributary, a river, a bridge between God and man.
“…He hath anointed me…” = The anointing is from God, it is not a result of my own merit, but of His pleasure.
He hath anointed me – “…To preach the gospel to the poor…”
To share the Good News of the Gospel to the “…spiritual zeros—the spiritually bankrupt, deprived and deficient, the spiritual beggars, those without a wisp of religion.”[2]
To tell them that Jesus Christ has come to seek and to save all that are lost – including them.
Jesus did not go to the fashionable and the rich, but to the poor.
Those who exclusively pursue the rich and the so-called elite of society are doing so to “get something” from them.
Jesus went to the poor to “give something” to them.
It was a ministry for their benefit, not His benefit.
He hath anointed me – “To set at liberty them that are bruised…”
2 Cor. 3:17, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
Not only is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, but He is also the Giver of that Spirit.
John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
It is a mistake to think that because you’ve been “anointed” that you’ll automatically be lead of God to the highest peaks of ministerial power.
Jesus was anointed and then driven or led into the wilderness.
If you are presently in a wilderness experience then it is a sign that you are being prepped by God to be a vessel of His anointing.
Any time we read about a demonstration of anointing it was and is preceded by a trying and a crushing and a preparing of the vessel for the Holy Ghost flow.
It is not the plan, will, or divine intent of God for us to hoard to ourselves these ecstatic experiences of the Holy Ghost, the shouts of joy, the running and dancing and victory parades, but…
He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted.
Not just to look at them
Not just to weep and mourn with them
Not just to feel sorry for them – – to pity them
He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted.
He has not me sent to folks who already have it made, or that think they do, but…
But to preach deliverance to the captive.
To preach recovering of sight to the blind
To set at liberty them that are bruised.
This is what He has filled me with His Spirit to do…
Out of your belly flows living water…
It is the Holy Ghost in you…
He has given you the power, delegated His authority to you and through you…like a flowing river…
Acts 10:38, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
Anointed Preaching and Anointed Deeds
Acts 2:22, “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you…”
Anointed preaching is common among us
What we are in short supply of is anointed deeds
Mark 16:17-18, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
We need, in 2023, a powerful ministry of God-directed anointing that delivers people
Not self-anointing, but God-anointed.
Quit guarding the Holy Ghost
Let it flow……..
[1]Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible. Ezekiel 47:1.
The Pillar and Ground of Truth 