Sunday sermon, 19th January, 2025 by Pastor Rajesh Mathew 

Haggai 2:19- "Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you". 

• God says- “From this day forth, I will bless you. From this day forth, I will deliver you. Until I please.” Say this ‘from this day forth I will be blessed in Jesus Christ’. 

Today onwards your life’s trajectory will move towards blessing. From THIS DAY FORTH.

• Joseph was in Potiphar’s palace. He was in a prominent place of that nation. But when his father Jacob came to that nation, Joseph goes to him with his sons and asked him to bless his sons. Why did he need the blessing, he was already a king! But there is no limit for blessing. There is no end.
• Today, limitations will be broken. Wherever you lack a blessing- in your marriage, in your relationships, in your finances, in your spiritual life, wherever that is, God will break off those limitations and make you walk in the blessing.
• May the anointing and the strength that is in this WORD bring the blessing not your life.

Luke 1: 48- For he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 

• ALL generations will call me blessed! All your generations will be blessed. It won’t end with you. • Angel Gabriel came to Mary and gave her a prophecy, still Mary did not realize this. She did not understand the significance of what God was doing in her life till she ran to Elizabeth who also was with a child. When Elizabeth saw her and when they exchanged hellos, the baby inside Elizabeth jumped in her womb. When two believers started speaking to each other, when the prophet (John in the womb) started to speak with the Messiah (Jesus in the womb), within Mary came a realisation that inside of her was a blessing and all her generations would be blessed 

Today you need to know that you are blessed. All generations will call me blessed henceforth. 

Luke 19:5- 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 

• Jesus saw Zacchaeus and said today salvation has come into your house. Jesus went to many houses. He never said this in all those houses. Why? When Jesus came to Zaccheus’s house, Zacchaeus told the Lord that whatever he had wrongfully taken from the people, he would restore four-fold back to them. This confession of Zacchaeus pleased Jesus. He allowed himself to be transformed.

The biggest blessing is for you to be transformed. 

• You have gone to the Lord’s house; the Lord has come to your house but that doesn’t mean you are saved. If you are to be saved, then you decide in your heart that ‘I will walk blameless, I will restore what I have taken wrongfully,’ then you will experience salvation. 

John 14:7- 7 If you really know me, you will know[a] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

From this day forth, you know the Father and you will see HIM. 

• Who is Jesus? He who sees Jesus has seen the Father.

FEW THINGS ABOUT JESUS

1. JESUS is the Sun of Righteousness. He is the Sun and shield. 

Psalm 84:11- For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. 

• He will withhold nothing from those who walk uprightly before HIM.

Malachi 4:2 - But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. 

• The Word Samson means Sun arise. One of the pastors prophesied over me saying you will shine always like the Sun.
• When the sun of righteousness, Jesus is with us, we will also shine like Him, not growing dim even for a single day. God will release that grace and anointing upon some of you that will cause you to shine like the sun every day.

Don't grow dim even one day. There is an anointing to keep you lit every day. May your lamps never lack oil. 

These are the blessings for those of us in Christ. He is the Sun and the shield. Once we know who Jesus is, we will be transformed. 

Colossians 3:4- 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. • Christ who is our life. 

Isaiah 9:6- For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

• Understand who Jesus is. Who has promised to lift you high? It is God Himself. It is Jesus, the MIGHTY GOD. May you know WHO you worship, who you praise. 

HE IS A MIGHTY GOD

Romans 9:5- Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised![a] Amen. 

• He is a God above all. Jesus who is above all. He is the God who is above all other Gods. • If you see Jesus, you have seen the Father. He is a mighty God, above all gods. He is the one who walked over the waters. The one who defeated death and the one who rose up on the third day in all His glory. He is great and mighty.

HE IS A GREAT GOD

Titus 2:12- 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 

• In John 14:7, disciples understood who Jesus is. The Word says that Jesus is a GREAT God. He does only GREAT things. If you are conscious of this, you will only see great things this year! You worship and serve a great God. 
• God lifts up those who knows him as a great God who does great things. TRUE GOD

1 John 5:20- We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 

• He who sees Jesus sees the Father. In His Presence I have healing. I will not be ashamed if I look unto Him. He is the Sun of righteousness. I have healing under His wings. • May the Lord open your eyes to know who Jesus is.

THE CHURCH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST

• May you also know that the Church is the body of Christ. The word Church is used regularly but we don't know the spiritual depth of its meaning. Real translation of CHURCH means that which belongs to Jesus. 

Church belongs to Jesus. 

• I am blessed because I am a part of the church that belongs to Jesus. People may say that this church building belongs to me or the fan in the church belongs to me or this micro wave belongs to me.
• Jesus shed the last drop of His blood for you and me. I belong to Jesus!! That is the CHURCH. Christ is above all. He has brought you with His blood and you are above all. 
• What are you afraid of? Witchcraft, black magic? Don’t be afraid. Nothing can touch you. It cannot touch even your neighbourhood. From this day forth! 
• Many people who come to church do not know who Jesus is, that’s why they are sacred about everything. But Christ is above all and He has brought you with His Blood, so you too are above all! From this day you will be blessed. Not tomorrow, but TODAY!

Luke 23:44- 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” • Jesus told the robber, you will be with me in paradise today! 

1 Kings 17:8-12- 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” 12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.

• The widow had an awkward Instagram post for the day- ‘I am going to eat and die with my son’. But that day God sent a prophet and gave her a beginning of a blessing. When she thought it was the end, there God gave her a beginning. The beginning of a season of miracles.

God says: some of you thinking that it is finished and you have put a full stop, the Holy Spirit is removing that full stop and giving you a fresh start. 

• The devil had put a lie in her heart that she will eat and die, but through a Prophetic Word, she was told to first make a bread for the prophet. The prophet broke that lie through a prophetic word.
• Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Prophet means a ‘SEER’, the one who can see into the future. Pastor, (called overseer in the new testament), you see over and beyond what others see. 

• What are you seeing? The widow is only seeing a little ahead, but the prophet is not worried about what she sees.

If you have a vision from God, your future is unstoppable. And if you have a Word about it, no one can stop you! 

• When an army came against Elisha, he did not pray for protection. He prayed that the eyes of his servant be opened so he can see.
• You are not alone. May your eyes be opened. You may think your life is over or you will be destroyed. May your eyes be opened! 

God will rend down and do something for your future. 

Many a problem is a vision problem. It is not a wife problem or a husband problem. The problem is there is no vision. 

If you don't find your purpose, you will numb yourself with the pleasures of your life. 

• When you can’t see your future, you will do what you feel like. But God has a plan for you. The Holy Spirit is leading you into a future with purpose. May your eyes be opened. May your ears be opened. May you not give up eternity for small pleasures of life. When others are on ganja, you can also do that and come into church. But God has a future for you. He has a plan to bring you into His purpsoe.
• No, I cannot sleep around, I cannot defile myself. May be no body is watching me but I have a GREAT God and He is watching me. I have a calling!

The higher you go, everything else looks smaller and smaller. 

• The widow did not know that the prophet came with a Word of instruction. What was the instruction from God? God has spoken to the prophet saying he has commanded a widow in Zarephath. If God had told me to go to Canada and that he had kept someone there with my provision, I would have expected that I land in the airport and someone is standing there with a package for me. But when the prophet reaches there, he only find a widow ready to die! The Word says that God had commanded the widow. She did not know that God had commanded her. It was only when the prophet speaks to her that she realises that God had commanded her and that there was a calling and an anointing upon her life
• Your life is not to be destroyed. But from this day forth God will bring forth a blessing upon your life.
• God has appointed you for His WORD. He has a calling upon your life. My past is not my prophecy. 

From this day forth, you will be blessed