Sunday sermon by Pastor Rajesh Mathew, 13 September 2020 

Ephesian 1: 17-18- 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your [a]understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 

Deuteronomy 1:6-12-6“The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You havedwelt long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the [a]plain, in themountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates. 8 See, I haveset the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD [b]swore to yourfathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them.’ 9 “And I spoke to you at that time, saying: ‘I [c]alone am not able to bear you. 10 The Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude. 11 May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you! 12 How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints?

∙ This morning let the Holy Ghost deposit within you His presence and His fire! ∙ Favour is His free gift and God wants us to increase in His favour. 

∙ Usually said when God releases this favour, we as believers need to get into that position of receiving favour. When you need to catch a ball, we need to stand in such a position where the ball falls into your hands. You need to position yourself in patience, in prayer, in worship, in faith. 

∙ The Holy Spirit is releasing a deposit of favour inside of you. This favour will increase in your life.

Favour will give you

⮚ Increased influence

⮚ Supernatural turn around

⮚ Favour breaks limitations

⮚ Dreams are awakened and fulfilled

⮚ Redeems missed opportunities

⮚ Second chances, third, fourth and fifth chances.

⮚ Wide open doors of divine possibilities

⮚ Awesome God moments 

GET READY! 

Some of you, even as you are hearing this Word, are feeling God’s healing. God is removing some tumour. Things will happen in a way that you will say it was done by God.

ENCOUNTER, POSITIONING and ANOINTING- You need these three things if you need to see a manifestation of GOD’s favour. 

Deuteronomy 1:11- May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you! 12 How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints? 

∙ 1000 times bigger?! Sounds huge and pretty big, isn’t it?? But we have a pretty Big GOD! ∙ The God who holds the oceans in the hollow of His Palm. Even the temple cannot contain Him. May you have a revelation of God’s greatness. May the Lord increase everything that is little in your life! 

∙ In the name of Jesus, the grace of god, the glory of God, the health of God will all grow and increase in me. Everything that God has given you should increase. That is called the anointing of favour. In the New Testament, the Lord says that when the seed falls on the good ground, it will increase a 30, 60 and a 100 fold. The highest level of increase is 1000 times. The Lord, in the Old Testament also, if you obey, promises to bless a 1000 generations. The depth of the anointing in Ezekiel 47, itself is 1000 feet deep (as a starting point). Then another 1000. The levels of increase of the anointing is counted by the 1000. In the presence of God one day is like a 1000 years.

I believe this scripture. In my house, I stared praying with my friends. I was not one bit worthy. I had no giftings, no education, no great character. No speakers, no keyboards, sound systems but only had love for Jesus. Still people came! Today we have everything! The God who gave us all this from nothing! 

Thank Him. We have a God who brings forth things from nothing and increases it! This church will continue to increase. This church will glorify God all across the earth. Anointing means to RUB into. To be smeared with oil.

∙ You get near to Jesus, His anointing will rub onto you.

Anointing means divine enablement.

∙ When God wants to favour somebody, He will bypass even protocols. Esther, David (a shepherd boy), Moses (a murderer becomes a deliverer of a nation)! 

∙ When God favours you, God doesn’t need your educational qualification. Ask Peter. He was a fisherman but was sent to the Jews (by the Lord). Paul was a student of the Gamaliel but was sent to the gentiles 9to proclaim salvation) 

∙ It is not your good looks or your family name. It is only HIS GRACE. Not our capacity. It is HIS GRACE! 

In the Old Testament, Saul went up the mount of Gilbeah. It means to be bent low. Because, Saul knew to be humble. He felt he was unworthy to be a king and he recognised his own insufficiency. God made him king. He knew that he needed the help of God. The Lord says in His Word, ‘without Me you can do nothing!’

God gave Saul favour because he was humble. But once he became king, he became arrogant. 

1 Samuel 15:17-17 So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? 

∙ Once you become arrogant, favour, grace and mercy will not flow into your life. ∙ Saul’s end was on Mount Gilboa. In Hebrew it means exalted. When he became arrogant, he has a tragic end. He and his sons were hung on Mount Gilboa. ∙ When you hear this, Humility should manifest. 

Lord, thank you that you have brought me thus far. It is not my name, fame, family but only Your favour! Lord be merciful! 

1000 times more favour, is God’s promise. If you increase a thousand time in peace, in grace and favour, isn’t it great? What if joy multiplied a 1000 times? There is room for more! Your company turnover, A 1000 times! Income, 1000 times! The yield in your plantation, a 1000 times increase! The blessing of God, a 1000 times! The influence and impact of this church will grow a 1000 times!

Because we have a Father in heaven, Let there be divine increase and enlargement in the name of Jesus.

Deuteronomy 1:6-6“The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.

∙ You have dwelt in this depression long enough! You have dwelt long enough in that sickness, in debt, in that weakness, in the sorrow. You have dwelt in there long enough. Don’t walk around this mountain, in failures, in difficulties, in struggles. Let that bondage be broken, you have walked around that mountain long enough! It may be an addiction, or sin, or finance difficulty. Enough! 

Get up and walk around. God is healing somebody with a difficulty in their legs. Arthritic disease leave your life in Jesus name. ENOUGH!

Deuteronomy 1:10-10 The LORD your God has multiplied you, and here you are today,as the stars of heaven in multitude. 11 May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you!

∙ There was blessing in the past. There is blessing in the present (you need to recognise that) 

∙ Verse 11 talks about the future. Don’t worry about your tomorrow. This is a prophecy for your future. Receive it! 

COVID -19 may be long drawn but every day, God will give you a daily compensation. The plans of God is not like that of the world. God will increase you. We are a people who seek His face.

Judges 15: 14-14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his  bonds [a]broke loose from his hands. 

∙ Samson was an ordinary man. The ‘He man’ with a ‘she weakness’. Wonder what would have happened if this Samson got a machine gun in his hand. He only had a primitive weapon in his hand and with that he killed a 1000! He just swung it. That is what is called supernatural enablement!

You plus is God is majority. 

∙ If you have received a spiritual enablement, God will give you victory through your hands. 

Do not be discouraged by the width and the greatness of the enemy. Let the greatness of God come upon you! 

∙ There is a purpose for the favour and the anointing and increase that GOD gives us. It is meant for the enlargement of HIS Kingdom. 

God won’t allow somebody to distract or divert you from the destiny HE has for you. He won’t allow that destiny to be destroyed. There is an anointing to ensure that. 

∙ It must have been such a shameful thing for the enemy to admit that a 1000 form his side were killed by the jaw bone of a donkey! God gives His church complete victory. God is releasing favour to manifest victory in your life! Even when Samson’s eyes sight was gone, he only cried out to God to remember Him! 

Ephesians 1:18-18 the eyes of your [a]understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

∙ Let the eyes of your heart be opened. What for? Only to see what God wants you to see. Not to see failures but to see the victory of God in your life. To see what God has kept for you. You are not called to see things the way others see 

∙ The servant of Elisha said there is an army against us but Elisha saw there were MORE with them than with the enemies

2 Kings 2:19- The people of the city said to Elisha, "Look, our lord, this town is wellsituated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive."

∙ The people said to the prophet that there are fountains but the water is dead. Those who drink it, will experience death. The prophet did not see that, instead he saw the solution. If the eyes of your spirit are opened, then you will not see the problem.

The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of wisdom and revelation) comes by invitation and leaves by rejection.

Lord, open our eyes to see blessings till 1000 times and the possibilities that you have kept or us.

2 kings 3:14-17- 14Elisha said, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. 15“But now bring me a minstrel.” And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. 16He said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’ 17“For thus says the LORD, ‘You shall not see wind nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, both you and your cattle and your beasts.- 

∙ In the Old Testament, there was a problem stated in these scriptures. There was no water to give the animals. Then the Prophet gets the worship team to come and sing a song. The Hand of God came upon the prophet and he asked them to dig holes. No wind no clouds but the ditches are full.

∙ If you, by faith dig holes, God will fill. People are looking at the COVID -19 situation, and wondering if things will ever improve. People are looking at the problem. You, if in the midst of it worship, God will send forth His supernatural blessing. The ones who have their spiritual eyes opened.

∙ God is preparing his children in their homes during this season. 

∙ Those of you who are worshipping Him and praying and reading His word, such will see the revival and its manifestation in our land. See it through your spiritual eyes. 

Elisha understood that victory is in prayer and worship. The servant only saw the problem. 

∙ The enemy sent an army. No matter which way the enemy sends his army, the Lord had his children ready. The enemy cannot enter! The enemy said, there is somebody who is exposing our plans and one of them responded saying “there is nobody exposing us but there is a man who is praying! Even what you speak in your bedroom, the prophet is able to see”. The King sends his army to catch the one who is seeing, the prophet.

The one that the devil detests is she/he who prays, who worships and moves in the spirit. All the attacks are against such. 

∙ In you is your family’s deliverance. In you is your community’s deliverance. The enemy knows that. 

The Holy Spirit is saying that the He will never allow the plans of the enemy to prosper against you.

∙ The prophet prayed a prayer, ‘blind them’, Lord. The Lord did so and they were given a feast and sent back to their land.

∙ In 2 Kings 6, we see that in the days of ELISHA, never did the same enemy come against God’s people. 

Only the one who has his spiritual eyes opened will forgive and love his enemies. ∙ Let there is be an increase of HIS grace and favour.

Deuteronomy 29:1-3- These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He had made with them at Horeb. And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land; 3the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders. 

∙ Did you not see what the Lord did against the enemy? They had not seen with their spiritual eyes. They had only seen it with their natural eyes.

Revelations 3: 15 – 18-15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wishyou were either one or the other!16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot norcold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so youcan become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

∙ In the New Testament Paul says, ‘open their spiritual eyes that they may see’. In the Book of Revelations, written to the Laodicea church, says, you are all walking like everything is fine but the HOLY SPIRIT says put on eye salve so you can see! 

∙ Even in the church, people say that there is nothing wrong and everything is fine. But the truth is that there is no blessing, no grace.

∙ If you need to see, buy eye salve. There is a price to pay for your eyes to be opened. ∙ Samson’s physical eyes were closed but his spiritual eyes were opened and even at the end of his life, 3000 enemies were destroyed.

The Holy Spirit said, it is not late! Let your spiritual eyes be opened. Even if you can’t see anything on the outside, God will manifest His victory in your life.

∙ In Mathew 14, we see that people and crowds gathered around Jesus. There were only 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus deals only in the thousands. Would it be possible to feed the thousands with 5 loaves and 2 fish? 

∙ Jesus took the bread and after blessing and thanking God, He broke it and gave it. Took it, thanked God, broke it and gave it. 

∙ In Luke 24, the Lord broke the break and gave it to the disciples on their way to Emmaus. And their eyes were opened. 

∙ If you take what you have and thank the Lord for it and be ready to break it and give it, what you have will grow a thousand fold. But if you keep holding what you have, it will get spoilt. But take what you have, thank God for it, and give it. Then the increase will come! Lord, increase what I have in my hand. 

∙ I was listening to a testimony, a 70 year old man. An anointed man of God asked him to go along with him and buy a land with the man of God. Three people went to see the land worth only 3000 dollars! One of the three refused the deal and stepped back stating that nothing would grow in that piece of land. The other two bought it. After 6 months, the 

government wanted to build an interstate road pass and wanted to procure the land from them. They got 3 million dollars! Just obey what the Holy Spirit is telling you. ∙ We use logic. We have the left brain and the right brain. Left is where logic, intellect and reasoning are triggered. We also have the right brain which is more creative. ∙ If you have seen half a dream, go back to sleep in the same side as you were asleep before and the chances are that the remaining part of the dream will return. ∙ The right side is the inspirational side, the creative side. Revelation is the right brain. I have tried this on myself. Activate the right side of the brain when you sit with the Lord. Do it, this is a practical thing I follow. 

∙ The disciples heard more than 2000 scriptures from Jesus on the road to Emmaus and all of that went through the left brain. But when the Lord took the bread and broke it, their hearts were enlightened and their hearts burnt. The right side was activated and they ran back to God. The left side is CNN or BBC- logical. The right side is a movie channel- the creative side 

When you read the Word, the Holy Spirit will activate the right side of the brain. Let this become wisdom, revelation and idea. Let it will grow a thousand times more. 

One can put a thousand to flight. Two can send the legions (10 thousands) fleeing. 

Psalm 119: Open my eyes of Lord that I can see the wondrous things in your Word Psalm 119:105-103- 

∙ Jonathan had a little bit of honey and His eyes were opened. The Word of the Lord should enlighten your heart and this Word should make your eyes open! If your eyes are enlightened then things begin to change.

∙ How did Jesus see everything? He handled the mountain like he would handle a fig tree. Lazarus dies and Jesus said, he is sleeping. He was walking with the Father. He was walking in favour. The Lord sees differently. 

∙ The Lord will enlighten your heart. Not the left brain, the right brain please! The Holy Spirit will activate it. Favour of God - you should see it. You should see it increasing! ∙ Even when the river of life flows, the depth increases from the ankle right to the point that you will swim. The Holy Spirit is saying- don’t think with your logic, just go by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

God is saying- If you have to go back to your old life, you will to need to swim against the stream. The Holy Spirit is putting you in deep waters. 

∙ The old patterns that you are afraid of going back to---that is just a fear. God is releasing you in a new dimension of the Spirit. 

∙ David killed ten thousands. Saul thousands. This is a biblical principle—the principle of the 1000s. In the first sermon preached by Peter, 3000 were saved.

That is the Lord’s cheapest currency-1000. There is going to be an increase in the church of God. The impact we will have is going to increase. 

Favour is yours to have and to increase.