Sunday sermon by Pastor Rajesh Mathew, 20 Sept 2020

Psalms 102:13-You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come.

∙ This morning the Holy Spirit is helping us rehearse what we have been hearing so that wewill have an impartation to be able to experience the blessing of this message.∙ I believe in the authority of God’s Word. Just take only what is in the Word of GOD.

Favour is always triggered by divine mercy

Romans 9:15-15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”

∙ I will show mercy upon whom I like, says the Lord. You can never enjoy the favour of God if God’s mercy is not shown up in your life. Worship Him. It is because of His mercy that we are not consumed, that we are still listening to His Word.

∙ It is not the works of righteousness. It is His mercy. That mercy of God is the foundation of His favour. He looks unto you with eyes of Mercy. That is foundation of walking in God’s favour.

2 Samuel 7:15- But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

The difference between Saul and David was that God showed mercy upon David but not upon Saul. We do not know why.

That’s why in the times of Solomon, there was peace, there were works of God, there was wisdom, prosperity and the temple of the Lord got built. Why? The Lord promised saying,“just like the way the Lord showed mercy upon, I will show mercy upon your son and thegenerations to follow”

Mercy is the lifeline of a child of God

THE BENEFITS OF MERCY

1. It is God’s mercy that delivers us from our enemies.

Psalm 136: 24- And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever;Psalms 136 talks about a few aspects of God’s mercy.

∙ The reason the enemy’s plans do not prevail is because of the mercies of God. There are people who desire your death, your destruction and have terrible expectations for your lie. But you are delivered from the wrath and the negative expectations of the enemy because of the mercy of God. It is GOD’s mercy that makes u stand in the midst of the enemy’s plans and works. His mercy is forever!

∙ In the Book of Genesis, we see that Jacob worked in Laban’s house for 20 years. 14 years for Rachel and 6 years for the sheep. After he leaves, Laban found out that Jacob had

taken with him everything. He went after him and when he came near Jacob at a closerange, God gave him a dream – “be very careful not to touch him”. Jacob is anointed, hehas the calling of God, and he is a part of God’s covenant. Don’t touch him! We do notknow what comes behind us to destroy us but it is His mercy that keeps us. Sometimes itis a disease, sometimes it is a bondage, but because you are called by God and you follow after Him, His mercy will act for you. Let the Holy Spirit give you that understanding.

Mercy delivers us from the expectations of the enemy

2. His mercy rescues us from the misery and affliction in life

Mark 10:47 on wards- 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Then many warnedhim to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man,saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” 50 And throwing aside hisgarment, he rose and came to Jesus.

∙ Blind Bartholomew is crying unto Jesus- “Son of David, have mercy on me!” He ismaking a demand on Jesus because he applied for mercy. Jesus stopped. When you callupon Jesus for His mercy, He stops and hears you and responds to your situation. “Lord I need a change. I do not want to sit in darkness, show me your mercy!”

∙ Are you tired of your darkness and your poverty? Call upon the One who died and roseagain for you 2000 years ago.

He will deliver you from your disease, death and deprivation. He will honour you.

∙ You have to apply for mercy. In my prayer I spend some time praying for His Mercy, I realise it is not my righteousness or my good deeds but it is HIS mercy.

3) His mercy will lead you in the wilderness

Psalm 136:16- To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His mercyendures forever;

∙ If His mercy is leading you, you won’t marry the wrong person. If you subscribe to God’smercy, you will experience the leading of the Holy Spirit. His mercy is forever in my life.

4) It is the mercy of God that causes Him to remember His people in their lowest stagePsalms 136:23- Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever;

∙ Recession, lockown, depression- These are challenging times. Nobody will help us in difficult time but we have a God who will stand with us in our lowest moments. ∙ He remembers me in my lowest time/ in my down time. His mercy is forever in my life.

1 Corinthians 16:8-9- 8 But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

∙ Paul is writing this at a time (Acts 19: 2 onwards), the entire city has turned against Paul. They wanted to finish him off. It was a huge opposition. Paul is writing the letter to Corinthians in that time. He says, “Even when I am going through this challenging time, I am staying here in Ephesus till Pentecost. God has told me to do so. Nothing will make me change my mind.”

∙ A great and effectual door has been opened for me.

In this time, God has opened a large door for you no matter how difficult the circumstance ∙ You must first speak the thing that God has shown you. Speak it loud. Speak FIRST what GOD has told you!

Speak PERSISTENT what God has told you!

Speak out LOUD what God has told you!

∙ After you do that, then you speak softly about your problem. In your lowest times, speak of your problems softly, speak it at the end and keep it short!

Even in the midst of your troubles, you need to speak it loud and clear that HIS MERCY IS FOREVER!

∙ A Big wide door is opened for us. The children of God should change the way they speak. ∙ In Psalm 136, we hear that His mercy endure forever!

∙ When your mood is low, when your excitement level is low, when you are depressed, when you feel that God has forgotten you, His mercy still is forever. Even in your lowest point His mercy is there for you. God’s mercy is like a foundation for your favour

5) This mercy will shield you from the consequences of wrong actions and errors.Psalm 130:3- If He should mark our iniquities who would stand!

∙ He is a merciful God. In the book of John 8, a woman was caught in the very act of adultery. Only the woman. Where did the man go? That was a trap for Jesus! People asked, “what should we do, Jesus? Moses’s law says stone her to death.” It was a trap. They weren’t bothered about the Lord. But the Lord kept writing something. Somebody said, may be He was writing all the sins and the flaws that people had. The Bible says, everyone from the oldest to the youngest left the place without stoning her. There was no point! Because God’s Mercy was shielding this woman. That doesn’t mean you should continue in sin!

6) The mercy of God will shield your generation from degeneration.

Lamentations 3: 22-23- Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

∙ His compassion never fails. Many things may fail in your life but not His compassion.

There is no expiry date for the compassion of God, till He returns a second time or till our time is over.

Subscribe to His compassion and mercy. He can’t love you yesterday and hate you today. Whatever you thank the Lord for that will multiply in your life.

∙ Anything that needs to increase in your life, you need to start thanking God for it. We are waiting to receive but God is looking for people who will give. When you thank Him for something, He fills it up to the overflowing and gives it back to us.

Psalm 18:25- With the merciful you will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

∙ GOD shows mercy to those who show mercy. People with no mercy in their hearts, no gratitude cannot experience the mercy of God. There people who repay evil for good but those who show mercy will receive mercy from God.

WHAT TRIGGERS FAVOUR?

1) Love for the church of God

Psalm 102:13- 14- You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come. 14 For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, And show favor to her dust.

In Luke 7:3-5: 3 So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, 5 “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

∙ The Lord resolves the matter of this centurion.

∙ People who do work for the people of God and for the house of God, He will return it to you along with interest and release deliverance, miracle and healing back to your life!!! ∙ The centurion positioned himself for God’s mercy. He showed mercy towards GOD’s people and God said, not just him but even in the lives of his servants the Lord wanted to heal.

∙ We have to do something for GOD’s church and His people. God’s Hand will work on your behalf when you do so.

2) The Fear of God

It is not the fear that we know of it as. It is actually love for God. It is to consider God before anything else in life. That position of honour that you give to God is the fear of God. In every matter, placing God first.

∙ Someone offends you, first you must consider GOD

∙ Somebody hurt your feeling, don’t react immediately, and consider God first ∙ Somebody spoke wrongly to you, consider God

I am placing the Lord above everything. Remember WWJD. What Would Jesus Do?

∙ A man with the fear of God will not be willing to do anything for money. In your work life too! It sounds easy but applying the Word is not easy. Feed your enemy, give water to Him if He is thirsty!

3) Sacrifice

∙ Sacrifice mean to pay a price. There are some people who have made money and they don’t let go of it. They keep accumulating it. Whatever it is, even Ministry. ∙ A sacrificing heart is willing to God. Release what you have. Your tithe is not sacrifice. Your offering is a sacrifice. GIVE!

1 Chronicles 21:24- But King David replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing."

∙ David says I will not offer unto God anything that will not cost me much. Whatever you are unable to give has got a hold of you.

∙ I met a Man of God who gave 400 vehicles to others.

∙ Rhodney Howard Brown had built a house of his dreams. Once it was done, Reinhard Bonke was returning to America. God asked him to give that house away to him. Suppose God asks me to give away the church property to another Man of God after buying it, I will give it. There is no doubt about it. God will always give back to us what we have given.

∙ Why are we unable to give? Except for your wife and children, you should be able to give everything else away!

Psalm 50:5- “Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have [a]made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”

Anything that you can’t give is bigger than you.

∙ A covenant is made by sacrifice. When the heart is involved, heavens are opened. God’s favour will trickle down on you. Something will trigger when you sacrifice with your heart involved.

∙ God showed me seven anointed men of God and told me, every month, send all seven of them offerings! One person the Lord told me, as Long as he lives or as long as you live, give him. But the moment I did that, God opened a bigger door for me!

Something is triggered when you sacrifice. Something bigger than what you gave is triggered into your life.

Exodus 23:20-20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

∙ Behold I send an angel. There are angels that bring! God is not confused thinking, “Oh COVID-19 has come”. God has prepared something for you. In order to get you to what He has prepared for you, He will release Bringing angels to take you there.

∙ When you sacrifice before God and make a covenant with Him, God will send angels. The bringing angel that will connect you to the correct people.

I release the angelic activity into your life. Let Jesus release good things into your life.

One Man of God said, one of the believers in His church needed a lot of money. So one person was willing to help and he gave that money to another person who later on disappeared with the amount. Then the person who had lent the amount reached out to the pastor asking him to return the money as the individual who had taken it had vanished. Pastor did not have that money to give him. Even the cops came and questioned him. This pastor began to cry out to the Lord and as he was praying he saw a message in his mobile saying amount of 10 lakh credited to the account by Rajesh Mathew. When I checked my bank account, I found no record of that transaction. This is angelic activity. God’s supernatural money being released.

Angels are destiny helpers.

∙ Have you made a covenant with God? Are you standing faithful and worshipping Him? ∙ Supernatural ways for doors and blessings that are your inheritance to enter into your life. Let angels be released over your life!

Mathew 18:10-10 “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

There are angels that see your face before God’s presence. Even if you desire to do something, just pray and God is able to supernaturally provide.

Remember the Triggers of Favour

Mercy Fear of God Sacrifice