New Year Service 2021, Cornerstone Church, Pastor Rajesh Mathew

Those of you who are conscious of the fact that it is God’s grace and mercy that has brought us through 2020 to be sitting here tonight to listen to the Word, thank him.

Let the Holy Spirit open our hearts, minds and our mouths to grasp this. We ask Him for prophetic utterances and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 27: 41 to 46- 41 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father [a]are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So, she sent and

called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran. 44 And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away, 45 until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?” 46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

• These few years became 21 long years with Laban. The killer is also a dead man.

The Holy Spirit said to me prophetically that we are Favoured for Supernatural encounters! God is giving us a clear word. I AM FAVOURED FOR SUPERNATURAL ENCOUNTERS!

The Lord has been speaking on favour for almost 7 to 8 months. I was asking the Lord to give me something new. God said it shall be a year of supernatural encounters. Some of you will have encounters with the living God. An encounter with His angels, divine dreams, supernatural visions, His love, His deliverance, His mercy, His healing, even encounters in worship. I AM STEPPING INTO THE FAVOUR FOR SUPERNATURAL ENCOUNTERS!

Place your name and declare this promise over yourself, your family and your children. “I…………. am entering into a season of favour for supernatural encounters.” In the Name of Jesus, THIS IS MY YEAR OF SUPERNATURAL ENCOUNTERS WITH THE LIVING GOD.

Daniel 11: 32- 32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall [a]corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. Those who know their God will be strong, no matter what happens around them in the world.

• If you have read from Genesis to Revelations in the Bible, all those that God used for His Kingdom were not those who went to Bible colleges but those who has encounters with God or His Angels.
• The Holy Spirit will take you into a spiritual dimension that you have never known before.

Genesis 28:10 onwards - 10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the

earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep[a] you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

ONLY AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD CAN CHANGE YOUR CHARACTER

ONLY AM ENCOUNTER WITH GOD CAN ALTER THE COURSE OF YOUR DESTINYONLY AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD CAN REWRITE HISTORY

ONLY AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD CAN CHANGE A MAN’S OUTCOME FROM LIFE

What you need is not more money or connections or certificates but you need an encounter with the living God.

My life changed only when I had an encounter with the Lord. I was walking around long bearded consuming ganja and God touched me. I experienced His grace and His love. I never imagined in my life that I will preach Jesus ever!

• Once you have tasted the goodness of God, you cannot help but glorify Him. This night, ask Him for an experience. ‘Lord, I want to have a living experience with God. Pray sincerely with your heart’.

JACOB IS HAVINGENCOUNTER WITH THE DIVINE IN THE PASSAGE WE READ. WHAT WERE THE RESULTS OF THAT ENCOUNTER?

1. He was released from his weariness

He was exhausted from fear. The terror of Esau following him was real to him. He was spiritually, emotionally, financially drained. Everything around his life is tired. How many of you have been through that? The verse says that sun set but he had not yet finished his journey. This means: • Time is finished but goals are not achieved.

• Time has gone by but you have gotten nowhere.
• You are growing older but not seeing any difference.
• He put in the effort but no effect.
• Lot of input but no output.
• Money is spent but goals are not achieved.
• Doing the right thing but not getting the right result.

But God’s plan is not just for you to simply live and die. That is not God's plan for you. Ideally, when the sun sets you should reach your goal. But sunset has happened but you haven’t reached your your destination. You must arrive where I need to before sunset.

2021 there will be testimony in your life that “by the grace of God, I have achieved everything I needfor in my life. God will help me achieve it. I will achieve what I should before 2021 ends. Before sunset I shall reach my goal. In my family, in my children's life.”

You may be tired trying to do everything. Jacob tried very hard for his blessing. He was tired at sun set. Everybody goes through situations like that. It is a premature sunset. So much work to do but no strength to do it; no resources to do it.

But His favour and His presence will show up again and again for you.

Let physical, spiritual and emotional tiredness leave your life. This happens in encounters with God. Business people, officers and even pastors are tired. The Holy Spirit told me that I am going

to give a weariness-less ministry!

2. There was a release of light in the midst of the night

God did not allow him to be swallowed up by the night.

• Night is a season of isolation;
• no socialization in the night.
• People leave you alone at night.
• Minimal activity time.
• Things are not working the way it should.
• Time of confrontation with darkness.

Seasons of night is also seasons of light. That is the time you bend your knees and pray and trust God and that is the time that revelation comes to you. Let the light of God word shine upon you!

Genesis 28:11- 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.

This means that he arrived accidentally at that place. 1 metre away would have been a different story. One mile behind would have been something else. But by chance he got there. Get ready for surprises. To see heavenly activity. Get ready for supernatural surprises; to see angels, ascend and descend. Like Ruth who landed at Boaz’s fields, may you too arrive where God wants you to.

“I will alight upon my blessing. I will arrive at the very place where God wants me to arrive into.”

You may be tired and your sun may be setting, but God knows till where you will reach. There is a junction that God has reserved for you, you may be only seeing darkness all around you, but God haskept a spiritual door opened. This is the God’s appointed time for you. You will see the supernatural. Eyes are opening to see the supernatural. That is the place where heaven is kissing the earth. Anopen heaven or an open portal upon your life. An open heaven in the midst of adversity.

Beyond human visibility there is always divine activity.

God calculated for Jacob. Where he needs to get to. If the sun had set before he would slept at the wrong place.

Sometimes you need the threat of Esau or else you will never find your Bethel. Sometimes you are tempted to thank the devil. You become more prayerful, more consecrated, more, more spiritual and more worshipping. Because you have many adversities and challenges and you know that you need that you want the Lord to come and work for you. Get ready for light.

I used to tell my wife, I should have got married earlier. Then my wife tells me if you had gotten married earlier, you would have married some other woman. But because I married late, I found and married the right person for me. GET READY FOR LIGHT!

3. It was a place of angelic activity

Genesis 28: 12- 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

• The Ladder is Jesus. The one who connects heaven and earth is Jesus Christ.

John 1:51- 51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter[a] you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Jesus says you will see Angels ascending and descending like Jacob did in the Old Testament.

✓ One encounter can make Jesus real to you. To have Jesus in your life is the greatest blessing.

✓ One encounter can position you in away that you can see the ladder. You need to see the ladder to be able to see angels ascending and descending.

I have been seeing quite a few off late. Only those Angels that ascend will descend. On your worship, in meditation and prayer they will go up and descend with your answers. You are not ware but in the spiritual realm they are ascending and descending.

ANGELS ARE RELEVANT FOR:

PRESERVATION REVELATION DEFENCE DURING WAR SUPPLY PROTECTION

The ministry of Angel's was activated in Jacob's life in this time and place. I saw this happen during a deliverance in one of the meetings in Fort Kochi.

If you ask the Lord for it, from this day forth, the angelic ministry will be activated in your life.

Genesis 31:11-12- 11 Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

• The Angels saved Jacob from Laban.

Genesis 32:24- 24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the [a]breaking of day.

• Jacob was involved in an all-night wrestling match with God.

Genesis 32:1-2- 32 So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp.” And he called the name of that place [a]Mahanaim.

• Mahanaim- a place where he saw the angelic ministry being revealed.

Gene 48: 15-16- And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

An aged Jacob is blessing upon Joseph. Angelic ministry was activated to be a protection army from the ministry of darkness and demons. A supernatural defence God is sending you through His angels.

When I was ministering in north India, people came to attack us and got on top of the stage but one man who came near me just froze. He couldn’t do anything to me, the angels of God blinded him. Once when I was ministering in Africa, I sensed the presence of an angel standing next to me.

The Holy Spirit said o me very clearly that in 2021 when demonic activity increases in the world, the church will experience a divine experience of angelic ministry like never before! Peter was woken up by an angel in prison. In 2021 you will have such experiences.

Gen 28: 12- 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

Angels are willing to do the bidding of the word. They act upon the voice of God’s Word. That's how they ascend. They descend with the answers from God.

4. It was the promise of a guaranteed future

You will come back into this land. Jacob don't be afraid. This land is for you and your descendants. Though he still did not have a wife or kids, there was an assurance and a guaranteed future from God. Little boy Jacobs don’t be afraid. Esau won’t kill you. You descendants will possess this land. You will be married. You will return to your land.

The Holy Spirit is giving you an assurance --- “don’t be afraid. Whether vaccine is effective or not I will be with you. No matter what I will keep you”

God’s prophecy preserves our lives. No devil can stop you from having a child. If there is a prophetic Word over your life nobody can destroy your life.

I first had the prophecy that I will have children. We miscarried our first child. We were very broken. But God’s prophecy came to pass.

• The prophecies are there! No devil can stop you from experiencing God’s blessing if there is a prophecy over your life.

The reason God speaks into your future is so that the devil cannot destroy your present. If there is a prophecy that you will preach the Word among nations, will you be confined just to Kochi??

Peter was in the prison fearing death but there was a prophecy that when he is old he will be taken where he doesn’t want to go…There was a prophecy, he wasn’t going to die young.

In the next 10 months you will do that what you couldn’t do for the last 10 years. What you couldn’t do for the last 30 years, you will do in 30 days!

A person shared with me that his father has worked for 35 years and what he earned during that period, this person was able to earn through a remuneration given to him through just one presentation that he made! Get ready for supernaturalexperiences in Christ. Get ready for God to do the miraculous. This is a year of the supernatural.

• Prophecy is a superior mantle. There is also an inferior mantle. People fearing you. People intimidating you is the inferior mantle. However superior mantle means heavens prophesying over your life- You will be a revivalist, you will be blessed, you will be a minster of the gospel! Enter into a superior mantle. The inferior mantle against your life will be broken. If you are standing

I am stepping into the mantle of God’s glory, into His anointing and Into HIS victory. It is the guarantee of divine protection.

Genesis 28:14-18- God is saying here, “Jacob, I am with you and I will keep you.” WHEN GOD PROVIDES HE PROTECTS

WHEN GOD GUIDES HE WILL GUARD

DIVINE DIRECTION WILL ALWAYS ATTRACT DIVINE PROTECTION

DIVINE PROVISION WILL ALWAYS ATTRACT DIVINE PROTECTION.

He will not waste his investments. In Numbers 6, the blessing says, “God bless thee and keep thee.” There is a keeping within the blessing. In 2021 may the Lord bless thee and keep thee.

You are protected by the Lord. There is protection in the home, car, things that God blesses you with. Whatever God has given you is divinely protected.

Genesis 31: 7- 7 Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.

Laban wanted to hurt Jacob. But God did not allow. God won’t allow people to destroy you. He is a KEEPING God. People will hate you when you are blessed. Some people are scared of success. You are scared of what comes along with it. Get rid of that fear. God’s protection will accompany.

In 2021, build a new home. There is a Word for Charles—"Charles, God is opening ways for building your home.”

WHAT WAS THE SECRET THAT ALLOWED JACOB TO ENJOY AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD?

1. The value for the spiritual

We always learnt about Jacob as a deceiver, supplanter. But God is not a unjust God. God has foresight. He knew Jacob’s nature right from the beginning.

1 Kings 14:13- 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall [a]come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

• Jeroboam won’t die because there was good in him. He was a child but God still knew that there was good in him.
• Jacob had calculated in his heart, “I am the second. My older brother will receive the double portion, he will have the birth right. By birth I did not get it, but by choice I want to get it. Otherwise God will be the God of Abraham, Isaac and Esau. I want to come into that position.”
• I can get it with food. Esau exchanged his birth right for food. Esau took it so light. You are going to discard your covenant blessing for foo?? You are throwing away what you got naturally.

Hebrews 12:16 refers to Esau as someone who was unholy and profane. A vain man. An empty person, a valueless personality.

God says, ‘Jacob I have loved, Esau I have hated.’

In 2021 give importance for God’s Presence, His calling, His anointing. Get ready for genuine experiences with God!

• Esau gave away a permanent blessing to tackle a temporary challenge. Give up your generational home for a new business (am example). But Jacob has an ability to see far. He saw spiritually forward.
• On 2020 31st night, pastor also will say the God of Abraham, Isac and Jacob. He wanted that position, Value the spiritual. Don’t allow the pressure of life to take away the value of the spiritual. This year the most important thing--- “God I want your presence with me. I want the anointing of the Holy Spirit.” Demonstrate that you value the presence of God.
• You don’t read anywhere in the Bible that Esau never built an altar. But Abraham, Isac and Jacob did.

But in 2021 my relationship with Jesus is the most important thing. If so, there shall be fire on your altar. Value Prayer, worship and Bible study.

2. Life of sacrifice

1/10th of all that I get, I will give unto the Lord. Jacob took that decision even when he wasn’t blessed.

3. He had the Spirit of a fighter

In Genesis 25, we see that even in his mother’s womb, Jacob started fighting. 2 types of people in your womb--- one is a fighter. Jacob wanted to come out first. He had a zeal. He fought to get his birth right. He fought to get his blessing. He had the Spirit of a fighter. He had to fight even to marry his lover. He worked 7 years for her. Plus another 7 years! That kind of attitude is important. We are too flightless. We want the blessing but we want someone to come and place it in our bosom.

• The difference between the pilots of a Civilian plane and a fighter plane --- a civilian pilot will get bad marks if he takes off in bad/ rough weather. But in military training, the pilots of fighter planes are trained only in rough weather. A Civilian pilot must only sit straight and look forward and fly. But a fighter pilot will need to get used to flying in all manner (somersaulting and upside down). That is the church of God. No matter what we get it hit by, we will still remain steady. No matter what, I will glorify God. I won’t give up so easily. Too many things against me, But I am there.
• Jacob wrestled with an angel for the blessing, the angel is saying, ‘leave me, its dawn’. Jacob did not let go. He said, no, bless me. Jacob’s hip was disjointed. We get tired of praying on our knees for 5 minutes. But Jacob wrestled all night. This year God will give you grace to pray all night!
• His negative identity changed. The label changed, his capacity changed. His spiritual and physical capacity changed. Jacob is a person, Israel is a nation.

Your capacity is changing. Not just spiritually but also physically. God is restoring your health adstrength.

Continuous and complete victory. “You have prevailed with God and have won”

The Holy Spirit said: Total freedom in 2021 for some people. You will prevail. You will not struggle with the challenges of the past because the Lord is favouring you and setting you free.

In that single encounter he became a prince, a royalty. Read Genesis 32. He was moved into a different level.

Psalm 89: 19- Then You spoke in a vision to Your [a]holy one, And said: “I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.

He will help the warrior. The one with a fighting spirit. ‘I will never help a coward’, says the Holy Spirit. Show me a man who has the heart and I will give him the height.

I will take what God has kept for me in 2021