Sunday sermon by Pastor Rajesh Mathew, Cornerstone Church, 24 January 2021

Luke 1: 57- 57 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son

• It is time for certain things to be manifested outwardly in your life. It is time for certain blessings, prophecies, good things, deliverances, healings, promotions, new levels of grace to be manifested over your life. It is your appointed time for the manifestation of God’s blessing. “Jesus, will manifest few things over my life!!!”

Expectation for manifestation. God never intended to use anybody without first giving them an experience or an encounter.

The Holy Spirit is saying to the church in 2021, “You will have an experience and understanding of His presence in new ways, like never before. It will manifest in yourministry, wealth and in your health!”

In Jesus name, certain things will manifest through your life. Our God is a good God.

Oral Roberts says, “God is completely good. The devil is completely bad. He is wicked. He wants to kill, steal and destroy”.

• This morning, thank the Lord that we have authority against the works of darkness. This morning let those bondages break off from your life.
• The blessings of God will manifest over your life. You will give birth to certain things. Nine months is full term in pregnancy terms. If it crosses that period, the baby is said to be overdue. Certain things that are overdue in your life will come forth as twins. Double double manifestation over your life! We won’t have abortions and premature babies. The Lord is sending a prophecy just IN TIME!

“It is not enough that my

You are favoured for supernatural encounters. What is expectation?

Some things that you know within you that has to happen.

company stays at this level, it is not enough that I remain here. Anointing and healings must flow through me”

• Something has to happen; you know that! That knowing within you is what indicates that it is your time for the manifestation. It is like the Lord standing at your door and knocking, He is near!
• God wants your expectation. The devil also wants to control your expectation. God uses faith to bring your expectations to manifestation. But the devil controls it through fear. Many of us are fearful to expect; ‘what if I pray and still not be answered’.
• God gains control of your expectations when you believe His promises. He is the One who doesn’t change His Word. His thoughts will come to pass. Nothing is impossible for GOD! When you believe so, your faith manifests forth. Fear will tell you that there is no point believing. Devil tries to control through fear.

Job 3:25- For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me.

• God has placed a hedge around us. He has placed His angels around us. Still we are constantly walking around in fear.
• But people are scared. Constantly in fear. Open your mouth and say, “I won’t fear”. In Jesus Name, let that tormenting spirit of fear be broken. Renounce that spirit of fear!

Hebrews 10:12-13- 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.

• Our enemies becoming our footstool, is God’s desire for our lives. The enemies are not flesh and blood but they are demonic strongholds- guilt, shame, anger, strife, diseases. All these things coming under your feet is what God wants for you. Do a prophetic gesture. Declare that the works of the enemy are under your feet. Stomp the enemies under your feet. Thank the Lord for the authority that He has placed over your life.
• This first Sunday is a test dose. If you are one of those who have not responded, you may as well sit at home and have your coffee.

Someone watching me is troubled for suicidal thoughts because of opposition over your life. Don’t do it. This is the year that God’s goodness is going to manifest forth through your life. Two persons are going through this. That hopelessness to go. Declare that you are victorious in Christ.

Why is heaven and hell interested in your expectation?

Expectation is the womb that carries the manifestation.

Proverbs 10:28- The hope of the righteous will be gladness,

But the expectation of the wicked will perish.

• There is an admonishing within this scripture. Sin has the capacity to end your expectation in God. It causes miscarriage. The problem is not actually sin, the problem is what we do with the sin.

Proverbs 28:13- He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

• If you repent and confess your sin, there is mercy. But sin in itself brings judgement. But if you turn away from it, mercy flows towards you in the place of judgement.

Mercy has a twin brother. It is favour. Mercy and favour are connected.

Unmerited favour of God manifests only when His mercy shows up in your life. That is how pregnant women prepare for delivery.

When it was Tanya’s time for delivery, she was ready with her bag though the hospital told us that they would give us sheets etc. We were ready with our bag. We need to be ready with our bags. Our minds and hearts have to ready and prepared. In India, many hospitals in

villages do not have even a cotton roll in the clinics. Be prepared in prayer, in your minds and then you are prepared to push. You can scream but you still got to push.

PUSH! Pray Until Something Happens

I have to take stock, I have to get ready, I have to be prepared, it is my time,

I need to push this baby out, I need to be involved with God. God wants my

involvement. I can’t be sitting at home and saying ‘I am in pain’ and not do

anything. I need to get ready and prepare to PUSH! I will push!! my miracle

out in the Name of jeuss.

Preparation in three ways:

1. You must act on your expectation

• Faith without works is dead. There is a problem when your faith is not demonstrated.

2 Chronicles 13:2- 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was [a]Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor. 4 Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:

• This verse speaks about two people, Abijah and Jeroboam. There was a war between the two of them. Verse 3 talks about the number of people that they took with them for the war. 4 lakhs versus 8 lakhs! But why would he go? Because he is expecting something. He is hoping for something! You may have only half the finance to complete your house construction. But you have a hope that you will finish it. Hope not in your brother in law in Dubai but in the Lord.

You need hope and expectation, especially when you set out to go for war.

Verses 5: 5 Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?

• Abijah knew that God had made a covenant. He knew that no matter how big the army of Jeroboam was, God would still give David and his descendants victory because he had a covenant with them.
• God’s promise stands because He has a covenant with you. No fear irrespective of what your challenges look like.

Genesis 26:24- 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.”

• I have a covenant with Abraham, I will bless you. In the Name of Jesus, my generations and descendants will experience the blessing of God, because I stood for God and I got baptized.

Your blessing is much bigger than you. It goes beyond you! Your connection with God benefits not just you but your generations!

• Abijah knew this. He knew that nothing can intimidate him or stop him because God has made a COVENANT with him.

God is releasing a unique grace this day upon people to give you victory over every trap and intimidation of the enemy. It is time for you to stand up and face the battle.

God will help you. He will impart His wisdom over your life. This year, all those appearing for exams, make this your declaration. This year may have been tough but still, God will give me victory!

2 Chronicles 13:14- 14 And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they cried out to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

• Have you experienced this? Being surrounded by enemies from all sides. One after the other, there are troubles. Then what did they do? They cried out (not in fear) but that cry that reminded God about the covenant! The CRY of faith. The cry based on the covenant!
• A cry that reminded God of the promise. They shouted victoriously. There was expectation in their hearts. Shouts of victory even before the victory manifests. A sign of your expectation.

A 45-year-old person is watching and is gripped with fear that you will die. But with long life HE will satisfy you! Hold on to that promise.

Verse 20- 20 So Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the Lord struck him, and he died.

• Not only will the strength of your enemy deplete but he will be totally destroyed. A canopy of the presence of the Holy Spirit is descending upon your homes. That enemy’s stronghold is not only going to be weakened but totally destroyed. This will be manifested in your homes.

2. You must give for your expectation

Genesis 8:22- “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

You want great harvest but you haven’t’ sown anything. To reap, you must sow! There is power in giving. Harvest manifests when you give.

1 Chronicles 21:1- 21 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to [a]number Israel. 7 And [a]God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. 14 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. 18 Therefore, the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 26 And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the Lord; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering. 27 So the Lord commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.

Certain provocations are from the devil. Don’t give into it.

• 70000 people fell due to the step that David took. God sent a Word to destroy Jerusalem. David cried and prayed but he did not receive any answer. Then, the Angel of the Lord said, build an altar. If an altar was to be built, then they would also need the sacrificial animal/ bird.
• I believe in prayer. Many times, you can pray for people but they never see a harvest. Why? Certain situations change only when the offering is taken for God. • David built the altar and God sent an answer by fire. That angel had pulled out the sword to destroy the people and as soon as the offering was made, God commanded the angel to hold back that sword and put it back into the sheath.

Let this year be turned into a year where God’s blessing is manifested over your family. Let the devil’s challenge against you and your family be broken. Let 2021 be a year where you see it.

• There is a lot to learn about offerings. 1 Peter 1:5 talks about offering a spiritual sacrifice. Just a spiritual sacrifice will not suffice.

The Holy Spirit says: The Lord is saying “IT IS ENOUGH” to angels and God is sending deliverance on some issues. For your sake, the Lord is saying this to his angels. The heavens intervening for you and for me. There are intervening angels for you and me. I am speaking from experience. Certain issues are going to resolved due to the work of the intervention angels. Let Angels intervene in your life. The “ALMOST THERE” experiences are going to change.

3. Give thanks for your expectations

It is the Biblical protocol to give thanks.

Psalm 100:4- Enter His gates with thanksgiving and courts with praise.

Don’t be stranded at the gate. Some gets stranded because they don’t follow the protocol. They never give thanks or praise because they don’t feel like it. Do we open the gates of our

house due to a feeling? We just so it when we need to enter. Even if you don’t feel like it, say thanks!

Philippians 4:6- 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

God doesn’t hear a prayer without thanksgiving in it. ONLY PRAYERS ALONG WITH THANKSGIVING IS WHAT GOD HEARS.

Daniel 6:10- 10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

• He gave thanks unto God. Daniel knew that his deliverance was assured and he began to thank the Lord in advance. He knew he will not die in the lion’s den. In 2021, I will walk in victory, I will not die, I will not be destroyed. Lord I will go in and come out. That was Daniel’s expectation!

Daniel 6:22- 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”

• The enemy could not touch him. The lions walked around, sniffed him and tried to scare him but couldn’t touch him.

NOTHING WILL TOUCH YOU. HIS ANGELS WILL PROTECT YOU!

• Some of you, who are steeped in debt, you just need to keep thanking the Lord, God will open ways for you to come out of it supernaturally and make ways to bring you out.
• Sufficiency- 5 loaves and two fish were insufficient. God wants you to know this. Though it was insufficient to feed the crowds, because HE offered thanks, there were 12 basketfuls leftover. SURPLUS ANOINTING and SURPLUS GRACE upon you!

From a place of insufficiency to a place of surplus.

IT IS TIME FOR MY MANIFESTATION> <DELIVERANCE> <THE BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION> <THE BLESSINGS OF GOD> <THE GRACE OF GOD>

Your Relationship with Jesus will cause you to receive from Christ, it is not which denomination you are from.