Sunday Sermon by Pastor Rajesh Mathew, 23rd May 2021

Happy Pentecost Day. We celebrate the Holy Spirit in a special way today. In this generation, starting from the 1900s, the visitation of the Holy Spirit happened thrice. First was the outpouring during the Azusa street revival in the early 1900s, then the neo Pentecostal movement following which was the charismatic movement in which many of us got saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.

But before the Lord comes there shall be another great move of the Holy Spirit which will bring in another revival. If you want the Lord to use you and are praying or it, God will most certainly use you in the revival He has planned. For this, the Lord is raising up a remnant. Not the majority (many of the majority will fall away and hearts will grow cold in the last days). But there is a remnant that God has preserved and raised up for the END DAYS REVIVAL. God is waking these people up from the ends of the earth. There are people even from the CORNERSTONE church who will be a part fo this great move of the Holy Spirit.

God will plug you into His power!

1 Samuel 16:11- 13- 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not [a]sit down till he comes here.” 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with [b]bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

• David was ruddy and had a nice countenance. Amidst his brothers, David was anointed with oil. The oil of the Holy Spirit is coming into your homes, right where you are.

Acts 2:1-4- When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all [a]with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them [b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

• Just as in the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit can visit your homes this day just as He filled the upper room.

Verse 3- Then there appeared to them [b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.

• All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. I am always thrilled when I have to speak about the Holy Spirit. I first experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit when I was 20 years old. I was in close connection with the Holy Spirit. It was such an intimate time with the Holy Spirit. I became aware of the authority that comes from Him. When I can speak in a new tongue, or operate in a new gift or gain a new understanding, I am excited! This day, do not grieve the Holy spirit, do not put HIM down.

THE OIL

In the past, oil was used to smear the sheep with. The Shepherds would pour the oil and rub the sheep with it. The oil would keep the fleas away from the sheep. Otherwise, the fleas would enter and lay eggs in the sheep’s nose, then they would creep up into its head and mess with the sheep’s mind. The sheep would almost go crazy!

However, God has kept a big blessing for His children and that is to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit.

When you carry the oil of the Holy Spirit, the entry to the thoughts of the enemy is blocked. “Anoint me afresh with Holy Spirit, fill me with the Holy Spirit, Lord”. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is the smell of oil. When some people come close, you can smell the oil of the Holy Ghost upon them. The fragrance of the anointing is tangible.

When we read the Bible, we see that David was ruddy, good looking and had bright eyes. But his own father never saw him as being attractive. He wasn’t around when the prophet came by. In the Jewish tradition, the first born or the eldest in the family is usually the one who watches the sheep. But in this case, David was sent for this task. For whatever reason, the father did not think very highly of David.

1. But David while shepherding the sheep began to commune with God and to put his trust in God. When was looking after the sheep, prophet Samuel sent word for him.

In your practical life situations, you need to take refuge in God. It is there that God changes your character.

Even when people put you down, or mistreat you, if you put your refuge in God in the midst of the trouble that you are facing, your perspective will change and your faith will rise!

If you have a relationship with God in your private life, publicly oil will flow over you.

In your alone time, if you are the one praying and worshipping, you will experience God’s oil. David did that and he found God as he attended to the sheep.

In the midst of his aloneness and rejection, he connected with God in worship and prayer. In private (in this lockdown), connect with God. Once this is over, God will pick you up and use you. He will honour you publicly.

2. David was Ruddy- This implies that his heart was red (colorful)—It is a symbol of love.

David’s heart was a big heart. Like the popular growing heart emoji! Blood is pumped from the heart. His heart was full and brimming with love. The ability to sacrifice is a symbol of the love that is in your heart.

If you sacrifice in your private life, publicly you will experience oil.

3. Red signifies passion. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness! Be on fire for God. Oil will flow upon your life. There are special encounters with the Holy Spirit of God waiting for you.
4. Red also signifies the Blood. The one who is washed by the Blood of Jesus will experience the oil of God.

Ecclesiastes 9:8- Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil. There is a future for you; your head will lack no oil.

5. His eyes were bright which implies innocence. There was no manipulation and deceit in him. David when he was looking after the sheep, was able to find out when the bear and the lion came against the sheep even in the night/ dark. No matter what is coming against you in the dark, may the Lord open your eyes to see it.

David did not sing to make a cd. But he did it to worship God.

• When the oil comes, no matter how big a Goliath stands in front of you, that demonic power will leave.
• Thank the Lord for the anointing. In the Old testament, David was known as a man after God’s own heart. He had a public anointing upon his life.

The Oil of God too has power.

1. In some places, Coconut oil is used for cooling down. Mustard oil is used to heat the body. If the car engine doesn’t have oil in it, it can’t run. We need to keep changing the

engine oil. The Lord’s Holy Spirit will anoint you with oil to run for God for another 60 years. It a burden breaking and yoke breaking anointing. Let every disease, every bondage be broken in the Name of Jesus.

2. EYES: If the oil descends, the situation changes. If the oil comes upon your eyes, your perspectives will change. It will become long sight---you can see far. In Acts 3, Paul said, you are the son of the devil. He had oil in his eyes. When we were involved in the deliverance ministry, we could look in the eyes of the demon and they would leave. In the Old testament, oil was applied upon the eyes.

Anecdote: A pastor from Kerala met Pastor Chris, an anointed man of God. The pastor had given him a hug and ever since, his ear would have a tingling sensation like as if it had received an electric shock. The Lord then told the pastor that it was the power of the Holy Spirit- he has touched the ears of the one who listened to GOD’s voice while hugging.

3. EARS: If the oil descends upon your ears, you can hear God. May God’s presence come upon your home
4. TONGUE: You can create with your tongue and you can also tie the devil with your tongue. At the tip of your tongue is life and death. The confessions from your mouth have power. Confession and proclamation (aggressive confession). Paul told that black magician that he would become blind. From the abundance of your heart, your mouth speaks. “I will not die, but I will live. My God will supply all my needs according to your riches in glory.” Your mouth can proclaim.

Anecdote: A man of God abroad heard that an occultic conference of black magicians was being planned in the city. He confessed and proclaimed that it won’t. Why did he say that? He said that his city will only see what he spoke since he believed that the Lord had given that city to Him.

• If you open your mouth and preach, God will move. You will be built, your children be blessed, your life be blessed.
• Some new things will be birthed, Giftings, songs and ministries. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. From the outflow of the heart, the river flows.
• Let your feet be anointed with oil. When you go to heaven you can only see the pictures of your feet. How beautiful are the feet of the one who carries the good news of the gospel.
• When the oil flows, I will move forward. Limitations and hindrances will be removed. Let the Lord anoint your feet.

Luke 10:19- 9 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

The devil’s power is always under your feet. Do not allow it to be brought higher. All of the devil’s power is under your feet. Jesus is the head! Body of the Christ is the church and the devil’s power is under the feet of the church. You are seated with Christ and the enemy is under your feet.

WIND, BOISTROUS WINDS (RUAH)

• Wind implies the breath or the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is also called the Wind of God. The breath of God.
• Luke 3 says that the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus like a dove. A dove is Gentle. However, when he came down on the apostles in the upper room, HE came with the sound of a rushing mighty wind and like the tongues of fire.
• God understood that it was needed to send forth the Holy Spirit in all His power. The Lord’s Holy Spirit will make you fly. You may be sitting comfortably. The Holy Spirit’s shaking is for you to shed your complacency and to prepare you to be to used by the fire of the Holy Spirit.
• You can’t see the wind, you can only experience it. We all recently witnessed the cyclone and we could experience the powerful winds. In these days, you may not be able to see or experience the Holy Spirit. But by faith receive this Word.

Jesus is genuine. You can’t see Him but you can experience that He is alive in your heart.

• The wind of Holy Spirit represents power and strength. There is natural and supernatural strength. The Word says that you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. The strength and power to open the prison doors and destroy the foundations of the prisons!
• Strength has different realms. The Holy Spirit is not about loud music and shaking. Power is not in that sound of the loud keyboard. Nothing wrong in jumping and clapping loudly.

But power is real when you can ➢ cast out demons ➢ rebuke the enemy in the name of Jesus, ➢ rule over your flesh with the help of the Holy Spirit. ➢ the devil knows your name ➢ rule over creation.

People don’t fall because of temptation, people fall because they have no power in themselves.

Power to rule over your flesh. You can’t live the Christian life without the help of the Holy Spirit. Temptations can come to anyone. Paul says, “after I having preached, I myself should not be disqualified and therefore I beat my body and make it a slave”.

Jesus was without sin because he had the power of the HOLY SPIRIT.

What is this Power?

1. Hunger for God is a sign of the Holy spirit moving upon your life. Psalm 26 says, as a deer panteth for the water, so my soul thirsts for You. You won’t be rusty and dry. You will want the Presence of God more than anything else. You will want the Spirit of God. You will want to pray, you will want to call on His Name, you will desire to sit at His feet and walk with Him. A deer can smell water from a distance of 200 km. Only a man with the power of the Holy spirit will be able to hunger for His presence. Some Men of God have been praying for 14 hours a day in the Spirit ever since the lock down started! Can you imagine the hunger hey have for God!

Revelations 4:10- the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

The 24 men bent down and worshipped the Lord. There is no need of any power in heaven, there is no need to build a house, no need to cast out demons. But why then did they still worship? Because they hungered for God! That hunger even in heaven!! Let such an anointing and grace to worship come upon you. The Holy Spirit is raising such people.

On the day of Pentecost there were 120 people gathered in the upper room, of the 500 that heard about Jesus’s Promise of the Holy Spirit before he ascended into heaven. 380 people left. The 120 remained and met in the upper room because they were hungry. They sat in God’s presence.

Acts 1:14- These all continued with one [a]accord in prayer [b]and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

In one accord, they were in prayer and fasting in the upper room. How do we know that they were fasting? The upper room was away from the kitchen. They were only hungering for God!

2. Humility: A person with humility is not moved by anything else the way he is moved by God. He lives only to please God. The likes and dislikes on social media do not affect him. Whatever the Lord would want him to do, he does. Nothing else bothers him. We need to know where to speak, where to stay quiet.
3. Exousia- witness: A preacher and a witness are different from each other. Witness can show God and a preacher can only preach about God. The biggest testimony is not just about God blessing you materially. Power makes you a witness.

Our spirituality is not evaluated by our material things. The difference is that when you are a witness, you are exhibiting the Lord. The visible expression of the governance of God in your life- That is witness.

4. The ability to create change: You can sit in prayer for 3 to 4 hours everyday. That is not a bad thing but what if nothing still changes even after all that praying! You need to be filled and be overflowing in His Presence and Power. The lady with the issue of blood touched HIS garment and power left the Lord. She was overflowing with His power and there was a change, she was healed.

Ask you Lord for the wind of the Holy spirit. In the times of the apostles, the sick only needed to touch their handkerchiefs or their shadows to be healed! TL Orborne, a man of God has this experience, the shadow of the plane that would travel in would heal the sick!

FIRE

• There is fire in the sky. There is fire in the room. Fire is everywhere.

In divine encounters with God, you rub against Go and there is fire!

• Fire spreads. It can move from one person to another. Put into flame the gift of God within you. Allow it to run in your life.

Habakkuk 3:4- Before Him went pestilence, And fever followed at His feet.

• This is the apt word for the current times. The fire anointing of the Holy Spirit will keep us from the pestilence.
• Flies sit only on a cold stoves, not on hot ones. These days, cast out the dust from your lives. Do not be cold.

This morning on the Day of Pentecost, the Lord gives the Word on His Holy Spirit.