Sunday Sermon by Pastor Rajesh Mathew, 7 August 2022

Zechariah 10:1- Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men, and plants of the field to everyone. The idols speak deceit, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain.

• In the time of the latter rain, ask for rain. Why would anybody ask for rain in the rainy season? That means, you need to understand your season. In the rain season, ask for rain. Lord says He will make bright clouds.

This is the season of rain of the Holy Spirit. This is the season of the Holy Spirit. You need to ask Him for the rain. When you see the size of the clouds, you will know the heaviness of the rain. I am hearing the sound of lashing rain! It is the season of the move of the Holy Spirit. Every one grass in the field will experience it. Not just the church of God. The nations will experience it, the move of the Holy Spirit will shake the lands.

• Ask Him for the rain, pray for rain. God is going to send forth a mighty outpouring of His presence.
• Advance knowledge. The Lord’s Holy Spirit will give you advance knowledge. Ask the Holy Spirit openly today to give you advance knowledge about your life, you family, your nation, your land, your future. The Lord, this morning is going to stir up that gifting upon some of your lives. Not just vaguely walking but listening to the voice of God and walking in real experience.
• In these days the giftings of the Holy Spirit will move upon some of your lives. You need to worship Him in the Holy Spirit.

1 Kings 19:11-12, 15-16- 11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.

• This is a prophetic word that God has lit up inside of me. It may not be for all persons but some of you will catch this. This is a widely preached section of the Bible.
• The Holy Spirit showed me very prophetically this morning, certain aspects from this Word. You receive it, clap your hands and take it.
• Elijah brought the fire down by prayer and he says, I hear the sound of rain. There were 3.5 years of famine in the land, he went on his knees and prayed and God showed him the clouds that were emerging, soon after which he commanded the servant to go and inform king Ahab about it. Ahab the king hears this and goes to his palace.
• In 1 Kings 19 we see that Elijah was not honoured or given a gift upon the hearing of this “good message” by the king. Instead he received a message that “this time next day he will be killed”.

Even as believers, you may have prayed, you may have blessed someone, given to someone, bailed somebody out of trouble but it may not have been remembered. People may have left you and forgotten you but there is a God who hasn’t forgotten you. You may have been upset that

everything has gone contrary to your expectations. But God has kept a special anointing and a special blessing for His church. He is sending it for His church.

• Elijah was expecting good but he is disappointed. Jezebel sends him a message. Why? In 1 Kings 19:1, we see that 400 prophets of Baal were destroyed at one go by Elijah. God will send a mighty anointing in this 8th month upon some of your lives. Alone, he finished off 400 false prophets. There were 400 of them! Just because there is counterfeit does not mean that there is no original. In these days may you have the grace and the gift to discern what is true and what isn’t.

Just because the counterfeit is there, it does not mean the original is not there.

God is raising up people who only desire to walk with Him, not for money, not for fame, not for ministry, not for anything else, not for the financial blessing. God is raising up a generation that will carry a genuine anointing of God. People who walk in holiness, obedience, without compromise. Not bowing before the Baals but only before the Name of Jesus. People who walk upright and blameless. The pressure is there for you to compromise in your work place but without compromising, stand up for Jesus. And keep what God has placed in you. Heaven is raising up such a generation. Lord, make me a part of it!

• Because Elijah did not compromise and that’s why Jezebel sent him that message. That threat was only a threat! She needn’t have sent that message, she could have just sent someone to kill him. If she had the power to do it, she would have gotten him killed immediately, instead she sent only a postman.

Certain things you may only hear, but do not be afraid. The spirit of Jezebel is a spirit of fear and intimidation.

• You may hear voices that tell you that the debt will destroy you, you won’t live long, your children won’t grow, you will not be used by God. It is not the voice of the Holy Spirit. It is the spirit of Jezebel. It is a battle by dark forces. Don’t be afraid of that threat and don’t sit under a tree and cry about it.
• Declare “I will be victorious by the name of Jesus. The devil is a liar. He only tries to pull you down by his threats. Elijah, such an anointed man was pulled down by this. He asks God to kill him. He prayed for the heck of it. It wasn’t a genuine prayer. Some of us pray like that. but God did not take his life. Why? God doesn’t hear all prayers.

He only hears those prayers that bring life. He is a life giver!

• The devil motivates you to pray to take your life, to end your walk. But God thinks thoughts that are good for you. He is a life giver. God sent an angel to Elijah. Supernatural food and supernatural visitation.

The Holy Spirit said: if you catch one single prophecy from God, for the next 25 years, you will be able to run tirelessly for God even through wilderness, challenges and oppositions.

• One meal given by the angel and there was enough strength in Elijah to run day and night for 40 days.

A supernatural deposit of the Holy spirit in your life I being released. 25 years of tirelessly running for God! Let bondages of tiredness and oppression be broken. Receive life!

• Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Father. For the next 25 years, you will journey in the strength of the Lord. Even if you want to feel tired you won’t. Supernatural grace! I will be sustained by God’s grace!
• IN this portion of scripture, we read that the wind blew in a strong manner that would shake mountains, the earth was trembling but God was not there in it. Extraordinary manifestations occurred but God was not in it.

In this season, you will recognize where God is. He was in the still small voice. You have to get to that place called still, small voice

• For example, God says, I don’t talk to you loudly. It is like when my girls are young, I need to scream at the top of my voice to catch their attention. But when the kids grow up, they come to a place where they are grown and you don’t need to scream and shout any more and they just understand you. That still small voice came to Elijah. God says, He has matured so much and I don’t need to shout at you and you can get what I am saying and catch my still small voice.

Every parent wants their child to grown up to that place where they can whisper and still be obeyed. Similarly, God expects this from his children.

• God can speak to you in the still small voice- you need to lend your ears to His voice. The solution to your problem is in His voice but are you lending you ears? The plans for the next 40- 50 years God spoke to Elijah in a still small voice.

God will give you advance knowledge about your life, your future and your plans. Lend your ears and then you will understand what God is trying to tell you. That is the power for your future. You are too old for God to shout at you.

• Now it has been 20-30 years and you still can’t tell some people in the church anything because they are not ready to listen. Ready to forgive Lord. Ready to be baptised Lord. Ready to give Lord. Ready to give up lord.

It is upon a generation that says “Lord, I am ready!” that the double portion of the anointing comes.

• The Lord’s still small voice is very strange. The Angel was sent to the place where Elijah was lying down to ask him what are you doing here? As if God did not know. Some of you are being asked the same question this morning- what are you doing in Cornerstone church?
• Within you is the strength and grace to overcome every threat that comes against your life. • Elijah, you weren’t anointed by me to run away from Jezebel. But to face every challenge, every intimidation and fear that attacks your life. There is grace within me to overcome the challenges of my life, whether it is against ministry, health, finance, family life, career, any thing against you, you can overcome by the grace inside of you which was given you even when the Lord called you. Let the dimensions of the anointing be revealed. The grace to overcome that sin is within you.

Some of you don’t leave this place burdened. There is an anointing with your name on it.

• Within me is that grace and anointing. Look at the problem you are facing and declare that I have strength and grace to overcome you. Every voice of Jezebel against your life, city, family can be overcome!

I am empowered to handle it in the name of Jesus.

• You came with debt but God is not saying anything about it. He speaks what He has purposed. When God visited Elijah, Elijah expected God to say something about that letter that Jezebel had issued but God gave him an advance notice- what will your destiny look like.

God ignored the letter to reveal what is ahead. Surrender to that. THREE THINGS JESUS REVEALED IN HIS STILL SMALL VOICE:

1. You need to anoint three people.

ELISHA

• Elisha was not even discovered at this time. But God is saying it in advance. • I am saying a few things in advance. What will happen in this country/ city? I will say it. But because live, I can’t.

For the next ten years, what is going to happen will be revealed by God to you. Don’t be burdened about today. Receive the Word. What you need for your future will be shown by heavens for you.

The problem that you are facing today is the foundation of what God has for your future. About you, your life, children and family. God will send His Holy Spirit will open them up in your prayer closets.

• Don’t be intimidated by these threats. What is inside of you transfer it to your next generation. Elisha rose up to carry the anointing upon Elijah. He was a man with vision and perspective. He did not ask for iPad, or car or ministry or position but he asked for the anointing. He asked for the double portion. Upon such people will giftings flow, grace and anointing flow.

The Bible says anoint three people. But we see only one-person Elisha being anointed.

1 Kings 19:16-15 Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.

• Syria was an enemy nation. God is saying this to Elijah but we don’t see Elijah doing it actually. Though it was an enemy nation, who the leader of that nation’s would be was told by the Lord almost 30 years earlier as advance notice.

Who will raise up against you 20 years from now will be shown by the Lord to you now! grace gracegrace!

• Elijah’s season was over and Elisha was serving God. It was in that time that Hazael was king in Syria. The devil has given the phone to the generation today to destroy them and given them access to look at unwanted things. He will try to destroy them. Today to his anointed will the Lord reveal his tactics and plans 20 years from now. My generations, may they be protected by your Blood.

We deal with a different enemy in these days and in the coming days.

The tactics that the devil used in the past are relevant no more. But God is rising up anointed people, who will serve God and walk in giftings and wisdom and in angelic ministries in such a way that the devil will not surpass them. Lord is saying this to the church in India!

• We won’t be destroyed by the old diseases we heard in the past. No! Even the currency is changing. You can’t run your business with what you learnt in MA class ten years ago but if you walk in godly anointing and wisdom, no matter what changes (currency, laws, opportunities) you will still grow. Let the wisdom of the Holy Spirit manifest forth this morning.

HAZAEL

2 kings 8:8-11-8And the king said to Hazael, “Take a present in your hand, and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’ ” 9So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing of Damascus, forty camel loads; and he came and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’ ”10And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover.’ However the LORD has shown me that he will really die.” 11 Then he [a]set his countenance in a stare until he was ashamed; and the man of God wept.

• Hazael stepped out to meet the prophet with a gift of 40 camels on behalf of king Ben Hadad, to be free from his disease. He was going to hear the voice of God. When Hazael came, the prophet looks into his eyes and cries.
• God is changing your vision in such a way that you can see beyond the obvious. God says you won’t die by disease. May God change your vision to see what is inside your enemy. Elisha says he won’t die of disease but he will die of something else.
• Do you know when this happened? After 30 years after Elisha died. This is advanced knowledge. 30 years from now, do you know what will happen? Yes, if God reveals to you.
• Hazael killed Ben-Hadad and he became king. Even before he did all this, God’s Holy Spirit showed the prophet all these things.

God is raising such a generation with this kind of gifting. Children of God will receive godly insights in advance on the political shifts, structures, so that you can take authority of the devil’s forces in advance.

• Religious spirits are breaking. Take it and receive the Holy Spirit.

12 And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their women with child.”

• Elijah is saying what he will do 30 years in advance. May you have advance notice about your children and generations to come so you can enforce God’s protection upon their lives. May the Holy Spirit reveal this to your hearts.

We can break the power of the devil in advance.

JEHU

• Elijah hadn’t even seen Jehu. The reason to anoint Jehu was just thins- an enemy (Jezebel) was causing pain to Elijah. The anointing was to overthrow her. That means, in the past every force that came against your life and your family, can be overthrown by the anointing upon you.

What you ran from in your life in the past, you will bring that very thing under your feet. That is what this anointing will do.

• “My story will change. God is giving me advance notice. He is showing me thing of the future. what I ran from in the past will be under my feet!”
• The Holy Spirit is releasing this anointing upon some people.
• Jehu goes to the palace. Asks wo is with Jezebel. There were Eunuchs with Jezebel. They were castrated. They were powerless. They had no aspirations for the future. They did not need to save money and all that.
• We also see a Eunuch whom Philip had met. He was an Ethiopian Eunuch who was the treasurer of the queen. He did not need to hoard up treasures and hence he was the best candidate to be a treasurer. They cannot have pleasure. They had not power.

All those who thought that they will never be useful in their lives, will be used by the Lord.

The Lord is saying that such people, God will anoint and use in these days. Some of you are going to be anointed.

• What reduced you will be overcome by you. There is a rain coming upon you in your future. • Elijah ran from this Jezebel scared that he will die but he has not died even till today! The chariots of fire came and lifted him up to the heavens. The ones who are chosen and called by God, even if they desire to die, they won’t!
• Don’t be down this morning, activate the anointing that is within you! It is for something great! Your future is bright because of the oil of the anointing. Surrender to serve Jesus. • The Lord is going to show your future in advance. I can see in the spirit some angels handing some of you some keys. The keys of the anointing. In the Name of Jesus, you are victorious.

In the day of rain, ask for rain.

Romans 8:6-8- 6The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, 7because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God

May you receive grace to walk not carnally but led of the Spirit. Whoever is led of the Holy Spirit is the son of God. Surrender to the Lord!