The Greatest Gift
by David Bryan
May 28, 2023 · Cornerstone Apostolic Church (Chattanooga, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Leviticus 5:7, Genesis 1, Genesis 1:26, Genesis 2:7, John 3:3, Judges 3, Ezekiel 37, Jeremiah 31, Acts 2, Acts 1, John 3:5

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/david-bryan--the-greatest-gift
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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thank you Lord thank you Lord thank you Lord feels wonderful in the house of the Lord today great to be back again with brother and sister Sloan and the family of the ministry family here my wife and and kids the Evangelist team wasn't able to make it over this service but I promise you they're praying with us and that we're just so thankful for your pastoral leadership for their friendship and Visionaries people leadership and that's that speaks not only to them the Sloans but the leadership team here Visionaries you are a officially a mobile Church I like to be a part of a church that is on the move I'd rather be a part of of something that is moving it's breathing it's growing and you can sense that I appreciate that uh growing up just down the road just just on the edge of Ray County a total heathen and I thought about this a moment ago he came after me he caught me you you can run but right now is proof you cannot hide I don't know where you come from I don't know what you've done or what you're thinking but God has got you cornered in the kindest way possible I'm glad he caught me I'm glad to be caught by him and arrested in his presence today he has something special for somebody would you lift your hands and let's just pray father helped me not only to hear your voice today but give me power give me audacity to respond to your voice father open up my hearing and give me boldness thank you for healing thank you for deliverance thank you for filling with your presence Hallelujah thank you Lord thank you Lord thank you Lord thank you Lord clap your hands to it one more time I'll come on clap a little bit louder make the devil nervous man we've been to have church in here sit down if you like to for a second speaking of being caught I know y'all were working here yesterday and through the week I was working yesterday on our Studios and Facilities I was The Apprentice and there were professionals there and I was pretending like I was I'm on the second floor working and fell through the roof or fell through the us at least a story and the last thing I remember is Man this ain't good the floor giveaway I felt it but I but I did pull ups and somehow ended up and landed on my feet like a cat and I thought now thank the Lord I really dawned on me after I got awakened to myself the lord caught me again his angels are busy some of y'all make them real busy and and I'm one of them but just so thankful today for the keeping hand of the Lord when Mary brought her infant baby Jesus to the temple will fill in the law of Moses recorded in The Book of Leviticus that on the eighth day everyone say the Eighth Day the child the woman is to bring the child to the temple to be dedicated and uh she was to present an offering for the child and for herself and for their cleansing and for the dedication of this baby on the eighth day now eight in scripture has to do with life past death New Life resurrection power okay this is not coincidental it's divine outline that here Mary's bringing the baby and uh she presents to doves because she cannot afford the family is not a wealthy family so they cannot afford what was ordinarily prescribed to be brought which was a lamb they couldn't afford a lamb they brought a dove now in The Book of Leviticus I just I want to read this to you as we get started today because it just really resonated with me in the Book of Leviticus chapter 5 when the sacrifices to be brought were originated it was for the cleansing of the Soul it was for the purification Moses and the Levites and the priests said you're to bring the offering a lamb from the flock this is Leviticus five and then let me read verse number seven of Leviticus chapter 5. if you're not able to bring a lamb bring a dove one translation says if you can't afford the lamb bring a dove now when Jesus cousin John Baptist saw Jesus coming one afternoon as John saw him coming he said to the audience Behold the Lamb of God and then we hearken back to Leviticus if you cannot afford the lamb let me tell you something I could not afford the lamb I hired one songwriter speaking about this great Lamb of God who said The Crossing that he which he stood on the other side of I could not afford to cross it therefore he came to me I I could not afford the lamb I'm Paul Folk I had to and so the prescription was if you could not provide a lamb if you could not afford the lamb he would make it affordable to you through a dove now in scripture a dove represents the work of his spirit now the Apostle Paul said what the flesh could not do because it was weak God through the spirit everyone say the spirit he made a way I couldn't afford it I couldn't do what Jesus done I couldn't save myself for anything but through the power of the Holy Ghost he drew me to him he Sanctified me he has made me and is making me like him through the power of the Holy Ghost are you thankful today that you're hanging around people that not only believe in the Holy Ghost but they are interactive with the presence and the power and the glory of God I got to be honest with you people like this used to scare me and rightfully so one time uh I went to church service and they were doing what I thought was weird stuff like y'all were doing and uh not going to sing-ins and whatever have you and people would shout and carry on and whatever but this was different and here they're shouting and carrying on and I'm walking into the service and they were really really really wild and this one cskate A friend of mine that was with me she came up to me she said praise the Lord and I said thank you good and she literally said praise the Lord I said little brother she had her hand out shook her hand and uh she she leaned into me said let me ask you a question have you got the Holy Ghost and I turned my friend said what is she saying he said just tell her yes she'll leave you alone said have you got the Holy Ghost I said yes ma'am she said well I'm looking at you telling you need more of it and she invited me up to the the front like she was determined we're gonna get this boy and we're gonna get him involved eventually that worked I'm glad I'm one of them aren't you hmm there have always been religions there's always been a religious activity there's always been prophets there's true prophets false prophets Etc there's always been music there's always been personalities there's always been notable people through history but if you pay attention the most notable historical characters throughout human history of those that have been influenced by overshadowed by the power of the presence of the Living God of which there is no substitute nothing now in the Book of Genesis chapter 1 we read about a world that was in somewhat of existence but chaos and disorder and the scripture records right at the beginning of the story The Origin of humanity interaction between God and Mankind the Earth was without form and void and chaos and darkness ruled and the spirit of one saved the spirit moved over the face of the waters it was chaotic until the spirit moved let me tell you about the greatest gift of all and it's what we've come to celebrate today it's what we've come to rehearse today it's what we've come to interact with today it's the presence of the Living God somebody shout to him we we can look at our society we can look at our world today and see that in in very much the same way our world is in darkness it's chaotic there is disorder there's aggravation there's frustration there's satanic uh antagonistic activity it's dark it's filled it's unfriendly to the children of God or to the potential child of God and what we need now more than anything else is exactly what happened in Genesis chapter one the spirit of God moved I'm glad there's a church in Chattanooga that is sending out something that is is penetrating the darkest areas of this region I'm glad today for the power there is no other gift like it than the power of the Holy Ghost somebody say thank you Lord see riches and talents and personalities will fail but he will not fail I said he will not fail when we talk about the spirit of God please understand we are not referencing a byproduct of God we're not referencing a secondary nature of God when we talk about the spirit of God we're talking about his Essence his character that which he is which flows out from him God is Spirit so when we talk about the spirit of God his righteousness his Holiness his truth his creative nature this moved upon chaos this moved upon Darkness and this is what brought life to individuals somebody just lift your hands and say thank you God for that life thank you God for your help thank you God for your strength today the spirit of God not a partner of God but the essence of God the work of God and all of creation every word every piece of wood every board every nail every bird every cow is a product of the creative nature of God Genesis chapter 1 verse 26 God said let's make man in our image after our likeness let them have dominion over the fish of the sea the fowl of the air the cattle and everything that creeps upon the Earth Genesis chapter 2. God formed Man Out of the Dust of the ground and God breathes say he breathed into his breath or into his nostrils the breath of life and Man became a living Soul this is different than cows this is different than monkeys this is why Jesus said and John recorded in chapter 4 you must be born again because being born into uh the world as an infant baby a sinful world or rather subject to that animalistic sinful nature this is why people outside of Jesus act like a bunch of animals because they hadn't been born again I only need two or three heathens that are willing to admit that's what you were and that's how you're acting until the Lord took over you see the greatest gift is the spirit of God because it could take someone out of destructive animalistic based nature God breathed in man he didn't do that to cows he didn't do that to monkeys he did that to man he said I want you to be ready because this is how it's going to work when I renew you I'm going to breathe in you the Hebrew word ruach meaning the wind of God the Breath of God the life of God that's a gift that's something that renews that's something that empowers that's something let me tell you something the only way Humanity has access to divine nature and character is the fact that God breathed this is what make the difference well and this is why we celebrate Pentecost the outpouring of the spirit of God the Breath of God breathe I love y'all let me tell you something I've been to some dead churches and I have hung around some dead folk and some pitiful situations but I have watched God breathe into him we had a a while we were out uh traveling I want to say vandalizing it's evangelizing and uh in one of the services we had a somebody had fell over dead and uh not to be funny it was a serious situation but somebody asked me with LeBron have you seen it before I'm like oh I've been to church it's all over the place I promise you I've seen dead folk everywhere but not like that she had fallen over and she was they called the ambulance and uh it wasn't it wasn't a cool way to have church at that moment but the spirit of the Lord started moving and I felt prompted by God and I went over and and began to pray for her and two or three others joined and several minutes later she got up and said I don't know what just happened but I was caught up in the presence the Lord is one of the attendants said no honey you were dead but it was the power of the Holy Ghost that raised her up yo hey I I want to let you know this is the greatest gift I've walked in and we work with churches everywhere around the world everywhere I walked into churches where they said now I don't necessarily believe in that stuff like you all do and uh they they had let us know that right up front we're very quiet we're very reserved and we don't like you to preach but if you'd like to share will allow you to share I said all right well just let me share for just a moment and being full of the Holy Ghost I was one in one uh set and it was The ecumenical Regional ecumenical Society Gathering and here's all these people and so I thought well instead of preach I better just read scripture because that we all have that in common so I start reading some key scriptures and some of the preachers got up and started walking out one of them told me later or I heard it later well he was he was getting a little bit too excited and uh his voice inflections and he's you could tell and I mark excuse me I'm just trying not to completely be overwhelmed by the power of the Holy Ghost so while I'm talking one of the preachers and I was telling them these these scriptures are about the spirit of the Living God these scriptures as I'm rehearsing them and here come one of the preachers stood up sent her aisle coming at me and I thought and this is how it ends and here he came and stood just a few feet in front of the pulpit and he said I'd like that right now and I said excuse me he said what you I want that right and he was from the group that told me right away don't talk about that because people don't like it I'd like excuse me sir you'd like I said well just lift your hands I'm gonna keep reading some scriptures so he lift his hands and began to pray and straight away fell out and when he hit the floor he was speaking in Angelic tongues then one of the uh there were radio television network folk that was related to him saw him fall out and saw me get close to him and automatically assumed he must have Zapped him and so they ran over to touch him and when they touched him guess what happened the power of the Holy Ghost failed her and then somebody reached over to touch her and guess what happened let me tell you something you can't stop this thing you can't keep God from being God Paul told Tim and he said even if you refuse to believe him he won't deny himself let me tell you this is the greatest gift and it can take a crack house and make it into a whole house it can take neighborhoods and community and people and families and marriages and Young Folks and turned the world around with him somebody give God praise Moses y'all might have heard of him Moses the god that led some three and a half something million people across the Red Sea Moses when he was talking to God and God said I'm going to take you to the promised land I'm going to take my people to a place where they can worship me and ask Moses is communing with God Moses said now wait a minute I have seen him part the Red Sea I have seen water come up out of the ground I have seen Miracle after Miracle after Miracle the death angel passed over and so Moses said to God we'll go to the promised land but not if you ain't going with us if your spirit will go with me I'll go but if your spirit will not go I'll stay right here because I've seen what your spirit can do and I cannot live I cannot exist without the power of your presence I have seen the life that abides in the spirit we we've got to in our generation get the mindset of Moses and say if the spirit ain't moving there I don't want to be there I want to be a part of an organization I want to be a part of a people group who will entertain the power of God and allow the power of God to do whatever he wants to including changing and delivering people I've seen demons from the depths of Hell thrown out of buildings through the power of the Holy Ghost I've watched people walk into church services bodies so full of drugs they'd be clinically checked out but I promise you that the power of the Holy Ghost would fill them and they would be cleaned by the time they walked out the building not to say they didn't need Rehabilitation not to say they didn't need further programming but I'm telling you about the power of the Holy Ghost there's something about the power of the Holy Ghost that when he moves in Worlds start to come to order somebody give God praise Moses told the Lord I'm not going without the Holy Ghost now let me tell you something Moses was educated in the house of pharaoh he was the highest power in that region of the world Pharaoh had access to over ten thousand chariots and Legions of horses and he could have had access to any of these things said well I'm going to take this and we're going he could have done any of these things including political possession and procession he could have gone forward with his education but he said you know what take all that I just want the power of the spirit of God with me if I can have that chariots and horses don't matter if I can have the Holy Ghost education does not necessarily matter if I can have the Holy Ghost what's in my bank account or lack thereof does not matter there's something about the power of the Holy Ghost in Judges chapter 3. the scripture says they were helpless in the hands of the enemies but they Cried unto the Lord and the Lord raised up a deliverer othniel was his name and the scripture said the spirit of the Lord came upon him and raised him up to be a powerful judge and they went to war and the lord gave the enemies of Israel and all of the kings around them into their hands because the power of God Came Upon them because of the gift of the power of the Holy Ghost they were in bondage and God said I'm going to deliver you and I'm not going to deliver you because you can talk good and I'm not going to deliver you because you hang around a certain people group or because you politically lean in One Direction I'm going to deliver you through the power of my presence I'm going to read I heard Paul say the weapons of our Warfare are not of this world they're not the physical Dimension but they are of the spiritual Dimension to bring down strongholds and weaponry I wish I could get somebody that would say there's not another gift like the power of the Holy Ghost I never will forget the day when God filled me I never will forget the day when God Rest look at me I'll never will forget the day when the power of the Holy Ghost came into my life and gave me power to be like him that's the only way to obtain divine nature is to be filled with divine to allow him the fruit of his spirit does not come from character development it is a byproduct of the spirit of God working in your life I've met some nice people but nice doesn't mean filled and I've met some spirited people that act like they got it and you know they don't but there's something about spirit of God took Ezekiel the prophet it's recorded into 37th chapter God took Ezekiel and it was a time when the nation of Israel was in captivity they had been overrun in their history well over 50 times plundered this was one of those times Israel is in captivity the prophets have all been scattered and they're powerless the broken the temple is torn and God took Ezekiel and the Bible said he took him away in the spirit see all hell can be breaking loose in the world and you get caught up in the Holy Ghost and all of a sudden so God took Ezekiel and the Bible said in the spirit he carried him over a valley and Ezekiel Saw in the spirit he saw these bones lying in the valley he said there were a lot of them and they were very dry they'd been sitting there a while there were bones there were no life and the Lord said Ezekiel do you think these bones could live again and Ezekiel thinking logically he said well Lord you're asking the question therefore you must know something I don't so only you know by my account it looks pretty barren and maybe Zeke's like us you look on your life or you look on your marriage or you look in your home your community said I don't know this is going to take a work of God and the Lord said Ezekiel here's what I want you to do I want you to prophesy to these bones and I want you to say to them hear the word of the Lord hear the word of the Lord and Ezekiel said well so I prophesied as I was commanded oh Dry Bones hear the word of the Lord and Zeke said all of a sudden I heard bones rattling I saw things that had laid there dead like they were never going to be nothing get up and be something now there's somebody sitting in this house today long time ago the Lord spoke to you and you've been running because you hadn't been comfortable or you thought it was weird or you had to go do your thing I get it I understand but I'm telling you that while the words going forth today I can hear the same thing Zeke can hear I hear bones coming together and so here's Zeke he saw the bones coming together and the flesh come into the muscles coming and lay on these these what the Bible said after a few minutes in the vision it was Warriors it was a nation of people and Ezekiel said well they're standing but they're not really alive and God said that's because they need my breath to breathe in them so now zinc I want you to prophesy to the Four Winds of Heaven what what is that significant of it's significant of Baruch the wind of God the power of the Holy Ghost and Ezekiel said the wind of God blew and they stood on their feet a mighty Army of people I'm telling you as the Lord lifts that the Revival that is happening in this city that is happening in this house today that is beginning in your family it's just like what Zeke saw and there's going to be people in your Arena of influence that are going to rise up and God's gonna make them Mighty I've met some of them already this morning you're going to rise up and God's Gonna Make You Mighty you're a warrior you just didn't know it yet you just needed to win the God you just needed the gift of God to blow and you'll somebody ought to just take a moment and Shout to him and thank him that we would be privileged enough somebody somebody give him praise God said Ezekiel those bones they were the whole house of Israel they were a generation waiting to come alive and all it took was somebody to entertain the presence of God and allow the wind of God to begin to blow the end of that prophecy the Lord said I will put my spirit in you and you will live and I will give you your own land and you'll know that the Lord has spoken it and that I have done it I will put my spirit in you I'll put you right where I have promised to put you y'all at the church the local church history here the things that God has privileged you to navigate over the last few years he is putting you in property he is putting you not just in real estate but in positioning for the work of the spirit of God he's allowing you to do things and see things that other churches before this time have not been able or privileged to see it is a season of the work of the spirit of God and he's going to use this church to declare his presence and he's going to use this church to allow areas of the city to be influenced by the power of the Holy Ghost where before this time they hadn't been able have I got just a minute Elder I know I'm I'm standing between you and lunch I want him to like to have me back but this could explain why it only happens like once every seven years I'm kidding I think uh Jeremiah chapter 31. it's the Lord talking he said now this is Old Testament this is Old Time when everything was done regimented God said this is the Covenant I'm going to make one day with the house of Israel I'm going to put my law inside him I'm going to write it in their heart and I'm going to be their God and they will be my people and they will no longer just teach every man to their neighbor and their brother but they will be able to say know the Lord for they will know me from the smallest to the greatest of them why because I'll be living in them see where once religion kept people separated from the courts of God separated from the power of the presence of God when he was crucified the scripture says the veil that was in the temple there was torn from top to bottom that veil was meant to cover the Ark of the Covenant the holy place but when God gave his life he said I don't want to keep this from them I want it to be living in them so he moved all the junk out of the way sometimes it is as simple as just getting the junk out of the way sometimes it is as simple as erasing the text oh Lord sometimes you're known not by The Company You Keep but sometimes you know by the company keeping you relationships and people that you allow to Captivate your attention and keep you from your destiny oh thank God for the power of the Holy Ghost I heard the Old Timer when they just testify about the Holy Ghost and make you walk right yeah make it talk right it will give you power to separate yourself unto him it will give you power to walk toward him God said I will put the law on the inward parts here's the interesting thing you ever read the story about how the children of Israel went out into uh the Wilderness there the prepare for the promised land they end up at Mount Sinai and while they're there Moses goes up and he spent 40 days there and 40 nights on the mountain Israel's down at the foot and they heard thundering saw lightning and they heard the Thunder it was like a roar that's what what the rabbis say it was like a constant Roar it was to that Roar that they said Shema hear it listen it's the giving of the law there is a sound and that sound is bringing God to us that sound is is bringing ultimately what would be the law of God to a Shema the ruach of God the wind of God this Roar matter of fact the blowing of the horn the shofar hearkens to that Mountaintop and it is supposed to duplicate that constant call or that sound or that Roar that is reminiscent not only of the giving of the law but the Roar of the wind of God that brings life to men I wonder if it's coincidental then that in Acts chapter 2 when there were 120 people praying in an upper room that the Bible said suddenly there came Shema a ruach a sound from Heaven that sounded like a mighty rushing win now wait a minute when the last time we heard that was Ezekiel 37 when a whole nation got up to its feet according to International Council of old it took a minimum of 120 people to make a nation and the prophet in the Old Testament said Can a nation be born in one day could you resurrect an entire nation in one day and God said I can do it in three seconds flat watch this where two or three of you are gathered together in my name I am in the mix I'm telling you about the greatest gift of God I'm telling you about the greatest gift of humanity to the power of the Holy Ghost I hear a sound of a mighty rushing wind I hear the sound of the wind of God blowing into our lives blowing into this community blowing into this church somebody give God praise today and thank him oh somebody Shout to the Lord somebody give him praise 50 days after Passover 50 days after Deliverance we celebrate the giving of the law of God we celebrate Divine touching Humanity this is Pentecost 50. days after Passover God said I will take them and I will give them new life this will be the first fruit of the Harvest this will be the beginning of a generation this will be the beginning of a nation and in one moment at approximately 9 A.M in the morning when the day of Pentecost had come or when the festival seemed to just about be over God said it ain't over until the spirit Falls it ain't over until I am able to make it be complete and it is not complete and it cannot be completed without the power of the Holy Ghost that's why the writers said wait on the Lord and be of good courage again I say wait on the Lord that's what they were doing while they were praying is waiting on the Lord in the book of Acts chapter 1 the writer said it and Jesus was given the instruction go and wait you could do it on your own but you can't do it on your own go and wait until you are filled with power from on high go and wait until the gift of God has empowered you because you can't change the world by your personality you can't change the world because you're pretty you can't change the world by your education but go and wait until you're filled with power from on high I heard the Lord tell somebody you listen to me well right now because there's somebody sitting in this room and God said I want to use you to change the world I've been waiting you to just for you to get here if you could get in my presence and allow me to feel you I'm going to use you to change your family I'm going to use you to change your region of influence somebody give God praise for the greatest gift I need you I we we need to pray stand with me we need to pray we need to let God work well what a privilege what a privilege his presence but but here's the great question do I need it do I need it well I would say that if Jesus said I needed it then I need it right so when he says you must be born again does that sound suggestive to you it's it sounds affirmative even in Translation you've got to be born again how of the water and of the spirit and then he gives terms or else you cannot enter into the kingdom now somebody said well that's one text you can't use one text to prove your point you cannot you gotta have two or three at least or 500. but let's just use a second to the motion because everything is established by the amen the second to the motion the Apostle Paul uses it when he's teaching some of the Newfound churches and he simply said this if any man does not have the spirit of Christ he doesn't belong to him he cannot have divine nature it cannot be associated with God doesn't mean he can't be a good person it means he cannot be identified with God because he does not have God in him but then he said if the spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you the same power that raised him from the dead will make you to come alive through the power of the spirit now is that wonderful or what I'm telling you the greatest gift and thank God for the people of God that that we have chosen today not just to remember but let's have a rehearsal man let's do it again how many of you want to be filled fresh with the presence of God the wind of God how many of you want to see your destiny as God has determined it with your hands just lifted it's a sign of surrender when we talk about there's different reasons that we lift our hands but one of the most important one when it comes to a transaction with God a commitment to God the lifting of the hands means I Surrender means that I acknowledge I'm not in control I'm not the Lord but he is the Lord and I'm relinquishing lordship to him because he's greater than I am so with your hands lifted in a symbol of surrender Lord today it's not coincidence that I'm here it's apartment that I'm here in your presence where there's joy he strength counsel Deliverance with my hands lifted right now Lord let the wind of God blow in this house let the wind the god blow in my life let the wind of God feel and Rescue heal I want to invite you right now if you want you're hungry you want to be more like him you want to be filled to overflow and with his presence his forgiveness his love if you want that just wave your hand and say I I want it I want more of it you want to be a partaker of what it means to be born again you want look around you turn to somebody say you want it you want to turn to somebody else you want it now see our prayer of agreement one with another we're going to pray for one another link our hearts maybe join hands somehow make a connection with somebody that's near us and we are going to pray and I'll tell you what's going to happen it's going to happen just like it always happens the wind that God's going to start blowing and God's going to fill somebody fresh with his presence now if you want you you've been sitting here a while saying man I want this come up here into the altar era let me pray with you God will fill you he'll make a miracle out of you if you want it I'll open the altar I want you to come pray between you and God and you've got God's attention folks I want you to turn to somebody and I want you to begin to pray together right now all over this house lift your voice lift your voice together and pray and say God I'm asking you to cleanse my heart I'm asking you to forgive me I'm asking you to take all the wicked fear the thoughts the doubt the anxiety the unbelief the traditions the ideas anything that has kept me from being more like you forgive me Lord cleanse me while you're praying while you're praying right now that's it that's it let's just lift up voice let's let the power of God flow on this Pentecost Sunday the greatest gift there you go let those tears out let your voice out don't be afraid this is the wind of God this is the plan this is the promise of God