Tri-State District Campmeeting Friday Evening
by Jonathan Vazquez
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Isaiah 54:2-5, Isaiah 53:4, Isaiah 53:5, Isaiah 53:12, Isaiah 54:1, Psalm 100, Psalm 33:1, Isaiah 12:6, Psalm 5:11, Joel 2:21, Joel 2:23, Habakkuk 3:17-18

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/jonathan-vazquez--tri-state-district-campmeeting-friday-evening
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
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Oh, magnify the Lord with me. Something powerful happens when we exalt his name together. Can you help me praise and worship the name of Jesus Christ, the only saving name there is? Amen. And as you continue to stand for just a few moments, we're going to go into the word of the Lord to the book of Isaiah in just a few moments. But I do want to thank you all for such a wonderful experience that I've had this week preaching this camp meeting at this uh this district. Your kindness and hospitality is second to none. And I am so honored to be here. And I certainly want to thank you uh to our superintendent, Pastor Mcool. Thank you so much that uh you and your church has done such a wonderful job. And Pastor Whitley, thank you for being such a great host and for everything you've done. The room, the arrangements, the gifts, the uh communicate, everything was topnotch. And I thank and appreciate you to your district board. I honor all of you. Thank you for your work for the kingdom of God. the musicians and singers and speakers and MC's and uh and and let's not forget the wonderful folks that have cooked and served for for us after service. Um Knoxville is memorable to me for many reasons. Um I remember when my wife and I moved to Potts Camp 22 years ago to pastor and and by the way I see my friend brother Chuck Thomas, a fellow North Mississippi Mississippian. Thank you for being here, my friend. And uh my wife and I moved to Potts Camp 22 years ago to take church where I had been the youth pastor back in the 90s. We were going back and uh to to make a long story short. U those of you that have heard me preach this week, you know how hard that is for me. U but my wife and I had had lost some babies. Um she had a molar pregnancy. We went to hear the baby's heartbeat and by the time we left we realized that she was full of tumors and it looked like potentially we'd never have a child. They started talking about the likelihood of cancer and different things and so we went at the highest high and walked out at the lowest low. Finally, we had a baby that looked like it was going to survive to term. Everything was progressing normally. And we came to East Tennessee to a resort not too far from here. And uh that night we told our pastor and our friends that were gathered there, pastor friends. We had made a little retreat together. We told them that we were expecting a healthy baby and everyone rejoiced. And then that night, that very night, my wife miscarried that child. We ended up at the Park West Medical Center for the night. It seems like when I come to Knoxville, I end up spending the night in a hospital one time. I I spent Wednesday night in the hospital this week. My wife miscarried that baby. We spent the night at the hospital. And it was after the miscarriages and the molar pregnancy that my wife and I moved back to Potts Camp to pastor that church. I told my wife that if I move you away from your family, I'll build you a house. And so I built her a 4500 square foot house. And I did it myself for $19 a foot. Now I'll do it for you, but it won't be that cheap. Of course, that was a long time ago, too. Someone asked me, "Why are you building such a big house for just you and your wife?" I told them, "Because I'm making room for God to give us children." >> And so, I built rooms based on hope, not on evidence. To me, it was an act of defiance against the spirit of hopelessness that attacked my mind and told me we'd never have a child. And here I am tonight. Got to bring my youngest daughter with me. We just moved into a new sanctuary that will seat our entire city three times. And I told the devil in a prayer meeting one day that just like I built that house in defiance of hopelessness, we built this house in defiance of the world that says you can't have revival in this day and hour. Will you allow me to preach to you something I feel strongly on my heart and I you have responded so much every service and uh I am a revivalist at heart. I like preaching everything but I like preaching about revival more than anything else. I'm going to ask you if you will to turn with me to the book of Isaiah chapter number 54. We'll begin reading at verse number two. To all the ministry that's here, I honor you greatly and thank you for what you do for the kingdom of God. And to all the saints of God here, I want you to know how much I appreciate you. And if there was no church family, there'd be no need for preachers. And so I honor you and what you do for the kingdom of God. Isaiah chapter number 54 verse number two if you found it say praise the Lord enlarge the place of thy tent and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations. Spare not. Lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes. For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Look, if you have more empty space on your pews than you have filled spaces, I just want you to know you've got a promise tonight. >> Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed, neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame. For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shall not remember the reproach of thy widowhood anymore. For thy maker is thine husband. The Lord of hosts is his name, and the thy redeemer, the holy one of Israel, the God of the whole earth, shall he be called. Amen. God, I pray you help me tonight. Lord, in the name of Jesus, I feel a heavy anointing of your spirit on me. Help me, God, to preach your word, to stand against every power of darkness that would whisper in the ear of any child of God that they will never see revival and never see harvest. I rebuke every lie of the devil. I rebuke every spirit of hell. I rebuke the spirit of intimidation and hopelessness. In the name of Jesus, I stand tonight against the spirit of discouragement. And I take authority and dominion over every voice of hell. And I take dominion, oh God, over every human spirit that would resist your plan and your call. And I pray God that you would anoint me to preach your word. God, let me walk in the Holy Ghost and speak, but most of all, confirm your word with signs following in Jesus' name. And everybody said, "Amen." >> Amen. >> Won't you give the Lord a great hand clap of praise tonight? Now, while you're clapping your hands, why don't you lift your voice and let your voice break something loose in the atmosphere. Oh, I feel something coming up in First Apostolic Church tonight. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You can be seated. I'm going to preach tonight on the messianic move to mission. The messianic move to mission. Isaiah 54. You're getting ready to get a revelation here. Hold on to your seats. You might want to get your pen and write this down. Isaiah 54 follows Isaiah 53. >> It's as deep as it gets tonight. Isaiah 53 is what is known as the suffering servant passage. It is one of the most profound and powerful messianic prophecies of the entire Bible. In Isaiah 53, we are introduced to the Messiah as a man of sorrows who was acquainted with grief. He was despised, rejected, hated by the world, but yet he carried our sins and burdens. The prophet eloqu eloquently and powerfully describes the redemptive power of our savior in Isaiah 53 and4. Surely he has borne our griefs >> and carried our sorrows. The eternal God who presides in sovereign majesty over the vast expanse of the universe is not so occupied with the governance of worlds as to remain indifferent to the sorrows of his creation. He upholds with unairring precision the delicate order of the galaxies, the es and flows of tides, the appointed rising and setting of sons, yet tenderly attends to the grief and affliction in our hearts. He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. YOU ARE NOT IN YOUR affliction alone tonight. You are not dealing with your problems in isolation. HE DOES ALL OF THIS. Identifies with your worries and your pain and your weakness. YET AT THE SAME TIME, HE IMPLORES YOU TO CAST ALL OF YOUR cares upon him. for he cares for you. >> WHILE OUR SAVIOR is deeply attentive to our griefs and sorrows, they were not the primary purpose of his arrival into this world. for this p the suffering servant passage progresses to verse number five and he says he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed. Wellmanaged grief and sorrow is ultimately meaningless if our soul remains lost. Yet our suffering servant did not rest content with merely tending to our temporary grief and our temporary sorrow. He offered himself to be wounded for our transgressions with without his intervention would have been eternal for you and I. He took the punishment of our sins and our transgressions. And he was bruised for our iniquities. The lacerations THAT HE ENDURED, WE DESERVED in place of him. Yet he bore our sin, purchased our peace, and procured our healing AT THE CROSS. His wounds, his bruises, HIS CHASTISEMENT, HIS STRIPES WERE ABOUT MY RESTORATION AND my salvation. >> Yet, when God restores and saves, I hope that you'll you'll stay with me and and and help me preach as I get to my point. Yet when God restores and saves, he works not only for the benefit of the individual alone. Salvation is personal, yet it's not intended to be a private possession. Redemption is wrought within the individual, but it is not only for the individual. Restoration is granted to each of us. Yet its impact reaches far beyond just one individual. The ministry of the Messiah always issues forward into a broader, higher, wider mission. Isaiah 53 is about suffering, grief, and sorrow. Also about redemption, intercession, and forgiveness. THIS POWERFUL CHAP THIS POWERFUL chapter ends with a transition away from suffering. Isaiah 53 and2 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great. He shall DIVIDE THE SPOIL WITH THE STRONG BECAUSE HE HAS POURED OUT HIS SOUL UNTO DEATH. And he was numbered with the transgressors and he bear the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. YES, HE DIED, but he wasn't defeated. HE SUFFERED, BUT IT WASN'T A SETBACK. HE GAINED A PORTION WITH THE GREAT BY SHEDDING his blood on AN OLD RUGGED CROSS. BUT MORE than just divi, more than getting his place among the great, he also divides his spoil among those that he redeemed and brought out. WHAT HE WON AT THE CROSS, HE DIDN'T KEEP FOR HIMSELF. HE PASSED IT out to you and I. Amen. I I I have I have have defaulted as I've gotten older into more of a of a of a Bible teacher than a preacher, but I'm hoping that while I'm teaching tonight, I can yell enough to make you think that I'm preaching. He goes, it it's this transition from from from suffering and redemption He goes in the closing verse of chapter 53 becomes the transition from suffering to victory to the benefit of the cross for you and I. Isaiah 54 marks the turning point of the mission of the Messiah from redemption to revival to expansion to fruitfulness. Zion had been pictured as a barren woman, infertile, unproductive, sterile, no life, no growth, no reproduction. Yet in chapter 54, she will have more children than she has room to contain. Where there was no life, now there will be growth. God called the oncebearing people to make ready for increase even before the fullness of that increase was made manifest. Can I preach a little while tonight? The Messiah's move from the suffering of Isaiah 53 begins IN CHAPTER 54 WITH A COMMAND in Isaiah 54 and1. Sing, O baron, >> THOU THAT DIDEST NOT BEAR, BREAK FORTH INTO SINGING AND CRY ALOUD, THOU THAT DIDEST NOT TRAVAIL WITH CHILD. >> He commands A BARREN WOMB TO SING. >> He commands THE INFERTILE TO SING. THE WORD sing in the Hebrew IN ISAIAH 54 AND1 in the Hebrew text is the word rayon. RAYON MEANS TO SHOUT FOR JOY, TO SING ALOUD, TO GIVE A RINGING JUBILANT PRAISE. It carries THE IDEA OF VOCAL, expressive and spontaneous rejoicing. RAYON CONVEYS LOUD CLEAR SOUNDS OF JOY used in worship and victory. RAYON IS NOT QUIET. Rayon is audible, forceful, and outward. IT'S NOT SILENT MEDITATION. IT'S not restrained reverence. IT IS AN OVERFLOWING EXPRESSION. It's the SOUND OF JOY THAT CANNOT be contained. Oh Jesus, I feel my help coming. Oh, a brief survey reveals that the Bible often used as this particular Hebrew word reign on instructing God's people. Psalms 100, make a joyful noise, make a joyful rain on unto the Lord, all ye lands. He did not say if you feel it, if you feel like it, if everything's going good, he said listen, you make a joyful noise, you shout a shout of victory. Doesn't matter if you have victory, you shout a shout of victory. Can I advance the point for just a moment? Psalms 33 and1. Rejoice in the Lord, oh ye righteous. Reign on in the Lord, oh ye righteous. I contend THAT RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE STILL WORSHIP GOD. YOU DON'T GET SO HOLY THAT YOU HAVE THE right to sit on your hands. RAIDON IS NOT SILENT. IT'S NOT QUIET. IT'S NOT RESERVED. IT'S NOT DIGNIFIED. It is a SHOUT OF JOY THAT MUST BE LOUD and it must be vocal. Can I advance A LITTLE BIT MORE? ISAIAH 12 AND6 CRY OUT AND SHOUT REIGN ON THOU INHABITANT OF ZION. IT IS NEVER GIVEN OVER TO YOUR WILL, TO YOUR WISH, to your feelings, to your circumstances, TO HOW YOU THINK, FEEL, OR WANT. IT IS A COMMAND THAT GOD DESERVES A SHOUT, A PRAISE. OH, I wish I had I wish I had a shout here right now. I wish I had a screamer right now. I wish I had a yeller right now. that would say, "God, I know I'm going through some stuff, but I'm not going to let it silence my rain on." But but God, how do you expect me to act like that when when I I don't see my blessing? Well, okay. I'm glad you asked. Psalms 5 and 11, LET ALL THOSE THAT put their trust in thee >> rejoice. Rain on. IF YOU TRUST HIM, SHOUT LIKE YOU trust him. >> If you really trust THAT HE CAN MAKE A WAY WHERE THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY, THEN YOU SHOUT WHEN THERE IS NO WAY. If you really trust that he can put a door where there is no door, then you praise him like you're standing in front of an open door. Oh, I wish I had about a hundred people that give a shout right now. I wish I had a screamer right now that would say, "I believe what that man of God is trying to plant in my spirit tonight. I believe what that preacher is trying to tell me. There is an elevation coming in this place tonight." Hey, I feel the anointing of the Holy Ghost COMING ON ME TO TELL SOMEBODY that your CURRENT ST CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT YOUR FINAL DESTINATION. HALLELUJAH. And so understanding this word reign on, the command to reign on was not given to someone who had won a great victory or seen a mighty miracle. The command to reign on was given to a barren woman. Sing, O baron. Reanon, O baron. She is barren. She is she is infertile enough to understand. Now look, can you throw that verse? I didn't ask for it. I'm sorry. Isaiah 54 and1. I I I'm sorry I didn't put it on my list, but look at that. Sing, O baron. It is addressed specifically to the one that's never given birth. >> To the one that's never held their revival in their arms. >> Hey, sometimes you just got to go to the lumber yard and order enough wood for a house big enough for a baby that you've never held before. Sometimes you got to look the doctor in the eye and I say and say, "I know you said we may never have a baby, but I'm building like I'm having a baby." Sing, "Oh, Baron. Sing, O Baron. I know thou that did not bear. You've never held a child. You've never You've never burped your own baby. You've never been able to sing your own child to sleep. But you go ahead and sing anyway. Oh man, you give a rain on, but I don't want you singing a sad song. I don't want you singing a woe is me song. I don't want you sitting there saying, "I wish I had a baby. I wish I had." No, no, no. He said, "You got to rain on." Because if I wanted you to cry, I'd tell you to cry. But what I'm telling you to do right now is give a shout of victory when you don't feel victory. Amen. What I'm telling you TO DO IS SING LIKE YOU'VE already had a baby. Sing like she's in your arms already. Sing like she's bouncing on your knee already. I want you to sing I want you to sing like you've already had your revival. I want you to sing LIKE YOU'VE ALREADY HAD new life. I WANT YOU TO SING. SING, O BARON, don't let your circumstance stop your praise. Hey, I feel some I feel a runner coming up in somebody right now. I feel a run coming up on somebody that says, I'm not going to let my circumstance stop my praise. Uh it may be I may bearing right now, but I'm not going to stay that way. I may be missing it right now, but I refuse I refuse to let my barrenness dictate my PRAISE BECAUSE MY BARRENNESS HAS NO EFFECT ON THE WORTHINESS OF GOD. SING, oh Baron, thou at some point the suffering must remember how to shout. >> The weeper has to remember how to rejoice. There is a time to weep. There is a time to cry. There is a time to mourn. But some people have a default setting. Amen. I've known people that are dark by disposition. Crying is their default setting. I was at a camp meeting one time and and and 4,000 people were shouting and one guy was crying. I walked up to him. I said, "You're the only one in this building crying right now. Get on your feet and shout like everybody else. Amen. >> You didn't like that. >> He didn't like it either. >> But he got up and shouted and God began to give him breakthroughs in his life. At some point, you got to remember how to rejoice. And not only remember how to weep. Weeping may endure for THE NIGHT, BUT JOY COMES IN the morning. There's a time to weep, but there's also a time to dance. And somebody has found plenty of time for weeping. But it's been a long time since you found dancing time. You got to get your dancing shoes back out. I've known so I there's some people they always worry, always complain, always fret, always expecting the worst. I had a missionary that that has been in the states for a few weeks and he he got a message from one of his saints and his and she told him she said, "Pastor, I've been counting everyone that's been going to the bathroom while you've been preaching or while while they've been preaching here. I've been I've been keeping track I've been keeping track of people that that and she's got a list of the people who get up and go to the bathroom during church so the pastor can get them when they get home." He said, "Everybody's on that list but her >> because you never put yourself on your own list. Amen. >> There's some people their default setting, their default setting is always frowning. I'm Can I tell you, frowning is not a mark of spirituality. >> I'd ever get more mad at Pentecostal people than I do at Christmas time. When I'm going shopping and I'm being and I'm walking around the store and I see people that I know, I can tell they're Pentecostal, but they frown and can't be nice to anybody. Can I tell you that frowning is not a work of the Holy Ghost? You're not. So you're not more spiritual because you look upset and mad all the time. You need to smile at a sinner and let them know I got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart. I'm not it's I'm not saying everything's perfect. I'm not saying I'm not dealing with some barrenness, but I am saying I trust in the God that told me to sing. He commanded the barren womb to sing. Amen. Man, I got a friend. I got a friend. He's a He's a prophet of God. When he tells me God said something, I believe him. But one time, I said, "Look, just one time, could you give me a happy prophecy? Just once, just once, could something not be falling apart? Could you just promise me one time?" SOMETIMES THE BARON JUST HAS TO sing >> to give a loud, forceful, overflowing, OUTWARD SHOUT OF VICTORY. EVEN THOUGH YOU DID NOT BEAR A CHILD, GOD TOLD THE BARREN TO SHOUT LIKE THEY HAD A BABY >> WHILE THEY WERE STILL BARREN. AND NOT JUST A PATTY CAKE BECAUSE THE PREACHER begged for it praise, >> but a rainon shout that was loud and forceful that everybody around them looks and said, "I wonder what they're shouting about. I WONDER WHAT THEY'RE ALL HAPPY ABOUT. They don't have a baby. Look, the judgmental people will always tell you what you don't have, but you can't let them stop you. You can't let people You can't let people stop you. Wonder what she's shouting about. She ain't never had a baby. I WONDER WHAT SHE'S SO HAPPY ABOUT. SHE'S NEVER had a child. You got to just ignore those kind of people because it's the MASTER THAT SAID, "SING, O BARON." AND if the master tells me to sing, it's believe because he has a blessing coming my way. He wouldn't ask me to sing just to be mean to me. He wouldn't ask me to praise so I can just remain in my condition. When he gives ME AN INVITATION TO A HIGHER LEVEL, he intends for ME TO EXPERIENCE MY DESTINY. God was not being cruel to the barren. He was pushing them to a prophetic realm of worship. >> Their actions, listen, this is the key of the message. Their actions were going to push them into a prophetic dimension of worship. A dimension of worship that does not react to the past, but shapes the future. Rainon was not about their past infertility but their future growth. They were worshiping for their future that would take it from just being a hope and a dream and transfer it into a tangible real experience. >> Shout like he did it. Dance like he did it. >> Sing like he did it. Do I have any shoutters for their future hope tonight? >> It's easy to praise him for what he has done. Look what the Lord has done. I got the check in the mail. I got a clear pet scan. I got the job. I already I got the starting date for my new job. Anyone can shout over a hasdone moment. It takes NO FAITH OR TRUST AT ALL to shout over something that he already did. But can you shout on a will do? GOD WANTS A PRAISE THAT WALKS IN THE PROPHETIC REALM OF THE SPIRIT. GOD WANTS A PRAISE that employs the GIFT OF FAITH THAT TAKES YOU TO ANOTHER LEVEL WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE IT, WHEN YOU CAN'T FEEL IT, WHEN YOU CAN'T HEAR IT. BUT GOD IS calling your praise to a prophetic level. HEY, HEY, HEY. I FEEL SOMETHING right now. I feel an anointing in THIS PLACE. GOD IS elevating somebody. Amen. Amen. You need some more biblical proof of what I'm preaching? How about the book of Joel? Don't the the media people, I never gave it to them, so that you don't don't go looking up there for it. But in the book of Joel, he he tells them of the destruction that they see. The locust, the palmer worm, the caterpillar, he all All the destruction that comes, all the trees of the field are withered. Everything is dead. Everything is gone. The trees are dead. The fruit is dead. There's no fruit. Everything is gone. But then he turns. And then in chapter two, he says, "Be glad and rejoice for the Lord will do great things." Not the Lord has done. The Lord will do. He calls us to BE GLAD AND REJOICE OVER THINGS THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN MATERIALIZE. BUT IF YOU'LL DO THAT, YOU'RE NOT VERY FAR FROM A BE GLAD, OH YE children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, FOR HE WILL CAUSE TO COME DOWN to you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain. YOUR YOUR ONE PRAISE AWAY FROM YOUR RAIN. But if you don't if you don't be glad and rejoice while everything's dead, you never see your harvest. Maybe I'll press the point just a little bit more. The book of Habach chapter number three. I didn't give this one to him either. Although the fig tree shall not blossom. >> Neither shall there be fruit in the vine. The labor of the olive shall fail and the field shall yield no meat. The flock will be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Everything we depend on naturally is going to be gone. The prophet Habach looked out there and he said, "We are going to be hungry this year. the fruit, the vine, the grain, the flock, the fold, it's all dead. We're going to be hungry. And so the next verse says, "So I'm going to lay down and I'm going to cry. I'm going I'm going to whine about it. I'm going to speak whineies. I'm going to cry." No. No. His very next word was yet. I T. In contrast to in opposition to the proper natural response to all of that devastation is sit down and cry and go ahead and just starve to death. But the spiritual exclamation is yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I WILL JOY IN THE GOD of my salvation. I'm going to praise him on a hungry stomach. I'm going to praise HIM WHILE THE FIELDS ARE BROWN AND DRIED UP. I'M going to praise him WHILE THE CREEK HAS NO WATER IN IT. I'M GOING to praise him when there's no leaf on the tree. Yeah, I will rejoice in the Lord. BUT IF YOU'LL REJOICE IN THE LORD, there'll be a transformation. There'll be a transformation that'll happen for the Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like HIGH. HE'S GOING TO TRANS. HE'S GOING TO CHANGE MY FEET TO HELP ME WALK IN A PLACE THAT I COULD NOT WALK IN BEFORE. >> But it turns it turns on the word yet. >> And so, do I have any shoutters tonight? >> That says, "I might be barren right now. I might be hungry right now. My church is having a struggle more than it's having revival. My baptistry doesn't get troubled very much. My altars haven't had very many get the Holy Ghost. My bus ministry is failing. I'm struggling. I'm I'm having reverse revival. I have more leaving than I got coming in. But in the middle of all that, I have made a determination. I'm not going to let the barren womb determine my shout. I want to sing because my master said, "Sing, oh Baron, AND THOU." I WANT A PASTOR THAT HADN'T BAPTIZED anybody in a few weeks TO GO AHEAD AND SHOUT right now. Shout like you got somebody in the water already. Shout like you got somebody already getting changed, getting ready. I want somebody hadn't prayed anyone through to the Holy Ghost for a while TO SHOUT LIKE THEY'RE TALKING IN TONGUES ALL OVER. I'M GIVING YOU AN INVITATION TO PUT YOUR PRAISE IN A PROPHETIC REALM TONIGHT. DO I HAVE ANYBODY THAT'S WILLING TO SHOUT FOR MY FUTURE HOPE? NOT FOR WHAT I GOT RIGHT NOW. NOT for what I'm dealing WITH RIGHT NOW, BUT BECAUSE I SEE A GOD IN MY TOMORROW, and I'm prophetically pushing myself into my destiny. I'm elevating. Hey, hey, hey. If you LET YOUR BARRENNESS DETERMINE YOUR SONG, YOU'LL BE BARREN FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. >> Revival will never come to a dead church. Revival will never come to a dry Christian. REVIVAL WILL NEVER MOVE IN A CHURCH THAT HAS NOT LEARNED to shout LIKE THEY'RE HAVING REVIVAL BEFORE THEY ever have it. I'm I'm I'm I'm hurrying. Oh Lord, I'm halfway through my notes, >> but I'm almost all the way through my anointing. God wants this church, this district You find people of God. God wants us to master the art of prophetic praise. >> Worship that reaches into tomorrow and begins rearranging what the devil had coming into what God has planned. Sing, O Baron, thou that didest not bear. I'm going to put my praise out there because if I'll put my praise out there nine months from now, I'll be having a revival that I never dreamed I could have because I'm putting my faith out in front. But God was not Oh, Lord Jesus. God, if you really want me to preach this, you going to have to let me know. God was not content to have them singing and shouting like they had a baby. He demanded that they progress from just talking about it to doing something about it. Because he progresses in the next verse in verse number two, enlarge the place of thy tent. Don't just talk ABOUT HAVING BABY. DO something about it. Don't just talk about having revival, but stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation. Spare not. Lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes. YOU HAVE TO START THE PROCESS OF EXPANSION BEFORE you need expansion. YOU HAVE TO ENLARGE YOUR TENT AND STRETCH YOUR CURTAINS AND BURY YOUR STAKES. THE DIVINE COMMAND WAS BOLD. SPARE NOT. DON'T LIMIT YOUR PREPARATION. DON'T HOLD BACK YOUR RESOURCES. DON'T RESTRAIN YOUR FAITH. DON'T ACT TIMIDLY. DON'T PREPARE FOR SMALL INCREASE WHEN GOD HAS PROMISED LARGE INCREASE. THE LANGUAGE CONVEYS A RADICAL CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S PROMISE OF REVIVAL. In ancient times, the tent was a powerful image. These were nomadic people. They were often on the move following animals, pasture, weather, water. They would have to tear down their camp, pack it up, load it, move it, and then reset the entire camp again in another location. With that in mind, enlarging the tent was a serious labor and expense. Spare not would imply, I've got to get more fabric. I need more canvas. I don't have long enough. I've got to go buy some rope. I got to invest in my future. They had to make and drive stronger stakes. They had to clear more ground for the tent. I may have to buy an extra donkey to carry the extra fabric. I may have to invest in another yolk of oxen to be able to carry this larger tent that I'm planning on building. God was demanding that they prepare for what they could not yet see. It's one thing to sing about it. It's another thing to spend your money for it. But he said, "Spare not. Quit thinking small. Don't act small. DON'T WORK SMALL. DON'T LIMIT your faith. Also, pastor, this is where I need you to pray FOR ME. ALSO QUIT LIMITING YOUR OBEDIENCE BECAUSE YOU WANT MOUNTAINTOP results with valley obedience. Your commitment to holiness depends on your mood, not your convictions. You have an unlimited God, but we deal in a in limited obedience. I shout till I feel like I've shouted enough. Not necessarily WHEN I FEEL LIKE GOD thinks I have. I give till I think I gave enough, but not Oh, he said, "Don't spare. >> You have enough. Uh, quit preparing for survival when God has promised you revival. >> Don't build for where you've been, build for where you're going. >> The command to enlarge the tent is a prophetic call to action. The amount of faith you expand with will determine the size of your revival. The actions of enlarging, stretching, and lengthening into a dwelling far too large for your current family is daunting, fearful, and to the world silly. The carer will never understand prophetic expansion. They'll always talk why they do that, why they buy that bus for, why they buy another van for, why they why are they doing why are they remodeling this, why are they doing that, why why why they always have an excuse. They always have a complaint about something. But when you have been called by God to another level, you begin to see things that are not as though they are. You begin to dream things that you know you didn't dream on your own. God, I pray let somebody find their dream again tonight. Let the barren womb sing, but not only sing, but expand. Expand faith, expand giving, expand ministry, expand evangelism, expand disciplehip. Jesus the Messiah moved from the cross of Isaiah 53 to the expansion of Isaiah 54. The messianic move from the cross and the tomb to the upper room because you can't stay at THE CROSS AND HAVE PENTECOST. >> AMEN. At some point, at some point, WE'VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE purpose of Isaiah 53 was to give us an Isaiah 54. If we are to BE THE CHURCH, WE must be thankful for the cross. BUT WE CAN'T STAY THERE. WE'VE GOT TO CLIMB THE STEPS TO THE UPPER room where the Holy Ghost pours out and enlargement comes. THE MESSIAH MOVED TO MISSION. AND THE CHURCH MUST MAKE A MOVE TO MISSION. He didn't call us to get our Isaiah 53 redemptive experience and JUST STAY THERE. IF THAT WAS THE POINT, THE BOOK OF ISAIAH WOULD HAVE ENDED AT CHAPTER 53. BUT HE moved us from there >> to 54. >> Can I tell you if all you have is your own Isaiah 53 experience and you never reach for somebody else, then you got parked in 53 and you missed 54. Amen. >> Can I get a soul winner to say, "Praise the Lord." >> Can I say, can I be so bold as to say that far too many modern apostolics have camped in Isaiah 53. We're satisfied with our personal redemption, our personal experience, and we're comfortable with where we are personally. But the Messiah moved to the mission of Isaiah 54. And we as the church must move into our mission. When you look at what the Lord spoke to them in Isaiah 54, you notice something incredibly important. Enlarge the place of thy tent. Everybody say that's above ground. Let them stretch forth the curtains. Say that's above ground. Of thy inhabitation spare not lengthen thy cords. Everybody say that's above ground. And then he says and strengthen thy stakes. Everybody say that's in the ground. Every part of the building was above the ground except the stakes. They were driven into the ground and had to be strengthened. To sustain the larger edifice above the ground, you must make the stakes stronger and drive them deeper into the ground. If the stakes are not strong, the wind can blow the building away no matter how beautiful it is. If the stakes are not strong, the tent will lift like a kite and it won't last. My brothers and sisters, we must never get so invested in the tent above the ground that we compromise the stakes that are in the ground. We must remain firmly apostolic. We must worship apostolic. We must pray apostolic. We must believe apostolic. We must live apostolic. We must preach apostolic. Here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. His name is Jesus. He's the mighty God in Christ. He's the everlasting father. He's the prince of peace. It's who we are. It's our stake. We're still a holiness church. We're still a praying church. We're still a worshshiping church. We're not going to pull our stakes up cuz that's what tethers us. I'm closing. I'm closing. Compromising the stakes compromises the whole structure. >> Don't weaken the stakes when you have revival. Strengthen the stakes. We don't lower our doctrine. When we start growing, we strengthen it even more because those people that come into our churches deserve a book of Acts church that's still founded on the apostles doctrine and the experience of an upper room. Holy Ghost outpouring. I'm closing. I'm closing. Lengthen thy cords speaks of further reach. Strengthen thy stakes speaks of deeper roots. A church, a family or ministry that lengthens cords without strengthening stakes always becomes unstable. Growth without doctrine and discipline will collapse under its own weight. God never promises expansion without also commanding reinforcement. If the cords get longer, the stakes must get stronger. God is a God of order and process. When he sets forth the process and instructions, he expects his people to follow his direction. If we will do what he commands, he will do what he promises. And so Isaiah 54:1 and2 are instructions and process. Sing, cry aloud, enlarge your tent. Make the dwelling bigger. Strengthen. Now, now, now stretch the curtains. The curtains were the parts inside the tent. The curtains are the ministries of the church. He says, "Stretch yourself in ministry areas. We need to stretch ourselves in ministries that reach souls. >> We need to become more active again in rehabs and jails and prisons. >> We need to be present in our community because we need to stretch our curtains. Our children's ministry, youth ministry, men's ministry, ladies ministry. Stretch our curtains. L But don't just stretch the curtains. Then lengthen the cords. >> Reach further than you've ever reached before. The chords were connected to the structure and the chords connected the structure to the stakes. We need to develop support systems in our church. I know this isn't shouting preaching right now. Maybe I'll get back to it. We need to develop support systems in our church >> that helps us keep our ministries and our tent where it needs to be. systems that support our ministries and help them function and stay in place. There are some of you in this place tonight that God is going to gift you with the ability to lengthen our cords, strengthen the states. We've tried to do this over the years with different different processes. Our church, we do first steps. We do four levels of grow disciplehip classes. We do life groups, personal Bible studies. In each of these areas, we need to improve. I've just recently moved into my new office. And so, what I'm planning to do as soon as I get all my books out of my old office is I'm I'm going to put about five or six phones in there. And I'm going to get people that are going in there every day to call every visitor and every absentee that we have. Why? Because we need support systems that's going to help us reach our destiny. I'm not satisfied just having a pretty building sitting over there on that hilltop. Everybody says, "You got a nice building. You got a nice building. I'm sick of having a nice building. I want to grow a church." The Holy Ghost spoke to me a few weeks ago and he said, "Quit talking about filling the building and start talking again about reaching people cuz you don't need a building if you don't have people." I'm going to tell you, we need to lengthen our reach. We need to lengthen our reach. We need support systems. So God, if you'll be my helper, we'll put the phones in that old office and we'll get people in there every day to help preach and strengthen, support ministries of the church. All those are instructions. Those are things that you and I can do, y'all. All right. Can I have five more minutes? >> I'm not even going to do the little trick that says, "You give me five, you give me five, and then I'm maddening up." I'm not going to do that. Just give me five minutes to preach what what's the final thing on my heart because Isaiah 51 or Isaiah 54:1 and2 are all about what you and I do. It's about us. We sing, we cry, we lengthen, we strengthen, we stretch, we do all that. We do everything we can do to be what God called us to be. We do everything we can do to build the church, to grow the church. We do everything that we can do. But in the end of all of it, it's all you can do. And you're only human. You can't save anybody. You can't change anybody. You can't deliver anybody. You can be their friend. You can pat them on the back. You can pat them on the head and tell them everything's going to be okay. But in the end, you're only human. You cannot do anything more than that. Isaiah 54:1 and2 are human actions. But God never sends divine action until there's a human action that precedes it. Amen. Amen. I if I had time, if I had if I hadn't limited myself to five minutes, I could preach to you how every miracle in the Bible does not begin with the divine action. It begins with a human action. Amen. Samson picked up the jawbone and swung it and then God gave him victory. David picked up five stones and put them in the sling and God gave him victory. Daniel prayed and God stopped the mouth of the lions. Amen. >> Amen. The disciples launched out into the deep and God filled the nets. But every miracle in the Bible begins with a human action that was followed by a divine reaction. We want God to move first. And that's never been the way that God did it. God always DID IT. IF YOU WILL, I will. If you'll move, I'll move. If you'll give, I'll give. But God has never God has never ever promised that he WOULD DO IT UNTIL WE DID IT. AMEN. Lady Lady with the spirit of infirmity, you'll be healed. But first, you got to straighten up and begin to praise God. Sire Phoenician woman, if you don't praise me, your daughter will stay dead. Jerry, if you STAY AT HOME, YOU'LL NEVER HAVE a resurrection. And over and over and over, we find that human action precedes divine reaction. >> And so Isaiah 54:1 and2 are all about human action. Do everything you can do. Do everything you can do. But when you've done everything you can do, then you can just look at verse number three. For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make desolate cities to be inhabited. Can I tell you, if you will do Acts, if you will do 54 1 and two, God will give you 54 and three, God will make your desolate cities to be inhabited. You won't be able to build enough buildings to hold the people that God's getting ready to send in this end time harvest. You don't have to believe it, but I believe it with every I believe it enough that I spent $8 million making it happen. I believe it because I trust that God wants every sinner to be saved. He wants the drug addict to be saved. He wants the alcoholic and the abuser to be I believe it enough to do one and two. But I'm also believing that God's going to pour out on this district, on these churches a mighty Holy Ghost end time harvest. Send to God. Send to God. Send to God. Send to God. Send to God. Send it, God. Send it, God. Send revival to our youth groups. I want every young person, I want every young person that wants to see your youth group double over the next two years. I want you to shout right now like it's already happened. I WANT YOU TO SING WHILE YOU'RE IN YOUR BARON. Come on. That's not shouting. That's waving. I'm not talking about patty cake. I'm talking about a rain on praise that says, "I believe it enough to step out and do something about it." I want a mom or dad whose child is backslid to start shouting like they're already in the altar praying back through. You got to do one and two so God will do three. It's the move. Come on. I want you to sing. I want you to shout while you're bearing. I want you to begin doing what I preached tonight. And then watch as God opens heaven and pours out a blessing. There's a Holy Ghost upper room revival coming to this church. There's a Holy Ghost revival coming to this district. We're going to see it. We're going to see it. We're going to see it.