Heap
by Raymond Sloan
May 21, 2023 · Cornerstone Apostolic Church (Chattanooga, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, Psalm 146:1-2, Jeremiah 7:21-23, Jeremiah 8:18-22

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

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now I will tell you right now the spirit of the Lord is in the room but he is not going to pull on your emotion or your heartstring right now he wants you to open your heart so that he can come in and do something all right that okay I'm gonna pray for you before we go to the word Lord anoint every ear and every heart right now I plead the blood of Jesus over this place I lose peace in the Holy Ghost right now in this room we take Dominion by the power and the authority of your word Lord over the enemy and the lies that he's trying to feed the people of God we take dominion over that right now Dominion prayer Lord we believe you right now Jesus there are principalities and powers that will bow at the name of Jesus and today we declare the name of Jesus in this place in Jesus name there are those right now online that are watching that are hungry for power and demonstration in their lives I pray now Lord in Jesus name you would dispatch angels to go to them Lord you can break down every barrier and every stronghold through the blood of Jesus Christ through the word of Our Testimony we are made known near God unto this generation by the power of the word of God in the name of Jesus the name of Jesus We're Not Afraid we are not timid we are not falling down but we are rising up in this hour in the name of Jesus we decide declare the whole counsel of God we will love you and we will serve you we choose your God to follow after you I love you today somebody shout in Jesus name you may be seated thank you so much guys all is well in the kingdom of God all is well in the kingdom of God all is well in the kingdom of God I'm going to say it to you understand all is well in the kingdom of God I speak it in the name I speak it prophetically all is well in the kingdom of God all is well in the kingdom of God all is okay perfectly fine in the kingdom of God I know that we're in the midst of a confused generation but God Still Remains on the throne and in control of all things I need somebody to hear it today pull out the stoppers in your ears and hear it God is still in control from his throne now we make these statements every day and we want to trust God every day but to actually believe it and take it to the bank and get your whole life wrapped around that understanding I've come to ask somebody today on this Sunday do you still believe even when you have not seen do you still believe it though you have not seen it there are some in this room some watching online you have suffered and you have lost things recently I know that some have been taxed and burdened with so much that you feel like you're about to crumble under the pressure but I've come again to ask you does your faith remain in the name of Jesus I know that in life there are times that are difficult I realize that we are in the days and then the nights of time and wondering how good and how great and marvelous God can be even in all the stuff and the junk that's happening in our world today though I want to ask you one more time have you ever had a good day anybody here ever had a good day come on don't be afraid of it identify with your neighbor I've had good days before so my question then simply is this what determines a good day is it when your coffee's just right is it when the donut tastes good is it when lunch comes on time is it when supper is it when the yard gets smoked come on what determines in your life a good day all right let me ask it the other way what in your life what determines in your situation a bad day you do know that happiness is a choice Stay With Me Hold On To Me what if right now what would happen in your life right now if you would simply enjoy your day just enjoy the day just just have a smile on your face kind of day anybody do this a smile on your face kind of day listen to me carefully I realize again that when there is joy and peace in the Holy Ghost everything looks different when trials and tribulations and tests and all the things happen that happened to all of us we can begin to feel like we are going to break under the weight of him but I've come today to declare to somebody if you will allow the power of the spirit of God to have victory in your life then you can indeed overcome any obstacle and any discouragement that the enemy himself would try to throw at you listen to the preacher it is possible to live a life full of joy come on faith in your life to believe God you are doing great things therefore I choose to be happy in the Holy Ghost come on I'm not talking about that giddy stuff or maybe I am talking about that giddy stuff come on some of there was a Revival years ago some of y'all might remember it it came out as a laughing Revival anybody people hold congregations falling over laughing anybody remember that appears some of y'all didn't get the news it's okay to be happy in Jesus I'm just saying come on there there was something that happens when the obstacles of your life begin to take on a new light listen to me because you see it differently you see it that God is not trying to destroy you he is trying to bless you and when you understand that that your faith can be strong enough to get you over the thing that you're challenged with right now I believe that faith is still possible in 2023 come on you can still believe in the goodness of the Lord you can still believe that God is doing great things today I feel in the Holy Ghost that there are some that have fallen prey to the tricks of the enemy come on is your heart still in a place where you can believe for the impossible is your mind still in a position that your faith can remain strong enough for your mind to say I believe God is still in my mess I believe God is still working in my circumstance I am convinced that God still knows what he's doing come on somebody I'm gonna I'm gonna preach to you just a moment Paul wrote it this way second Corinthians 4 and 7 but we have this treasure in Earthen vessels that the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us we are troubled on every side yet not distressed we are perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed always bearing about the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body as Paul was writing to the church he was giving him understanding you'll have challenges yes there'll be things that are happen yes but you will not have to be perplexed under it you don't have to be despaired over it you don't have to be destroyed because of it but in whole of life situations you can declare the Lord God is working in my life good things are happening because I choose to believe that God is bigger than anything that life can throw at me I don't have to be upset mad and disgruntled but I can come into the house of the Lord every day of the week and I can declare Look What the Lord Has Done hear the preacher today it does not mean you won't have tough times but in the tough times God will be your strength there are times you will tread in unknown Waters I don't know where to go from here I'm not sure what's going to happen next but you cannot in that time in your life forget about the goodness and the blessings that God has always brought to you I'm sure right now that you could give us a list of things that are happening in your life that you're not happy with anybody just feel free for sure there are disappointments and there are things that happen activities in your life that you feel are unfair and not right but yet I still believe in the name of Jesus and I still have breath to declare that name the psalmist in 146 wrote it like this I praise ye the Lord praise the Lord O My Soul listen to it while I live will I praise the Lord I will sing praises unto my God while I have while I have any being I've come to tell you what the psalmist understood was this as long as I can I'll bless and praise His name in The Good Die days and the bad times in the junk that goes on I will glorify and magnify the name of Jesus as long as I have breath I will praise the Lord what a declaration go ahead somebody take a deep breath now let it out with a praise oh come on somebody take a deeper breath and let it out with a praise come on make it a declaration come on one more time feel feel that energy come on take a deep breath as long as I have breath I will come on let it down and praise come on you better stay with the plan of God it's better than anything else out there you better connect with the power of the spirit of God I stand here today as one who has indeed had tough days probably not as bad as yours possibly a lot worse who compares but I also know what it's like to be offended that I did not see God's hand working in my life because I refuse to believe that God could work in that mess come on the choice is clear any day with Jesus is better than a lifetime without him what is holding you up right now today where are your feet established right now in this hour is Jesus the best thing in your life or are you looking at the losses and all the things that you've had to give up and are you still in the contemplating mode to say you know what I'm not sure there's anything better or worse out there but I think I'd like to give it a try or I'd like to figure it out on my own I've come today to ask you one more time is Jesus still number one in your life come on is he still the first word out of your mouth in the morning and the last word out of your mouth at night come on is it the first thing you run to beside the doctor when there's a pain or something going on in you come on is he still number one in according to you Mom and Dad do you still teach your children pray in everything pray and everything pray in all things call on the name of the Lord call on the name of the Lord whether he shows up visibly or not call on the name of Jesus faith says I still believe that your name can move mountains Faith still believes I may not see it but I'm still gonna believe it Faith still says in the midst of all questioned out in fear I will call on the name of the Lord and He will be there there's an Old Testament guy man I love the Old Testament who love the Old Testament there's such cool things in there the guy's name was Jeremiah man he's such a cool fella that was the voice in the time it says get biblical here anybody okay with that in church to get biblical it was in the time in the biblical days let's call Old Testament stuff that Jeremiah's words carried a lot of pleading and searching and trying to understand what the god of the people of God was doing because it was certain the people of God were struggling to follow after God fast forward 2023. let me translate very basically it's kind of like when we're in church and we come and we got our suit and tie on we look right and things are happening but in our hearts and in our minds we are as cold as last year's turkey did that get close I'm sorry the words of Jeremiah though we understand he was known as the weeping prophet why it wasn't because he was a belly acre he was the one that was weeping in the presence of God for the people of God he was lamenting over how they were acting and how they were interacting and and this Prophet would speak words and and he would go to God and God would prophetically use him to speak word listen to what it said in Jeremiah 7 21 listen to this thus say of the Lord of hosts the god of Israel put your burnt offerings under your sacrifices and eat flesh listen to this for I spake not unto your fathers nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings or sacrifice 23 but this thing commanded by them saying obey my voice I will be your God ye shall be my people walk in the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well unto you the prophet speaks and says to the people of God who have for Generations up to that point understood and known what the law was what the requirement was and this Prophet says to them I just simply want you the voice of God speaking prophetically through him if you will obey my voice I will be your God if you're simply over if you walk in my ways it will be well with you you really want to walk in the blessings and in the benefits of the God of all of creation I don't know about you but if the Creator who literally spoke with a voice that you could not see but the active word of God working in chaotic darkness and all of the things that were dismal in the beginning when that voice began to attach itself to all of the darkness and the question life began to happen it is that voice he's saying to you if you'll simply obey what I'm saying I don't know about you friend but if I knew that the God of all of creation was speaking to me and the power that he had in his spoken word I do everything I believe in my in my power to Simply say yes Lord if you'll say it I'll believe you for it yeah come on allow me 2023 Lord if you say it I'll think about it I'll consider your idea ow I'll contemplate the best mode of action I'll consider what you say okay as we read the writings of an Old Testament prophet we can see a great reflection in today's society in which we live people today this is very astounding to me in our world folk are walking away from the promises and the plans of God very quickly and very easily and that baffles my mind because for somebody to say now give me a moment to Pastor is that okay give me a moment to love for a moment we are so close to the coming of the Lord to decide right now that it's not worth it is such a scary action an activity for anybody to have for someone to have declared within themselves God is great and greatly to be praised and for whatever reason in this moment for them to cross their arms and simply say you know what I think there is an easier way I think there is a more simple path I don't think those kinds of things are very important after all in fact I will do it my way and God's grace will have to cover my mistakes listen to the preacher I'm reaching for you right now our world in 2023 is full of false teachings followings that will lead you to a devil's hell that you will burn eternally in a lake of fire the weeping The Wailing the gnashing of teeth that is a real thing just like you Hope Heaven is a real thing hell is just as real but what The Church Must establish in this hour is our faith to continue to believe in what God is doing I think all of us will understand and we will comprehend in this moment there's a lot of questions in the hearts and in the minds of people why because it once was Brother Sam that you simply went to church you were a God-fearing person because your grandparents or great-grandparents were and therefore of that greatest Generation you receive the benefit of that and you receive the blessing of that and you simply walk in that path but somewhere along the road over the past generation or two people have begun to question whether there is even is a God and if there is a God what does he look like smell like taste like and why does he care about what's happening on planet Earth and in the midst of that listen to me you've got school curriculum that now focuses on anything but God you've got doctors that will simply say there is no God you've got lawyers that you've got judges you've got political folk you've got folk on the street folk in Mighty places and high places that are establishing within themselves there is no God the songs that they're singing hear me the Christian songs they are singing the Christian devotions that they're producing if you'll stop and back up a little bit I'm not saying they're all bad and negative I mean come on you can get a piece of meat off any bone I just try not to eat the rat bones come on the church in this hour you better know that you know that you know what the word of the Lord says you better understand come on what Jeremiah was prophesying about in that day to the what he was lamenting about to them I will be your God if you will simply obey my voice and if God is your god you need to know they're in a devil in hell that can pull his his hand off of you but listen to what Jeremiah continued in his writing this is where I'm going today y'all stay with me in Jeremiah 8 and 18 when I would comfort myself against sorrow my heart is faint in me behold the voice of the Cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country is not the Lord in Zion is not her King and her why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images with their strange vanities the Harvest has passed the summer has ended and we are not saved come on for the hurt verse 21 says the daughter of my people am I heard I am black astonishment has taken hold on me is there no balm in Gilead is there no physician there why then it's not the health of the daughter of my people recovered again the old man and what he's talking about here in chapter number eight he's looking at the possibilities of the blessings of God that should rest upon the people of God Jeremiah goes so far as to say that when he says I am black that is not a skin color of his reference he is saying the light has disappeared and because of that there's no light in the people of God to believe that God is working in them and for the whole world to see God's hand working in them but then he makes this statement is there no bomb in Gilead now I realize that few Bible scholars this is a very cool statement because the reference it makes is very meat through balm according to its design is simply an anointing oil or a medicinal mixture to be used for soothing for protecting if you've got a cut for an example the doctor is going to want to put a bomb on it before he puts a Band-Aid on it we get that come on up for some of you Old-Timers and we got the old timers in the house come on when he was a kid growing up and you fell down and scraped your leg or your arm or something what was the best bomb out there spit come on somebody help me am I right Tim of the Mirage that'd be fine come on it's the same same powers in your spit that was in Mama's spit Bubba I hurt myself there you go a little slobber on it there's your bomb right there some of y'all like ooh you gross that's germs I said okay fine take your sanitation wipe and see how that Burns by Design listen to me by Design the balm was an anointing in today's term it'll be a Sav that would be applied to a burn or a cut or some kind of Mark or something and the place that this bomb this Sav would be have been made was a place called Gilead now it had a couple of different ways depending on if it was Hebrew or if it was Aramaic there was a couple of ways that they spelled this it was a place where this plant grew they would Harvest this plant and they would mix it with a tree resin a kind of a thick resin and when they made it they could they could store it up into containers and it would be so in fact you can read the all of history that this this balm of Gilead was sold and and it was brought to Kings and it would be given to them as gifts because of its medicinal purpose but for the sake of today's message I I began to look a little deeper in the whole meaning why Jeremiah mentions is there no balm in Gilead this is what I discovered the balm was used for protection as an anointing but the word Gilead has a meaning it's two words put together the first one Gil the meaning of it is a heap like Stone stacked on top of one another second part we add if you put the two together it simply means of testimonies is there no anointing with the Heap of testimonies because if you and I will ever recognize and realize the anointing of the Lord is protecting us in the hour in which we live and what the prophet was referring to if you'll ever grasp the understanding the bomb is for an anointing and a protection but there's a heap they call it a stack the references like a stack of stones when you look at that it's about testimonies and so is there not in 2023 an anointing of the people of God that said I got a whole stack of testimonies around me God has been good to me he's put breath in my body he woke me up this morning I've got a testimony of the blessing and the benefits of serving the one true Living God there's a heap that every one of us have today that if we'll simply remember what God has done there is victory in your life foreign y'all give me a minute today y'all give me a minute today every reason in the world this man has to stand and declare I got a whole stack of testimony of what God did look at that little guy standing right there how did God raise that child up how God moved in that child's life come on there's a stack of testimony right there come on you want another one there's a redhead sits back there brother John that had heart issues they couldn't breathe but there's now a stack of testimony of what God has done is there no bomb in Gilead there's a life back there in that corner so messed up when he came to the altar he was shaken with the drugs in the system but now for some reason he thinks he's in his right mind you know what's happened there's a bomb in Gilead there's a stack there's a whole heap of testimonies there's a host attack brother the whole heat brother Rob of testimonies in this room is there no bomb in Gilead I declare very still an anointing in Gilead there is still an anointing of protection over the testimonies of what God has done in our lives when the prophet spoke of it he declared to the people of God don't you recognize the goodness of God in your life won't you still declare in the morning time in the noon time in the Midnight Hour I'm surrounded by the testimonies of God's blessing and provision in my life for whatever reason in this world God is blessing and moving in your life and there's a whole heap a whole stack of testimonies brother Nathan that God has done in you that God has done in you that God has done in you that God has done in you there's a whole heap of them there's a whole stack you can call it a mouth and a mold hill whatever you want but God has been good to you God has made a way when there was no way God has provided for you when nobody else would give you the time of day God opened doors for you when you shouldn't fell and gone by the ways I I've come to say there is still an anointing of God's blessings on the church there's a heap of testimony look what God has done oh friend of mine you cannot forget the blessing and the provision and the anointing of God I am convinced in this hour stand or SID I don't care I am convinced in this hour the greatest chore the greatest problem for the church is to keep believing even though we can't see it yet there's a place called heaven whose Builder and maker is not man and I have not seen ear hasn't hurt according to what's there anybody still believe in heaven listen to me listen to me you may still believe in The Old Rugged Cross can make the difference come on does anybody still believe the anointing of the Lord will break and destroy the yoke in this hour the greatest challenge for the church is to let faith work I'll ask it to you this way when was the last time that you really had to use your faith now I know Chattanooga drivers are terrible so you might say every day when I get in the car it's a hard day I get it but faith faith that says Lord we're now working on our sixth Iran is that right fifth or sixth well we'll have six seven move over the last just four or five years I don't like none of it my mind is all taxed Lord how's this even going to look right how's this even gonna be right I don't know y'all that have been helping me over there I appreciate it so much because there's no way that I even care to do it myself but this is what I've been noticing y'all might have noticed it Pastor we're going to do because give me a few bathroom on this what's been my response go man love it you don't have an opinion sure I do but right now you're the one that's got the idea go do you care what color it is why sure I do but what color what color you think this would then do it I care listen what I'm telling you that's what I'm telling you I have learned that Cornerstone Apostolic Church is no stranger to challenge and redoing a lot of things but God has demonstrated in so many ways testimonies I tell you this I'm 58 now I'm the young guy in the house I have this Heap for the vanity of testimonies around me should have died there I should have lost my mind there I should have dropped it all I should have been bankrupt I should have been poor I should have been rich I should all the testimonies I've got a heap of them that's Gilead but there's an anointing that comes it reminds me every day that God is so faithful God is so faithful I would not for anything in this world today embarrass anybody foreign some of you are simply in this room today because your spouse or your children or your loved one prayed you here and you know in your own self you should be gone and by the wayside but Grace came the voice of God spoke and the path began to light came and you're here today Saint Laurent mountains say it again reminder yes and mountains are still being moved come on guys you know it strongholds are still being loose come on a simple reminder come on a simple reminder for you come on come and do what you do we are here for you come on there is a balm in Gilead come out he's still moving mountains that's right come on believe it's somebody come on believe it somebody believe in it come on you know he can oh come on if he did it once he can do it again come and do what you choose he can do it again come on Giants come on yes yes yes foreign look what God has accomplished that's right that's right that's right we need you Lord in this hour come on press through and there's a breakthrough we Jesus there is healing in this room if the Lord God has healed once we can heal again if God Made A Way once he can make away again why because we have a mountain Witnesses around us and miracles happen when you move that's right that's right in this room and miracles me happiness foreign it is for me come on every voice right now lift it to Heaven Jesus we believe you God you are a god of your word you are the god of your promises if you did it once Lord you can accomplish it multiple times over if you came through once you can come through again if you illuminated the path once you can do it again if you delivered me Lord God once you can deliver me again somebody believe God for it believe God for it trust God for it the name of Jesus Hallelujah in the name of Jesus there's a heap a whole heap of testimonies God you've been good to us let that be our protection let that be your glory around us hey thank you parties are still being raised Giants are still being slain come on mountains are still being moved hold my my eyes come on God's doing it God we believe it yes we can see that wonders are still what you do I feel this in the Holy Ghost I'm gonna follow the lord I need every man every male in this room to come on this side every lady every female in this room come on over here come on we're going to spend some time encouraging one another come on please please do not allow this moment to pass you by there's a heap of testimonies there's a heap of the miracle there's a heap of the good things about come on guys get together come on man get together don't be afraid of one another come on ladies get together come on ladies draw in closer come on come on men get in close come on get in close come on get in close come on Ben yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah brother Daniel help us out buddy come on man come in close Don't Be Afraid get on here make a circle get on here make a circle ladies come on in I know y'all aren't afraid of one another get on here make a circle come on in come on tight come on come on come on don't make me beg you for the miracle come on let God do her work take the hand of the person right and left of you come on take the hand of the person right left of you now I want you to pray ladies pray come on pray as if everything is waited on this prayer right now open your mouth and pray come on ladies pray you know what to pray for pray man pray come on Warriors where are you at pray right now come on go to the heat of the battle right now Jesus we're calling on you God come on men come on prayer warriors get a hold of God come on get a hold of God you know how get a hold of God come on man lift your voice come on let there be a war cry we believe in you Jesus you are the palm of Delia come on you'll find a place to pray Come On Come On In come on in come on right here come on get a hold of somebody come on pray there is a balm in Gilead his name is Jesus he's a miracle worker he's the Waymaker he's the true come on man pray you've never prayed before get a hold of God in this hour your family needs it your children need it your husbands need it the name of Jesus the name of Jesus come on man pray heal that sword heal that sword in the name of Jesus oh that's right that's right come on pray come on don't stop short now come on come on me and pray if you're full of the Holy Ghost speak in tongues come on pray into that presence pray into that presence come on ladies pray into that presence come on ladies speak your tongue if you're full of Holy Ghost let him work to you right now yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah strongholds will be the name of Jesus come on young folk call on the name of Jesus there's only one name his name is Jesus now together as a church lift your voice to heaven right now give the Lord thanks for what he's doing there is sweets there is a heap of testimony he still moves bodies will still be yes he does yes that's right come on stroll holes are broken feeling is happening yes God yes Jesus yes Jesus yes she says yes Jesus foreign everybody was forever oh come on I tried Minister one to another right now come on there's Restoration in the room come on turn to somebody speak a kind word to them come on turn to somebody encourage them you you're so blessed there's a whole heap of witnesses to what God has done in your life oh come on that's right come on turn to someone else encourage them God's doing miracles in you God's restoring you God is working in your life come on you can receive the Holy Ghost right now come on ladies would you pray right now in the name of Jesus Come On In The Name of Jesus come on somebody believe God for it you can receive healing right now in your body the anointing of the Lord can heal you right now restoration can happen in a moment yes Jesus we need to move oh come on come on yeah try come on pray through it pray come on ladies pray with her right now believe in God and do our work right now Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus there is a ball in Gilead Hallelujah come on they're going to keep praying it's fine listen to me carefully I'm gonna help you right now if you'll listen Pastor for a moment I want you to understand something anytime doubt fear questions challenges uncertainties face you I challenge you today pause stop and look around you recognize the fact that the anointing is there and they look around at the Heap of blessings testimonies take a deep breath and as loud as you feel like you can devil you're a liar leave me alone I am a child of God and I refuse to believe your lie I am victorious through the word of testimony through the blood of the Lamb I am not defeated but I'm Victorious my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life he is going to look at me and say well the devil I'm not following your life I'm not falling Crane in your life but I believe in the name of Jesus and right now lift your voice everybody God of Glory