It's Heavenly

I do feel like I've come with a word from the Lord today and what an honor it is to be a part of this Sunday. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to the book of Ecclesiastes chapter four. Oh, you're good, man, thank you. Ecclesiastes chapter four, verse number one, while you're turning there, I want you to know that today's gonna be more than just a special day to celebrate those that have been baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost. But if you're here and you've never been baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost, you didn't miss the opportunity under the tent because the very God that was over there off I-95, he's in this place right here, right now. Amen, and we all have the wonderful opportunity of salvation here today. Ecclesiastes chapter four, verse number one, if you have it, say amen.

Bible says, so I returned and I considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of such as worthy oppressed, they had no comforter. And on the side of their oppressors, there was power. Those that were oppressing them, they had power. Solomon said, they had no comforter. I wanna try to preach to you today on this subject, it's heavenly. Because I want you to know what you experienced under the tent and what we're experiencing here today. It is not just another expression of emotion. It's not just a feel good sensation. But what is moving in this place, it's heavenly. And if you want a heavenly experience for your life here today, I want you to lift your hands. I want you to lift your voices. And I want you to pray that God would minister to you. He would speak to each and every single one of us.

Lord, I love you. I thank you for your word. I thank you for what you have done already. God, now I just pray in this place that your kingdom would come. Your will would be done in this place as it is in heaven. We submit ourselves to your will, God. We pray that you would confirm this word with signs following. Let everybody shout in Jesus' name. Oh, come on, shout in Jesus' name. Before you're seated, high-five your neighbor and say, God's gonna do something for you. Amen. Solomon says in our text that he returned to something. He returned to consider things that were done under the sun. We read in Ecclesiastes chapter one and two verses such as this, Ecclesiastes one and three. It says, what prophet hath a man of all his labor, which he hath taketh under the sun. One and nine says, the thing that hath been,

it is that which shall be. And that which is done is that which shall be done. And there is no new thing under the sun. Verse 14 says, I have seen all the works that are done under the sun. And behold, if it's under the sun, it's all vanity and it's all vexation of spirit. He says in two, 17, therefore I hated life because the work that is wrought under the sun, it is grievous unto me for it is all vanity and vexation of spirit. The progression of chapters one and two would show all of us that as Solomon observes things that are done under the sun, it brought him to this conclusion there is no gain. Life is meaningless. There's no point in existing. The work of man is meaningless. He almost becomes atheistic in his view of life. He begins to be very pessimistic

about everything that he looks at. And then in our text today, he says I returned to looking back to things that were done under the sun. And he says that the power of the oppressor oppressed the people and they had no comforter. And then he says in Ecclesiastes four and two, he says, therefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. As he observed this and he returned to looking at things under the sun, it caused him to hate life with such intensity that he began to wish that he was one of the dead. And he praised them for having already escaped life's vexation and life's vanity. This type of life, this life lived under the sun is a life that has no meaning. It's a life that truly feels as though it's almost worthless and meaningless.

However sandwiched between chapters one, two and four, we read something that shifts the view of the rider as he begins to talk to us in Ecclesiastes three and one. And this time he says things a little different instead of things having no meaning, instead of things having no purpose, instead of things having no reason for real existence, he says to everything there is a season. And to every time there is a purpose, but this time it's not under the sun. He says that life has purpose if it's done under the heavenly. Notice the shift in his phrasing. He goes from hating life to saying life has purpose. And then in Ecclesiastes three and 11, he says this, he has made everything beautiful. Beautiful if it's in his time. Life goes from pointless to beautiful. Life goes from vanity to having purpose, having no meaning to having meaning,

having no desire to even wanna live to saying it's beautiful. If it's under the heavens, I would propose to you that the shift of his vocabulary begins to take notice of one important thing, that when things are done under the sun, they are done in a temporary manner. But when you shift your life to quit living life in the temporary and you begin to do things under the heavens, it is no longer done for the here and now. You begin to live life under a heavenly perspective and things become beautiful when you are no longer serving the here and now, but you are serving the there and then the king of glory. And so he teaches us a principle that when you live life under the sun or the temporary, it's pointless. But when you begin to live life under the heavenly, when you begin to live life under God,

life becomes beautiful. This salvation that you experienced last weekend or you are going to experience today, it is not a temporary fix to a temporary issue. It is an eternal fix to an eternal issue. Because I'm here today to tell you when you're baptized in the name of Jesus and filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost, it is not done under the S-U-N, it is done under the S-O-N, and that is the king of glory. That's why when Jesus showed up on the scene, he shows up and he says this, he says, repent for the kingdom of heaven. He said, not the kingdom of this world, not the kingdom of Rome, not the kingdoms that you have been serving. Friend, this is a heavenly kingdom, so repent, because this kingdom, it's not temporary when everything else is shaken. The Bible teaches us that this kingdom cannot be shaken.

And so this eternal kingdom, this kingdom of the heavenly, it requires you to do one thing, somebody shout, repent. The first step of the gospel and the gospel is the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The death is repentance. It means you're gonna turn from your ways. You're gonna die from who you used to be, but we don't leave dead bodies out of the grave. And so the second stage is you gotta be buried. That's the second step to the gospel. Now I know when you were baptized, it seemed like it was just water and under the sun, it looks like just water. But when you put the name that is under heaven and the name that has all authority, that water turns into a grave and you bury that dead man and you come up out of the grave, a new creature in Christ Jesus.

But friend, if you just stay in the grave, you don't have the resurrection that Jesus had. And if that same spirit which dwelled and Christ also dwells in you, it's not enough to just be buried with Christ. You gotta get the spirit of Christ living in you. And when you get the spirit of Christ, you join with Him in the resurrection from the grave. And now you enter into a heavenly kingdom. Somebody shout, it's heavenly. That's why Jesus told Nicodemus, he said, you cannot see, that word see means comprehend. He's saying you cannot understand this kingdom unless you were born again and he made it very clear being born again means to be baptized and filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost. And when you are born again, you are brought into a heavenly kingdom. And this is what Solomon said, when you begin to live life under the heavenly,

life becomes beautiful. Can I tell you today whether it used to be hardship as Solomon observed, your oppressor had all the authority, the addiction had all the authority, the depression had all the authority, the anxiety had all the authority. Come on, the debt had all the authority. Now you have something that is heavenly. You have something that has greater authority. You now have a comforter that will give you strength. And when you live life with a comforter, life becomes beautiful. You've got something to help you through the heartache, something to help you through the pain, something to help you through the trial. You've got a comforter that will combat the oppressor. He said, I returned and I looked at everything that was happening under the sun. He said, their oppressor had all the power and they had no comforter. Maybe that's why in John chapter 14,

Jesus made it very clear who he was. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever. Sounds like there may be more than one, but he makes it clear. John chapter 14 verse number 17, even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeeth him not, neither knoweth him. But you know him for he dwelleth with you, but he's not just gonna be with you. He's about to be in you. Watch what Jesus says in John 14 and 18. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. Yet a little while the world seeeth me no more. But you see me because I live, you shall live also. And at that day you shall know that I am in my Father. You are in me. That's getting baptized in Jesus Christ.

And I in you, that's receiving the spirit of the comforter. Friend, when you are baptized in Jesus name and filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost, you've got the comforter to combat the oppressor and it's heavenly. I wish somebody would celebrate on a celebration Sunday. My, my, my, that's why on the day of Pentecost, that sound came from a specific location. The comforter did not come from under the S-U-N. The comforter said, I'm gonna show up. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, there came a sound from, why did it come from heaven? Because this is not an earthly answer to an earthly issue. This is an eternal answer to an eternal issue. It came from heaven. Your spirit that you receive from God, it did not come from earthly means. It came from heaven. I said it's heavenly. Jesus made it plain in John chapter six, verse number 49.

Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness. Temporary manna. Under the sun manna. And this is what he said, and they are dead. They partook of the temporary and they died in the temporary. But 650 says, this bread, which cometh down from heaven, this bread that comes down from heaven, a man's gonna eat of this bread. And when you eat of this bread, you will not die. Because I am. I am the living bread. And the living bread did not come from out underneath the sun, Solomon. It came from under the heaven. And when you got a bite of this Holy Ghost bread, it does not sustain you for a moment. It sustains you until that last trumpet sounds. He said, when you eat this bread, you're gonna live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Now you have something to combat the oppressor. I wish somebody would remember what oppresses you. I wish you would get it in your mind. The thing which came against you. I wish you would picture that giant called Goliath that was against you. I wish you would picture, oh, just begin to imagine the thing that has you bound right now. And then imagine a comforter. But this comforter is not a temporary comfort from the world, it's a heavenly comforter. He comes down from heaven. Heaven, Solomon said, when he began to look at things that were done under the sun, he said it this way. I praise the dead, which are already dead. More than the living, which are yet alive. And when I first looked at that, I was opposed to Solomon's point of view of wanting to be like the dead. I said, no, no, no, I don't wanna be like the dead.

But then I began to really ponder that. I agree with Solomon. I praise with the dead. Because Romans six and six says knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should serve not sin. For that he that is dead is free from sin. Watch verse number eight of Romans six and eight. Now if we be dead with, then we believe we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead, dieeth no more. Death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died under sin once. But in he that liveth, he liveth under God, likewise reckoned, he also yourselves watched to be dead indeed under sin. That's why the apostle Paul said, I die daily. Because when you went into the grave, you did die.

And you rose up a new creature. So I joined with Solomon and I rejoiced with the dead. Because if you got that tithed in Jesus name, who you used to be died, and now you are alive in Christ. May I turn your attention to a bunch of dead folk. But we are not dead as you suppose. Come on, we are dead under sin. But we are alive in Christ. We are dead under who we used to be. We're dead under that addiction. We're dead under that mistake. We're dead under that failure. We're dead under which hath us bound. But we are alive in Christ. Somebody ought to praise like Solomon praise. We are dead under who we used to be. But he doesn't leave you dead because in Ephesians two and six, it says he hath raised us up together and made us to sit together where this is heavenly.

I said this is heavenly. I am seated with Christ in heavenly places. I've got a new perspective. I've got a new point of view. I don't look at the problem from a vertical point of view or a horizontal point of view. I'm looking at the problem from heaven now. It's heavenly. I look at what I used to go through and I say with the help of Jesus, it ain't nothing. I look at the sickness and I say with the help of Jesus, it ain't nothing. I look. It's heavenly. My, my, my, my, my. We need to look a little further at this heavenly point of view because when this heavenly perspective and this heavenly kingdom gets ahold of you, Jesus said, how can I explain to these people what it's like, this heavenly kingdom? And he said in Matthew 13, 44, again, the kingdom of heaven is likened.

Someone say, heaven is likened under a treasure hidden afield. That which when a man hath found, he highteth. And for joy and for joy, the joy on the inside. And for joy thereof, he goes and he sells everything he has and he buys the field, but he didn't stop there. Matthew 13, 45, again, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls who when he hath found that one pearl of great price, he solds, ev' sells everything he has and he acquires this heavenly imagery. Can I tell you something? When you get ahold of this heavenly kingdom, you don't live unto it with just a little bit of your life. You don't give it just some of you, but when you have found the greatest thing on the face of the earth, I said when you found that good pearl that you've been looking for,

when you found that great treasure that you've been searching for, you don't give this kingdom some. You give this kingdom all. Why? Because this is not a temporary kingdom or a temporary fix. When you got baptized in Jesus' name and filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost, you say, Jesus, you gave all for me, so I'm gonna give all for you. And let me tell you, this isn't a risky investment. I know when you put money in the stock market, even when somebody tells you it's a sure thing, come on now and you put the money in there and it goes from green to red, the moment your money touches that, come on. When you give this kingdom everything, it's not a risky investment, friend. When you sell out to this kingdom, it's not a temporary kingdom that had my, my, my. It's a heavenly kingdom

and this kingdom will make your job beautiful. It'll make your family beautiful. It'll make your situation beautiful. It'll make the diagnosis beautiful. It'll make my, it just turns things into beauty. But I must tell you something about what you experienced and it's the best news you're ever gonna hear. When Jesus told Nicodemus about this spiritual kingdom and this heavenly kingdom, he said, when you're baptized and you're filled, he said, it's just the beginning. I don't think you heard what I said. As great as it felt when you came up out of the water, as amazing as it felt when his spirit filled you to the fullness of where you could no longer speak in a language that you could understand, but you begin to overflow and speak in a heavenly language. He says, that's just the entrance into this kingdom. Can I tell you that when you get into this kingdom,

it's like leaven that leavens the whole lump. It begins with just a little bit. But before it's done, it overcomes your life. And what you experienced is just the beginning. But friend, there's even greater on the horizon. I wish I had an elder right now that would stand to your feet and say it's better 50 years into it than it was the first day. I wish I had somebody that's fifth generation that would say, if you think it's great now, you ought to see what it's gonna be like when you're celebrating your 68th wedding anniversary in the kingdom. There's nothing, it'll hold your marriage together. It'll hold your family together. There's nothing like a heavenly kingdom. Somebody shout and give God a praise. Come on, let's have a celebration just for a moment. Let me tell you something else about this heavenly kingdom. It just keeps getting better, I'm telling you.

I got more preach than I got time to preach today, I promise. This kingdom, this heavenly kingdom. Matthew 13, 47, he said, again, like I've got so much to tell you about it, I just have to say again, the kingdom of heaven is like an unto a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind. It's not a white kingdom, and it's not a black kingdom. It's not a brown kingdom. It's not a Republican kingdom. It's not a Democrat kingdom. It's not a male kingdom. It's not a female kingdom. It's not a Jew kingdom. It's not a Gentile kingdom. It's a heavenly, I said it's heavenly. Come rich, come poor, come upper class, come lower class, come whole, come broken, come together, come needing mending, come sick, come needing a miracle. Just know this kingdom says, come, come, come, come. I don't care who you are.

Just get in the kingdom. I don't care where you're from. Get in the kingdom. Somebody ought to worship and celebrate the kingdom right now. Come on, come on. Something's shifting right now. Something's moving right now. Let me tell you the greatest thing I can tell you about this kingdom. I'm wrapping up. This is the greatest thing I can tell you about this kingdom. There are names under the sun. There are names under the sun that can grant you entry into places. Pastor, when we went and played golf with that cool golf course, they had our names listed because of the man's name that got us in there. They said, oh, you're with him. You're welcome. There are names that will sway things here on the earth under the sun. But when Peter stood before the men, he did not say the name of Jesus. Is that under the sun?

He looked right at them and said, neither is there salvation in any other for there is none under name. There is no other name, no other name. Under, shout it like you know it. Under, whereby we must be saved. It is at the name of Jesus that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. It is at the name of Jesus we lay hands on the sick and the sick recover. It is at the name of Jesus it grants you entry wherefore we boldly come to the throne of grace. It is at the name of Jesus because it's a heavenly, heavenly, heavenly, heavenly. It's a heavenly. Undulable hold, lift your hands all over the house. Somebody get a hold of Jesus right now. Jesus said it this way. All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth. He said this name won't just

get you into the heavenlies. This name you speak on earth and heaven moves. That's why when Jesus told Nathaniel if you thought it was impressive I told you where you were sitting there's going to be a day when you see the angels ascending and descending upon the son of man. It was what Jacob saw when he laid his head on the stones and he began to dream. He saw a ladder come down and the angels ascending and descending and he saw the Lord leaning over heaven. Jesus said I'm the ladder that bridges the gap between heaven and earth. And so when you invoke the name of Jesus what you are doing is you are pulling the most powerful most spiritual most eternal most omnipotent omnipresent name down from the heavenly and you are bringing it to the earth and the earth says I recognize the voice

of the one who has power here and there. That's why we refuse to baptize in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost because only the name of Jesus only the name of Jesus has the authority to take away the sins of the earth and grant you access to the heaven because only Jesus was the high priest who passed up into the heavenly. And when you're baptized and you're filled with the Holy Ghost he says here's my name go invoke it on the earth. That's why he said when you pray pray our Father which art in heaven in heaven in heaven in heaven hallowed be thy kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven the name of the Father is Jesus and when you say Jesus heaven meets earth he told him he said go declare my kingdom pastor what are we going to say

when you get there you just tell him Jesus is coming what's that going to get me you'll see just go tell him Jesus is on the way and they came back doing this right here even the devils are subject under us at thy name rejoicing celebrating on celebration Sunday we got a name we got a name we got a name we got a name we got a name we got a name it feels like celebration Sunday and this is what he said rejoice not that the devils are subject under you rejoice that your name someone take your finger and point it to you your name is written and this is Jesus's response and Jesus rejoiced in his spirit not because people were casting out devils but because the heavenly was growing you want to know what makes heaven have a celebration Sunday you want to know what makes Jesus

have a celebration Sunday I'm thankful for the miracles I'm thankful for the devils that flee at the name of Jesus but what makes Jesus have a celebration Sunday is when he looks at the hundred and something names that went down in his name and got registered in a heavenly location the bible says he rejoiced in his spirit you know that word rejoice means an exuberant exhortation pardon me if I'm a little exuberant today I'm just trying to be like Jesus I'm happy I said I'm happy that your name is with my name in heaven I'm happy that your name is with my name you better believe I'm gonna be exuberant on celebration Sunday if Jesus gets exuberant about heaven growing I'm gonna get exuberant about heaven growing like I said I got more preach and we have time today but that's what the man did when he found the lamb isn't it

99 were still there but the one that was lost he put him on his shoulder and he didn't let the weight of the lost lamb stop his praise with a lamb on his shoulder the bible says he rejoiced they're coming home they're coming home they're coming home and then when he got home he didn't stop rejoicing because his family got home he said hey gather the whole community we about to have a celebration up in this house why did you hear about the lamb that left but he found his way home and then heaven says you know what if they're rejoicing all of heaven now if you're registered in heaven that just kind of seems like maybe I'm supposed to be rejoicing how many got the baptized in the paternity bible 116 if 116 got baptized and all of heaven rejoiced and I've been baptized

and I've been registered in heaven I think I ought to join with my heavenly contemporaries they came home they came home they came home they're back where they belong they're back where they belong they were lost now they're found they were out now they're home they were broken now they're whole they were lost come on come on east wind can we rejoice with heaven stand with me all over the house if you've never been baptized in Jesus name wave your hand if you've never been baptized in Jesus name wave your hand if you see somebody with their hand waved tell them you gotta get registered today tell them you gotta get registered I said you gotta get registered if they've never been filled with the holy ghost tell them you gotta get the spirit to get up out of here but it's celebration Sunday in case you haven't seen the confetti

and this is what I read that now you and I have boldness and access because we are registered in heaven and so I'm not about to have timid prayer silent prayer quiet prayer I'm about to have a Jesus kind of celebration if Jesus rejoiced because they were registered take your coat off ladies kick your shoes off if you have to don't let the heels stop your praise come on men loosen that tie if you need to we're gonna have a heavenly kind of party set your purse down you're in a Pentecostal church it'll be alright come on get a little hand room make sure like we used to when we were in school I need enough room to praise come on get yourself this is my praise bubble would you back off of it just for a moment come on come on come on get out of your aisle

get out of your chair we're gonna join with Jesus right now because it's celebration Sunday come on make room some of y 'all ain't moving like you ain't excited with Jesus today make room make room elders this is what my grandpa would do cause he needs a new hip and about every other new bone as well grandpa takes his hanky he starts doing this right here cause he don't have the strength to praise like he used to if you ain't got a hanky take your tie off get a little necktie praise going come on everybody's doing something we're not gonna have pride about how we look we're not gonna worry about what our neighbor says it's celebration Sunday and we're gonna dance with heaven I said we're gonna praise with heaven oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together oh

enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his house with praise oh would you lift up the name come on that's it that's it get your dancing shoes going get your praise going come on this isn't a normal praise it's a heavenly praise it's a heavenly celebration you ready shout amen if you're ready music are you ready alright y 'all ready this is not emotionalism if Jesus did it I'm gonna do it too and it looks like we got a few more getting her name registered right now hey why don't you join in the party and head to the water why don't you join in the party head to the water head to the water there are some names that are being written right now I'm gonna join with Jesus I'm gonna join are you ready that's how celebration come on from God right now

I want you to hear me he said boldly into that throne room you are registered in heaven if you need a miracle right now lift your hands and pray with faith not with timidity not with fear for perfect love cast it out all fear lift your hands and with boldness declare the miracle is here the healing is here come on you gotta praise you got a reason to approach boldly right now