It Is I

 

 

 

 This sermon, entitled, "It Is I" was preached on Saturday morning, May 03, 2003 at Mount Zion Fellowship in Jerusalem, Israel.

Text was taken from Matthew 14:22-23.

Hidden Manna

 

This sermon, entitled "Hidden Manna" was preached on Saturday evening, April 26, 2003 at Mount Zion Fellowship in Jerusalem, Israel. After the morning service, and afternoon fellowship, i had went back to the apartments I was staying at in French Hill. I laid down for a nap, but my sleep was disturbed in the spirit. I went down to the basement and began to pray in the Spirit in an unknown tongue. The Holy Spirit began to interpret to me what I was praying and it was the revelation for the sermon that was preached.

While I was laying in bed, I could hear a voice in my spirit crying out, "Help me, I can't get free". That evening, a lady visited our service. She was from England and had been bound by an unclean spirit of alcoholism. She testified that the Lord delivered her, that evening.

Don’t Turn Back to Egypt

 

This sermon, entitled, "Don't Turn Back to Egypt" was preached at Mount Zion Fellowship in Jerusalem, Israel on Saturday morning, April, 26, 2003.  The picture is of myself and Sister Paracleta, a nun from Nigeria who lived in Jerusalem. She was a big part of our fellowship during that time. We were sitting by the place of the Nativity in Bethlehem. 

Sermon notes: 

Don't Turn Back to Egypt

I Corinthians 10:1-14

Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and [how] I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Exodus 19:4

God brought the children of Israel our of Egypt by mighty signs and wonders.

Had they went through the land of the Philistines, they could have been in the Promised Land in lest than a week.

And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the go, that God led them not [through] the way of the land of the Philistines, although that [was] near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: Exodus 13:17

But god took them the way of the wilderness lest they see war and turn back to Egypt.

Sometimes God takes us through the wilderness, and doesn't show us what's up the road, lest we see the battle and turn back.

He uses our circumstances to mold us to fit His purposes in our life:

• Joseph down in the dungeon for three years

• Moses on the backside of the desert for forty years.

• Gideon, hiding down in the winepress from the Midianites in preparation.

• David down in the pasture being trained by the Spirit of God to reign.

• Jesus tested in the wilderness

Can't we trust the leading of the Holy Ghost?

God brought the Israelites out of Egypt in a short time, but it took Him 40 years to get Egypt out of the people.

God brought us out of sin, but sometimes He works overtime to get sin out of us.

He brought us out of man's traditions, but it's more difficult to get that mentality out of us.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you. II Corinthians 6:17

Remembering Egypt

The older generation had to die out. They remembered Egypt to well.

The only thing the older generation could ever think about was the leaks, the garlic, and the cucumbers.

They didn't remember the taskmasters whip across their backs. They couldn't remember the mud pits they stomped in day after day, after day.

Fasting is not sitting around thinking about food.

God was willing to wipe out every last one of them and raise up Moses' family, but he interceded for the nation and so...

The younger generation couldn't remember Egypt, so God chose them.

There was not one feeble one among them, so there carcases must have just fallen by the wayside.

Joshua and Caleb had another spirit. Not a spirit of turning back, but one of moving forward.

Murmuring and Complaining

Joshua and Caleb didn't have that spirit of complaining.

• Some people are never happy with what God gives them.

The waves of the Red Sea hadn't even settled from drowning the Egyptians before the people were already complaining.

“Moses, why did YOU bring us out of the wilderness to die? Would to God we had died in Egypt.”

They complained about the waters. They complained about the food. They complained about the quail. They complained about Moses. They complained about everything and with many of them God was not well pleased.

Joshua and Caleb weren't the only ones under the cloud. Moses wasn't the only one eating the manna. Aaron wasn't the only one eating quail.

They all ate the same spiritual food and drank from the same Rock that followed them through the wilderness.

...for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45

Always Looking Back

When Moses went up into Sinair, Dathan began to stir up the people. He begin to sow seeds of discord that Moses wasn't coming back.

He even convince the Holy Priest of God to make a golden calf to lead them back to Egypt.

They were constantly looking back.

People who aren't really filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost will look for any excuse to go back to Egypt.

Follow the Fire

The children of Israel had to learn to follow the fire.

If the fire moved on South, then the children of Israel had to take up there tents and possessions and move South.

If the Fire settled at the base of the mountain, then the people set up camp there.

We can't get ahead of God. We have to learn to follow the Fire.

There were probably times that some of the people resented the Pillar of Fire, because they had grown tired of wandering and didn't want to back up and move on.

Keep following the Fire.

Follow the Example

Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should lust after evil things, as they also lusted. I Corinthians 10:6

“Mistakes were made to be learned from, not repeated.”

God allows us to make mistakes so that we will learn from them and move on, but not repeated them.

Zimri committed whoredom with a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and Phineas was zealous for God and killed him with a javelin.

Not only did he commit fornication, but he was brassy about it.

People often get that brassy spirit on them that they're going to do what they want to do, no matter who sees them.

 

And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? Exodus 17:7

After all the signs and wonders God had shown them, they still wondered if God was with them or not.

It's time to come out of our comfort zones.

Once you've left Egypt, allow God to take Egypt out of you.

No matter how rough the road, “Don't turn back to Egypt.”

Deeper Things of God

This sermon, entitled "Deeper Things of God" was preached at Mount Zion Fellowship in Jerusalem, Israel on Saturday morning of April 19, 2003. This first song, Take Us Higher was written and being sung by Sister Nancy Bergen. After, she and I sang together, "What God's Doing in Me" which was written by Sister Ruth Heflin, the founder of Mount Zion Fellowship in the mid '70's. 

These are the sermon notes:
 

The Deeper Things of God

Proverbs 30:19-21

No matter how many lives went down into the grave by war, holocaust, famine, disease, etc. Death still cries out for more lives.

The womb that has never borne children cries out to bear children.

No matter how many homes have been destroyed by floods or how many beaches have disappeared because the ever enlarging ocean, the waters still seek to cover more land.

Thousands and thousands of acres of forest have been lost to fires, yet fire longs to devour more. It's never satisfied.

These all seem like negative aspects of desire for more, but there is a positive aspect.

As true, Holy Ghost filled believers, there must be a cry in each of our spirits for more of God. Not just a head knowledge, but it must run deep in our spirits.

Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts: all Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over me. Psalm 42:7

Where there is a deep calling out to the deep, there is a deep to respond. If there is a craving in your body for sodium, then there is sodium to fill that crave.

Boy with sulfur deficiency... eating the erasers off pencils and petals off of bicycles because of the crave for sulfur... His body knew where to find the sulfur.

Before there was ever an Earth hanging out in space, there first had to be a space for the Earth to hang in. Before there was ever a fish swimming in the water, there had to be waters created for the fish to swim in. Before there was ever a tree in the Earth, there first had to be an environment for the tree to survive in.

So, if there's a craving in your spirit for the deeper things of God, then there are deeper things of God to attain.

Before God was God

There was a time that God was not God. In order for God to be God, He had to have some to worship Him. In order for Him to be a Creator, He had to create something. In order for Him to be a Savior, something had to first be lost. In order for Him to be a Healer, something first had to be sick.

There was a deep longing in God to be worshiped, but He existed alone with His thoughts. There were no cherubim nor seraphim to give Him praise. So, He created them.

But the cherubim had no choice but to worship Him. God longed to have someone worship Him by choice.

So, after the creation of Earth, He created man from the dust of the Earth. And Adam walked with God in the cool of the evening and had communication with the Divine Creator.

But Satan entered into the plans. He had a vendetta against the Most High, because he had been cast from the Heavens for his pride.

All in God's plan, man fell from his position with God. No longer did they have walks in the cool of the evening. No longer was there Divine communication between the two.

Down through the ages, God began revealing His plan to redeem man-kind. Why? Because there was a desire in Him to be a Savior; healer; deliverer.

He did not send a cherub to do this job. This wasn't a job that Michael or Gabriel could handle. He came HIMSELF and not a messenger.

He desired to know the temptations of man. He desired to know the sickness that man is tormented with. He desired to know how it felt to have fellowship as we know it with the Divine Creator.

So the Spirit of God crawled inside the womb of a virgin, Mary and was born in a stable. Not a messenger, but God, Himself.

He experienced all that we have or ever will experience. Just because of the deep longing to know His creation.

In the same sense, there is a deep longing on the inside of every true believer, to know our Creator.

God's desire to be a husband

When God created the animals, He created each of them with a mate, but when He created man, He created him male and female.

So, God looked down and saw that Adam was alone in the garden and had that desire in him for a wife.

So, God put a deep sleep over Adam, reached in Adam's side and took out the feminine part of Adam and created a help meat for him.

On Calvary, when the Spirit of God left Jesus to die alone (because God cannot die), and the Roman soldier came by and pierced His side, it was a type of God reaching into the second Adam and pulling out His Bride.

Because God longs for His mate. The animals had a mate. Adam had a mate. But God didn't have a mate.

1. As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God.

2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

Psalm 42:1-2

Just as the deer has a thirst for water, the Believer thirsts after God. The deep calls unto the deep.

There is something about the Word of God that calls out to His Elect. It draws them.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

If there is a thirst for God, then Yeshua (Jesus) is the Living Waters to quench our thirst. If there is a hunger for more of God, then there is more of God to satisfy the hunger.

If your mouth is dry and you are thirsty, your body has already begun dehydrating.

So there is a source to satisfy that thirst. Just like our spiritual thirst.

The woman at the well

She came to the well daily, but couldn't come at the same time as the other ladies, because of her sinful life.

So, she comes to the well one day and there sits a man, who asks for a drink. The dialogue continues.

Finally, He tells her to go get her husband. She says she has no husband. And Jesus tells her, “That's right, you've had five husbands and the man your living with now is not your husband.”

Immediately, there was something inside of her that caused her to recognize Jesus to be a prophet, but when He spoke again, she recognized Him as the Messiah.

It was that seed that had been planted in her spirit from the time she was young. Maybe she had sat at the table and heard her father talking about how God would one day send the Messiah.

Maybe she had heard Him reading the Law and the Prophets and now, she is standing at the well, and the Light of God had come and struck that seed planted in her heart and she recognized Him.

What was it? It was the deep calling out to the deep and standing there at the well, the Deep responded.

Reaching Out for More

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:13-14

How do you find more of God?

We reach forth unto those things which are before. We cannot just sit back and wait on God to drop it in our laps like the stork would drop a baby at the doorstep.

We've got to stretch out our arm a little farther than we've been stretching.

We may have to sacrifice a little more than we've been sacrificing.

We may have to fast a little more than we've been fasting.

Or pray a little more than we've been praying.

Read our Bible a little more than we normally read them.

It might cost us a little more than we've paid in the past.

If you're satisfied with what you've got, God can't give you any more. Wallace H. Heflin.

You've gone as far as you're going to go with God until you're willing to pay a greater price. William Branham

How do you find more of God? Press in.

When thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee. Thy face, LORD, will I seek. Psalm 27:8

Seek His face.

But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deuteronomy 4:29

If you seek God with sincerity of heart and all of your soul, you will find Him.

Song of Songs 3

We find that the Bride was seeking the Bridegroom in bed, but He wasn't there.

How often do we go to bed at night, too tired to get down by the bedside and pray. So we just lay there in bed, staring up at the ceiling, expecting Him to just overlook our laziness.

The Bride didn't find Him in the bed. She had to rise up and go about the city and SEEK Him.

God is not hiding from us, in these times, but He wants to see how much we really desire to know Him.

Are we willing to pay the greater price?

The Voice of Resurrection

 

 

 

 This sermon, entitled "The Voice of Resurrection" was preached at the Mount Zion Fellowship in Jerusalem, Israel on Sunday morning, May 5, 2003. 

 

These were my Sermon notes:

John 6:47-71

The crowds were in love with the miracles, not the miracle-worker.

People, today are in love with the church, not the Bridegroom. (Church activities)

They had a form of godliness, but deny the power, thereof.

What power? Power of Transformation

“If any man be in Christ... new creature.” (Things once loved...)

A lot of people want Jesus on the inside, but they don't want to be inside of Jesus. Baptism of Holy Ghost and Fire. (Don't want to get their hair wet)

The days ahead are days to get in or get out. No straddling.

“How halt ye between two opinions, if God be God....” (Lukewarm I will spew..)

As long as He was multiplying loaves and fishes... they were happy

Homecoming or Food at Church. Every comes.

When He begin to reveal Himself and breath the Words of Life to them...

They couldn't handle the meat of the Word, nor His blood.

Churches are taking the “blood” out of Hymnals and sermons.

Without the blood of Yeshua, we're lost. “Power in the blood”

If we don't eat His flesh and drink His blood, we're doomed to Hell.

He is the Word made flesh. Flesh = Word. Blood is new covenant of salvation.

His Words are Spirit and they are life.

When it came to eating the Word and drinking His atonement, they turned back.

They liked thinking He would deliver them from Roman oppression.

But saving them from ceremonial sacrifice was too much.

There's no other salvation, but through Jesus.

Only one way to the Father. Not through Buddha, Mohamed, Hindu...

He turned to His disciples, “Will ye go also?” Will you follow the ways of the world.

Will you go down the road other churches have gone? Away from Me.

People get disgruntled with church and turn back to sin.

“Thou has the words of Eternal life.” - Not the wisdom of man, but demonstration and power of His Spirit. - Peter

Will we go to the scribes? Pharisees? Great speakers? Follow the multitudes?

He was the Word. (Way, Truth, Light) Foundation (All other ground...)

Even the rulers of synagogue said, “Never man spake like this man.”

The people said, “He spake, “the worlds were framed.” (Let there be Light.)

“In the beginning was the Word... All things were made by Him.”

His Words have a creative force.

His voice can shake the Earth... Hebrews 12:26

His voice can be a still, small leading... I Kings 19:12

He is the voice of resurrection... John 11:25

“To whom should we go?” Standing before them was the Resurrection.

He said, “I go to my Father, but I will not leave you comfortless... I will come to you.

“I will be with you, even in you...”

Day of Pentecost... He came inside

“If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead... shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11

“He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall...”

“He is able to do exceedingly....”

If the Word of God and Resurrection power is not working in you, you're DEAD!

Doesn't matter what church you belong to.

Or who you know in this life.

Who you shake hands or rub shoulders.

How smart you are, or where you live.

If the Holy Ghost power doesn't work in you, you're DEAD!

“Know Him in power of His Resurrection. Not just in passing, but intimately...

 

Invisible Evidence

 

This sermon, entitled Invisible Evidence was preached on Saturday morning, May 10, 2003 in Jerusalem, Israel at the Mount Zion Fellowship.