"Come Alive" By Jesse Rairdon February 21st,
2016
Remain standing, if you are able,
please, as Phil comes to lead us in prayer for the message. Phil: Lord Jesus, as we
present ourselves to You this morning, Lord God, we pray that You would have an
outpouring of Your Spirit, this morning, Lord Jesus. Instruct Your people, and teach us, and guide
us, and give us wisdom through You Spirit and Your Word, Lord God, as You would
have us fed today, Lord God, from Your Word.
That You would bless and anoint Your messenger, that’s bringing the
Word, Lord God. That his instruction
would be anointed of You, Lord Jesus, and I thank You for the opportunity to
come here and listen to Your Word, Lord Jesus.
In Your Holy, righteous name; we thank You. Amen. Amen. You may be seated. Good morning, church! How many liked that dose of Spring we had
this weekend? Wasn’t that nice? And, then, right back to the winter, back to
the winter. Just a little tease, but,
thank You, Lord, it was nice. Beautiful,
beautiful weather. I tell you, you can’t
beat warm weather like that. This is the theme for the month: John 20:22-23 And when he had
said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive
ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and
whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. Amen? Amen. A
few points from the last couple of messages: Pastor Paine was here two weeks
ago, and Parrish did last week, so I’m going to go over a few points, a few
highlights that I got from the messages. Pastor Paine said, “Be careful not
to get stuck in your journey.” Be
careful not to get stuck in your journey.
“We have to grow beyond baptism.”
We have to grow beyond baptism.
Then he asked, “Is your heart soft to the Holy Spirit, even though you
have a lot of scars?” You’ve seen a lot
of battles, a lot of things; is your heart still soft to the Holy Spirit? “We won’t hear the still small voice if we
are still screaming.” It’s just like we
heard that child screaming back there.
We won’t hear the still small voice of God if we are so busy
screaming. Many are livening beneath our
privilege; we have unwrapped gifts from God, that he desires to give us. He’s already given it to us, we just haven’t
opened it up. It’s there, we’re told
that it’s there, we just haven’t opened it up. Amen? Maybe the struggle that you are going
through, is to help somebody else. The gift that God desires to give you is for
the benefit of others. It’s not about
you, it’s about the body. Don’t spend
too much of your life finding fault with others. He talked about how repent means to be sorry
and to change. He asked the question, “How
lost do you really want to get?” How
lost do you really want to be? How far
do you really want to be from God? Brother Parrish Lee talked about,
“The Holy Ghost came to minister, not to separate.” That we’re together in unity. When we present ourselves in unity God is
faithful to speak to us. The promise
wasn’t tongues; the promise was the Holy Ghost.
The evidence of the Holy Ghost is ours, only don’t seek after something
you have made up in your mind already what it’s going to be. Ask God to give you something new, something
you’ve never experienced. Don’t
pre-judge or pre-decide what God’s going to do for you. Amen? The
Holy Ghost is given for a specific reason, to profit all of us. Don’t let the devil take away or talk you out
of receiving what God has for you. Our
relationship with the Holy Ghost matters.
Don’t grieve, lie or blaspheme the Holy Ghost. Don’t grieve, lie or blaspheme the Holy
Ghost. The greatest gift is love, love
is greater than all these other things.
Amen? Today, we’re going to talk about
‘Come Alive.’ Come alive. The first point in the message
today is, ‘The power is in you.’ The
power is in you. The second point we’re going to
talk about today is, ‘We have something to do.’
We all have something to do. And the third point is, ‘Come
Alive.’ 1. The Power Is In You Luke 17:20-21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees,
when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither
shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is
within you. The power is within you. I looked up that word, ‘observation,’ and I
looked under the Greek definition: παρατήρησις paratḗrēsis,
par-at-ay'-ray-sis; from G3906; inspection, i.e. ocular evidence:—observation. To see with the natural eye. You cannot see it, it’s not going
to come, like, “Hey! I can see the
Kingdom of God! There it is!” It’s not a physical thing; it’s a spiritual
thing, and it’s going to be within you.
Amen? Let’s go to the Old
Testament. This was a tough time for
Israel. Jeremiah, the prophet, was in
prison, the Chaldeans were at the gate, all is lost it seems. All hope is lost; Israel had failed God and
now He was going to take the promise away from them. They failed to do what God told them to do,
and now, yet, there’s hope. Jeremiah 32:14 Thus saith the LORD of hosts,
the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both
which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen
vessel, that they may continue many days. Then I was praying about—and I
never saw this before. The Bible says
there was two evidences; there was one that was sealed, and there was one that
was open. Then I went back to verse
eleven. Jeremiah 32:11 So I took the
evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and
custom, and that which was open: So, when you have this evidence of
God, there’s this part that’s sealed—the Word of God is sealed for us—and
there’s part of it that’s open, the gifts of the Spirit. Amen?
Let’s go a little further: Jeremiah 32:15-17 For thus
saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards
shall be possessed again in this land.
Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the
son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying, ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast
made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and
there is nothing too hard for thee: We’re going to skip over—we’re
going to come back to Jeremiah thirty-two, but let’s go back to Jeremiah
thirty-one Jeremiah 31:31-34 Behold, the
days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made
with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of
the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto
them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their
inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they
shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and
every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from
the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive
their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Amen. So this is part of the evidence that is
sealed. The Law I going to be written on
your heart; the truth of God is going to be written on your heart. Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might
not sin against You (Psalms 119:11); the Word is hid to them that are lost (2
Corinthians 4:3), but it’s revealed to us, “To them I speak in parables, but to
you I speak plainly (Mark 4:10-12), because I give you the mysteries to be
written on your heart, and you’re not going to say anymore, ‘Do you know God?’
‘Do you know God?’” Everybody form the
youngest to the oldest—I don’t care how old you are today, you’re going to get
a chance to know God, because this is going to be sealed on your heart, it’s
going to be backed up by the Word… I’d like to go on a little more about the
Word, but, that’s enough, Parrish, next month we’re going to talk more about
that, if the Lord tarries, and allows us to preach those messages, but the Word
is sealed on our heart. That is the one
that is sealed. Amen? Let’s go back into Jeremiah
chapter thirty-two—before that, I’m sorry, Joel chapter two. This is, again, talking about the Day of
Pentecost. Pastor Paine preached about
this; this is the part that’s open. Joel 2:28-29 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I
will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And
also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my
spirit. This is the evidence in the
open. This is the evidence for everybody
to see. This is the salt of the
earth. This is the light that you light
shine that everybody sees. That which is
hidden in your heart is for you, that’s the law, that’s the Truth. Not everybody’s going to see that; not
everybody’s going to know that, but they are going to see the evidence in the
open. Amen? Now let’s go back to
Jeremiah. It may seem like I’m going
quick, today, but we’re at Jeremiah chapter two. If you need to take notes, just listen with
your heart, and let God put stuff on your heart, that’s fine; go back over it
later. Jeremiah 32:26-27 Then came
the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of
all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? God was just answering back what
Jeremiah already said, “There’s nothing too hard for Him.” (Jeremiah 32:1) He said, “There’s nothing too hard for me.” There is nothing too hard for God. God knew a long time ago that redemption was
going to be through the blood of Jesus. We
were all covered, he was going to seal that, by His name, and put it in us, in
earthen vessels, amen? Jeremiah 32:39-43 And I will
give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good
of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting
covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I
will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I
will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land
assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. For thus saith the LORD;
Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring
upon them all the good that I have promised them. And fields shall be bought in
this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given
into the hand of the Chaldeans. You feel like there’s no hope, but
there’s going to be something coming. Jeremiah 32:44 Men shall buy fields
for money, [that’s the price that was paid.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who found a field, and purchased the
field—he sold all he had and he purchased it (Matthew 13:44). That’s in the Bible—look it up.] and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and
take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and
in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities
of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity
to return, saith the LORD. Cause their captivity to be
captive. We talked about that a few
months ago, too, how God will give gifts.
That’s the whole purpose of this.
It’s sort of like a shadow, or a forthcoming of things to come. You can’t just read the New Testament and get
what God has for you. You’ve got to look
back into the Old, and take of the Old, and look at the New, and see what God
has for us altogether, amen? The Kingdom of Heaven is
like... Unto it is given to know the
mysteries, but unto them is parables, because they don’t believe. So how is this sealed evidence
apply to us today, right now? This was
in Israel, this was back then, so how does this apply to us today? Ephesians 1:13-23 In whom ye
also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy
Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption
of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith
in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for
you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being
enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the
riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding
greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his
mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and
set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all
principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named,
not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and
gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the
fulness of him that filleth all in all. Amen. That’s a whole lot, but let’s focus on verse
number thirteen again: “In whom ye also
trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth…” You believed that Gospel. “…in whom also after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise…”
That is the gift. Receive the
gift. You are sealed. Like that evidence was sealed in those earthen
vessels. Sealed means a signature. When you seal something, by law, you’re
saying, “I’m putting my stamp on this; I’m putting my signature on this. Nobody can say anything against it, because
it’s mine.” Even in revelation, it talks
about, “Those are mine; put a seal on them.” (Revelation 7:2-4) “Do no harm to them. Put a seal on them; reserve them for
me.” When you accept the Holy Ghost,
when you accept this Word, when you get baptized in Jesus’ name, and you
receive that gift, you have that promise in you, and you are sealed by the Holy
Spirit, amen? Verse number fourteen, “Which is
the earnest of our inheritance…” “Which
is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession…” The redeemed have a song,
and redemption is going to take place at this purchase. The earnest has been paid, the price has been
paid. It’s like when Jeremiah was in
prison, and he was told to pay a price, he had to go pay a price for that land,
to be put in there and sealed for the redemption of that land, we were paid
for, that is the redemption of our souls.
We’re not quite there, yet. But
we have the promise, it’s sealed, it’s going to be after many days, but we’re
going to have it. We’re going to have
knowledge, we’re going to be redeemed, we’re going to have a song that no one
else can sing, because the angels will just be able to look and see that we
were redeemed. “What was it like to be
redeemed?” That’s why he said, “Ah, Lord
God! You’re the God of all flesh!” That’s why Jeremiah could see that. He could see that in his spirit, “there’s
nothing too hard for You! You have left
a way for us to get back to You, God!
Even though we’ve failed miserably, even though we’ve done wrong,
there’s still a promise within us that we can have. Amen.
It’s the wisdom of Revelation, and the knowledge of God, sealed within
us. Amen? Let’s go to the next verse: 2 Corinthians 4:1-7 Therefore seeing
we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have
renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor
handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth
commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our
gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For
we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants
for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded
the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. But if our gospel be hid, it’s
sealed, it’s hid to them that are lost.
I have hid Thy Word, that I might not sin against You. “I will write My Law on their hearts.” If you feel like you’re not getting where you
were in life, you need to get back to that, what God has sealed on your heart. Study it, get into it, live it, let it
breathe through you. But if our gospel
be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. Verse number seven, “But we have
this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of
God, and not of us.” He is the God of
all flesh. There’s nothing too hard for
Him. It’s still in earthen vessels. Yes, we’re going to fall and make
mistakes. Yes, we’re going to be lazy at
times. Yes, we’re going to be tired. Yes, we’re going to get weary in the
journey. But, it still is, and ye shall
have hope. Amen? 2 We Have Something to Do There’s something to do with this
treasure. We can’t just say, “Oh, I got
the Holy Ghost. It’s all good, it’s
great. What’s on TV tonight?” There’s something for each and every one of
us to do. “What do you want me to do,
Lord?” We have been given this ministry,
see, if we faint not. We just read about
that. I know this is a lot of Scriptures
today, but I’m really letting the Scriptures make the points today. Sometimes I come up, and I expound a little
bit more, and, yes, that’s all good and proper sometimes, but sometimes you’ve
got to let the Word of God speak for itself, amen? Ephesians 4:1-16 I
therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in
the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in
one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father
of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace
according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now
that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower
parts of the earth? He that descended is
the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all
things.) And he gave some, apostles; and
some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ: Till we all come in the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But
speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the
head, even Christ: From whom the whole
body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh
increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Endeavoring to keep the
unity—verse umber three—of the Spirit in the bond of peace… The unity has to be there. Verse number eight: …He led captivity captive, and He gave gifts
to men. Verse number twelve; …For the work of the ministry, for the
perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ. This is why we’ve been
given these gifts, it’s not to say, “Oh, praise God! I’m saved; forget about everybody else.” We have something to do. Andy was talking about it today: We’re all a product. We all have a part; we all have something to
do in this ministry. Amen? Let’s talk about
distractions. We have work, though. Nehemiah was building the wall, rebuilding
Jerusalem, but there was an enemy. There’s always an enemy, isn’t there? Nehemiah 6:1-3 Now it
came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest
of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach
left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;) That
Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some
one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am
doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease,
whilst I leave it, and come down to you? Interesting how this is called the
plain of Ono. The enemy wants us to come
down to his turf, but we have work to do.
What you have to do is tell the enemy, “Oh, no. Oh, no, I’m not coming down there, I have
something to do for God. I’m not going
back to my friends and the things I used to do. I’m not going to those people
that do the crazy things, I have something to do for God.” Don’t leave the work that God has for you to
do. There’s distractions even within
your own home, even within your own home.
Sometimes there’s thing that come to distract you. You’ve got to put those things aside, and
say, “I’ve got a work to do. If we didn’t have an enemy, how
could God prove His power? And how could
God prove that He has a work for you?
There’s going to be a battle, he’s going to fight against you. So, don’t be dismayed, don’t be discouraged;
it’s going to come. Pastor Paine talked
about, “Yeah, it’s going to get worse, sometimes. And, after that, maybe even worse.” Talked about how they were going to kick them
out of the synagogues, and even kill them.
I don’t know how bad you’ve had it before, but nobody’s come after me to
kill me, yet. Amen? I have a work to do for God. I have received the Holy Ghost; I have
something to do. 3 Come Alive Paul ran across some people on
Maars’ Hill, that had a bunch of idols, and a bunch of different statues. Man trying to reach God, or trying to explain
God. That’s what religion is, but the
Holy Ghost is God trying to reach man, trying to commune with man. Religion is man’s way of trying to reach God,
but God is saying, “I have something better; I want to reach you.” Acts 17:22-28 Then Paul stood in
the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all
things ye are too superstitious. For as
I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription,
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye
ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord
of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; He wants to live in us. Acts 17:25-27 Neither is
worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to
all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of
men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times
before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the
Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far
from every one of us: God’s not far from every one of
us. Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our
being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his
offspring. For in Him we live, and breathe,
and have our very being. How many
paramedics do we have here, today? We’ve
got Mike, we’ve got Damien… When you
come to a scene, an emergency scene, if someone has broken their leg, do you
perform CPR? They’re not dead, they’re
just injured. But, if they’re dead, then
you’re going to perform CPR, and it will revive them. That is what revival is all about, so, if
you’re saying, “I need revival,” you’ve got something that’s dead. So that’s where this church God’s worrying
about is. God wants to perform spiritual
CPR to this church. I’m not saying this
is anybody here, but this is a letter to the churches, amen? Revelations 3:1-6 And unto
the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the
seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a
name that thou livest, and art dead. Be
watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I
have not found thy works perfect before God.
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and
repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and
thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which
have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they
are worthy. He that overcometh, the same
shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the
book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his
angels. He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. This was written to Sardis, but it
was for everybody, even for us, today; all of us. This church had a name; it was well-known,
but, yet, they were dead. You can have a
name, and have a testimony, but be dead.
“I used to do this; I used to do that,” but God says you’re dead, “I
have not found your works perfect.” But
there’s still hope; strengthen that which remains. That’s the work of the ministry. That’s where we come to edify one another. That’s where the joints are supplied. That’s where we pray for one another. That’s where we come and learn from one
another. That’s where we come and
encourage one another. That’s where we
go visit the sick in the hospital. That’s
where we say, “Here am I. Send me.” There’s hope.
It’s sealed. And we come to our closing
Scripture, here. The prophet came upon a
valley of dry bones. Ezekiel 37:1-5 The hand of the
LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down
in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by
them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and,
lo, they were very dry. And he said unto
me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these
bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones;
Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: Come alive. Ezekiel 37:6-8 And I will lay
sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and
put breath in you, and ye shall live; [Come alive] and ye shall know that I am
the LORD. So I prophesied as I was
commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking [Kind
of like that upper room. Kind of like
that day of Pentecost], and the bones came together, bone to his bone [God is
bringing the body together, bring it together].
And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and
the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. There was life in them. Ezekiel 37:9-10 Then said he unto
me, Prophesy unto the wind [a rushing, mighty wind, it says in Acts], prophesy,
son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four
winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the
breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an
exceeding great army. I don’t know where you’re at in
your walk today. I don’t know what
struggle you’re going through. It’s time
to come alive! Come alive! I don’t if you’re dead, first. I don’t know if you feel like you’re
unworthy. Come alive! Come alive!
Come alive! I’m going to play
this song, and then the next voice you hear will be Brother Andy’s. God bless you, church.
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