Speaker 1: Let's turn to God's Word in the book of Luke, luke, chapter 1, christmas is around the corner.
Speaker 1: Say amen, yeah, you can get your best.
Speaker 1: What is it called?
Speaker 1: We used to call it Sunday best, or is it Christmas best?
Speaker 1: Okay so, but we thank God.
Speaker 1: So I read from Luke, chapter 1, from verse 26 all the way to 38.
Speaker 1: So this is what is going to happen.
Speaker 1: Where Mary is talking, we are all talking, you get it.
Speaker 1: So where it's Mary engaging, we all engage.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: So, verse 26, this is what God's word says.
Speaker 1: So where it's Mary engaging, we all engage.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: So, verse 26, this is what God's word says.
Speaker 1: Now, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David.
Speaker 1: The virgin's name was Mary and, having come in, the angel said to her rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you.
Speaker 1: Blessed are you among women.
Speaker 1: And we are decreeing from this pulpit that we bless our sisters, we bless our mothers, we bless our wives, we bless our daughters, we bless our nieces, we bless our grandmothers, we bless our aunts.
Speaker 1: We bless you from this pulpit.
Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, favored, are you amongst women.
Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, verse 29.
Speaker 1: But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was.
Speaker 1: Then the angel said to her do not be afraid, mary, for you have found favor with God.
Speaker 1: You just missed an opportunity to shout amen.
Speaker 1: Thank you, verse 31,.
Speaker 1: And behold, you will conceive in your womb.
Speaker 1: So, since we said we are all Marys, look at the men around you and tell them you will conceive in your womb.
Speaker 1: You, and tell them you will conceive in your womb.
Speaker 1: Okay, we are talking about the womb of the spirit, so take it easy.
Speaker 1: Okay, we don't want you confused when you come from the church.
Speaker 1: Okay, so, and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus, verse 32,.
Speaker 1: His name, jesus, verse 32,.
Speaker 1: He will be your carrying greatness on the inside of you.
Speaker 1: Don't apologize, don't be sorry about it.
Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, scripture says greater is he that is on the inside of you.
Speaker 1: So he will be great and will be called the son of the highest, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father, david, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end.
Speaker 1: Then Mary said to the angel Mary, how can this be, since I do not know a man?
Speaker 1: And the angel answered and said to her the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest will overshadow you.
Speaker 1: Say, amen, yeah, because that's your portion.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 1: Then it says where are we?
Speaker 1: Is it Elizabeth?
Speaker 1: Therefore, Okay, therefore, also that holy one who is to be born will be called the son of God.
Speaker 1: Now, indeed, elizabeth, your relative has also conceived a son in her old age and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
Speaker 1: You know what that means there was, there, was, there is a.
Speaker 1: Now God is giving somebody a testimony in Jesus name, for with God, nothing will be impossible.
Speaker 1: Then, finally, mary said in verse 38,.
Speaker 1: Then Mary said behold the maidservant of the Lord.
Speaker 1: Let it be to me, according to your word.
Speaker 1: And the angel departed Amen.
Speaker 1: So as we get ready, I'd like us to pray.
Speaker 1: If we could have Psalm 119, verse 18,.
Speaker 1: That is our prayer, psalm 119, verse 18, then we will be seated as we get to hear God's word, psalm 119, verse 18.
Speaker 1: As we make that prayer together, all right, shall we pray together.
Speaker 1: Let's word Psalm 119, verse 18.
Speaker 1: As we make that prayer together, alright, shall we pray together.
Speaker 1: Let's go Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from your law, in Jesus name, amen.
Speaker 1: As Pastor Simon has mentioned, basically a son, a child of this house.
Speaker 1: Such a great privilege and a great joy to grow and be nurtured under the wings of our senior pastor, reverend Ambrose Nyangau and Pasi.
Speaker 1: We speak shalom to you and we speak God's rest upon you, knowing that you are coming back strong.
Speaker 1: Isn't it To begin, pastor Makofi?
Speaker 1: Just one more time.
Speaker 1: And thank you, pastor Simon, for the many years of discipleship and nurturing.
Speaker 1: I do not take it for granted, and even this opportunity, just to stand on this pulpit and share God's word with God's people.
Speaker 1: You can tell your neighbor, pastor Riggs is married, yeah, to one wife.
Speaker 1: Her name is Janine.
Speaker 1: Yeah, tell your neighbor her name is Janine.
Speaker 1: All right, so she was here in the morning service.
Speaker 1: Please receive her greetings and her love.
Speaker 1: I know many of us have interacted with her and at least since I have the mic, why don't we put our hands together for her?
Speaker 1: Asant ni?
Speaker 1: And?
Speaker 1: God has blessed us with three wonderful children, that is Rudy, neema and Taraji, and she has told me there's nothing like acting last born.
Speaker 1: Taraji is the last born.
Speaker 1: So ninyenyeke nani tulie Bane eso sifiwe, he's the lastborn.
Speaker 1: So, as mentioned by Pastor Simon, we celebrated Jehovah Nissi, the Lord, the flag of my victory.
Speaker 1: Then we celebrated unleashing kingdom power through prayer.
Speaker 1: Then, last Sunday, de Contimo reminded us Isn't it the power of God's word?
Speaker 1: Isn't it the power of God's word?
Speaker 1: Isn't it Okay, because we keep saying, prayer and the word are inseparable.
Speaker 1: The richness of your prayer life will be determined by the richness, your richness, in the word of God.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: Goes like that.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: Goals like that?
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: Then, today, having conversations with Pastor Simon, I strongly felt the impression God has done so much for us.
Speaker 1: God is inviting us to the place of surrender, Because, as we focus on open door ability, uplifted kingdom power, and we know that the Holy Spirit is God in us, god at work in us, god at work through us, and we can confidently say tell your neighbor, god is working on you.
Speaker 1: So don't give up, isn't it?
Speaker 1: Don't give up on God, because he will never, never fail.
Speaker 1: Praise the Lord.
Speaker 1: And so that's the message I bring to us this wonderful afternoon, uplifted kingdom power through surrender.
Speaker 1: And so ask your neighbor do you believe in surrender?
Speaker 1: It's not a rhetorical question, so you better have a chat in God's house.
Speaker 1: And let me push it further.
Speaker 1: Do you believe in surrendering to God?
Speaker 1: Do you believe in surrendering to the Lordship of His Son, jesus Christ?
Speaker 1: Do you believe in surrendering to the power of the Holy Spirit?
Speaker 1: And I ask another question, now that we are just from singing the hymn I surrender all.
Speaker 1: Turn to your neighbor and have a bit of a chat and ask them what is surrender to you?
Speaker 1: Some of you are looking at me.
Speaker 1: Engage your neighbor and make sure they give you an answer.
Speaker 1: Are we together, mom Beatrice?
Speaker 1: What is surrender to you?
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: I can see mom doing this.
Speaker 1: By doing this, mom is saying surrender is giving my all.
Speaker 1: Isn't it A few definitions and a few pictures from scripture that we see reminding us of surrender, that surrender is a voluntary yielding of self to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1: I'll say that again A voluntary yielding to the convicting power and the convictions of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1: Pictures of surrender in the Bible I'd like us to read together Galatians, chapter 2, verse 20.
Speaker 1: If we could have it on the screen immediately.
Speaker 1: Galatians 2, verse 20.
Speaker 1: Let's read it together I have been crucified with Christ.
Speaker 1: It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
Speaker 1: And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Speaker 1: A picture of surrender is I have been crucified with Christ.
Speaker 1: It is no longer who, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: That's a picture of surrender and it is my prayer, god's children, that that shall be our testimony, that that shall be our declaration.
Speaker 1: Another picture of surrender is John, chapter 3, verse 30.
Speaker 1: John, chapter 3, verse 30.
Speaker 1: If we could read it together and this is John speaking what does John say?
Speaker 1: He must, but I must.
Speaker 1: Is that your prayer?
Speaker 1: He must increase, but I must, I must decrease.
Speaker 1: And I remember saying in the morning service, somebody once said instead of asking for more and more of God, we need to ask God to empty us of ourselves.
Speaker 1: Well, I don't know about you, but that is true of me I need to ask him God, empty me of self and fill me with more and more of you that I must.
Speaker 1: It is not an option.
Speaker 1: It is imperative that if you're going to experience the power of God, if you're going to experience the ability that the Spirit of God gives, then you must, then I must do what I must decrease that Christ may increase, decrease that Christ may increase, and that's what we are invited to.
Speaker 1: Another picture of surrender is 1 Peter.
Speaker 1: If we could go to 1 Peter 5, verse 6 and 7, media team, I'd like us to read it together again.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's read it together.
Speaker 1: Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.
Speaker 1: Tell somebody humble yourself, you want to be lifted.
Speaker 1: What do you need to do?
Speaker 1: Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and what will God do?
Speaker 1: He may exalt you in due time.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: And God visited Mary in due time.
Speaker 1: Let's continue.
Speaker 1: Verse 7.
Speaker 1: Casting all your cares upon him, for he cares for you.
Speaker 1: Well, that verse is saying God cares what you care about, but beyond that, god cares for you.
Speaker 1: Matthew I think it's Matthew, chapter 6, where scripture says If he takes care of the birds of the air and he clothes the grass of the field, will he not take care of you?
Speaker 1: Then he says this O ye of little faith.
Speaker 1: May God increase our faith that we'll have confidence, knowing that our God is able to do that which he said he will do, amen.
Speaker 1: Another picture of surrender is Psalm 46, verse 10.
Speaker 1: A verse we all know, psalm 46, verse 10.
Speaker 1: What does it say?
Speaker 1: Be still and know that I am God.
Speaker 1: I will be exalted among the nations.
Speaker 1: I will be exalted in the earth.
Speaker 1: Tell your neighbor, be still and know that he is God.
Speaker 1: So it's not just being still for the sake of it, it's being still resting in the assurance that my God is more than able, that there is nothing he cannot do, amen.
Speaker 1: Finally, just one more picture that I found this interesting Pastor Simon, Genesis 22.
Speaker 1: Genesis 22, verse 14 to 16.
Speaker 1: Bringing to us the story of Abraham.
Speaker 1: And I remember catching up with Pastor Simon as I was getting ready for today, and Pastor Simon told me you see, pastor Riggs, abraham surrendered his destiny into the hands of God and because he surrendered his destiny into the hands of God, he became a blessing to the nations of the world.
Speaker 1: Guess what?
Speaker 1: That is your story, if you surrender your destiny, if you surrender your children, if you surrender your family, if you surrender this land into the hands of the living God in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1: Let's read it together Verse 14.
Speaker 1: Believing God in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1: Let's read it together, verse 14,.
Speaker 1: And Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide, as it is said to this day, in the mountain of the Lord, it shall be provided.
Speaker 1: Verse 15,.
Speaker 1: Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven.
Speaker 1: Now, verse 16 is where the punchline is, and said by myself.
Speaker 1: I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son.
Speaker 1: Blessing I will bless you and multiplying, I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore.
Speaker 1: And your descendants shall possess the gates of their enemies in Jesus' name, the gates of their enemies in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1: Every time we hear surrender, we tend to shy away.
Speaker 1: But we have seen from Genesis when Abraham surrendered, he touched the heart of God.
Speaker 1: It made God commit to something.
Speaker 1: That's what your surrender does.
Speaker 1: It invites God to do something that no man can do.
Speaker 1: But look at what he says since you have not withheld you know, pastor Simon, I find that interesting.
Speaker 1: God did not say since you have given me your son.
Speaker 1: He said since you have not withheld.
Speaker 1: And I keep asking myself what is it that I'm withholding from God?
Speaker 1: Sometimes it's not so much what you have given to him, it's what you're holding on, what you're holding back from him.
Speaker 1: Say amen, are we together?
Speaker 1: What is it?
Speaker 1: Are there spaces in your heart where you're telling God, god, there, you cannot come, I'm not going to forgive my wife, I'm not going to forgive my boss?
Speaker 1: Are there spaces in your life you're telling God you can only come this far and not closer, seeing you have not withheld your son from me.
Speaker 1: Blessing the Lord will bless you.
Speaker 1: You want to experience the greatness and the fullness of God.
Speaker 1: I invite you to the place of surrender.
Speaker 1: Surrender is turning from self.
Speaker 1: It's a deliberate, intentional decision To turn away from self and turning to God, turning from going my way to going God's way and living life to the honor of his name.
Speaker 1: Surrender is a very personal decision.
Speaker 1: I cannot surrender for you.
Speaker 1: You have to do it for yourself.
Speaker 1: Your wife, your husband, your children, your pastor cannot surrender for you.
Speaker 1: That's your choice.
Speaker 1: Will you today choose to surrender?
Speaker 1: When we refuse to surrender to God, we deny ourselves the privilege and the blessing of experiencing the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1: That's what we deny ourselves.
Speaker 1: The believer who does not yield to the power of the Holy Spirit will remain weak in his faith and his service to God and humanity.
Speaker 1: Consider all the men and women that God has used to impact generations.
Speaker 1: There is one common thing about them they fully depended, they fully surrendered and yielded to the divine indwelling person, enduring presence and enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, dl Moody said this, a famous preacher, by the way, dl Moody.
Speaker 1: Pastor Simon, they say, was not very educated, but God used DL Moody in amazing ways.
Speaker 1: Dl Moody said the world is yet to see what God can and will do through a man, through a woman who is fully committed to him.
Speaker 1: And then he makes a prayer and says by God's grace, I pray to be that man.
Speaker 1: I pray that that is your prayer today.
Speaker 1: If we will experience and release the ability of the Holy Spirit in and through us, then we must completely and totally yield to the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1: We must totally surrender.
Speaker 1: Three things I share with us, therefore, from the passage that we have read, gleaning from that passage in Luke, chapter 1, verse 26 to 38, number one tell your neighbor surrender to the word of God.
Speaker 1: Number two surrender to the power of God.
Speaker 1: And number three surrender to the purposes of God.
Speaker 1: Mary surrendered to the purposes of God.
Speaker 1: Mary surrendered to the word of God.
Speaker 1: She exercised faith.
Speaker 1: Scripture says in the book of James that faith without deeds is what Is dead.
Speaker 1: And Mary exercised her faith.
Speaker 1: Your faith is not to make you feel good, your faith in God is to be exercised.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: Let me read this Even as I quote Hebrews 11, verse 1, this is what scripture says Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen For.
Speaker 1: By it the elders obtained a good testimony.
Speaker 1: What will give you a good testimony?
Speaker 1: It's your faith in God demonstrated.
Speaker 1: Earlier on in the morning service, I gave a story of an acrobat, a gymnast, pastor Simon.
Speaker 1: So he swung a rope from that end at the top there to one end, and the audience was cheering when he was doing that.
Speaker 1: Then he asked a question how many of you believe that I can walk on this suspended rope from one end to the other?
Speaker 1: What was their response?
Speaker 1: Be sure, what was their response?
Speaker 1: Their response was yes.
Speaker 1: And so what did he do?
Speaker 1: Got onto the rope, balanced himself, walked from one end to the other and went back.
Speaker 1: What did the audience do?
Speaker 1: Cheered him, isn't it?
Speaker 1: Then he got a wheelbarrow.
Speaker 1: After getting the wheelbarrow, he asked the audience wheelbarrow.
Speaker 1: After getting the wheelbarrow, he asked the audience how many of you believe that I can actually wheel this wheelbarrow on this suspended rope to that end and come back?
Speaker 1: What was their response?
Speaker 1: Yes.
Speaker 1: Come on, say it louder.
Speaker 1: What was their response?
Speaker 1: Yes.
Speaker 1: And so what did he do?
Speaker 1: Wheeled the wheelbarrow one end to the other and did what?
Speaker 1: And came back.
Speaker 1: Then he asked a third question how many of you believe that I can actually carry somebody on this wheelbarrow and wheel them from this end to that end and bring them back?
Speaker 1: What do you think they said?
Speaker 1: They said yes.
Speaker 1: Okay, they said yes.
Speaker 1: Then he had a fourth question.
Speaker 1: Then he said I need a volunteer.
Speaker 1: And the whole auditorium there was pin drop silence.
Speaker 1: Now guess what?
Speaker 1: Church, unfortunately, many times that's how we are.
Speaker 1: God invites us.
Speaker 1: He says come to me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Speaker 1: Guess what?
Speaker 1: You go to the place of prayer and you say God, I surrender.
Speaker 1: Then, when you say amen, you pick it up again and keep going.
Speaker 1: Many of the times we feel the situations of our country are beyond God.
Speaker 1: Let me tell you the situations of this country may be beyond us, but they are never beyond God.
Speaker 1: Scripture says he governs the nations of the earth with justice.
Speaker 1: Kenya is part of those nations and the destiny of this nation is not in the hands of men.
Speaker 1: It is in the hands of the living God.
Speaker 1: But will you choose to surrender Kenya into the hands of the living God?
Speaker 1: Let me read this the Word of God faith exercised.
Speaker 1: I encourage us please get yourself a copy of this book, if you haven't Written by our senior pastor Talking about faith.
Speaker 1: He says faith is a creative force that comes from a heart that is full of the word of God.
Speaker 1: Faith is supernatural and yet natural to the one who is born of God.
Speaker 1: To have faith is to move into the no limit zone of God's ability and not your ability.
Speaker 1: I'll say that again that faith is moving into the no limit zone of God's ability and not your ability.
Speaker 1: My ability will fail me, my ability will fail me, your ability will fail you.
Speaker 1: Then he continues.
Speaker 1: The pastor continues to write faith as small as a mustard seed planted into the situations of life, will do miracles.
Speaker 1: If you have this kind of faith, the Lord Jesus said that nothing will be impossible for you.
Speaker 1: Faith relies on the revealed word of God.
Speaker 1: It is vital that your faith be built and farmed up by the word of God as you meditate on it day and night, and not meditating on Moshene and, I dare add, not meditating on Menene guns, because we love to do that.
Speaker 1: Don't we Meditate on the word of God?
Speaker 1: Because there's a direct correlation between your faith and the richness of God in you.
Speaker 1: Colossians 3.16.
Speaker 1: Let the word of God dwell in you richly, because if you don't know the word of God, how will you know that he's the God of all flesh, that there is nothing he cannot do?
Speaker 1: If you don't walk in the word of God, if you don't meditate on this word, how will you know that he says cast your cares upon him, for he cares for you?
Speaker 1: If you don't know the word of God, how will you know that he says before you stepped onto this planet, I knew you in your mother's womb, father's womb.
Speaker 1: Faith has an anchor, and the anchor is the word of God.
Speaker 1: Let me finish reading.
Speaker 1: It says, it is vital that your faith be built and farmed up by the word of God as you meditate upon it day and night.
Speaker 1: This releases and births the supernatural faith that opens the door into the no-limits zone.
Speaker 1: This faith has no fear and, I dare add, this faith knows no fear.
Speaker 1: The only fear it knows is the fear of God, the God who is able to do all things.
Speaker 1: This faith trusts in God.
Speaker 1: Where have you put your faith?
Speaker 1: Where have you put your faith, my brother, my sister?
Speaker 1: Is your faith in God?
Speaker 1: Psalm 125,.
Speaker 1: Those who trust in the Lord, they are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
Speaker 1: That as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord has surrounded his people.
Speaker 1: From this time on and forevermore, you are surrounded.
Speaker 1: Child of God in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1: This faith is unshakable.
Speaker 1: This faith is unstoppable.
Speaker 1: The just shall live by faith.
Speaker 1: Hebrews 11, 6,.
Speaker 1: Without faith, it's impossible to please God.
Speaker 1: So, brothers and sisters, position yourself to receive the word of God.
Speaker 1: Find time and read Isaiah, chapter 50, verse 3 and 4.
Speaker 1: Isaiah says he awakens me in the morning, that I may hear, that I may listen to him.
Speaker 1: Get time and read Psalm chapter 19, verse 7 to 11.
Speaker 1: There is no limit to what God's word can do.
Speaker 1: God is not depending on you to fulfill his word.
Speaker 1: We remember Decontimo, sharing here last Sunday and reading from Jeremiah, chapter 1.
Speaker 1: God speaking and saying for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.
Speaker 1: He is watching.
Speaker 1: He doesn't need my help.
Speaker 1: All he wants me to do is do what Believe.
Speaker 1: All he wants me to do is what Believe have.
Speaker 1: He wants me to do is what Believe.
Speaker 1: Have faith in God.
Speaker 1: Quickly.
Speaker 1: How do you position yourself to receive?
Speaker 1: Hear the word of God.
Speaker 1: Number one hear the word of God From Romans 10, 17.
Speaker 1: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Speaker 1: Secondly read the word of God.
Speaker 1: I know some of you read the newspapers as though there's an exam coming.
Speaker 1: That much time you commit to reading the newspaper and to watching the news.
Speaker 1: Let there be a shift and say I will take as much time to read God's word.
Speaker 1: That is Revelation 1.3.
Speaker 1: Take time to study the word of God, acts 17.11.
Speaker 1: The Bereans were of a more noble character.
Speaker 1: For what did they do?
Speaker 1: They studied, they examined the scriptures daily to see if Paul, who wrote almost half the New Testament, if what he was teaching is true.
Speaker 1: Spend time in the word of God.
Speaker 1: Memorize the word of God.
Speaker 1: Psalm 119, verse 9 to 11.
Speaker 1: Verse 11 says your word I have hidden in my heart that I may not sin against you.
Speaker 1: You can ask your neighbor what's hidden in your heart, and I'm not talking about your skeletons and the many secrets that you have.
Speaker 1: Is it the word of God?
Speaker 1: Can you replace those secrets and those skeletons with the word of faith?
Speaker 1: Acts, chapter 20, verse 32, says this word is able to give you an inheritance.
Speaker 1: This word is able to build you up in your most holy faith.
Speaker 1: This word is able to sustain you.
Speaker 1: This word is able to keep you.
Speaker 1: I put my faith in Jesus.
Speaker 1: He will never let me.
Speaker 1: Pastor Riggs will let you down, never, god.
Speaker 1: Meditate on the word of God.
Speaker 1: Psalm chapter 1, verse 1 to 3.
Speaker 1: That when you delight in the Lord of the Lord, you'll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water.
Speaker 1: Finally, obey the word of God.
Speaker 1: Obey the word of God.
Speaker 1: And so my question to you, my brother, my sister, is what would change if you truly exercised your faith in God?
Speaker 1: How will your family change, how will your life change when you truly exercise your faith in God.
Speaker 1: We must surrender to the power of God.
Speaker 1: Tell your neighbor.
Speaker 1: Surrender to the power of God.
Speaker 1: As we read Luke, chapter 1, verses 35 to 37,.
Speaker 1: The angel responded to Mary and said the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Speaker 1: That is your portion as you surrender to him.
Speaker 1: Zechariah 4.6,.
Speaker 1: Not by power, not by might, but by my spirit, says the Lord.
Speaker 1: If we could have Luke, chapter 4, verse 18 and 19 on the screen, please media.
Speaker 1: Luke 4, 18 and 19.
Speaker 1: Luke, chapter 4.
Speaker 1: Surrender to the power of God.
Speaker 1: There is an enablement that is given as you yield to the power of God.
Speaker 1: Let's read it together.
Speaker 1: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to do.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: The Holy Spirit just doesn't come into my life for the sake of it.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: He has anointed me too.
Speaker 1: God gives you the ability to do something to the honor of his name.
Speaker 1: Let's continue reading.
Speaker 1: To preach the gospel to the poor.
Speaker 1: He has sent me.
Speaker 1: To heal the broken hearted.
Speaker 1: To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.
Speaker 1: To set at liberty those who are oppressed.
Speaker 1: To proclaim the acceptable ear of the Lord.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: Acts chapter 10, verse 38 talks of how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.
Speaker 1: And what did Jesus do?
Speaker 1: Who went about doing good and healing all who are oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Speaker 1: Tell your neighbor, the Holy Spirit is your advantage, depend on him.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: He is your helper.
Speaker 1: He gives you the power to be and to become.
Speaker 1: He is the spirit who causes rivers to flow in the desert.
Speaker 1: He causes streams to flow in the wilderness.
Speaker 1: He causes the barren womb to sing.
Speaker 1: He did it for Elizabeth.
Speaker 1: Remember what we read?
Speaker 1: Her, who was called barren, is now six months.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: And that is your story, that, because you have surrendered to him, we will say ha, who was?
Speaker 1: Because there is a now.
Speaker 1: 2 Corinthians 5.17.
Speaker 1: If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.
Speaker 1: Behold, the old is gone, everything has become new.
Speaker 1: He causes the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the lame to leap for joy.
Speaker 1: He breaks the yoke of oppression.
Speaker 1: He scatters every darkness.
Speaker 1: He makes a way where there seems to be no way, brothers and sisters, receive divine ability, divine enablement.
Speaker 1: They said you won't, but I stand here today and I say you will.
Speaker 1: They said you will not graduate.
Speaker 1: I stand here and say you will.
Speaker 1: They said in your family marriages don't work.
Speaker 1: I decree and I declare you will.
Speaker 1: They said you won't finish that house.
Speaker 1: Guess what you will?
Speaker 1: In jesus name, because you can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you in Jesus name.
Speaker 1: If you're celebrating the living God, do it like you mean it.
Speaker 1: Allow me to use this just to illustrate Ephesians, chapter 3, verse 20 to 21.
Speaker 1: Let me ask you who's holding the bottle?
Speaker 1: Is it the glove or the hand?
Speaker 1: Isn't it the hand?
Speaker 1: Brothers and sisters submit to the Holy Spirit the same way this glove has submitted to the hand, and nothing shall be impossible.
Speaker 1: Let's read together Ephesians 3.20,.
Speaker 1: The God who never fails, the God of much more, even as we get ready for the third point, ephesians 3.20, let's read it together Now.
Speaker 1: To him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, and above all, that we ask or think according to the power that works where there's, a power that is working in you, propelling you forward.
Speaker 1: You are unstoppable in Jesus' name, because the Holy Spirit is at work in you.
Speaker 1: Philippians 2.12.13 says For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do according to his good pleasure in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1: Let's finish it Ephesians 3.20,.
Speaker 1: Working in us.
Speaker 1: To him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus, to all generations, forever and ever.
Speaker 1: Amen.
Speaker 1: And talking of generations, it is important that we submit to the purposes of God.
Speaker 1: I challenge you and I invite you consider your life.
Speaker 1: Are you living for self or are you living for God?
Speaker 1: Mary gave herself completely.
Speaker 1: She gave herself away to the purposes of God.
Speaker 1: Mary, as we sing that song, mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Speaker 1: Mary, did you know that the blind will see?
Speaker 1: Mary, did you know that the sick would be healed?
Speaker 1: Mary, did you know that somebody will find purpose, because the child you are carrying is a child of greatness?
Speaker 1: Brothers and sisters, receive the purposes of God.
Speaker 1: Be a conduit of the purposes of God.
Speaker 1: Be an instrument that God would use to impact generations.
Speaker 1: May God use you to be a blessing to your children.
Speaker 1: May God use you to be a blessing to your family, the blessing that God has released upon you.
Speaker 1: Often it is not for you, it is for others.
Speaker 1: Have you ever seen a mango tree eat its own fruit?
Speaker 1: I didn't hear us, and so why are you keeping it all to yourself?
Speaker 1: Be a channel, be an instrument that God flows through to bless and impact generations.
Speaker 1: You can open a door for somebody, please do it.
Speaker 1: You can lift somebody up, please do it.
Speaker 1: You can pay school fees for someone, please do it.
Speaker 1: You can feed a family, please do it.
Speaker 1: You can pay a medical bill for somebody.
Speaker 1: God has blessed you so that you can be a blessing to generations.
Speaker 1: In Jesus name.
Speaker 1: Jeremiah 1 5.
Speaker 1: Even as I asked the worship team to be coming, god spoke to Jeremiah and say to him before you are formed in your mother's womb, I knew you and I appointed you to be my voice to the nations.
Speaker 1: The neighbor you're seated next to is a manifestation of God's purposes.
Speaker 1: Don't take them for granted.
Speaker 1: You guys just missed an opportunity to shout amen.
Speaker 1: You are a manifestation of God's purposes.
Speaker 1: You are not an accident.
Speaker 1: Jeremiah 29, 11,.
Speaker 1: God speaks and says for I know, I know.
Speaker 1: I know God knows things may be thick right now.
Speaker 1: Nothing seems to be working.
Speaker 1: Nothing seems to be moving.
Speaker 1: God is saying I know the plans I have for you.
Speaker 1: Declares who Declares the Lord Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Speaker 1: That is the God that we serve.
Speaker 1: Will you trust in him today?
Speaker 1: Ephesians 2.10.
Speaker 1: Scripture says we are God, god's workmanship.
Speaker 1: You are God's masterpiece.
Speaker 1: I like that, pastor Simon.
Speaker 1: You are not somebody else's invention.
Speaker 1: You are God's masterpiece.
Speaker 1: He created you in his own image and in his likeness.
Speaker 1: God sent his son to die for you because you are worth dying for.
Speaker 1: Don't let anybody demean you.
Speaker 1: You're a child of God.
Speaker 1: You're a child of the most high God.
Speaker 1: You belong to God.
Speaker 1: You belong to God in Jesus name.
Speaker 1: You are of great value.
Speaker 1: In Isaiah 43, God says you're precious, you're honored in my sight and God loves you.
Speaker 1: Will you allow God to use you to impact generations In the morning?
Speaker 1: I remember having a conversation one time with Pastor Simon, and Pastor Simon said Christianity is one generation away from extinction.
Speaker 1: My question to you, even as we bow our heads, is what will you do about it?
Speaker 1: If Christianity is one generation away from extinction, what will you do about it?
Speaker 1: Away from extinction, what will you do about it.
Speaker 1: Psalm 145, verse 4 and 6, says one generation will commend your works to another.
Speaker 1: The Holy Spirit moves and enables those who are fully yielded and totally surrendered to Him.
Speaker 1: Again in this book, our senior pastor writes and says I will do exploits in his name.
Speaker 1: I will know the purposes of God for me.
Speaker 1: I will do and bring to fruition what God has enabled me to be and to do.
Speaker 1: The greater one lives in me and walks through me in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1: Brothers and sisters, remember, when we refuse to surrender to God, we deny ourselves the blessing, the privilege and the opportunity to experience the fullness of his power at work in us and through us.
Speaker 1: We will only experience his power and ability only to the extent that we are willing to surrender our all to him.
Speaker 1: As we close our eyes and bow down our heads, I submit to you that there is wisdom in surrender, there is wisdom in yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1: There is wisdom in surrendering to God Most High.
Speaker 1: Now, you see, I'm not a swimmer.
Speaker 1: I'm not a swimmer, but my friends who are good at it, they tell me Riggs, if you want to be a good swimmer, you have to surrender yourself to the buoyancy of water.
Speaker 1: And guess what?
Speaker 1: If you're going to experience the fullness of the power of God, you have to surrender yourself to the buoyancy of the Spirit of God.
Speaker 1: Let him carry you.
Speaker 1: Let's make this prayer together.
Speaker 1: Are we ready?
Speaker 1: Let's go.
Speaker 1: Heavenly Father, you are awesome and seated above the angels.
Speaker 1: You alone are to be worshipped and praised.
Speaker 1: It is to you I surrender and bow down.
Speaker 1: To you, o Lord, I surrender my spirit, mind and body.
Speaker 1: Fill me with all that is yours to the glory of your name.
Speaker 1: I want to walk in your path.
Speaker 1: Jesus, you are the way, the truth and the life we continue.
Speaker 1: I want to be surrendered to you each moment of every day and enjoy your pleasures.
Speaker 1: I want to live and walk a surrendered life, given and focused on you.
Speaker 1: I am an available vessel for you to use anytime, anywhere.
Speaker 1: I surrender my family, my work and all that I am and possess.
Speaker 1: I am blessed because your stamp of approval is upon me and I belong to you now and always.
Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, and the church said amen.