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Sermon of the Week 
Tuesday, May 24 2016

When the Spirit Cries Out ”Once More”

    We begin today in the 16th chapter of Judges and I want to read the 28th verse. “And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only once more, O Lord”.

    Many people might say, “My life is nothing like I thought it was going to be in Christ. I had such aspirations; I believed that all things were possible in Christ. I truly wanted to glorify God in the earth. But now when I look in the Bible and then look at my life, it seems as if I fall so far short of what I am supposed to be.”

    A pastor’s son asked his dad why it was that as soon as he went up onto the platform, he bowed his head and closed his eyes real tight. He said “Why do you do that Dad?" His dad told him, "I'm asking the Lord to help me give a good sermon." The little boy said, "Why doesn't He ever do it, Dad?"                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

    You see, there is a weak place in each of our hearts, just as there was in the hearts of those in Samson’s day. It is the place where we can’t believe beyond what we can see with our natural eyes that in turn opens the door to discouragement and disillusionment.

    So how do we get beyond this limited place, when our spirit is crying out for so much more? Is it through more Bible study or attending church more frequently? Our natural tendency is to conclude that if we just read more, study more, pray more, and do more, somehow our lives would be an ambassadorship of glory to the Name of God—only to realize later that all we have done is studied more, read more, prayed more and done more….but our effort alone, will not necessarily bring the glory of God, or we would have it all the time.

   Before a minister took a position in a new church, he had all of his remaining teeth pulled and new dentures put in. The first Sunday, he only preached 10 minutes. The second Sunday, he preached only 20 minutes. But, on the third Sunday, he preached 1 hour 25 minutes.

    Following the third Sunday, he was asked by some of the folks in the  congregation, why the difference in the length of his sermon on the three Sundays. Well, he said….The first Sunday, my gums were so sore it hurt to talk. The second Sunday, my dentures were hurting a lot. The third Sunday, I accidentally grabbed my wife's dentures... and I couldn't stop talking! More effort, without a listening Spirit, and a surrendered heart, will still fall short….It is only God who can and will get us beyond the places of limitation, as our heart cries out for that which can only come from Him.

    Haggai 2:6–7 “For thus says the Lord of hosts; Yet once more, I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts” If you seek me with all your heart you shall find me!!!! From my experience, it should probably more correctly say, If you seek me, I WILL FIND YOU, says the Lord!!!!

    In other words, the time has come that “Once More” I will fill you with My glory,” says the Lord. The word glory in the Hebrew text means weight, honor, esteem, glory, majesty, abundance and wealth. The Lord will fill us with what we could never have achieved on our own. It does not come from human effort but rather from simply believing and surrendering to God.

    Our God possesses all the resources of this earth, and He will endow us with all that we need to usher in, restore and fill this last temple period dispensation with His glory, if we lay aside the things that take first place and give Him first place. We truly will find more than we expect, when our expectation is accompanied with surrender and a whole hearted commitment to see God get all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise which He rightly deserves.

    The “Once More” inside of Samson, could not be silenced by the entire Philistine nation, which had gathered to celebrate his final defeat…..They could not silence the force of his heart’s cry as he shouted out from the depths of his spirit….. once more, O Lord!!!!!

    When people with limited ability, connect with a greater vision, a greater cause and a greater power, they can accomplish incredible feats. You and I can do amazing things in spite of any limitation we may experience, if we will dare to never cease to cry out….for a    “ONCE MORE” visitation!

    In the frigid waters around Greenland are countless icebergs, some little and some gigantic, reaching down far below the surface. If you’d observe them carefully, you’d notice that sometimes the small ice floes move in one direction while their massive counterparts flow in another. The explanation is simple. Surface winds drive the little ones, whereas the huge masses of ice are carried along by deep ocean currents. When we see circumstances and situations in our lives moving one way, while we are going in another, it’s helpful to see our lives as being subject to two forces—surface winds and deep ocean currents. The winds represent everything changeable, unpredictable, and distressing. But operating simultaneously with these gusts and gales is another force that’s even more powerful. It is the sure movement of God’s wise and sovereign purposes, the deep flow of His unchanging desire for His blessing in our lives.

    George Elliot…"It's never too late to be what you might have been." --                                                                                                                                                             

    Inventor Thomas Edison….."Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."                                                                                            

    When Dr. Seuss wrote his first children's book, it was rejected by 27 publishers. By the time of death in 1991, his books had sold more than 200 million copies in 15 languages. Since his death another 22 million of his books have been sold. What if he had quit after his 26th rejection from a publisher? But he tried once more…

    When Gideon cried out “Where is the lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob….it was in a time when the Philistines had overrun their fields, and their possessions, and they were having to sneak around by night, just to reap some of their own crops, and avoid the enemy at their door, while at the same time, knowing the glowing stories of God’s miraculous intervention over their enemies in the past…and Gideon was putting a demand on God’s integrity and faithfulness by saying, “Once More Lord”…..It was a covenant man calling upon a covenant God!!!! And his cry ascended to the God who hears, the God who Sees… the God who Knows…and the God who Remembers, and the God who is greater than all the forces that oppose us!

    Samson wanted God’s power, but he also wanted what the world had to offer… His problem was that while he hated the Philistines, he loved those Philistine women….Amazingly, God still continued to use Him, because of those who cried out to Him day and night and in spite of all his faltering and terrible choices, he stayed on mission… But there came a point when the ramifications of his disobedience caught up with him, and the harvest of his sin came home to roost! The truth about truth, is that it is embedded with righteous justice.        

    With his eyes poked out, chains on his hands and feet, and stripped in shame before his captors, Samson remembered other times and what it felt like to experience God’s power! A cry came forth from the deepest depth of his being, “Let me feel Your power once more, Lord”!!!!

    Folks can try to push it away, numb it down and shut it up….but it will not be silent! We can deny it and make other things our priority, but it will continue to call out…..”ONCE MORE, LORD, ONCE MORE”

    During the kids' Christmas presentation, everyone was going perfect as they were doing the manger scene, when someone noticed that something was missing on the set. As everyone was looking around, a bag was found behind the curtain which held this important part. The missing piece, that made the scene complete, was the baby Jesus.. The baby was quickly placed in the manger, so the presentation could then continue. When Jesus is in His rightful place, it completes whatever we’re doing or attempting to do….When Jesus is in His rightful place doors open that could not be opened, there is a way where there was no way!

     We have entered the feel good era of Christianity….Preaching has been replaced by feel good illustrations. Holiness has given way to happy hour. Commitment has been replaced by fun and entertainment. We get more excited about a shopping trip than we do about revival meetings. We wink at sin and cringe at the values and requirements of a Holy God.. We’ve become so user friendly that we have no distinction from the local social club.

    We have lost our fire, our power and our desire and passion for God. We would rather play than pray. We would rather have our ears tickled than our hearts set on fire by the Word of God. We would rather be stroked and soothed than challenged. We would rather stay like we are than become more like He is.                                                                                                                                                   

Jesus is not where He belongs and has every right to be! The baby is in a bag behind a curtain, and somebody needs to search until He is found!

    Thank God, there is still hope for all the modern day Samsons and Gideons…. And that hope springs from passionate men and women of God who are crying out for an open heaven, day and night they’re calling….once more, Lord, once more!!!

I discovered in preparing this message, that one of the names of God which He gave to Moses is “Jehovah Yaw Saf”….which is “The God of more”. He was telling Israel that they would be blessed more and more, that they might be known as the people of Jehovah.

    God is listening for the cry of Repentance – which releases His “Once More” Genuine repentance is the only hope our nation has for survival. God calls on all of us, to “turn” to Him “with all our heart”. He calls on us, to “rend” our hearts and not just our “garments” (which is a symbol for an outer show without an inner change). God isn’t looking for mere external displays of religion; He is looking for heart change. He is looking for a people who are broken and who are willing to change. He is looking for a people who will be sorrowful “with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning over our world”) This is the kind of people He will bless, restore and use, and He is anxiously waiting.

    God is Listening For A Cry Of Restoration … which releases His “Once More” God calls on all the people, from the oldest to the youngest, to come back to Him, . He calls for those occupied and consumed by the matters of this life to put Him first again, a place on our “to do list” where He is our first priority.. He’s calling on the spiritual leaders of the people to come back to Him in an intense relationship, that goes beyond the Pastor’s job or the deacon’s role, or the going through the motion of doing church. God wants His people to seek His face once more. He wants them to get hungry for Him one more time. God calls His people back to a place of closeness and holiness, God is calling His people back to Himself.

    I could be wrong, but I believe the church will experience one more great earth shaking, purifying revival and reformation before the Lord comes and we can see it coming out of West Virginia and some other places that are being reported even now. I believe that God is going to purify His church and bring us to a place of repentance and restoration one more time. Right now I can think of 12 hot spots that are on fire with revival….

    There is a great Charismatic awakening in China. Nothing in the history of missions rivals the success story that is China. They have gone from 2.7 million believers to nearly 80 million believers. One woman in India was saved from a radio broadcast, she started a house meeting, they called in a pastor and the church has planted 200 other churches, and that’s just one province in India. In Iran, hundreds of thousands of Shiites are coming to Christ and the pastors are saying that everyone they share the gospel with, wants to be saved. The response right now is overwhelming… In Ghana Africa, one church started with 12 people, in 8 years it grew to 2000 and it now has over 35,000 christians in just one church in the capital city. Brazil, a nation of 250 million, is experiencing a great spiritual awakening…. In Ethiopia, some 20% of the population is Christian as folks are being swept into the kingdom by a charismatic revival..In Guatemala, 24% of the population is evangelical Christian…. Romania is touching Eastern Europe with a current wave of Charismatic revival. In Pakistan, Muslims are coming to Christ, through signs, wonders and miracles…In Kazakhstan, believers are experiencing a great harvest of souls in the former Soviet Republic… Singapore has become a mission sending station of the east….In Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim population, has 15 million believers and what is happening has been called a culture defining spiritual revolution….

    Noah Webster, the man who wrote the dictionary. Was once caught in the kitchen by his wife, in the act of kissing the cook. "Why, Mr. Webster," she said, "I'm surprised." Known for his correct grammar, he replied. " No, my dear, I'm surprised, you're shocked and amazed."

    God only wants to surprise us, He wants to shock and amaze us, and when He does, there will be no doubt as to Who is in control. There will be no doubt about Who is to be worshiped and glorified. Even the enemies of the church will have to acknowledge that God walks among His people. There will be no doubt about what the source is and Who is doing the work.

    In February 1980, the U.S. Olympic hockey team slipped its foot into a glass slipper and walked away with a gold medal at Lake Placid, New York. Those college kids had shocked the world by upsetting the powerful Soviet team, and then they grabbed the championship from Finland while the crowd chanted, "U.S.A., U.S.A!" Before his team's victory over the Soviet Union which advanced them to the finals, the coach of the U.S. hockey team told his players, "You were born to be here. You have been prepared for this moment. This is your time." This is what God is saying to the church…."You were born to be here. You have been prepared for this moment. This is your time."

    Romans 13:12 “The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the work he began when we first believed. v13 We can't afford to waste a minute, we must not squander these precious hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. v14 Get up and get ready! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Prepare yourselves in Christ, and be up and about”!                           

    As we journey together towards the final setting sun, on this earth as we know it, we will continually experience checkmates in our personal and corporate lives. In the game of Chess, a checkmate, means that you have no more moves left to make. You are blocked on every side, with no escape and nowhere to turn.      

    Checkmates in life, can be ...An incurable illness...A broken relationship...A wayward son or daughter...Financial ruin......A past that is destroying your future.   Satan was crying “checkmate” as they took the bleeding, torn body of Jesus down from the cross and placed it in the tomb….

    In these dark times of seeming defeat, we must always remember that behind every circumstance there is a supernatural power at work, and the King, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will always have one more move! God places the steadfast covenant symbol of the rainbow across the shifting, changing parchment of unpredictable clouds and our circumstances. No matter how desperate your situation--it may even look like you have no options left—but THE KING HAS ONE MORE MOVE up His sleeve.

    How do I know this? How can I be so confident to declare this to you? I know because our King has a well-documented history of all kinds of amazing last moves. I know this because...Seas don’t just normally split open to allow people to pass through on dry ground, by themselves.

    Water doesn't just normally spring forth from a rock on it’s own. Food enough for around 6 million people, doesn't just normally accumulate on the ground every night as a random event…… An old man holding up his arms normally, does not determine the outcome of a war…..Thick city walls don't just fall down flat when people blow horns……Men thrown into furnaces and lion’s dens do not just walk out without a scratch or the smell of smoke……A jar of oil doesn't just normally keep refilling itself…..Actual dead men don't just walk out of their graves except in a fictional TV series…..Threatening storms don't just stop because someone talks to them…..Shackles don't just miraculously fall off on their own and prison doors unlock themselves and open up……But the King always has one more move that the devil has not considered.

    Haggai 2:23 In that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, and I will make you as a signet:I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts”
A signet is a sign of the authority of God. God was saying, “I will make you a sign to this generation, for I have chosen you—even in your captivity and despair.”

   Before we called out, it was His choice and His decision, not ours! We are God’s secret weapon, that He puts into play just when Satan thinks he has won total victory. He is calling us to be ambassadors of the kingdom in this last generation. God is calling His church, in every place, and out of every denomination. Nothing is over until God says it’s over!
    The only choice we have is whether or not we will hear His voice and respond to it. Either we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life—that He can fill us with His Spirit, put His power in us, bring us into freedom and do the miraculous through our lives, or not!
    Remember, the Lord has promised: “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former...A greater glory, once more shall be visited upon His church!  Once more, He will pour out the oil and fill every vessel… Once more we will enter into the promised land covenant…. Once more, we will see souls saved and set free, families restored, and God’s people set ablaze for Him…..Once more!!!

    God heard Samson’s cry and He hears yours. He still longs to do more in your life than you have ever envisioned. The voice of God has come once again, calling us to rebuild. He is calling us into a freedom and ability that can come only from Him. I implore you today in Christ’s name to step out of all bondage and captivity—whatever it is in your life that has convinced you that God will never use you. Leave that place behind! As you respond to His voice, the Lord will strengthen you, give you His Word, fill you with His Spirit, and cause you to be a demonstration of His resurrection life in this generation! Your “once more” is calling…..answer the call!

How many would be willing to stand and declare “ONCE MORE”!!!
 

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