THE BLESSING
THE BLESSING
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Preached by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Proverbs 10:22: “The Blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.
During this conference, the Lord blessed me abundantly, above all I that I was able to ask or think. He is the source of all of our Blessings. In this sermon, I will explore a few of those wellsprings of wisdom from which we inherit Blessing.
Many times, I have experienced the joy unspeakable and full of Glory. It seems this great happiness comes at unexpected times. Strong’s #835 (Blessed) intermingles with the word Happy. This is the same word used in the Beatitudes, but is also used in the Psalms 25 times and in Proverbs 8 times.
This evening we are going to have an open microphone and invite everyone to share “their blessing”.
Going into this conference, there were great conflicts of resistance in assignments against the health of family members. For the first time in many years, we had to do warfare around the finances. We ended up with “Blessings and plenty”.
Bill Yount gave a prophetic word on Sunday morning, “The Lord is serving eviction notices to the enemy to take his hands off of families. I saw angels surrounding the tent with the people’s personal addresses written on them to be released to set up camp round about their dwelling places and the houses of their children. As I blew the shofar representing the breath of God, He blew the breath into the nostrils of every family member and these angels were released. The Lord was saying, “kill the fatted calf, get the robes out, get the rings out, they are coming up the road, they are coming home.”
Another blessing I received this year came through our church members. Our church again supernaturally carried out the dispensation of the conference with great Joy and Grace. This indicates that we have come into a level of corporate maturity whereby we are corporately able to be dispensers of the Grace of God. (Eph. 3:7) “Ministers according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His Power.”
People came up to me, and I hope to you, thanking us for having this conference and being willing and available to be used of the Lord for His Kingdom purposes. There was great gratitude from those who approached me for the blessing of being in attendance. This again is a sign of maturity. Those who are insecure and immature complain, become offended, criticize, and find fault. I did not hear one murmur this year. I have had no fires to put out. Not one single guest minister or guests were prima donnas or high maintenance.
This is a Great blessing and Grace of the Lord.
The Lord set the timing of this conference in the middle of the conflict of our nation’s leaders over the debt ceiling. As Ministers of the Gospel we are to lead the people into the financial blessings and prosperity of the Lord. Apostle Pat Lee gave an altar call and released Kingdom blessings over everyone at the conference who is in debt. The Lord forgives our “debts” as we forgive our “debtors”. Bill Yount spoke another word to me as he was leaving. He said, “We do not yet know all that was done by the power of the Holy Spirit at this conference.”
We had powerful prayer warriors visit us this past Wednesday night. One lady said she came to see what kind of prayer power this church had that we could birth something as powerful as this conference.
This is a Grace of the Lord that we should ask of ourselves how is it that the Lord trusted us and those ministers whom He called by name to do his work, his strange work of His Kingdom? We are blessed.
1 Kings 10:8 “Happy are the men and happy are the servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom.”
.
Psa. 65:5: “Blessed is the man who you choose, and cause to approach unto you that he may dwell in your courts; we shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, even of the holy temple.”
We are blessed to come into intimacy with the Lord even to His throne, have communion with him and to converse with him as one we love and value. This relationship is to be constant in prayer, praise and His presence. This union is not due to any merit of our own, but by the Lord’s choice. In this place, we shall be satisfied with the goodness of His house. The Lord keeps a good house. There is abundance of goodness in his house, righteousness, grace and all the comforts of the everlasting covenant. There is plenty for all, plenty for each; it is ready, always ready; and all freely given without money and without price.
When we have these conferences, the Lord asks that we give of this Great grace without charging a registration fee; not selling of books, tapes, etc.; and serve lunch to the entire gathering at no charge. Why would He ask us to do this? Because he then turns around and blesses us with what money cannot purchase.
Are you loved? Many people have never been loved by anyone. Song 8:7: “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it; if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be condemned.”
Love cannot be purchased or sold with all the riches of the world. If your love is based on riches, then you have never loved. If you married for money or security, then the person to whom you gave your hand is not loved. If you have been truly loved by others in your life-time, then you are blessed!!!
Week before last, I was preaching on the Lord’s Supper and how the disciples’ love for Jesus at that time was flawed. They resented that the woman with the alabaster box of ointment lavished it on Jesus. However, his love for them was perfect all the way to the cross and thereafter.
Jesus’ love for us is not for sale. He voluntarily went to the cross for His love for mankind. If you have never known the fullness of earthly love, the love of Jesus Christ is perfect toward each of us. (Eph. 3:19) “to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with the fullness of God.”
On Monday after the conference, my telephone was ringing. The angels were moving “swiftly” concerning families. Things that were out of God’s order were being made right.
This next verse speaks of this blessedness of the how the Lord moves in righteousness:
Psa. 65:5: “By terrible things in righteousness will You answer us, O God of our salvation; who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth and of them that are afar off upon the sea.”
“Terrible things in righteousness” can be understood by the operation of His power in the lives of His Beloved to bring all together into the goodness of His house. He often answers us with “terrible things” for the awakening and quickening of the backsliders and the lost. This is always for our good and not to our hurt, for He is the God of our salvation. This is to all of his people to all the ends of the earth.
Psa. 84:4: “Blessed are they that dwell in your house; they will be still praising you.”
Psa. 84:5: “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You; in whose heart are the ways of them who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also fills the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appears before God.”
Baca is a place of weeping. The scripture reads that we pass through the valley and make it a well. This is a wellspring of Wisdom; a well of the depths of the Lord’s Love, promise and presence. As we go from strength to strength, we will appear before God in His Holy Temple.
Yesterday I a dream. I believe I can apply it to this scripture.
Dream: I had a home and land in the country in Texas. The house was a beautiful, two-story white house similar to the one of my childhood, but much nicer. There were large oak trees on the grounds. Ministers were visiting me and I was going to take them into the city to “Commander’s Palace” (a New Orleans’ restaurant). As we were walking out the door, the minister noticed a pond on the grounds surrounded by tall, green, lush grass. We walked to the pond. The water level was low due to a drought in Texas. However, the pond was fed by a well that kept the water supply fresh. There was also another similar pond on the grounds. We walked to the top of the knoll, I was facing west toward a breathtaking Texas sunset. The sky had a haze of dust due to the drought, but it made the sunset even more spectacular.
I stood and worshipped the Lord. I was dressed in white pants and my “bold” black and white jacket.”
Psalm 65:8b: “You make the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.”
This is where morning dawns and evening fades: “the outgoings or portals of the morning and evening.” The reference in verse 65:8 is to the whole earth from east to west.
All of us have had to walk through the valley of Baca at different seasons of our life. These times of weeping enable us to go from strength to strength that we may be dispensers of His Gift of Grace as Ministers of the Gospel.
Psa. 84:12: “O Lord of Hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in you.”
Psa. 89:15: “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound, they shall walk, O Lord , in the light of your countenance.”
Psa. 112:1 “Praise you the Lord, blessed is the man that fears the Lord and delights greatly in his commandments.”
Psa. 119:2: “Blessed are they that keep your testimonies, and seek him with the whole heart.”
Psa. 127:3-5: “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is His reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies at the gate”
One of our blessings is this scripture will come to fruition for this House. I am Happy with my quiver of children both natural and spiritual. I count it all joy. I have no regrets. I stand before the “Son” and declare to the world, I AM BLESSED!!!! I AM HAPPY!!!!
Psa. 128:2: “For you shall eat the labor of your hands, happy shall you be, and it shall be well with you.”
Proverbs 10:22: “The blessings of the Lord, it makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.
Preached by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Scripture from K.J.V.; quote from Rev. Bill Yount at the Big White Tent Revival, Katy, TX.; F.F. Bruce Bible Commentary, John W. Baigent; Dream given to Pastor Carolyn Sissom; Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those from whom I have gleaned.
Job. 5:17: “Behold happy is the man whom God corrects. Despise not the chastening of the Almighty.”
Psa. 1:1 “Blessed is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, not sits in the seat of the scornful.”
Psa. 2:12: “Kiss the Son lest he is angry, and you perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
Psa. 32:1: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”
Psa. 32:2: “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirits there is no guile.”
Psa. 34:8: “O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusts in him.”
Psa. 40:4: “Blessed is that man that makes the Lord his trust and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.”
Psa. 41:1: “Blessed is he that considers the poor, the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble