Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Yesterday we remembered the infamous signing of our nation’s Declaration of Independence. A document that claimed freedom from the oppression the colonies were enduring from England. Tension between the Colonialist and the British Army often sparked battles throughout New England.
In 1754 at age sixteen, Sarah and Patrick were married. Nearly a year later, Sarah gave birth to her first child Martha and by 1771, the couple had six children together.
Sarah Shelton started to show signs of mental illness after the birth of her last child, Edward (whom many called Neddy). Patrick Henry's mother sent a letter to his sister which stated, "We feel Sarah is losing her mind after the birth of little Neddy". We know today that she was probably suffering from postpartum depression or puerperal psychosis. It is unknown when Sarah's private doctor strongly suggested that she be sent to the new Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia. However, her husband disagreed and did not want to send her to an asylum. He likely wanted to keep her home due to the horrible conditions and treatments. [1] Patrick was politically active when he decided to keep his wife in confinement in the cellar of their home.[2] Because of her husband's money and resources, she was able to avoid suffering the consequences of the poor laws.
It was said that her behavior was so unmanageable that "she was confined in a cellar room, bound in a straightjacket, and attended by a servant. There are very few documents about the confinement of Sarah likely due to the fact that her husband became the governor of Virginia and this secret was kept from society.
It is said that Patrick Henry being so well known and he threw parties at his house, that from time to time one of the guest would say that they could hear chains rattling, or someone screaming out. Henry would look at them and just laugh it off, and say the house was haunted. In reality what was in the basement was Haunting him, it was his beautiful wife that he loved dearly, that she was locked away in chains and straight jacket so she wouldn’t harm herself.
After three or four years in confinement, Sarah died in the spring of 1775.
Although the precise location of her burial is unknown, it is believed that her grave is thirty feet from the cellar door.
In March of 1775, the Second Virginia Convention met at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, to discuss the state’s strategy against the British. It was here that Patrick Henry delivered his most famous speech, with passion, after seeing his wife in chains, and a strait jacket, screaming from the pain of a mental illness, he understood what chains were, he stood before the Founding Fathers of our Great Country and spoke these words:
“Gentlemen may cry, ‘Peace, Peace,’ but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? ... Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!"
• This impassioned speech made by Patrick henry stirred the souls of men to fight for liberty.
• We still hold him up as one of America’s greatest heroes
• Americans are quick to respond to the call to fight for freedom.
• WE have sent troop all over the world to fight injustice, and to help people live free lives.
• But when it comes to living out our Christianity, we give up our liberty w/o a fight. I preached about how the devil wants to steal, kill, and destroy.
Many of today are crying out for freedom. “It is my right to…” is their cry. Passionately they pursue the freedom speech, the freedom of pleasure, the freedom to do whatever they like to, yet they do not find freedom.
• The freedom to get drunk only creates the slavery chains of alcoholism, bankruptcy, and divorce.
The freedom to get high, and to shoot up, only causes death.
• The freedom to sleep with whomever, wherever only forges the bonds of incurable disease, broken hearts and shattered families.
• The freedom of foul speech only shackles the soul to the gutter pits of hell, clouds out reason and leaves one in ignorance.
• The freedom for women to choice imprisons the emotions of the mothers in a dungeon of guilt, heart ache and depression.
• The freedom of comfort only entangles the heart in laziness, indifference and self-centeredness.
Their pursuit of freedom that thousands upon thousands seek does not bring the liberty that they want.
I preached on spiritual warfare Wednesday night and I made a statement, spirits of Oppression bring on Depression.
There are so many Saints of God living in spiritual chains and shackles. Chains of depression. Depression is real, anxiety is real, but I am here to proclaim to you, that living free is just as real! You are bound by your past, because you can’t forgive yourself, even though God forgave you. Some live with chains from their past addictions, and present addictions. That they can’t break out of. Some folks live with generational curses, that it has ran in the family for many generations. Great grandma was a preacher hater, so you became a preacher hater, and grandma has been dead for years.
Grandpa wouldn’t submit to authority so you won’t as well. Momma was the town and church gossip, so you picked up that spirit from her. Some folks will tell you, I’m not supposed to repeat this so you better listen the first time I say it. Daddy walked out of your life when you were young and now you have the spirit of no man is going to tell me how to live my life, it’s that attitude and spirit that the devil loves and has a field day with. He throws chains on us, with us having this attitude.
You and I wasn’t meant to be in shackles and chains, from the demons of hell. You and I wasn’t built to be anything more than Worshippers and to have a relationship with God Almighty. The devil absolutely hates Worshippers. He knows if Worshippers begin to Worship, that something is going to break out and breakthrough in the Spirit Realm. He knows if he can get Worshippers to start feeling sorry for themselves, to start making excuses why they can’t be at the House of God, why they can’t be faithful in prayer and fasting, he knows that if he can get Worshippers side tracked and side lined, he can stop the church from having revival!
Acts 16: 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
We need to let the prisoners hear us! It is so important that every time we come to church that we press through the garbage that goes on in our minds, and it is so important that we press through the spirits that have been attacking us. Because when we begin to Worship, it changes the atmosphere. Someone should stand to your feet and scream; I Wasn’t Built Too Be a Prisoner!
Headline this week from the Sacramento Bee in California!
Houses of worship told to ‘discontinue singing’ under order from Governor Newsom as pandemic worsens
Californians are still free to attend their house of worship. But they’re not supposed to sing or chant.
Citing the risk of spreading the coronavirus, updated COVID-19 guidelines issued Wednesday by the state Department of Public Health say “places of worship must therefore discontinue singing and chanting activities.”
German churches stopped singing to prevent virus’s spread. Should Americans clam up, too?
Can we not see what the devil is doing to us? Are we so blind not to see? He is trying to stop the Worshippers! Go to church, but don’t you Worship!
Psalm 150
1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
WHERE ARE MY WORSHIPPERS AT?!
He said that he would give you beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
I have saw ashes before there is nothing beautiful about them, at one time it was a hot fire, but because the fire wasn’t fed it went out! We need to fed the fire this morning!
Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Holy Ghost people are supposed to have fire! Not some dead, dry religion, where they gather in a cold building, to listen to cold songs, and listen to a cold preacher! We need the fire to burn! If your cold this morning, come get close to the fire, this fire won’t burn you, or hurt you, but this fire will burn the chains from off of you!
Daniel 3: 22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Oil of Joy for mourning: When people are mourning, they are mourning something that is dead, something that is gone, something that isn’t returning. God said I want to give you joy! I know what it’s like to mourn and grieve over loved ones who have gone, dreams that has died, ambitions that never came to fruition, and mourn because things didn’t work out! God said I want to give you JOY!
1 Peter 1:8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
Stop mourning and start having Joy! That marriage didn’t work out! Stop Mourning! That dream became a night mare, Stop mourning! That church fell through, Stop mourning! That person left you, Stop mourning! They hurt your feelings, Stop mourning! That dream job didn’t work out, Stop mourning! You’re so busy mourning, you’re missing the greatest set up in your life, that God can turn your mourning into dancing and Joy! You walk into church there is a black cloud on you, you go home and there is a black cloud on you, you go to your job and the same cloud on you! Stop Mourning! It’s Dead! Stop trying to breathe life into something that is dead! Get you some anointing Oil and anoint yourself and get you some Joy! Walk through your home and anoint it with the Oil of Joy! Walk over to your spouse and anoint them with the Oil of Joy. Take back what the devil stole! You weren’t built to be a prisoner!
Get you a garment of praise instead of carrying around all that heaviness!
You are seeing signs all over Walmart and Dollar Store about the Federal Government “out” of coins. Yeah right!! This is setting us up for the Mark of the Beast! I hear it all the time. Pastor I won’t take the Mark, if you can’t buy food and your kids are starving. What are you going to do? If your power is shut off at your house because you don’t have the Mark. What are you going to do? Some can’t be faithful now! If you can’t run with the footmen, what are you going to do in the day of horseman!!
??Revelation? ?13:16? ? “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:”????
??Revelation? ?13:17 “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”???
I made a statement that hell is trying to divide our nation, and even divide our churches. We need the Worshippers and prayer Warriors to arise, stop being fooled by hells tricks! I’ll just stay home because I’m having a bad hair day, or I’ll stay home because my feelings got hurt, or I’ll stay home because I’m afraid. You weren’t scared to go to Walmart without a mask, you be bopped right up in dollar store with your flip flops and didn’t think anything of it. We have to use wisdom and understanding, but stop blaming stuff on the virus. You are a prisoner! Break Out!!!!!!
I am here to say this morning that true freedom can only be found in one place. The freedom that America passionately desire is not found in the pursuit for personal pleasure. It is not found in the search for social significance. It is only found in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to bring real freedom. He came to bring freedom from the powerful bonds of sin. Sin is those activities and action, thoughts and desire, words and language that bring displeasure to the God of creation.
It is sin that God says carries a penalty of eternal death. The apostle Paul said it this way: for the wages of sin is death. The sin in our lives deserves the payment of death. Paul also tells us that everyone has sinned, except one—Jesus. Jesus came to set us free from the death bonds of sin.
