I am trying to finish that thing I’ve been working on forever and really need to get cracking early this morning, which I guess must be providence (it doesn’t feel like providence) because Matt wanted me to put this up plast week and I forgot. So here it is—the sermon I transcribed. This is an example of Prosperity preaching. If you want to listen, here is the facebook live service. The sermon begins around the 23:44 mark. And here is Matt’s podcast where he very helpfully works through the sermon line by line.
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Prayer: Father we thank you for your word. We thank you you for the words we are about to receive at this time. We ask that heavens be opened. Release your word to us. Let this word transform everyone of us, O God. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Jesus Christ said, one of the things the Holy Spirit is supposed to do…What is one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit as listed in what we just read? I want to see if you can give me some of the things that Holy Spirit is said we would be doing. One, anybody. [Pause] I like doing my sermons with people.
Answer: He would be our Comforter.
He would be our Comforter. The Bible calls him the Spirit of Truth. Correct? The Spirit of Truth. And it said that Spirit of Truth, it will teach you— all things. Did you see that? He will teach you what? All Things. All Things. I want to take this [literally at home], and read it again. He will teach you—all things.
You know, there are people who read the Bible…there are many ways to read the Bible. I am a literal reader of the Bible. What did I say? I’m a literal reader of the Bible. I read the Bible. I simply believe what the Bible says. That’s a literal reader of the Bible. I don’t intend to help the Bible. If the Bible said it…it is the truth. Now, there are some times, there are [legitimate issues] in the scriptures you have not understood it. I am not going to try to claim that I know everything. But I’ll tell you what the Bible says. Now, do I know what it means?
I probably don’t. That is what the Bible said. Right? Sure? I am not going to change it because I don’t understand it. Praise the Lord. That said, the Bible says that Jesus Christ was saying today…he said, When the Holy Spirit is come, the New Comforter, the one I will send to you, He said, One of the things he said he was going to do, he will teach you all things.
Now what is, let us try again. What is all?
Answer: Everything, All is all.
If it’s not all, the Bible could have said it would teach you Most Things. Right?
The Bible didn’t said it would teach you all things that pertain to God. Right?
It didn’t say all things that pertain to God. He said he would teach you All things. That’s why there are times that even Holy Spirit will teach you things outside [the space] of the Bible. That’s why some people get some extra knowledge—extra knowledge because the Holy Spirit gives them some knowledge, some inspiration, rare inspiration. Some knowledge that if you are in business, you are in tailoring… Right? You can be doing some design and the Holy Spirit puts some idea in your mind. Why don’t you cut it this way, and cut it this way. And you are cutting this way, you cut it this way. You put it together this way. I put it together this way. And guess what? The person who wear it and says, ‘wow, hmm. This dress, where did you get this inspiration? This is so beautiful.’ Before you know it you are making designs that nobody understands how you brought the design. You are getting inspiration from the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen.
The Holy Spirit can help you in your business. He can help you in your work. You are a physician. You are a doctor. You are treating people. Sometimes you are treating people and you don’t know what they are suffering from. Indeed.
They come to the hospital. They keep presenting with one symptom, one symptom, one symptom, same symptom over and over. One day you find it best to make him sit down. Tell me the story of your family. He say, ‘what?’ Tell me the story of your family. He say’ ‘oh. My father died of kidney failure. My mother died of kidney failure. My grandfather died of kidney failure.’ Generation by generation of mine died of kidney failure. And now, guess what, I just look at your lab. Your kidneys begin to move in that direction. Is it just enough to say, ‘oh, you see I think I see you have a disease that arose in your family, you are going to die soon?’
No
Is that good news?
No
Good news is that I see something that is a trait in your family, that is the bad news…The good news is that Jesus Christ has come that you might be set free. And if you are a doctor that is able to make that diagnoses for the person, you have saved his life. It takes the Holy Spirit to do that. Amen? Amen.
The Holy Spirit can teach you all things. He said the Holy Spirit would put you in remembrance of the things that I taught you. The things that are in the Bible, the Holy Spirit puts you in remembrance of them. Then sometimes, the Holy Spirit speaks to you quickly. If you hear it, early enough, you avoid some places.
You know we were driving down. Something was telling me, don’t go to this way [route, Eschew] this route. I was going for the faster route. I didn’t know there was a bad accident on that faster route. So I went to the faster route and guess what, that’s why we we’re late now. If I had gone with that other alternate route, would I be here 5 minutes, I mean 15 minutes earlier? I would have taken the longer road but there was no accident on that one. Amen? The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.
Sometimes you wake up in the morning and something just tells you stay at home don’t go anywhere. […….don’t even try…] You decide to go and guess what, your key is missing, you can’t find your key. You will look for a key, Oh, key Oh. You look everywhere, you dont find your key. After about one hour, you find you key at the center table, the center table in your parlor. Meanwhile you looked at this same [parlor], you removed all the cushions. You removed everything. You didnt find it. The center table. How could the key be on the center table […..] and you have said how could I find it? Now you found it.
And guess what, you take your key, you are angrily driving away. As you are driving, you meet people at the junction close to your house. They are clearing up some things. Gas spill everywhere. Remnants of car broken down. And you see some two van, parking two cars away. Then someone tells you, that was a ghastly accident at this point. One guy beat the red light and went through. The guy who was coming from this direction was killed and died on the spot. The Holy Spirit, if your eyes are open, you will discover you just escaped this.
The Holy Spirit teaches you all things, if you listen. Praise the Lord. I want us to look at John chapter 14 verse 12. That’s what I really [want to do].
The life of the Christian. The victorious life of the Christian, the life of the Christian that is interesting, that will make you feel accomplished, the kind of life of the Christian that I pray that all of us here will live before we die. When you read it it sounds like supernatural. But it is not supernatural. It’s the natural Christian life. John chapter 14 verse 12. Somebody read for me, and note that every time you are reading your bible, that is if you have the Bible’s that have some things in red and some in black. This […] thing that we are going to read now is written in what? Red. And anytime that you see red [who read it], these are direct words and quotes from Jesus. So this one is one of those direct quotes from Jesus. So please somebody read.
Verily Verily I say unto you, he that believes on me, the works that I do, shall he do also, and greater works shall he do, because I go to the Father.
Church, I want you to put your name on that ‘Whoever’. Write you name there.
And I want you to meditate on that scripture for the rest of your life. Until you start doing what is written there, you are not living a normal the Christian life. Period. The Bible did not say that as many as are pastors…is that what it said? Did it say as many as are [Jews]? Did it say as many as are apostles? Did he say as many as are senior men of God? Did he say as many as went to theological school? No
As many as believe.
As many as believe.
Am I reading another bible? Is it in your bible? As many as believe.
[name]_____if you believe
_____If you believe
_____if you believe. Etc.
As many as believe. The works that I do, you will do. Amen. He didn’t say, ‘similar’. He said, ‘the same ones’. So I want us to take them. Let’s not flip around. Let’s not find the words to explain them out. What were the exact works Jesus Christ did when he came on earth? Let’s list them.
He healed the sick. If you believe you will heal the sick. Amen.
Believe in who? In yourself? The worst teachings I have heard today is believe yourself. Believe in yourself. I didn’t say believe yourself, _______. Don’t believe yourself. Believe in God. Amen? If you believe in yourself you will fail. Believe in God.
Believe in the power of God. Believe in the name of Jesus. That name is powerful. I don’t know how it works but I know when I call on the name, somebody somewhere is activated. Some angels gets to work. When I call that name something begins to happen in the heavenly. When I call that name something begins to happen in hell. When I call that name, I know that something begins to happen on earth. Church, I don’t know the mechanism, I don’t know the scientific mechanism. But I know that when I call that name, sickness begins to respond. I don’t know how it works, I can’t explain it scientifically. I can’t explain it medically. It doesn’t make sense. But I know that when we call that name, legs can grow out again. When we call that name, tumors can disappear. When we call that name, people that have been strong, who go and pack up their stuff and prepare to die, can live again, when we call that name. When we call that name, situations that have been said to be impossible become possible, when we call that name. I’m not talking about myself. I am not telling you I have power of my own. Obviously not. No. I don’t. I am not a powerful man of God. I am a man of the powerful God. Amen. I am a man, a simple weak man of a powerful God. Hallelujah.
But I serve a living God. I serve a living God who parted the Red Sea to make a whole nation walk through it. I serve a living God who fed a whole nation for 40 years. Not 40 days. 40 years. Gave them food every day. They didn’t have to work. 40 years. And guess what? They did not buy any clothes for 40 years. You know the miracle there? Because as they were growing, their clothes were growing with them. Lord Jesus. Their clothes were growing with them. Their shoes were growing with them. They did not change their clothes. They did not change their shoes. 40 years. And you tell me there is no God? You must be out of your mind. There is a God. And he is a mighty God. And I’ve got to tell you, thats the God we serve. And this God has told us, through his son Jesus Christ, that if you call upon me, using that name, Jesus, and you believe it, the works that I did, you will do.
I have not entered greater…I went to a church some time ago and I saw a big sign, Greater Works Ministry. I said, I never entered greater works ministry yet. If I can [do the] works that he did? Hey church, let me tell you, if someone walked into this church right now, this place as small as we are now, if somebody walks into this church now that has been diagnoresed with metastatic cancer of the breast, and the doctor has already told her we are staring your chemo next month, and walks into this place and the word of God hits that person, the person goes back to the doctor to do tests, we cannot find a tumor anywhere, whether in the breast, in the back, in the liver. We can’t find a legion anywhere. We don’t know what happened, but Ma’am, it looks like your tumor has gone into spontaneous resolution. They can call it anything they want to call it. We call it healed. We call it a miracle. Jesus Christ said, I didn’t say, he said. Amen?
If he said it, he is bound by his word. He is bound by his word. If he said, ‘if you believe you will lay hands on the sick the sick will recover.’ Did he say [one special/miracle for God]? He said, ‘as many as believe.’ When he was talking to his disciples he said, ‘When I come to this world will I find faith on it?’ I’m not talking about just going to church. I’m not talking about just carrying a Bible. Church, I’m talking about having faith in God.
And what do you mean by faith, Church? I want to explain that to you. So that we don’t use big big language and confuse ourselves. You have to get used to me. I’m not one coming here quoting some authors, some theologians. I’m not into all that. I simply open the Bible, and I open the simple Bible. I read the Bible for myself. Amen. Thank God it is written in the English. Don’t confuse me with Greek version and Hebrew version. I don’t want to hear all that jazz. I read it in English. And I see. There are times I will need some interpretation. […Interpretation.] But this one is simple. He said the works that I do, you will do. Is that simple enough?
The works that I do, you will do. What was the work that he did? One, he healed the sick. If he healed the sick, what is Jesus expecting of whoever believes? You should heal the sick. If he made the deaf man to hear, what does he expect from you? You should make the deaf man to hear. If he made the dumb man to speak, what does he expect from you? He expect a dumb man to speak. If he made the lame one to walk, make the lame to walk, Church. If he raise the dead, he expect you to what? To raise the dead. You are afraid? You don’t want to do it, that’s why you have not done it. But he says the work that I do, you will do. And greater works. That’s what Jesus Christ, that’s what is expected of the church. To do the work. We are a continuation of what Jesus was doing while he was on earth. You and I are the continuation of what he was doing when he was on earth. Amen?
So the job of believers, every believer, not just for senior men of God, or senior pastors, or televangelists, is that the works that you do, that he did, we can do also. And what does it need? You need faith, right? That’s what it said, if you believe, it said you need faith. Jesus Christ was telling the disciples what they need, if you faith little as a mustard seed. Not even a big one. As little as a mustard seed. He said you should ask big unto this mountain. Be thou moved and cast into what? The sea. It shall happen, according to what? According to your faith.
You know some years ago, some crazy brothers who are crazy enough, I will tell you them this morning, If you walk by faith you will be crazy. Did I say that? Do you want me to repeat that? If you walk by faith you’ll be [that closer] to crazy [….] Because you are saying things that don’t make sense. You are walking a walk that doesn’t make sense. You are carrying actions that are not reconcilable with science. You are doing things that are considered grandiose.
You are delusional. In fact, you are mad.
Why? You wake up, and suddenly, guess what, you go to a shopping mall that is for sale, because the Holy Spirit told you while you were praying, go and bid for that shopping mall. And you say, ‘hehe, oh cooccooo.’ Go and bid for a shopping mall. How much do you have? Do you have what it takes? No, you have $100,000. You looked at this shopping mall cannot be less than 1 million. Why would I be bidding for something that is one million with $100,000? But the Holy Spirit, you know, the Holy Spirit told you while you were praying, go and bid for that thing. You didn’t go. One year later you go back and saw the place had bought it. You say, ‘man, why did you get to buy this […] big mall […]’ Partition them and start selling them. She partitioned them into five. […] Each of those partitioned, she sold them for $400,000. She ended up getting two million, for something, guess how much she got it, she made a bid of $80,000. And of all the people that bidded, her’s what’s the highest. They sold it to her for $80,000. If you had put in your $100,000, your bid would have been higher. The Holy Spirit speaks.
Church, I tell you something, you better believe God. You better learn to believe God. I know this is not traditional Christians. Cause traditional Christians, if you don’t make sense, you don’t do. We only do what makes sense. But I’m telling you, until you get to that level of faith where you do things that don’t make sense, you have not started walking by faith. Because the work of faith doesn’t make sense. The Bible says the definition of faith,
Hebrews 11:1. I want you to read Hebrews chapter 11 verse one. I will close the service now. I will finish the sermon now.
Hebrews 11:1, please read for me. ‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for, and assurance about what we do not see.’ So what we are hoping for, right, we are already having confidence in it. And having an evidence of something we have not seen. What I am saying, is that a sister who walks by faith, God has already assured her she is getting married next year. She bought her wedding gown. The moment she heard it last month. She bought a wedding gown. You will know what else she bought? She already went to Toys/BabiesRus and bought baby clothes and materials. She is already shopping for […]. I see her in the shopping mall. And I say, sister, ‘congratulations. So you are married now?’
She says ‘no.’
‘What are you doing with baby clothes? Are you going for baby shower?’
‘No.’
‘Then what are you now buying?’
She said, ‘I am buying clothes for my son.’ She didn’t even say my baby. My son.
‘How can you be buying clothes for your son? Are you adopting?’
‘No, as I prayed and I was fasting last month, The word of the Lord that I received told me that In august 2020 I will be marrying. And so I am already preparing. The lord also told me I will have a son.’ […]
[….]
Do you understand what I’m saying?
[….]
But you need to be crazy enough to believe God. There is a level of faith that can be interpreted as crazy. What is crazy with relative to the information you have. By the time time you get married August next year, and by the next year have your baby, at the dedication somebody is going to say this woman has faith to […..] But when I saw her and […] she was acting on it, I thought she was mad. The substance of things hoped for. What is the substance? Already buying baby clothes for a baby is not existant. That’s the substance of things hoped for. I’m hoping for a baby, and I’m buying clothes for the baby. Hallelujah. Is the baby born yet? Have I been married? But I bought clothes for the baby. Amen.
I walked into a brother’s house some years ago. And I saw a check written, posted on the wall in his study in the basement. He put a check. Wrote it there. Blank. He wrote there ten thousand dollars. And he wrote there under it, tithes. Tithes. I said, ‘bros, [….].’ He say, ‘oh […..] you saw my tithes check.’ I said ‘yes.’ He said, ‘’because I am seeing into the spirit…The Lord is taking me to a place where my tithe is going to become ten thousand dollars.’ I say, ‘wow.’ He has already started learning how to write tithes check of ten thousand dollars, because he knows where God is taking him. He is already preparing spiritually for it. Amen?
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things you haven’t seen. A few years ago when we started Transformation Church, we are a church of faith, pure faith, the first time I started that church, I talked to them, I said to them, I do not want anybody to ever treat this church based on the number you see now, because I am not seeing ten people. I am seeing hundreds of people. And I relate to this church, we are related to a church that was 1000 people. And when I am buying things, I am not buying small small small, I am buying big big things. Praise the Lord. By faith, because faith is the substance of things you are hoping for, evidence of things not seen.
This gets some of us into trouble. As teachers of the Bible. Because some people talking to you like […..] oh this evangelist [….] are you one of these people who want to steal our people….Did he tell you to come [….] I didnt […] I’m telling you, the normal Christian life, if you want to enjoy it, you walk by faith. You walk by faith. The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. So let’s go back again.
Jesus Christ said if you believe the works that I do, you shall do, and greater works, because I go to the Father. So years ago I used to visit the secondary schools. I was a visitor to secondary school fellowships. Some small kids who are doing fellowship in secondary school. SU. How many of you went to SU? Secondary school [….] SU, I went to one of them one day, and you know what I saw? They invited one of the small boys, probably somewhere like 13, 14.
He came he was supposed to be preacher. He came. You know what they brought to him. He had the camera man. He had camera man. Camera man brought lights. He had Photographer. He had photographer, camera man, someone to carry lights, for secondary school boy. What I’m telling you, I have never seen that boy, that was the only day I saw him, I don’t know where, how he ended up. But the fate I saw that guy I saw that day. There is no way he would end up an ordinary man. He was ready to take it big. He was ready to for them to be televising him live. I would believe that after that program He would have had a press conference. He would bring my portfolio and ….. How was the program today? He would say Thousands were present. You know it was a great program. It was a great program.
People say you were lying….Only one hundred people came…He say You saw hundred, I saw one thousand. [….] you say you saw one hundred? You saw one hundred physically. I saw one thousand spiritually. So which one should we believe? The physical import or the spiritual import? You saw what it is now, he saw what is coming future. That’s faith.
It’s faith that makes people buy land. They buy land, and they are not buying one acre. I will conclude with my story. Some years ago I was going to buy a church. Then we had just started small like this. I went to buy a church. One of my friends helped me look for a church building. The church building was very small. It was just the capacity that was right for us. Probably it would be able to take 30 people. Maximum. Everything was there. Small kitchen. Small hall.
Small everything. And that church has been in existence for more than 70 years. How does a church stay for 70 years and its so small. You know why? Because the way they are structured, they will not grow. No room for growth.
So I went in there, I said, ‘wow this is so nice.’ The price was right. Everything was just right. It was just good enough for us at that time. And then, we were going to call the pastor the church and negotiate with him on buying the building. It would have been convient to buy it. I wouldn’t have needed faith to buy it. I was just going to the bank and write a check to buy it. You don’t need faith for something that you have already. You understand that right? You don’t need faith to eat food. Food is present, you eat it. You only have faith when you are hungry you have no money you have no food. You believe God. Right. So in this case I didn’t need faith to buy this building. I could have just written a check for them and bought the building.
A brother looked at me, one of the pastor friends of mind, and said, ‘Augustine, don’t buy that building.’ He said don’t buy that building. I said, ‘why.’ He said, ‘that building is not you, I know you, that building is not you.’ He said, ‘I am the one you brought to come and look at this building, but I know if you buy that building, you will soon call me again and say you want to buy another building, because that building will not fit you.’ Amen?
Are you a woman of faith? Are you a man of faith? Do you walk by faith? Or do you walk traditionally, by everybody’s…by sight? I want to challenge you to be a woman of faith. I want to challenge you to be a man of faith. I want you to get into the place of faith and see what God can do. And see that even you, even you, even you, God can use you. Amen. Even you, God can use you, if you believe. Let us pray.
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