Keion Henderson - The Gift that Keeps on Giving

The gift that keeps on giving. You know, it’s amazing that the word I have for you today would come on a day such as today, where one would walk into a grocery store and not have to ask anybody for assistance. You would go into a clothing store and not have to ask anyone to try on clothes. You would go on vacation, and you wouldn’t have to ask anybody to have a good time. It’s interesting that you would come into church and ask people to praise the Lord. It’s not everybody, but the problem is that in any circle, those who are not participating often get more attention than those who do. When the Lord comes into this place and the Holy Spirit arrives, it is because we have invited Him and said, «We have come into this place to worship your name together .» It’s in one accord; it’s what happened on the day of Pentecost. The Bible says that they came together in one accord, and when everyone did it at the same time, miracles happened. I recognize that one of the enemy’s tricks is to make sure that some feel like they can 't. He knows that if we ever did it together, all of our children would be healed. If we did it together, supernaturally all of our debts would be canceled. If you don’t believe me, I’ve got scripture. The Bible says that in the year of Jubilee, the fiftieth year, all their debts were canceled at the same time. But you don’t recognize that when Paul and Silas praised, the bars opened. If Paul is singing and Silas is tapping, then the bars stay locked. There is something about unity. That 's why He says, «Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, I will be in the midst.» What the devil wants is to keep us fragmented and fractured. He wants some worshiping and some worrying. He wants some praying, but he also wants some pouting. By doing this, he can dilute us and keep us dysfunctional in our worship; he can ensure that we don’t receive the miracles we came for. But I came to tell you I won’t let anybody keep me from getting my stuff. So do me a favor; tell your neighbor, «It ain’t my fault you didn’t get any sleep last night. I didn’t tell you to stay out all night and come to church in the morning. I got my rest, and I came for my reward. Hallelujah, somebody!» I want someone in this place to make sure that within the next 15 or 20 minutes, if I’m done, I want you to tell your neighbor, «I come to get my stuff, and you’re going to help me get it.» Amen. I’m going to take yours in the process. Do I have any witnesses in this place today? One of the greatest appreciations for anyone who has done something great is that we erect statues. The Bible lets us know that there were many statues erected to idol gods-men who did not have any salvific anointing or power but were still appreciated. We do the same thing for people in America. If you go to the mall in Washington, D.C., there is a statue of our sixteenth president, who was responsible, some say, for the abolition of slavery. His name is Abraham Lincoln, and because of his greatness — his ability to guide our country through the Civil War, which was the bloodiest war our country has ever seen, while also improving the economy-we erect statues. In our culture, we erect statues for people who have accomplished great things. You can go into any city in America; there is a street called Martin Luther King Boulevard. It isn 't always in the best neighborhood, but it’s still there. We do that because Martin Luther King had a dream, an American dream, where white men and black men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics would come together and say as one people that we would rise and do this thing together. There are statues, such as the Statue of Liberty, symbolizing the freedom and safety of those who have arrived on American shores from France. There are all kinds of statues all over the world. You 've got Mount Rushmore with the four presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt, erected as a representation of the power of men who achieve great things. But the problem with the statues dedicated to men is that all of them were erected postmortem-the inscriptions came after they had died. All those inscriptions were created after they had lived and battled whatever disease they faced, whether it was lupus, cancer, or simply dying at an early age. All those inscriptions and statues came after they had died. The book of Isaiah is a book of prophecy; in other words, when they say in Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6, that He is the Prince of Peace and a Wonderful Counselor, you must understand that Isaiah wrote this book 700 years before Jesus was born. So now, while all these great men have their statues erected postmortem, here you have a God whose scriptures about Him were written premortally. In other words, they called Him Wonderful before He was ever born! He was the Prince of Peace before He had ever …