Welcome to the Sermon Recap, where we dive into the teachings of the Scriptures to find guidance for our Christian journey. Today, we explore the message from a recent revelation, reminding us of God’s boundless love and His desire to bless, heal, and protect us.

Before we continue, let’s open our Bibles to Matthew 5:1-18, which lays the foundation for this message.

In our walk with Christ, we must never forget the depths of His love for us. He yearns to act in our favor, to heal us, to be our guardian, and to protect us. This fundamental truth should remain etched in our hearts.

To unlock God’s blessings, it’s imperative that we study and start walking in the Beatitudes. Embracing qualities like hunger and thirst for righteousness and recognizing our spiritual poverty creates a deep connection between us and the Lord. When we fully embrace these characteristics, even the enemy cannot hinder the divine protection, happiness, peace, and blessings that will flow into our lives.

“Blessed” signifies not just happiness but also the recognition of genuine goodness and its source in a person’s life.

Matthew 5:3 emphasizes that being “poor in spirit” doesn’t refer to financial poverty. Instead, it signifies humility and a lack of self-reliance. Those who are “poor in spirit” understand their inability to attain righteousness and goodness through their own strength. It’s crucial to avoid the trap of thinking that we can overcome our weaknesses on our own. When we struggle with any area of weakness, what we truly need is the life-giving sustenance that only God can provide.

A person who is poor in spirit, who is presented with the opportunity to help someone or minister to them, knows that without God the need will not be met. One way to recognize where you stand on being poor in spirit is when you see someone in need. Check your thoughts and see whether you are saying, “I can do this,” or “Jesus, I really need you to guide me and give me the wisdom to do what is needed.” When someone is struggling, they don’t need a worldly pat on the back, but they need the Living Water of Jesus poured into their life.

Luke 11:5-8 underscores our daily need for a touch from God. God is looking for someone who will keep coming back to Him for every need. This design of seeking God is rooted in His love for us, ensuring that we continually seek His guidance and presence. Because if we had all the answers to every question, we wouldn’t come to Him and He loves us and longs to be our friend.

The New Covenant

Under the Old Covenant, people were born under the shadow of death and faced judgment. However, the pivotal moment at Calvary marked the fulfillment of God’s law, as Jesus bore our sins and gifted us His righteousness. Man did not have the strength, will, or ability to do this by himself. Jesus paid the debt we could not pay. We now have an advocate with the Father on our behalf. When we get saved, it provides us with new hearts, aligning our desires with His and motivating us to live righteously and seek the Lord’s pleasure.

Matthew 11:11 draws our attention to the unique time we find ourselves in, when we have the privilege of experiencing the fullness of God’s grace and the redemptive power of His sacrifice. John the Baptist never got to see Jesus die and didn’t get to see His resurrection or get to experience the Holy Ghost the way we do. Jesus ushered in a new era, wrapping the law in grace and mercy.

Today, as we step into His Kingdom, we surpass even the greatest of the Old Covenant figures. It’s a reminder that there is but one way to salvation—through Jesus. While there may be countless paths leading elsewhere, it’s the blood of Christ that redeems us. The only door to Heaven is Jesus Christ.

In closing, this recap has unveiled the significance of being “poor in spirit,” the beauty of daily seeking God’s presence, and the unmatched grace and mercy that flow from the Kingdom of Heaven. Remember, it’s through Jesus that we rise above and become greater than any enemy, situation, or storm. May you continue to walk in the light of His love and grace.

Thank you so much for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it! If you would like to share it with someone you believe would benefit from it as well, then please feel free to do so. If you would like to listen to the sermon this blog was based on to hear more on this subject, then please click the play button below to watch the message. God bless you, Dear Reader!

Pastor Anthony Wynn

Welcome to the Sermon Recap! Let’s talk about spiritual famine and what you should do if you ever find yourself walking through it.

Hebrews 10:25 – “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Psalm 16:11 – “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

When it rains, the air is cleared, the plants are hydrated, the streams continue to flow, our wells and water supplies get replenished. Lack of rain is the number one cause of famine. Famine is followed by death, troubles, and starvation. No matter how much we do for God or how close we are to God, famine will come at some point to us spiritually.

In a famine, it’s hard to find peace and joy. It’s hard to read your Bible and get into worship. But this time will not last, the rain will come again, and you will stand because you have Jesus. How you handle yourself and what you do during times of famine matters because your actions will affect your next season, seasons, or even the rest of your life.

1 Kings 17:7 – “And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”

If you have the ability to go to church, I believe God desires for you to be in His house. It’s not just for you either, when you go to church, you encourage and help others.

In famine, more people die from diseases than they do from lack of food. This is because without water, people can’t wash their clothes, their dishes, or even themselves. Sin is a disease and if we aren’t careful, we will start doing things we wouldn’t have before. Think of Samson. There was nothing wrong with him getting tired, but he wasn’t careful where he laid his head. When we are tired, going through hard times, and trying to find peace for our minds, we must be careful where we lay our head.

What do we do during famine?

Genesis 12:10 – “And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.”

Genesis 16:1 – “Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.”

I believe this Egyptian woman came from when Abraham went to Egypt during that famine. Now, Egypt represents sin and bondage; the Pharaoh can be a representation of satan. We have to make up our minds that in times of famine, we will not go back to who we were before God. We shouldn’t throw away church and run away from God.

Abraham made his decisions and found out later that what you bring back from Egypt will mock what God has planned for you. Your problem will mock your promise. Don’t leave church. Don’t leave God and make a trip to Egypt during a time of famine. We have to make up in our minds that we aren’t serving God for an emotional high, but we are serving Him because of a hill called Calvary and we will live for Him if we sink or swim.

Genesis 43:1 – “And the famine was sore in the land.”

Genesis 45:6 – “For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.”

Genesis 47:4 – “They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”

Genesis 47:11 – “And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.”

Here, they had left church for a while to go to Egypt and for a little bit it looked like everything was the best they had ever had. They had the best in the land.

Exodus 1:8 – “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.”

When this new Pharaoh rose up, the Egyptians started afflicting the Hebrews and putting them under hard bondage. Moses chose to suffer this affliction with them rather than to enjoy the pleasure of Egypt’s sin for a season. We shouldn’t trade our battles while in church for a night of drinking or drugs or something else. The pleasure of sin is for a moment. Don’t make a permanent change over a temporary battle.

This is a shorter Sermon Recap, but I believe it is an important message for us to hear. Spiritual famine will come to us and our faithfulness to God will be challenged. But if we will hold out, God will visit us and bring us renewal and restoration. He will not leave us comfortless and He will not allow us to break if we keep our trust in Him. Sin can look appealing in these times of famine, but there is pleasure in sin for a season. Later, there will be affliction as we can see from the children of Israel in their bondage. So, let us remain steadfast and continue our faithfulness to God. For with Him, we will stand strong against the devil and will not be conquered by our enemy. Keep on a little longer! Hell could be fighting you so hard right now because there’s a breakthrough just around the corner.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this Sermon Recap. If you would like to listen to it, you can click the play button on the video below to watch the sermon this blog was based on. May God keep you and guide you in all truth!

Anthony Wynn