Look on Us: Receive the Gift, Then Arise and Shine
Dr RJ Sing, 57 min
Originally preached as “Arise Part 1 & 2”
Sermon outline
God has already blessed and healed you and has given the church gifts in the form of men, so when you acknowledge and receive what they carry, you can arise from every lack and shine with the glory of God that is already upon you.
Main text
- Isaiah 60:1-3
- Acts 3:1-8
- Ephesians 4:8-14
Opening
He shares a testimony from Brian's fiancée: a relative in Johannesburg was told by the Lord to pack his book, The Language of the New Man, when moving to America, and later found a brand new bill for $10,000 inside it. He then says the South African church has not yet caught a revelation of who Christ is, because layers of religion have put people to sleep.
Strip off religion and get a revelation of Christ
Nice-sounding religious teaching has lulled the church to sleep, even people who have been in church since childhood. The church is being awakened with the undiluted Word, and sometimes that means stripping off old thinking. God's people should want to see signs, wonders and creative miracles, not only hear nice things.
“Sometimes it's challenging, but change, there's no change without a challenge.”
He has already blessed you: take note of the tenses
It is not true that God is going to bless or heal you; He already has. By His stripes you were healed, and Christ became poor so that you might become rich. Once that is a revelation to you, you stop praying for relief and walk out of sickness, poverty and lack, fed by a steady diet of the Word and a renewed mind.
“He has already blessed you.”
- 1 Peter 2:24
- 2 Corinthians 8:9
- Romans 12:2
Number one: acknowledge the gifts Christ gave in the form of men
When Christ ascended He gave gifts to men: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, men and women, for perfecting the saints. Believers must stop being children tossed to and fro, running whenever they are challenged, and must test every spirit by the Word, love and the fruit of the Spirit. Loving Christ while rejecting the gifts He sent is the first mistake, and different people carry different measures of grace.
Illustration: In a marriage you fight, cry and shout, but the next day it's 'Hi honey'; you don't tell your wife to pack her bag. Yet spiritually, many look for the door at the first issue.
“And your strength is only displayed when it's tested.”
- Ephesians 4:6-14
- 1 John 4:1
- Romans 8:16
- Galatians 5:22-23
- Proverbs 4:7
Look on us: such as I have, I give you
Peter and John were gifts from Christ, so Peter told the lame man to look on them, then gave what he had in the name of Jesus and lifted him up. The question is not whether the man of God wants to give, but whether you can receive; a word from the gift carries anointing, but it must be mixed with faith. Make a demand on the anointing in every service, and when your pastor gives you a word, run with it.
Illustration: He calls people forward and speaks a single word, 'fall', and they go down under the power without being pushed or prayed for, to show the power a word carries.
“It's not a question of whether I want to give it to you. I want to give it. Can you receive it?”
- Acts 3:1-8
- Hebrews 4:2
- Proverbs 4:7
- Romans 5:17
Arise
Isaiah 60 is a prophetic word: the wealth of the nations, their sons and their silver and gold, will come to God's people. The Hebrew word 'kum' means to get up, confirm, decree and establish. Arise from lack, poverty, loneliness, despair and mediocrity, and go home and speak 'arise' over your family, your job search, your business contracts and your health.
“The prophecy is in your mouth. The believing is in your heart. The declaration is in your tongue.”
- Isaiah 60:1-16
Shine, for your light has come
Shine means to become luminous and to be set on fire: God is not promising to make you shine, it happens in your arising. You are not searching for light, because Jesus has made you the light. That is why Peter said 'look on us', and why devils cannot bear to look at a gathering of saints.
Illustration: He pictures devils around a gathering of saints saying they can't stand the blinding light and calling for their sunglasses.
“In your arising, you will shine.”
- Isaiah 60:1
- Matthew 5:14
The glory of the Lord has risen upon you
The Hebrew word for glory speaks of weight: you carry the weight of God's glory into your business, workplace and ministry. Risen, 'zarach', means shooting forth beams, so wherever you look, darkness turns to light and confusion to order. Preaching must come with power, so arise in whatever you do, whether preaching, singing or your job.
Illustration: He brings people to the front and shows how, in the spirit, beams of light shoot out of him into them and change their situation.
“Wherever your eyes will look, there shall be order and not confusion.”
- Isaiah 60:1
Putting it into practice
- Stop praying for what Christ has already done; receive it as done and walk it out.
- Stay resolute and don't run from church when you are challenged.
- Test every message by the Word, love and the fruit of the Spirit.
- Honour and receive the ministry gifts, and run with the word your pastor gives you.
- Speak 'arise' over your home, family, business, job search and health.
Closing
He leads the church in declaring that they will arise and shine, and has them rub themselves as a prophetic act while confessing prosperity and health. He then blesses their homes, workplaces, businesses and marriages, praying for expansion to the east, west, north and south and that everything their hands touch will prosper.
Declarations he led
- I'm born wiser.
- I'm not poor. I'm not sick. I refuse to be sick.
- I'm the light. Everywhere I go, I'm the light.
- I cannot be sick. I cannot be impoverished.
- I'm not mediocre. I'm not average. God's put something inside of me.
- I've got something. Something is on me.
- I will arise in my home, in my marriage, in my finances, in my ministry. I will shine forth. I will not apologize.
- Prosperity is my portion. Health is my portion.
In his words
- “There's no change without a challenge.”
- “He has already blessed you. Well, God is going to heal you. He's already healed you.”
- “Your strength is only displayed when it's tested.”
- “It's not a question of whether I want to give it to you. I want to give it. Can you receive it?”
- “In your arising, you will shine.”
Every scripture in this message
- 1 Peter 2:24
- 2 Corinthians 8:9
- Romans 12:2
- Ephesians 4:6-14
- 1 John 4:1
- Romans 8:16
- Galatians 5:22-23
- Proverbs 4:7
- Acts 3:1-8
- Hebrews 4:2
- Romans 5:17
- Isaiah 60:1-16
- Matthew 5:14