September 27, 2015 "Surviving the Shift" Rev. Dr. Marcus D. Cosby

oh you just missed a good reason to say hey man even if you don't say man you ought to look a man right there cuz I was some good information to God be the glory for the great things he has done to God be the glory God has brought us from mighty long way and every now and then you oughta just look over your shoulder check the rearview mirror of your life and look where the Lord has brought you from if you're excited about what the Lord has done in your life wants to celebrate a God who keeps doing great and mighty things come on and thank God for the great things that he has done this is the day that the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it what a joy it is to be back at the upward Street Baptist Church of Alexandria Virginia to share in the great things that God has done his doing and even will continue to do in the life of this great congregation I thank God for your pastor who we honored this weekend as we celebrate seven years of stellar service in the kingdom of God here at Alfred Street Baptist Church will you help me celebrate dr. Howard John Wesley the Bible declares that he is worthy of double honor and so we doubly honor you today sir for the great things that God has allowed you to do and has done through you in this place known as Alfred Street Baptist Church to all the Reverend clergy who are in this place today god bless you wanted all my sisters and brothers I thank God for you for your prayer support and for your hospitality to the leadership and membership of the Alpha Street Church the diaconate and all of those who give leadership to this congregation I celebrate you and I thank God that you continue to do a great work here in this field of ministry in this branch of Zion as those Saints would say and I thank God for the privilege of coming back again for this eighth year in a role inclusive of the installation of your pastor to celebrate in this celebration I'm honored that out of all the preachers he knows and he knows a whole lot of them that he would look down in the hood of Houston Texas and allow me to come and share with you during this season I am honored sir and I do not take it for granted I thank God that I am blessed to see in the sanctuary today one of the Deacons of our church Deacon Michael helm his family resides in this area and every year that I'm here he comes and shares with us just wave at us Deacon helm thank God for you it's good to see you and your family this morning me man I'm told this is the shortest of the four services so pastor told me don't preach long I said yes sir whatever you say mr. pastor sir and so I'm going to I'm going to preach as short as I possibly can just got to points this morning a man I cut out the third one last night just to make sure that I could get this whole message in this morning if you have your Bible I invite your attention to the New Testament book of Acts good to see ramrods the New Testament book of Acts don't just read book of Acts chapter 4 the New Testament book of Acts at chapter 4 and I want to look at this passage description that speaks to us about the work of the early church early church that was birthed at Pentecost chapter 2 gives to us the reflection of that birthing of the church at Pentecost from chapter 2 to chapter 4 we see some in information revealed to us about the work of the early church and about this primary preacher named Peter and in Acts chapter 4 we see something happening that had not happened heretofore as you keep your Bibles open as you keep your app unlocked today I want to talk from the subject surviving the shift surviving the shift you may be seated in the presence of the Lord surviving a shift I don't even have time to read the scripture just let's keep your Bible opening we'll figure it out as we go through a man surviving the ship and life ever shifted on you have you ever had that moment of shift where you didn't necessarily see it coming and something showed up unexpectedly almost threw you off balance upset your equilibrium something showed up in your life that you did not anticipate and you wondered how in the world were you going to make it because if the truth be told on this Sunday morning life will shift on you to be going along rather well for a period period of time and then all of a sudden out of nowhere something shows up knocks you to your knees something shows up and makes you wonder what in the world is really going on life will shift on you to be sure all shifts are not necessarily negative sometimes you can be catching it coming and going and then all of a sudden you have what I like to call a peace be still moment when God calls the winds and the waves of your life and lets you know he's still on board your ship with you every now and then life will shift on us if you stay alive long enough you will experience some shifts in this thing called life such was the case with the early church beginning at chapter 2 as well as previously mentioned the early church was birthed on Pentecost the Pentecost Sunday that the Jews had significantly and traditionally observed they remembered how God had been with them throughout their life's journey and they would have a significant celebration at Pentecost for the Christian it is 50 days following the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ in Acts chapter 2 when we see the church being birthed at Pentecost we see a phenomenal expression of how the Lord makes himself known to those who will be in the midst of the people of God and at Pentecost the Bible says when all of the saints were in the same place on one Accord in one place the Holy Ghost came through and and he did such a phenomenal work that the Bible says that there was such an explosive expansive growth in membership on that one day that after Peter preached one sermon 3,000 souls were saved it's a beautiful picture of how the Lord can use one person to stand and proclaim his word and see exponential explosive phenomenal growth as a consequence here my friends in chapter 2 the Bible says that when they were all filled with the holy spirit and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance there were some who were saying that these folk must be drunk that makes sense for them to be this happy this early in the morning Peter said no these men are not drunk as you suppose this is what we're spoken of by the Prophet Joel in the last days God is going to pour out his spirit on all flesh sons and daughters shall prophesy old men shall dream dreams young men shall see visions and as a consequence of what Peter said these saints of God continue to believe in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ he preached about Jesus a Christocentric sermon sermon focused on the Christ letting everyone know that if you put your trust in him he will do for you what you cannot do for yourself and that's what happened at chapter 2 and the Bible says that by the end of chapter 2 the Lord kept adding to the church daily those who were being saved it's a beautiful picture of exponential explosive expensive growth by the time we get to chapter 3 we find out that the Lord Jesus is at work so much that there are men who are consistently preaching and teaching the word but these two and Peter and John are going up to the temple at the hour of prayer and as they go to the temple at the hour prayer they encounter a lame man who's been lame from his birth the Bible says that this man is asking arms of those who go into and come out of the temple he asks Peter and John for some money which point Peter looked at him and said silver and gold have I none but such as I have give I unto thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk man named Peter lifted that man up by his hand and his feet and ankle bones gained strength he began to walk around as if he had been walking all of his life if you read your Bible at chapter 3 of the book of Acts you'll find out that walking got so good to him that he couldn't just walk it out he began to leap and jump and praise God but whenever the Lord has done something for you that you could not do for yourself sometimes you can't control it you can't contain it you just got to speak and jump and leap and praise His name for being so good to you it's a beautiful picture isn't it how in chapter 2 the message of the Lord Jesus Christ goes forth with power then in chapter 3 the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ continue to go forth with power message and miracle are beginning to help the people of God to see that God can do for you what nobody else is able to do as a consequence the church keeps growing Church keeps growing as a matter of fact the Bible helps us to understand that this lame man who had never walked in as a consequence had never gone into the temple for worship now goes into the temple and all of the people of God see him remember him as the man who used to be lame who used to not be able to walk and your Bible says they were astonished at the great things God has done I asked the church last night have you ever been wowed by God have you ever been astonished by the great things God has done as consequence the church keeps growing exponentially expensively explosively the church keeps growing it's been a good ride for the early church it's been a beautiful season of growth and and a beautiful sea enough development it's been a beautiful season of productivity and progress and then comes chapter 4 and when chapter 4 opens up although it's been beautiful in chapters 2 & 3 and chapter 4 there's a shift that shows up because in chapter 4 we find out that there are some fellows who we've not heard much about in chapters 2 and 3 there's some fellows known as Santa sees chief priests rulers teachers of the law who show up wild Peter is preaching and while Peter is preaching they try to shut down the service of worship and they want to know how is it that Peter is having so much productivity how is that he keeps preaching and all these people keep leaping and jumping why don't they sit down somewhere it don't take all that Peter keep preaching he keeps from claiming the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ watch this a Christocentric message not a message focused on getting what you want whenever you want it not a message focused on writ riches and not a 4-month message focus on prosperity as we have reduced the gospel in our time it is a message focused on that man named Jesus who will save you from your sins a message focused on that man named Jesus for whom nothing shall be called impossible and while he's preaching these Sadducees and chief leaders come and they want to shut him down and they put him in prison but Peter and John in prison and while they're in prison overnight they are there and the Sadducees are getting ready to interrogate them the next morning and when they come and interrogate them they ask them by what power by what authority do you keep doing what you're doing how is it that you keep preaching like this why in the world do you keep proclaiming the good news of the gospel we let you make it in chapter 2 we let you get by in chapter 3 you were doing all right when it was just to services then in three but why in the world you got a help for come on now surely you can find another way to do this why do you keep doing this all these folk keep showing up while you're preaching about this man named Jesus they shut them down they think that because they imprisoned them that they will no longer be able to speak about Jesus Christ they think because they put them in a hole they put them in a box they've shut them down that nothing will continue to go forward but even in the midst of this shift I learned some things just two little points I got 15 minutes can I give the first one because the first thing that the text teaches me if you're going to survive the ship you got to learn I've got to learn we've got to learn to maintain our momentum hear me child of God you got to learn how to maintain your momentum the Bible says in verse 8 that when those brothers were interrogated asking how in the world do they keep preaching the way they've been preaching why in the world do they keep talking like they've been talking the Bible says in verse 8 then Peter filled with the Holy Ghost says if you want to charge us or call us into account before a good deed done to a lame man you need to know it's by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead that this man stands before you healed you must understand child of God they're not just upset because of the message they're also upset because of the miracles because they had not seen miracles like this before so they want to ask how in the world is this man leaping and jumping and praising God as a consequence of all that you do and Peter said don't look at us as if it's all about us it's about a man named Jesus who has done great and mighty things I like this dr. Wesley because the text teaches me that even though a shift has occurred even though they tried to shut the brothers down they could not shut the brothers up about 55 fold got it I need to say it until everybody in the room gets it I said even though they tried to shut the brothers down they could not shut the brothers up they understood that I cannot just talk about Jesus on mountaintops but even when I'm in the valley I've got to maintain my and still justify and can't nobody do me like Jesus and I need two or three people in the room today to understand that you have to keep on going even when life tries to knock the life out of you you gotta keep on moving even when you don't know how you're gonna make it from one day to the next you got to keep on persevering even though you don't know how you're gonna make it from one moment to the next and is there anybody in here who says because I know who Jesus is I got to keep on pressing and keep on moving and keep on maintaining my momentum you gotta keep on going hey don't you allow life to put you in a corner and shut you down don't you allow life to remove your testimony from you you've got to maintain your momentum even when it's difficult even when it's arduous even when you don't know how you're really going to make it you got to keep on moving we are not a people who took tail and run we are not a people who throw in the towel we are not a people who wave the white flag of surrender you come at me one way I'm coming back at you cuz I believe that the God whom I serve is able to do exceeding abundantly above all I can ask or think somebody in here you need to keep on moving Bubba I hear you I hear you but pastor you don't understand my situation you don't understand how crazy they are on the job you don't understand the bad news I just received you don't understand how challenging my circumstances I get you I hear it but I still tell you maintain your momentum put that smile back on your face don't you allow your head to be hung down don't you walk around in perpetual depression lift up your head oh you be he lifted up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in somebody said who is this King of glory the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty and better lift up your head and the King of glory shall come in I invite you I encourage you I implore you maintain your momentum how do you do that good question first of all the text teaches us in verse 8 you can maintain your momentum through the power of the Spirit I showed you in verse 8 that when Peter started speaking that's a little verse he'll phrase in that verse that says then Peter watch the phrase filled with the Holy Ghost yeah he's filled with the Holy Ghost please don't miss that little phrase that is not just a passing phrase to fill the verses that have to fill the words of the verse that are there no that phrase is important because the Bible says he's filled with the Holy Spirit we have reduced the power of the spirits are just making us feel good in church leave go leave her leave Church I remember we were going up folk with a feet leaving Church and it would be hi have a wonderful experience they say they caught the Holy Ghost no a child of God please remove that phrase from your vocabulary and never leave Church on my day caught the Holy Ghost like he was being thrown around the room and somebody jumped up and caught him no you are filled with the Holy gun and that's the important child of God because when you are filled with the Holy Spirit he enables you he empowers you he equips you to take a licking and keep on breathing a Sunday morning somebody in here needs to understand that when you have the Holy Ghost he'll let you walk around with them Devils on your job and say God is still able to help me get through this situation and give me joy in the midst of it all I need somebody in church to testify him I'm so glad I have to hold his spirit because he keeps me going even when I feel like sitting down Bible says in Chapter 1 of verse 8 jesus says to those disciples listen when the Holy Ghost comes he's gonna give you power to be a witness everywhere you go start in Jerusalem go to Judea then the Samaria then to the uttermost part of the earth if you're gonna survive the shift my brother my sister you got maintain your momentum through the power of the spirit but not just through the power of the spirit but through the presence of the Savior these brothers keep on talking about about this man named Jesus they have such courage and boldness that verse 13 says that the Sadducees and the chief rulers who were trying to shut them down couldn't do anything about them and they deduced that these men have been with Jesus oh you just missed a good reason to say Amen even if you don't say man you ought to look a man right there cuz I was some good information I said that they could included as a consequence of the courage and the boldness of Peter and John that these men had been with Jesus and is there anybody in here who can testify that's spending a little time with Jesus and is able to embolden you and to give you courage that you could not have if you only hung out with your boys or your girls on the weekend there's something about coming to church and somebody can testify I don't come to church just out of routine and ritual out of have it I come to church cuz I need me some Jesus if I'm gonna handle my Monday through Saturday experiences I got to get to church cuz I need to hear one word from the Lord that will change my mind fix my heart enable me to keep on pressing you're gonna survive the Shelf it's got to be because you maintain your momentum as a consequence of the power of the Spirit and the consequence of the presence of the Savior you've been with Jesus somebody in here can testify as a matter of fact you didn't wait til you got the church to spend some time with Jesus somebody was spending time with him early this morning before you even made your way to Alpha Street you start talking to him Tod telling him how much you love him how much you appreciate him is there anybody in here who woke up this morning with your mind stay oh I got the clothes I got the clothes it's got to be through the power of the Spirit through the presence of the Savior but watch this it also is as a consequence of the prayers of the saints you want to know why we pray for each other while we must pray for each other because there's some of our prayers of the Saints that give us coverage to keep on keeping on if you read all the way down to verse 31 since I know you read your Bible every day I'm going to trust you to read all of chapter 4 when you get down to verse 31 the Bible says that after the shift had taken place Peter and John go to the house where the Saints had been praying and when it goes in the house where the Saints have been praying everybody's happy because Peter and John have been released from prison and everybody's happy because Peter and John release prison but watch the text after they've been released the Bible says the Saints start praying wait you missed the you listen the Bible says that they've been released from prison but after they've been released the Saints start praying for Peter and John and had to ask the question that resting why in the world did they start praying after they had been released because sometimes when the shift happens it can dip in your spirit it can depress your mood it can slow you down and get you in a place where you don't have the same kind of productivity that you need so you need some folk praying for you after the drama after the frustration after the issue to let you know you can still be strong and keep on pressing even though you come through what you've already been through there's some folk in the room who can testify that I needed some folk praying for me after the divorce I needed some folk praying for me after the surgery and I needed some folk praying for me after the challenges I had because restoration is just as important as perseverance are you hearing me and so you need some folk on your road who are praying for you after you come through the trial so you can still stand strong and believe it if another ship shows up still have courage and strength to handle the next situation of my life so I need you look down your row and somebody look at the road at your road and find somebody who looked like they know how to pray and say Shawn I need you to pray for me even after I come through don't stop praying just because I conquered last week's victory I need you to pray for next week I don't know what's going to show up in the weeks to come here I need somebody breath the Bible says the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous I'll fail as much is there anybody in here who reads the Bible the Bible says if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven will forgive their sin and heal their land somebody needs to sing like all saints pray for me pray for me o my brother pray for me when you bow at the altar please don't forget to pray for me I'm done I close a little message on the second point here this problem with these two point services you always got sub points they're just making you think it's going to be shortened are just sub points sir points on point one you need the power of the Spirit you need the presence of the same thing you need some praying Saints if you're gonna maintain your momentum but after you maintain your momentum here's the second and final point you need to keep magnifying the master I'm done I'm sitting down here this you keep you need to keep magnifying the master when you leave verse 31 when the Saints have been praying verse 33 says they continued to testify about the resurrection of Jesus Christ is this thing old did you turn the mic off I said I said after the resurrection of Jesus after they had gone through all the trouble all the hatred all the frustration they had gone through the Bible says in verse 33 they continued testifying about the resurrection of Jesus you want to know what's so important about that because nobody can shut you down when you know how good God's been to you and you must understand who these folks are who keep on talking about Jesus this is Peter Peter is the one who denied Jesus Peter is the one who has some rough edges around him and Peter's the one who was cussing and cutting every time he got a chance but when the Holy Ghost got ahold to him he changed his whole life and he said things I used to do I don't do anymore and places I used to go I don't go anymore because the Lord has laid his hands on me and when the Lord has done some things for you that you could not do for yourself and it doesn't matter how many haters you have it doesn't matter how many folks are to shut you down and shut you out when you know how good God's better you'll open up your mouth and say if it had not been for the Lord on my side I don't know where I would be so I need two or three people in the church today who may be going through something may have just come through something to open up your mouth and say I still believe in that trouble go last always did anybody in church who say I showed up this morning to let the devil in Hell know that he can't make me be quiet he can't make me shut down he can't make me stop praising God I need two or three witnesses in church who testify I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth Oh magnify the Lord with me let us exalt his name together is anybody in here who can testify okay nobody to be like Jesus okay nobody zoom in like the Lord War II mega way for you War II opened doors hiya War II provide for you say yeah yes yes I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help comes from the Lord won't he do it won't he do it so di ya keep magnifying him and keep glorifying him keep lifting him up and he will help you survive the ship you

Channel: Alfred Street Baptist Church

Views: 35,162

Keywords: Alfred Street Baptist Church (Place Of Worship), 7th anniversity

Id: 1ALu1Y6CYmE

Length: 28min 39sec (1719 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 01 2015