Growing in God: Visitation

Series: Growing in God
Message: Palm Sunday Visitation
3/28/10


 God uses the burden of Hannah’s heart to bring a surprisingly larger solution to a burden of His own heart.
 Barrenness was not only Hannah’s condition, but Israel’s spiritual condition.
 It was a season of spiritual need with little prophetic activity
 God was looking for a voice to speak to His people
 Hannah could not know that her intense intercession for a child was moving in concert with God-bringing her a son, but also bringing forth the will and blessing of God for a whole nation
 Postponing her years of childbirth was for a purpose
 She believed God
 He moves on her behalf, but also advances His larger plan through her at the same time.

1 SAM 1:12-18
 Develop Hannah’s Faith
 Hannah had been eating she was in turmoil, she was fasting, food didn’t sound good to her
 We want everyone to hear our sob story because we want people to know how bad it is…
 Stop going to your God and tell Him about your mountain, and start going to your mountain and tell it about your God
 You are serving a big God, start believing the Word, go buy your own word
 If you would believe you would see the Glory of God
 God uses the little insignificant things to bring His anointing in on
 She believed the Word of God through Eli- the baby was on its way, there would still be a process, but Samuel was coming
 She was no longer sad, … go prepare for baby makin
 There is a visitation of the Holy Spirit coming to this Earth, the likes of which man has not yet seen, nor cried out for…
 But it’s coming as sure as I am standing here
 Faith takes hold of a Word-you have to get a Word from God and let your faith grow from there
 The Word is found in Shiloh, Go to the Ark, Meet Jesus, find the presence of God and get a Word to believe in.
 When Peter is walking on water…
 Peter wasn’t walking on the water, he was walking on the Word, Jesus said, “Come” so Peter did
 Water can’t hold a man but a Word can
 Get a Rhema, Revelation, apocalypto-uncovering, of Jesus
Joel 2:28
in last days I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men shall see visions and old men dream dreams, and in those days will I pour out my Spirit upon men and women, and great signs and wonders shall take place, anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 This is the visitation that is coming again, like at Pentecost 2000 years ago
 Hebrew word Visit= Pakad; commit, trust, deposit, visit
 Ex: if you go to the bank with money you are looking to make a deposit
 Jesus is returning to this Earth and looking to make a fresh deposit of His Spirit and His gifts
 When Jesus comes He brings life to dead things, life that sustains
 Hannah’s consistent sacrifice brought the visitation of God to Israel through Samuel
1 Sam 2:18-21 the Lord visited Hannah again with 3 sons and 2 more daughters

The Woman at Nain Luke 7:11-16
 Jesus walks into a funeral procession and raises a boy from the dead, right from the coffin
 You might be in a death process, or the dream might be dead already, but Jesus is about to take that wet blanket and set it on Fire!!!!
 He is ready to re-birth dreams, relationships, that you thought have been dead for years-Jesus is “the way, the truth, THE LIFE”
Luke 7:16 (King James Version)
16And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.
Episkope/episkeptomai

to look upon or after, to inspect, examine with the eyes
a) in order to see how he is, i.e. to visit, go to see one
1) the poor and afflicted, the sick
b) to look upon in order to help or to benefit, to look in on as a nurse cares for her patients
1) to look after, have care for, provide for: of God
c) to look (about) for, look out (one to choose, employ, etc.)

Visitation is coming, visitation of God’s power, worship, miracles
 you are going to start worshipping where you have mourned, start celebrating where grieving
 God is going to ride in on the back of the things that you have suffered
 He is changing your weakness for His strength, my grace is sufficient for you
Visitation was coming to Jerusalem
Where Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem was held
Luke 19:30-31 NLT
 There is a wave of revival getting ready to sweep the Eastern Seaboard
 It will be a wave never ridden before, but the Lord has need of it, we have need of it, the lost have need of it
 If it were to be something we’ve had on our plate before we would all be fed, and the job would get done.
 But last generations revival was for them, it isn’t meeting the need for today,
 last generations puddle of God’s presence isn’t good enough for me today, if it would have been able to get the job done we wouldn’t need more…
 But have you seen the shape of our economy, our families, our people?
 We are barren, destitute of the prophetic word, and in need of a new anointing, an anointing that will carry us right up to the return Jesus Christ to the Earth again…!!!
 The old fires of revival were good, but are not getting the job done today, we need something fresh from God, for a new generation.
John 12:12-13 NLT
 News that Jesus was on the way spread through the city, and a huge crowd of people ran down the road to meet Him, and shouted.
 The thing that is going to grow our church is that you are talking and there is a buzz that Jesus is on His way, and that others are running down the road to meet Jesus, lines out the door waiting for us to start.
 When people know that Jesus is coming they will run to meet Him
 People flock to the presence of God, People will flock to the real thing
 A visitation of God to our city, is God coming to make a deposit of the anointing and Glory of His presence.
 Some may not understand why, but they will know that they need to get right, and follow God.
Luke 19:36-38 NLT
 Visitation of the Holy Spirit comes as you lay down your sacrifice
 No sacrifice too great to have the Glory of God rest on me
 Visitation comes as you lay your garments down
 Lay your garments down and He will give you a garment of praise for the Spirit of Heaviness
 God will give you as much as you are willing to take
 As much as you sacrifice to God, He will give back to you.
 The entire city was stirred as He entered.
 Jesus said if they keep quiet right now, the stones would break into cheers!!!
 The fire is coming, and the fire only falls on the blood.
Hannah’s faith caused the visitation of God to come to Israel as God birthed His plan for a prophetic voice to be heard,
God will use that little insignificant things, use the foolish things to confound the wise.
ConclusionIf we want Jesus to triumphantly enter our city, our church, our families, our lives, we must lay down those things that slow us down,
Hebrews 12:1 KJV
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us
What are you giving to Jesus, maybe just an ass, maybe something insignificant, are you laying aside drugs, alcohol, premarital sex, your ways, your resentment, bitterness? The Lord has need of those things.
Give Him your ways and He will give you His ways.