God of the Breakthrough

As I was asked to take on this meeting tonight, you know I was really thinking about somethings. What would I say. what do you all need to hear. Of course being The heat at work got turned up. But you know in dealing with that, I was praying about this week’s sermon. I was preparing for Sunday as well and of course this is the greatest time of year of course. The Christmas Season. My wife and I have been doing an advent calendar for the first time this year as we were reading and going through the verse of scripture there was one part that really stuck out to us with the help of my added imagination and improv skills.

Luke 2:8–14 NKJV

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

And behold, that phrase right there. These men were sitting here doing their job. Going through their own days, normal everyday thing. They were not expecting the event about to take place. In fact, they were expecting just another ordinary normal night. Then wha bam. And that’s what stuck with my kids, and with myself. The wabam happened. This message is entitled God of the breakthrough because that is what he does. HE breaks through the darkeness that is seemingly surrounding us. So in preparation for Sunday and for you all, I really got to looking at God in the bible and came across this verse.

I really got to looking at God in the bible and came across this verse.

2 Samuel 5:20 NKJV

So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.

Listen to this and then you can shout. You should have shouted with just that verse but Ill give you the benefit of not quite understanding just yet. Baal Perazim literally translates, Baal is broken. In order for that to really make you shout however, you must know who Baal is. Let me give you some insight on that.

Listen to this and then you can shout. You should have shouted with just that verse but Ill give you the benefit of not quite understanding just yet. Baal Perazim literally translates, Baal is broken. You say who is baal. Let me give you some insight on that. First Baal was a God worshipped by Canaanites. If you remember anything about Canaan, he was the son of Ham. Who was the cursed son of Noah beause he lusted over his dad’s naked body. So there’s that. But the descendants of Canaan began to worship this false gods. One of which was Baal who was supposedly the son of their chief god El and the sea goddess Asherah. So they worshipped this thing. There are many factions of worship to him in scripture; Baal of Peor and Baal-Berith. So he is an idol they worship. Not the true God but to take it a step further, In , Jesus calls Satan “Beelzebub,” linking the devil to Baal-Zebub, a Philistine deity (). The Baalim of the Old Testament were nothing more than demons masquerading as gods, and all idolatry is ultimately devil-worship (). So get ready to shout. David says the Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breakthrough of water. So he calls the place Baal Perazim. Baal is broken or the devil is broken. Oh I am starting off at the end right here today. I don’t care what you are going through. I don’t care what the situation is. I don’t care the torment that you are facing. He is God of a Breakthrough and the enemy is broken. The enemy of your past is broken. The enemy of your future is broken. The enemy of your present is broken. For He has broken through on them like a breach of water. Have you ever seen water break a dam. It is not a peaceful thing. The flood doesn’t ask permission. The flood doesn’t just peak through. When the crack happens, the dam burst. This is what I am telling you today. The enemy of your finances is broken. The enemy of depression is broken. The enemy of oppression is broken. The enemy of your spiritual walk is broken. The enemy of your marriage is broken. The enemy of your singleness is broken.

First, Baal was a god worshipped by Canaanites. If you remember anything about Canaanites, They were descendants of a man by the name of Canaan, he was the son of Ham. Ham was the son of Noah. Who was cursed because he lusted over his dad’s naked body. So there’s that. But the descendants of Canaan began to worship these false gods. One of which was Baal who was supposedly the son of their chief god El and the sea goddess Asherah. So they worshipped this thing.

There are many factions of worship to him in scripture; Baal of Peor and Baal-Berith. So he is an idol they worship. Not the true God but to take it a step further, In , Jesus calls Satan “Beelzebub,” linking the devil to Baal-Zebub, a Philistine deity (). The Baalim of the Old Testament were nothing more than demons masquerading as gods, and all idolatry is ultimately devil-worship ().

So get ready to shout. David says the Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breakthrough of water. So he calls the place Baal Perazim. Baal is broken or the devil is broken. Oh I am starting off at the end right here today. I don’t care what you are going through. I don’t care what the situation is. I don’t care the torment that you are facing. He is God of a Breakthrough and the enemy is broken. The enemy of your past is broken. The enemy of your future is broken. The enemy of your present is broken. For He has broken through on them like a breach of water. Have you ever seen water break a dam. It is not a peaceful thing. The flood doesn’t ask permission. The flood doesn’t just peak through. When the crack happens, the dam burst. This is what I am telling you today. The enemy of your finances is broken. The enemy of depression is broken. The enemy of oppression is broken. The enemy of your spiritual walk is broken. The enemy of your marriage is broken. The enemy of your singleness is broken.

Happy 17th Birthday! Finally you're seventeen, am I right lol? This year with you could never be replaced. Youth Camp was our first big memory together and one of the best. Can you believe it was only 5 months ago? It feels like I've know you for forever now lol. First we were getting hot and sweaty waiting for some food that wasn't necessarily the best. Then we were laughing and cutting up at "nap" time. We had worship parties,we heard bodies(in particular purple ones) and had hurt underpits lol. My room didn't smell so great so I was the lycol queen lol.  Youth convention was great and even though we lost mrs toni and josh im sure that god is still gonna have his hand on our church. I love you the mostest bean. I hope that this year that it will be great. I talked to Gilbert and Bertha and they are gonna keep a closer eye on veronica for ya because you know you and her are 17 now.I love all our inside jokes and you bring me so much more joy than i give you credit for. I love you so much and lets pray this ones a good one!!!!!

I started looking and l realized God doesn’t do anything subtly. He just shows up. Every instance in which He acted…it was a big deal. It wasn’t a creep in kind of thang. It was bang here I am. I mean let’s look at creation. There was nothing. I mean nothing. And then He spoke. Then everything. When He showed up with the three Hebrew children. They were thrown into the fire and then boom there were four. He didn’t go unlock the door and walk in. They didn’t burn a little bit and then he showed up.

This is a characteristic of God not because he wants to make you wait or anything like that it is because when God acts on the physical world is a big deal. Things change immediately when he moves because they have no choice but to listen to his word. He sustains it all. It is huge though when he does act. Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought that God sustains it all so when you are asking him to move on a particular aspect of your life, it is a big deal. We look at ourselves and we think oh I am nothing, I am a nobody so my problem isn’t that big of a deal but it is to him. Not a difficult deal but a big deal because of what you mean to him.

Let’s look at some of the instances in scripture. First one I want to look at is in

Ezekiel 37 NKJV

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ” Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand. “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’ And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God. “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.

2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.

3 And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."

4 Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!

5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.

6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord." ' "

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.

8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

9 Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' "

10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!'

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.

14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it," says the Lord.' "

15 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

16 "As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: 'For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.'

17 Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

18 "And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, 'Will you not show us what you mean by these?'--

19 say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand." '

20 And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

21 Then say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;

22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.

23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

24 "David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.

25 Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children's children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.

26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.

27 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

28 The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore." ' "

The dry bones represent Israel. Notice as soon as the word happened he heard the wind. Then he says at the end, I will be their God and they will be my people. That is powerful stuff because these bones were dead. Without God interference, without his word, without his breath they are dead. But when he acted on them, they were half dead and half alive. IT was boom. Then he says they will be my people and the world will know that I sanctify them.

Look at Jesus’ entrance into the world. There was a 400 year dark period. I mean no communication. No prophets, no miracles, nothing from God. Then boom! The appearance to a young girl. An appearance to her aunt. The young girl is almost left alone but God said no to Joseph. Then oh let’s talk about the actual birth day of Christ. Angels broke through the sky. The glory shown all about them.

The biggest one is the fact that God saved you. You realize that you had nothing to do with that. Let’s read

Ephesians 2:1 NKJV

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

We tend to think that God is sitting around moving here a little bit, then here a little bit. When the fact is that when He moves mountains tremble. When He speaks the darkness vanishes. Can I give you a little bit of truth, some of the things we are waiting for God to do, He is already done and He is waiting on us to receive it. According to Ephesians, God has given you every single spiritual gift already. Wabam.

Ephesians 1:3 NKJV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

Those gifts are found in Christ. So His breakthrough into the earth was the breakthrough you have been waiting on and it was done 2000 plus years ago.

3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands--

12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,

16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,

21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

22 in whom you also are being built together for a d