John Gray - Let There Be... - Part 3 (It Is Established)
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In this sermon on day seven of the fast, continuing the «Let There Be» series from Genesis 1:6-8, the preacher passionately declares that God’s creation of the firmament separating the waters establishes divine order, emphasizing that 2025 begins with God separating His people from chaos, confusion, and hindrances to bring clarity, order, preparation, sacred alignment, and ultimate unity with His purpose, concluding with a powerful altar call for salvation, baptism, and renewed commitment.
Opening Praise and Life Check
Who’s ready for the word of the Lord today? That seemed a little bit sort of okay. I said, «Who’s ready for the word of the Lord today?» Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask that you would speak through your word, that you would get the glory from your word, and that the people of God who are here and around the world who are gathered will receive this deposit and that their lives will be forever impacted.
Thank you for the people in this real church who thought it not robbery to get in their car and drive to church today. May we never be casual with God, and when we can do so safely, gather as family to talk about the goodness of Jesus. Scripture says, «I would have fainted if I had not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.»
Everybody do me a favor, take a big breath in. Let it out. You’re still alive! That was a life check. Do me a favor and ask the person next to you, «Are you breathing?» Let them answer, then tell them this: «The Bible says, 'Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.'»
Heading to Genesis and Weather Testimony
I want you to go to Genesis. Joel, I feel the Holy Ghost, man. I’m just saying, I don’t know what’s about to happen over the next 30 minutes. I’m going to try to keep it together, but I’ve got something to say today. I had a sermon that I filmed, but the team said, «Pastor, there’s bad weather coming; we need to be prepared.» I told them, «I don’t want to do a sermon because the Lord told me we’re gathering on Sunday.»
This was on Monday. They were like, «But the weather people said—» I said, «But I prayed!» Now, I know some of you don’t believe in this, but when you are a set man or woman of God in a city or a region, God bends His ear in your direction. I said, «Lord, send the snow east, right over the ocean.» These wonderful people got about a half inch of snow and shut down grocery stores and banks. That was Friday. It’s 42 degrees outside.
We gotta stay home; you want to stay home, but you want God to show up for you! I’m just saying.
Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:6-8
So, I want to give you this scripture in Genesis chapter 1. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Alright, I want you to go to the sixth verse of Genesis 1. Shout out to the Steelers fans! You know what I love about Steelers fans? I saw one in the back when I walked in. She was like, «That’s alright; your team ain’t in there either.» They are petty! Your Steelers fans are petty, petty Crocker!
Look, he man, he like Genesis chapter—what? You know he’s always in some Steelers stuff! Genesis chapter black and gold—not me, I’m sorry! Genesis 1:6: «Then God said, 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters.' Thus God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven.» Whoa! And God called the firmament Heaven.
So, the evening and the morning were the second day. This is getting ready to be real crazy in here, so you’re going to need some space. Tell somebody, «Give me some space, because I’m going to worship today.»
I’m going to read these verses again because I don’t think we’ve had an expository look at this. God said, «Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters.» Thus God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. Somebody say, «Heaven! Heaven!»
So, the evening and the morning were the second day.
Sermon Title: It Is Established
We’re in our «Let There Be» sermon series to begin our year. We are on day seven of the fast today, and the title for today is «It Is Established.» I’m going to say it again and I’m going to see who catches it in their spirit: «It is established!» Basically, God was saying, «I said what I said, and it’s going to be what I said!»
Kind of like when parents tell the kids to do something, «But what did I say?» «But why?» You don’t have to worry about why I said it, and that settles it. Don’t come back in here! Father, seal this word; break this church wide open. I want you to squash devils and destroy principalities. I want hell out of here! I want every witch and devil and warlock that thought they had an assignment here to be exposed, muted, and paralyzed in the name of Jesus.
And every lying word of every devil falls to the ground. And every word that’s been sown into our lives that didn’t come from you, I declare crop failure over every lying word of the devil. This week, shock us with unexpected favor, increase, margin, overflow, and money in Jesus' name! And we’re going to seal this with an «Amen!» and a shout for our row in Jesus' name. Go ahead and be seated!
Personal Reflection and Fasting Commitment
Go ahead and be seated! Y’all doing alright? I’m trying to gather myself. I’m trying to keep it together because I’m really overwhelmed by the presence of the Lord. I’ve been trying—not trying, I’ve been on the fast and I have been committed to it, and I thank God for it. I’m excited about what the Lord is doing—more committed than I’ve ever been on any fast in my life.
And what I said I wasn’t going to eat, I haven’t, and I believe that God honors tough sacrifices. I know He’s going to bless our church; I know He’s going to bless your family because I ask the Lord to bless y’all all the time. I ask God to bless your houses and your marriages and your kids, and if you’re single, to give you the strength to walk it out in a way that is pleasing to God. I pray for y’all because it matters, it matters.
So, I got to drink a little bit of this nasty green juice, so just give me a second. It’s just like somebody farted in a cup and just said, «Have this!» I’m getting ready to say something and we’re going to jump straight in, so come on and lean in. If you lean in, I’ll turn up!
Review of Creation Days and Separation
I see you, my guy, with the fresh mint green—that’s a fresh outfit! You getting married? Lean in! Brian, stop chewing that gum like that; I’m hungry! You chewing like it’s a chicken wing! One of the elders back there! Ain’t no gum that good unless it’s steak-flavored!
What did God create on the first day? What’s the first thing God said? I’m sorry, what’s the first thing God said on the first day? «Let there be light!» And the light He called day, and the darkness He called night. The Bible says, «So the evening and the morning were the first day.»
God said, «Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters that divides the waters from the waters, ” and the firmament He called Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. God only did one thing on the first two days—He separated things! The first thing God’s going to do in 2025 is separate you from some things.
We’re not going to talk about crops; we’re not going to talk about favor; we’re not going to talk about increase; we’re not going to talk about land and animals; we’re not going to talk about stars, sun, moon. The first two days of creation, all God did was separate! So, separation is a foundational creative tenant of God. God is separating some things; He is drawing a distinction in some things!
The Firmament and Heavenly Vault
The word „firmament“ in Hebrew, „raaqa, ” means to spread out, stamp, or stretch. In the context of Genesis 1, it refers to something that is like a vault or an expanse. I have to teach you because I don’t want you to shout, but you don’t have any foundation.
The first thing that God did on the second day—the only thing He did—was establish a vault above your head. Alright, so Pastor, what does that mean? What do you put in a vault? Valuables. Where are the valuables? In a vault. But where in this scripture did He put the vault? In Heaven! Which means all the things that are valuable come from the top down, which means it’s in God’s hands to release it if you have the combination.
Now, I don’t give the combination to my vault if I don’t trust you. I need you to hear me: God is not releasing treasures to people He can’t trust! God wants to bless you, but there’s a vault over your head. But if you don’t know the combination, He’s not going to release it! Well, Pastor, tell me the combination! What’s the number? It’s not numbers; it’s principles!
Because some stuff is voice-activated, and other things require a fingerprint! See, because there are things that God has in Heaven for me that if you put your fingerprint on it, He’s not going to open it because it’s not for you! And there are some things that I put my fingerprint on, and it won’t open because it’s not for me!
There are some things that are voice-activated that also require a fingerprint analysis because some blessings are so specific that they are only coming to the person that it was designated for. Why that’s important for you and me is because we don’t need to be insecure or jealous or envious of other people and what they have or what’s coming or what they get because that’s for them!
In fact, when you see somebody blessed, don’t turn your nose up; clap for them! Celebrate! Because if God’s opening the vault for them, it must be a matter of time before He calls my name! And if it’s right above my head, maybe I should lift my hands just in case I can touch the thing that has my name on it!
I dare you to stretch your hand as if God’s about to release what has your name on it! And while you’ve got your hand up, why don’t you try voice-activating this moment by lifting up a praise? A couple of y’all need to stand up and give the Lord a praise! Some of y’all need to do that jump just to see, „Just in case I’m right at the edge!“ I’m going to give God a different kind of praise today because I’m too close to what He promised me to be casual!
Rain, Mercy, and Spiritual Climate
So, in the Hebrew, „raaqa“ says that there’s a vault or an expanse that separates the waters above from the waters below. That means the rain doesn’t rain unless the Lord wants it to. One of the reasons that the wildfires are so horrifically intense in California is because it hasn’t rained since October. Yes, climate change is real, but climate change is a condition not just of the natural, but of the spirit. Because the Earth is crying out for the sons and daughters of God!
To all the ignorant false prophets who are saying wicked, Godless things about what’s happening in California, talking about, „God is judging California because it’s wicked, ” shut your lying mouth! Because God is not judging California any more than He’s judged your wicked life! Because everybody has sinned against God, and everybody has fallen short of the glory of God and if it wasn’t for the blood of Jesus, we would all have hell as our portion!
So stop saying stuff that’s not bible! When James and John thought they could rain fire from Heaven, Jesus turned around and said, „You don’t know what spirit you are of, because the Son of Man came to save men’s lives, not take them.“ The fires in California are not the judgment of Heaven; they’re the cry of the earth!
Our spirits are so dull because we don’t stay in the word! We’re too carnal; we’re too common! Wake up! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Don’t you see what’s happening in the world right now? The whole West Coast is on fire! I’m impressed in my spirit because there’s a tremendous earthquake that’s coming to Northern California in that San Francisco area, and it’s going to be horrific.
And it is not the devil! It is the tectonic plates of the spirit shifting! Saying where are the sons of God? Romans 8:18 and 19: I need the sons and daughters of God to get in prophetic position! Where are the intercessors? Where are the people who know how to pray at 3:00 in the morning? Where are the people that pray on a Tuesday afternoon? Where are the prayer warriors? Turn the TV off, turn your prayers up! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
2025 is a year of order! Somebody say order! Order! But before there’s order, there has to be separation! He divided the waters from the waters and called the firmament Heaven!
Anchoring in Heaven and Separation from Carnality
So, the first thing that’s termed is Heaven! That’s why you—When you have an anchor, Hebrew says, your anchor is beyond the veil. How do you have an anchor that goes up? Anchor up! Anchor down! Anchor, anchor all around! Ships anchor beneath them! God says, I don’t want you to anchor anything beneath you before you anchor the thing above you!
Your foundation should be in Jesus Christ! Your commitment should be to the things of God, not to carnal pleasures and ignorant, elementary bad theology! Greenville is wicked; Spartanburg is wicked! You want to talk about wicked? Just 'cause you got a church on every corner don’t mean nothing! Those are country clubs!
That’s why you can open them and close them when you want. God had to help me, Pastor Robert, because when I really started preaching this book, yes, sir! People started going to other places. I said, „Lord, what happened?“ He said, „It’s called separation. Because some spirits don’t feel comfortable when you start preaching this book.“
Some stuff don’t feel comfortable when you start preaching this word the way it’s supposed to be preached! It’s a lot of places where demons feel safe! They’re singing real nice songs, and they got real nice speeches, but there is no power, no anointing, no breakthrough! And devils sitting in there thriving, you’re still ignorant, angry, nasty, just doing whatever you want to do, cussing people out, smoking everything you can, drinking, and no conviction of the Holy Ghost!
But when the word of God is preached, something begins to change on the inside! When the word of God is preached, that means there is a separation! Now, I need everybody in here to give God a 10-second praise break! And don’t make me come out there! I said a 10-second praise break! Nine, eight, seven, six! Somebody say separation! Separation!
Five Aspects of Separation
There are five things I want to teach you about separation! Pastor Cromarty, I’m trying not to shout because I want to give this as a teaching word, not a shouting. The first thing that separation brings is clarity! You need to look at separation as clarity! Tell somebody, „Separation is clarity!“ Separation is clarity!
Some of you didn’t realize how bad the relationship was until you got out of it! You thought it was healthy until God got you out of it, and you looked at it! How did I ever survive that? God said, „I had a spiritual airbag around you the whole time or you would have lost your mind! And I loved you so much, I had to pull you out of it even though you wanted to stay in it!“
Has God ever pulled you out of something you wanted to stay in? If that’s you, you ought to thank God right now! Give Him a praise right now!
Separation Brings Clarity and Order
You need to see separation as clarity! Just as God separated light from darkness, seasons of recreation—because I need you to get this. For God in the Genesis narrative, it was creation; for us, it is recreation! Somebody say, „Recreate me, God!“ Recreate!
God’s separation of the waters and creation of the firmament—watch this—introduces structures and boundaries in the midst of chaos. There was chaos, and God said, „In order to mitigate the chaos, I need some structure and some boundaries! So let me separate the waters from the waters!“
In our lives, periods of renewal may involve setting boundaries and establishing order in areas that feel disordered or overwhelming! Tell somebody, „I need order in my court!“ In my life, I need order in my life!
How many people are believing God for this to be the wealthiest year of your life? Listen, let me ask you this—do you have a budget? See, we’ll shout until it’s time for order! Do you have a budget?
We’ve sown everything we have so that this ministry can continue! I have no qualms about it! I’m not just hoping this is my greatest year; I know it is! And to that end, over these 21 days, I’m establishing the fiscal parameters around which our family will operate!
God says, „I want to bless you, but I can’t bless you until you put some order in place, because if you’ll squander hundreds, you’ll squander millions!“ God is separating you from some bad habits! Is anybody grateful that this is a season of separation?
Tell somebody to set some boundaries! Boundaries! This is a hard one because everybody wants to get in your life! There are people who keep reaching for you, keep pulling on you, and they don’t really need you! They just like the fact that they can! You need to cut them off! Stop playing with my time! Stop playing with my emotion!
Separation as Preparation and Sacred Work
Separation also needs to be seen as preparation! It didn’t work out because He was preparing something for you! The separations in Genesis set the stage for further creation! There is no creation without separation! God’s not creating anything until He sets boundaries, structure, and order.
In seasons of recreation, separating ourselves from old habits, relationships, and thought patterns may be necessary to prepare for new growth! Somebody say new growth! New growth!
Separation needs to be seen as sacred work! God’s act of separation reflects intentionality and care! If you’re bold, I dare you to pray this prayer: God, I give you permission to separate me from everyone and everything, including the things I like and love, that don’t serve my destiny!
You just prayed the greatest prayer of your life! God’s about to cause things to fall off for your life this week! God cares too much to be casual with your destiny!
Separation as Unity and Closing Praise
Separation as unity in perspective! While separation creates distinctions, it also highlights relationships! You don’t have the earth without heaven! You don’t have light without dark! Separation isn’t about isolation but about understanding our connection to others and God’s larger design!
The reason why I can preach so strongly about the light is because I’ve been in the dark! I’m the thing standing in the middle! There is no grey area! It’s either serve Him or not!
When God delivers you from something, you can’t help but tell somebody else! I’m so tired of church people acting like they were born saved! Can somebody please tell me you were a complete mess until the blood of Jesus found you?
Is there anybody simply grateful for the separating work of the Holy Spirit? If you’re grateful for it, then give the Lord the best praise that you can!
The only reason we heard the sound is because two things that were separated came together! When you clap, it’s actually the sound because you just closed the distance between two points! You’re getting ready to release a sound of victory this week!
Altar Call and Prophetic Acts
Unlock the vault! There are people in this room today, and Jesus says don’t wait! You don’t have time! Stop playing with God! Get to the altar and give your life to Christ! Do it today! Get saved today! Join the church today! Move now!
It’s never too late to be baptized! If you got breath in your body, you got a chance! Welcome home! You are safe! You are loved! And we protect our own!
Everybody here, let’s pray this prayer! Lord Jesus, it’s me, and I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord! Thank you for the blood that was shed for me! I receive the free gift of salvation, not through my works but the finished work of the cross! The blood is enough to pay for all my sin!
Now, Holy Spirit, come live inside and teach me how to be more like Jesus each and every day! You are my Savior and my Lord! In Jesus' name, amen! Amen! And amen!