Samuel Rodriguez - Victory In Four Words
In the book of Isaiah, we find, in Isaiah 58, we find God's people in captivity, the Israelites are captive. We find God's people actually defeated. They were defeated spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, financially, and physically. And we find God's people pleading, begging, and parenthetically speaking, inquiring if whether or not they would ever experience victory again. And then, here are God's people going, "Will we ever experience victory again? Will we ever experience victory again"? And then came the word of the Lord. And then came the word of the Lord. And then came the word of the Lord. Till this day, there is nothing more powerful than "Thus sayeth the Lord" and "This is the word of the Lord". This is the word, Isaiah 58:8, "Your salvation will come like the Dawn, your wounds will quickly heal. Your Godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind".
So, I'm here to tell you that this word is for you, I'm here to release this word upon you and the people you love. You are here, and you are screaming to walk out with a word from heaven that will enable you to overcome your hell. You're here to receive a God-ordained truth that will defeat forever a diabolically fabricated lie, and if you belong to Christ then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise, Galatians 3:29, which means what God is telling the Israelites, these promises are for you and me, so what's next? What's next for your family? If you're asking what's next for you, what's next for your loved ones, let me tell you with biblical certainty what's next. This is God's word for you and your family, this is God's word for you and the people you love, this is God's word for you, and your children, and your children's children. Victory is not coming. That's the word. Are there any questions? Write that down and tweet that.
Victory is not on the way, it's not. Victory is not a futuristic concept to be embraced upon its arrival. In Christ, with Christ, for Christ, put a smile upon our face and a shout on your lip because victory is already here. Somebody, shout, "Victory is here"! Look at your neighbor and tell 'em, "Victory is here"! "But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory"! 1 Corinthians 15:57. We received victory when Jesus died on the cross. We received victory when Jesus resurrected from the dead. We received victory when he filled us with the Holy Spirit. Here it comes, very controversial, I don't think I ever preached about this, but here we go. From this moment on, you will never pray for victory again, never again, 'cause it's not theologically sound, it's not biblically sound.
Stop praying for victory. Stop praising for victory. Stop fasting for victory. Don't pray for victory. From this moment on, you will pray from victory. Change your mindset. Don't praise for victory, praise from victory. Don't fast for victory, fast from victory. You will not be victorious one day, you are victorious today. The moment you are born again, you are automatically permanently and perfectly victorious. I dare you. I need you to smack the devil on the back of the head. He wants you to pray for victory. God says, "You already have victory". Victory's already inside of you. I need you to open up your mouth this morning and say, "My family is victorious. My future is victorious. My now is victorious".
For the Lord, your God, is the one who goes with you to fight you and to give you victory. Everyone born of God, overcomes the world, that's you. And everyone born of God overcomes the world, "And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith," 1 John 5:4. So wherever you are, let me just prophesy... I can't, I haven't preached in a month, so I just need to prophesy over you. Wherever you look, you will find victory. Wherever you look, you will find victory. When you look to the right, you will see victory. When you look to the left, you will see victory. When you look up, you will see victory. And I know this is difficult for some of y'all to swallow. Even when you look down, you're so blessed, and anointed, and filled of the Holy Spirit that you will see victory.
When you look at your family, you will see victory. When you look at your children and your children's children, you will see victory. Are you ready? When you look at your marriage, you will see victory. When you look at your health report, you will see victory. When you look at your bank statement, you will see victory. When you look down the road, you will see victory. So, you will pray from victory, not for victory. The preposition there matters. You will praise from and worship from victory. So, permit me to enquire. With this biblical understanding, undergirded, substantiated with the Word of God, are there any victorious people in Sacramento, California here today?
Isaiah 58:8 captures four definitive victorious realities that cannot and will not be denied, four words. These are the four words, you should write them down on your phone, somewhere. These are the four words for the rest of the year for you and your family, are your ready? These four things. You will be known for these four things, your house and your household will be known for these four things: salvation, healing, Godliness, and glory. Somebody, repeat after me. "Salvation, Healing, Godliness and Glory". I don't know if you captured that, we just broke down Isaiah 58.
On this vision Sunday, permit me to share with you the following. If someone asked, "What is new season all about"? If you're asking yourself what is this church all about, you're answer is this. We are a victorious church, we believe in the victory of salvation, we believe in the victory of divine healing, we believe in the victory of Godliness, and we believe in the victory of God's glory. We are, for the glory of Jesus, a Christ-centered, Bible-based, Holy Spirit empowered, multiethnic, multigenerational victorious body of believers, and you, you are stepping, not into a season, but into a lifetime of victory. Wherever somebody reads about you, they will see victory. On your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, it's victory. Victory will surround you.
I'm tired of seeing defeated Christians, I'm tired of seeing defeated families that actually go to church every Sunday, but walk out the... no, no, no! From this moment on, your swag is about to change, your attitude's about to change. You're about to walk like your victorious, talk like you're victorious, think like you're victorious. You're gonna pray from a place of victory. Everything changes. These four words, salvation, healing, Godliness, and glory are all definitive manifestations of the victory we have in Christ, which means your house will be known as a house of salvation. Your house will be known as a house of healing. Whoever touches your familia will be healed. I just spoke Italian. Your house will be known as a godly house, and a house of glory. It is victory, it is the victory of salvation.
Let's begin with that one today, "Then your salvation will come like the Dawn". Let's just talk about salvation today and just call it a day 'cause it's labor day weekend. God has always been a Savior: he's always been a saving God. It's not like he became a Savior in the New Testament and he was a meanie in the Old Testament, he's always been a Savior. He saved Joseph from dying as a result of his brothers' betrayal. He saved the Hebrews from permanent Egyptian captivity. He saved Elijah from Jezebel, Daniel from the lions, and the Hebrew boys in a fiery furnace. God saves, yet all of us require salvation way beyond circumstances, enemies, and external threats. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
I'm in London, and the Spirit of God fills me. I'm traveling to Brazil at a conference, a major conference last weekend, Spirit of God fills me, and the Spirit of God says, "Samuel, you go back to new season, these are the four things I want you to focus on. Samuel, the number one thing you can possibly preach about. We need to refocus because the message of salvation is not anything". Let me explain. Everyone requires salvation. Let me say that one more time. Everyone requires salvation. Without salvation, I don't care how good you are, I don't care what social justice cause you fight for, I don't care how much money you give to the poor, I don't care how good things you do or how good you... No, no, no! If you're not saved, without Christ-bought salvation, you will not have eternal life. This is gonna get hard now.
Without salvation, don't forget. I didn't write the book, I didn't make the laws, I just preach the word. I don't make the pizza, I deliver it. Without salvation, because of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, we are all born sinners, the inevitable result is eternal death. If you're not saved, we're not even supposed to say this, we're not supposed to preach this 'cause it empties out churches, but I have no other choice because in the past 30 days, I rediscovered the fact that my primary commitment to the primary directive is to get as many people saved than ever, we need to get as many people saved as soon as possible. Are you with me right now? Which means what? I gotta preach the whole book, which means if you're not saved, it's just the outcome.
I know this incorrect, politically incorrect, but it's the book. If you're not saved, the inevitable result is eternal death, hell. There is a hell, and I don't mean your past relationship, there is a hell, and permanent separation from Almighty God. Let me repeat that. Without salvation, eternal death: without salvation, eternal condemnation: without salvation, eternal hell, but glory be to God. I said glory be to God, glory be to God. I remember growing up in Pennsylvania, passing by the rescue mission, and these words in neon lights would be the only word flashing on that street, "Jesus saves". I remember going to New York city has a young buckaroo, crossing the Holland tunnel, and right after you cross the Holland tunnel, right at the end of the tunnel, there were two words on an old church in the corner, "Jesus saves".
Sometimes, as a church, and I admit this, I'm guilty of this, we get bogged down in the minutia of life with issues and the periphery of human existence while neglecting the most important message that can come out of this pulpit and the podiums of churches all around the world. The most important message that can come out of this stage is not 12 steps to feel good, ten steps to look good, seven steps for prosperity, five steps for political activism, three steps to eat all you want without ever having to count your calories, no. The most important message that can and will ever be preached from this stage is the following: "For God... So... Loved...The world... That he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever," you are whosoever: you and me, we are the whosoever. "Whosoever believes in him shall not perish, will not perish, but have everlasting life".
Are there any saved people in the house here today? Lift up your hands if you're saved. Lift them up, matter of fact, praise like you're saved, worship like you're saved, rejoice like you're saved. "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so". That's John 3:16. "God sent his son into the world not to judge the world," I love this verse. Write it down. "God didn't send Jesus into the world to judge the world, but to save the world through him," John 3:17. Jesus did not come to condemn, he did not come to establish a religious order, he did not come to initiate a social movement, he did not come to occupy a political office, Jesus came to save you. Did you get this? How many are glad Jesus came to save you? Jesus came to save your children. I'm gonna repeat that 'cause we're about to see more people saved in the next month than ever before. I said Jesus came to save you, Jesus came to save your children, Jesus came to save your children's children, and your children's children's children. How 'bout this?
Jesus came to save your family, Jesus came to save your community, Jesus came to save your generation. He didn't come to condemn you, Jesus didn't come to send you to hell, he came to save you from hell. Our God saves. Somebody, say, "Our God saves". So, as a church, we gotta double down on the message of salvation, we gotta get as many people saved as possible. And I wanna make this statement 'cause it's biblically correct and historically accurate. No other God saves. Not like there is another God, but with great due deference to other teachings and other religious ideologies, you've never heard the phrase with great due deference, "Buddha saves you". Have you ever heard the phrase, "Muhammad set the captive free"? You've never heard, "Confucius saves you". You've never heard, "Communism saves you: atheism saves you". The only one that saves is Jesus, and there is salvation in no one else, "For there is no other name," hey, hallelujah! "There is no other name under heaven given onto man". There is no other name.
And if you grew up in the church, I got some news for you. Your parents can't save you, your grandpar... you can't be vicariously saved through somebody else's relationship with Jesus, you gotta get, "You must be born again," Acts 4:12. I don't know about you, but I'm glad I'm saved. I wake up in the morning grateful for the fact that I'm not going to hell. And by the way, here's a little controversial point. You don't need to be saved every Sunday. Stop coming up here every single Sunday to get saved. I don't know who messed you up in church when you were growing up but I'm here to tell you, the moment you receive Jesus from the heart, if it was real, you don't have to get saved every week, baby, you don't need to be afraid. Stop living in fear. "Oh, pastor sam, but I'm not perfect". He knows you're not perfect. Do you think he doesn't know you're not perfect? Here's the good news. The work that he started in you, he will finish the work that he already began in you.
There's no greater joy than the joy of salvation. That's why the old hymn said, "This joy that I have, the world didn't give it to me: the world didn't give it and the world can't take it away". You praise a little different when you're saved, you worship a little different when you're saved, you walk, you live, you talk, you forgive, you give differently when you're saved. Saved people, saved people, there is no greater peace than the peace of salvation, no greater promise than the promise of salvation. Salvation is everything, man, and growing up in this kind of church environment, you would hear people say, "I'm glad I'm saved because if I die tonight", how many times y'all hear that growing up? "'cause if I die tonight, I know that", what? "I know I'm saved because if I die, 'cause if I died tonight, praise be the Lord". And that's right, it's true, but you forgot about what happens if you live tomorrow. You got this half right.
If you think salvation is about what happens when you die, Jesus did not save you so you can die, he saved you to give you life and life abundantly. You're focused on getting out of here, and he's focused on showing his glory through your life. Salvation, salvation. I'm gonna calm down now. It's a lot of energy there, it's all bottled in. I know what you're thinking, "Calm down, son". But I'm just, I'm so glad Jesus set me free, I'm so glad Jesus set me free. The greatest gift you have is the gift of salvation. Through the vicarious, atoning, finished work of Jesus, oh, we're saved. Your name is permanently written in the lamb's book of life. You should walk like, that's crazy. You're not go, isn't it crazy? You're not going to hell. That's straight up like woah! And now that you know you're not going to hell, God says, "I'm gonna shine my glory through you".
So, if you're born again and you accepted Jesus from the heart, so it wasn't coerced, manipulated, it was you, stop worrying about, "Oh God, do I have to get saved every day"? Stop that! You're saved. Now that you're saved, be filled with the Holy Spirit. God has a purpose for your life on this planet, to shine his glory through you. And the final point is the victory of household cities and nations saved. Acts 2:21 says this, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord," not some people, but everyone. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to see more people get saved than ever before. I'm gonna do this, and this is what...I don't know about you, but I'm about, I'm ready to see entire families saved. No, no. No, no. Those words, salvation, healing, Godliness, and glory, you're about to see through your life and your testimony more people saved than ever before.
If you love people around you, if you care for them, you wanna see them saved. And we need to stop placating to feelings and opinions. Our number one priority is not me making you feel good, it's getting you saved through the finished work of Christ, right? It's salvation, which means, I'm ready to see salvation come to Sacramento. Half of you clap, the other half are from elk grove. So, how many believe God can save an entire city? I'm gonna ask that one more time. How many believe God can save an entire city? How many believe that salvation can come to Sacramento? How many believe salvation can come to elk grove? How many believe salvation can come to Roseville? How many believe salvation...Are you ready for this? How many believe San Francisco can become the most saved city in America by the... I don't know about you, but I believe the same God that saved Israel on multiple occasions can save the state of California. The same God that saved Israel can save America. If you believe that, lift up your hands.
I don't know about you, but I believe generation x will be saved, the millennial generation, the z-generation, the baby boomers can be saved, we'll be saved, shall be saved. Salvation will come like the Dawn, salvation will take place. What does that mean? I don't care what the devil says, salvation will take place. I don't care what the critics say, salvation will take place. I don't care what the enemy says, salvation will take place. Write this verse down. "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your entire household will be saved," Acts 16:31.
How many of you are ready? How many of you are making room to see our entire family come to Christ. How many really believe that we are about to see more people saved than ever before? That's not a joke, that's not wishful thinking, and it's not spaghetti thrown on the prophetic wall. We are about to see more people, I've been traveling. I've been traveling. I traveled to a nation that was known for its witchcraft, that was know for its false idol idolatry, that was known for paganism, and now, that nation, right now, right now, that nation is becoming one of the top nations now in the modern era, not back in, but in the modern era, becoming one of the nation's, it's right there aiming towards where the majority of people are self-identifying as born again Christians. No, that's wild. I don't know if you're getting this.
How can a nation experience the glory of God this way? I'm talking about Brazil. What happened? It was a flipping of the script. All of it started in the saving grace of Christ, invaded an entire nation. Churches started praying, churches started fasting, churches started preaching the full gospel without the leading "1 verse 1" iota, loving on people, speaking truth with love and that's how you change the world. So, I need this church to get ready. We're gonna invite everyone to come in. I don't care what they look like, I don't care what they smell like, I don't give a holy hoot who they voted for. I'm gonna say that there are churches that say, "Only if you are one political ideology, come to my church".
If you belong to this political party, come to my church. Stop worshipping politicians and politically parties and start lifting up the name of Jesus. I don't care, I don't care what you believe about you, about yourself, I don't even care what you believe about your gender, your orientation. The moment you walk into this building, this is more than a building, baby, this is the house of Almighty God. The spirit of Jesus is in this place, and when you walk into this auditorium, we're not gonna tickle you, we're not gonna massage you, we're gonna preach the gospel and the chains will fall off your life. If you believe it, shout like you're saved.
Lift up your hands church, we're done. Lift up your hands. It's time to get as many people saved as divinely possible. Notice how I said, "Divinely possible". I didn't say "Humanly possible". As a church, the saving grace of Jesus, the saving love of Jesus, the saving truth of Jesus must be our priority. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, there's no greater victory than the victory of salvation, so get ready to see your family, your friends, and followers, neighbors, community, generation saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. Stand with me, you are standing.