WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT YOUR LIFE, YOU HAVE EVERY REASON TO SAY, THUS FAR, GOD HAS HELPED ME.
YOU ARE NOT WHERE YOU THINK YOU SHOULD BE, THANK HIM! AT LEAST YOU ARE NOT IN PRISON
Pastor E. A. Adeboye at RCCG Special Sunday. Going Higher Part 34
1 Kings 18:41
We learned last week that as we go higher in the Lord, we want to look at the Scriptures verse by verse to see if there are treasures hidden there that could be of tremendous benefits to us as individuals so we don’t just read the story and let it go. Last week we discovered that God must be merciful because He preserved a nation through three and a half years of no rain.
We were not there when these people heard that rain was on the way but we feel that it must have been very good news for them. Church Gist. If I were one of them, what will I have done? What is the next thing that will come out of my mouth? That is what we are going to learn today from this story.
If I was there and I heard there is the sound of an abundance of rain, I would have shouted praise the Lord. Church Gist. The next lesson to learn from this story is THANKSGIVING.
Why must we thank God, those of us who have been preserved by the mercy of God? Because according to 1 Samuel 7:12, Prophet Samuel laid an offering on the Altar and shouted ‘Ebenezer, thus far, God has helped us’.
Everyone listening to me, you too can say, thus far, God has helped me.
When you look back all the way in your life, you have a reason to say thus far, God has helped me. That I was not aborted in my mother’s womb, she could have done it and I wouldn’t have stopped her. I wasn’t a stillbirth, I could have been born dead and I wouldn’t even know. Some of us when we look back and consider the circumstances surrounding our birth, I mean death was waiting for some of us before we were born, if you don’t believe me, ask Moses. Church Gist. Before Moses was born, there was already a decree, if this pregnancy should result in a boy, kill him. What of those of us who came into the world when there was tetanus, smallpox and all manners of sickness and disease that could kill a child and we survived. Some of us were not born in a maternity center, some of us were born in places where there were no doctors to help and yet we survived, thus far, He has helped us. Thank you, Lord!
Why should we thank God for those of us who are alive enough to hear this sermon? The Bible says in Psalms 124: 1-8, if the Lord had not been on our side, that is what we should be saying now when the enemies rose up against us, if God had not been on our side, where shall we be? If there had not been someone who according to Psalms 46:1-3, is called the Ever-Present Help in the time of trouble, where are we going to be now?
When you consider each time you travel, along the roads, the fellow driving in the opposite direction is high on drugs and he didn’t cross the road to your side to come and crush you. Church Gist. When you read stories of people who are minding their own business driving safely and then one tanker and the other had an accident and they got burnt to death, you would ask yourself if God had not been on my side, where will I be now?
Why should we thank God? I think the people on Mount Carmel must have said, you mean we survived? If we survived the last three and a half years, we are likely to make it to the future. Church Gist. Why? Because when there is life there is hope. Ecclesiastes 9:4, says even a living dog is better than a dead lion.
David said in Psalms 42:5, my soul, why are you cast down? Hope in God because you will still praise Him.
That I have survived thus far, there is hope that my tomorrow will be alright. Church Gist. Many times when we should be thanking God for preservation, we begin to think about things that we don’t have instead of considering what we do have.
Psalms 103:1-5, David is actually saying, count your blessings, name them one by one. You are not just preserved, consider every good thing that the Almighty God has made available to you. I want you to spend quality time this Sunday thanking God.
You have eyes and you can see, thank Him.
You can’t see but you can hear, thank Him.
You are not where you think you should be thank Him, at least you are not in prison.
You are in prison thank God that you are not dead, there is still hope for you.
You are in the hospital, the doctors have lost hope, the doctors are not God, thank God, you are still breathing.
If people have written you off, don’t worry yourself, they have not taken God into the calculation, the God who can preserve a nation for three and a half years can do anything.
There is something interesting here, it is only Elijah that heard the sound of an abundance of rain, the others didn’t hear anything until Elijah spoke. Church Gist. I don’t know about you, I will love to be hearing from God.
I told my children not too long ago when I got born again, a very young Christian, somebody took me to a Fellowship of fellow Christians, I was a lecturer at the University of Lagos then, they were worshipping and praising God, I didn’t know most of the songs they were singing but I was going along with them, making a joyful noise, I was filled with joy anyway, the joy of salvation. All of a sudden as if by signal, everything went quiet and then somebody began to prophesy and he went on and on and I touched the fellow sitting next to me, ‘when did God say that’, he said shhh, ‘God is speaking’ I said ‘I am not hearing’, God have mercy. That day I cried to God, next time you speak I want to hear. Church Gist. I give Him glory and honour that it wasn’t long after that I began to hear.
I pray for all of you listening to me today, God will open your ears and you will begin to hear from Him.
The ability to hear from Him should be available to every Christian.
John 10:27, He said in His word, my sheep, hear my voice. If you are born again, you are His sheep, you should be hearing his voice. Even though He said in Revelation 2:7, he who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying.
We found out later on in our service when God wants to speak, He speaks in a small still voice, not everyone has the ability to hear that still small voice.
According to John 4:23-24, when you worship Him, He draws near and when He is near you, He can whisper and you will hear. He said He is looking for worshippers.
When you are worshipping Him, He draws near, when He is near, even if He is speaking in a small still voice you can hear.
2 Kings 3:6-15, when some kings came to Elisha and they said we want to hear what is going to happen to us in future, he got angry because they were idol worshippers, then he repented because there was one of them who was worshipping God. Church Gist. For him to hear God he said bring me a minstrel. That is why in an atmosphere of worship, it is not uncommon to hear daddy said, this is going to happen.
Proverbs 20:12, says the hearing ear and the seeing eyes, the Lord has made them all. In other words, if you go to Him today and ask Him to open your ears, He is willing, it is within His ability, He can decide whose ear to open so that you begin to hear from God, I pray that you will be one of those people whose ears will be open today.
According to Amos 3:7-8, the Bible says God will not do a thing without revealing His secrets to His servant the Prophets, He will tell those who can hear from Him about what He is about to do. Church Gist. Having advance information can be very beneficial. The elders have a saying, if a layman hears that war is coming, if he is wise, he can escape death because He knows he can’t run, he can’t move fast but he knows that war is coming, he will begin to run to safety quick.
I pray for you one more time that from today onward you will begin to hear from God.
Elijah said I have heard the sound of abundance of rain, the sky was absolutely clear, no trace of cloud, that tells you one thing again, one of the signs of genuine prophecy is that it comes almost unbelievably difficult. This is not a case of somebody getting up and saying during the raining season in Nigeria, thus saith the Lord it shall rain tomorrow, we are in the raining season. This Man of God said at a time when there had been no rain for three and a half years and the sky is still as clear as possible and He said abundant rain is coming.
Exodus 14:1-28, when the Children of Israel were by the Red Sea and the armies of Pharaoh was behind, humanly speaking there were only two options, slaughter by the army of Pharaoh or taken back into slavery and yet the Man of God said, look at them very well, the enemies you have seen today, you will never see them again. The people would have said what are you talking about, are you saying we are going to drown? Because he said move forward.
2 Kings 4:1-7, a widow of one of the Sons of the Prophets came to Elisha and said I have nothing in the house, just a little pot of oil, creditors have come and they want to sell my children. The man of God said go and borrow plenty vessels, borrow not a few, shut the door on yourself and begin to pour out the oil from your little bottle into the vessels and set aside those that are full, what are you talking about? I told you the bottle of oil is small, you are now talking of vessels that are full, that is prophecy, that is the way of God.
2 Kings 4:8-17, Elisha said to the Shunammite Woman, nine months from now, you will have a son, it was a laughable prophecy, the Shunammite Woman said, man of God, don’t deceive me, don’t waste my time wasting my hope for nothing, that is divine prophecy.
2 Kings 7:1-20, at a time when women were eating their children because of hunger, the Man of God said in less than twenty-four hours, there will be so much food that nobody will like to buy. It doesn’t make sense, that is divine prophecy.
Isaiah 7:14, he said God will give you a sign, a virgin shall conceive. What are you talking about but that is prophecy.
When God speaks, it doesn’t make sense because a miracle doesn’t make sense and God doesn’t deal with senses. The Bible says the just shall live by faith.
Isaiah 3:10, the Almighty God said say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with him. Every one of you children of the Almighty God, your tomorrow will be alright.
It doesn’t matter how impossible that may seem, your future must be glorious.
You are going to be greater than you can imagine.
A day is coming when people will look at you and pray and say whatever God sees in you that causes him to make somebody like you so great, father please do the same for me. That is how great you are going to become.
Prophecies are for the righteous so if you are not a child of God and you want God himself to speak to your future and change everything around for good, surrender your life to him now. It is when you are born again that you become the righteousness of God, the choice is yours.
If you will love to surrender your life to Jesus Christ now so that your future will be glorious so that one day you too will be able to say Christ in me the hope of glory, I need you to bow your heads and say please save my soul, have mercy on me, make me one of yours, so that my tomorrow may be alright, promise Him you will serve Him for the rest of your life, talk to Him.
God Bless You!
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