PASTOR ADEBOYE SHARES WHAT HE WOULD HAVE DONE TO POTIPHAR’S WIFE IF HE WAS THE ENTHRONED JOSEPH
THE BIGGEST LESSON WE CAN LEARN FROM NABOTH WHO REFUSED TO COMPROMISE AND WAS KILLED IS THAT THE TRIUMPH OF THE EVIL ONE IS TEMPORARY
THERE IS A PUNISHMENT WORSE THAN DEATH. IF YOU THINK THAT THE WICKED MAN HAS WON, MAYBE YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT THE WICKED MAN IS PASSING THROUGH
IF YOU HAVE AN EVIL WOMAN AS A WIFE, I PRAY THAT THE ALMIGHTY GOD WILL CONVERT HER TODAY – PASTOR ADEBOYE PRAYS FOR MEN
WHEN A MAN DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO THANK GOD, THERE IS NO LEVEL OF EVIL THAT HE CANNOT DESCEND TO
KNOWING HOW TO THANK GOD IS A GREAT LESSON THOSE WHO ARE GOING HIGHER MUST LEARN
DO NOT SELL YOUR SALVATION. THERE IS NO PRICE BIG ENOUGH THAT WILL BE A COMPENSATION FOR YOUR SALVATION
IF YOU ARE REALLY DETERMINED TO GO HIGHER IN THE LORD, YOU MUST NEVER NEVER SELL YOUR BIRTHRIGHT
BIRTHRIGHT DOES NOT REFER TO HOUSES OR LANDS; BUT YOUR SALVATION THAT MONEY COULD NOT BUY
-Pastor E. A. Adeboye on GOING HIGHER (Part 72)
Redeemed Christian Church of God Special Sunday Service.
Father Almighty, the unchangeable Lord, the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same on the mountain, the same in the valley, we worship you. Church Gist. Please accept our thanks in Jesus’ name. It’s a joy to know that you’re always around; that wherever we go, you are there with us. Church Gist. Just like our shadow, we cannot be separated from you because you are dwelling in us, giving us the hope of glory. Please accept our worship in Jesus’ name.
We continue with our series, GOING HIGHER (Part 72). And today we will be looking at 1 Kings 21:16-24. This is a very sobering chapter in the Bible. The reason we are reading it, not only because Elijah was part of the story, is because there is a great lesson those of you who are going higher must learn. Church Gist. When a man does not know how to say, “Thank you” to God, there is no level of evil that he cannot descend to.
In the previous chapter, we’ve just heard how God delivered the great army of the Syrians into the hand of the little army of Israel. This same God just showed this same King, Ahab, how mighty He can be on the mountain as well as in the valley. Church Gist. The next thing we heard was that the King who never said, thank you, at any moment to God was that he looked out of his palace and he saw a vineyard belonging to Naboth; very close to the palace. And he sent to Naboth and said, “I want your vineyard; I must have it at all cost. If you want to sell, I will buy; if not, I will give you another one elsewhere.” Church Gist. And Naboth said, “Your Majesty, this is my inheritance. The Vineyard had been in my family for a long time. I cannot sell my birthright.”
Now, you would have thought that the King, “You have all the money; you want vineyard, go and plant your own. You want a bigger one than this one you have the resources.” Instead he told the wife what is making him sad and the wife said, “Leave it to me; you will get it for free.” Church Gist. And so, she arranged. And I pray for all of you men listening to me, “If you have an evil woman as a wife, I pray that the Almighty God will convert her today.” Anyway, so Naboth died; and Jezebel told the husband, “The vineyard is yours for free.” And the King went down, “Now yes, I got it from him. He won’t give me freely, now it’s mine.”
He has forgotten that God is in the Heavens and He sees everything that is going on. And so, even as he was there rejoicing, Elijah arrived with a message from the Lord. And the King looked up and saw Elijah and said, “Ah! My enemy, you located me here?” Church Gist. Elijah said, ‘Yes Sir, I have located you. And this time, I have a message for you. By the time God finishes with you, there will be nothing left of you and of your heritage forever.’
This chapter in the Bible could take us several days Sundays but we will only select few points there.
- The first one we will want to make clear to those of you who are really determined to go higher in the Lord is that you must never never sell your birthright; not for any price. Church Gist. And when we are talking about birthright here we are not talking about houses left behind by your parents, or land, we are talking about something much more serious. But you know very well the story in Genesis 25:29-34, when Esau sold his birthright for a plate of food, the Bible tells us that the repercussion was grievous. Hebrews 12:16-17. Church Gist. That when he wanted the birthright back, when he wanted the blessing that should have been his, he sought for it with great crying but could not get it back.
If you are a child of God, you have a birthright that money could not buy. Romans 8:17. Don’t sell your salvation. Salvation brings to you the entire wealth of the Most High God. Everything that God could give to his begotten Son Jesus Christ is available to you too; you are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Church Gist. Don’t do anything at all that can cost you your salvation. Don’t be involved in any transaction that can cost you your salvation. It doesn’t matter how rosy the contract; it doesn’t matter the gain that you could get from it; don’t sell your salvation.
Matthew 16:26. Remember Judas Iscariot anytime you are tempted to compromise. Church Gist. In Matthew 27:3-5, the Bible told us that after he had collected 30 pieces of silver so that he could betray the Lord Jesus Christ, he later repented but it was too late. He never spent the money; he hanged himself.
It doesn’t matter the wealth, the riches, the position, influence that you might be offered if only you could just compromise a little; Don’t agree. Imagine in the story of Gehazi, 2 Kings 5:20-27, when he was dazzled by the wealth of Naaman that he brought, that his master refused, because what the master was interested in was in the salvation of the Samaritan Naaman; not his wealth. Church Gist. But Gehazi compromised; he got money and got leprosy along with it. But imagine what Gehazi lost: it’s not just his health, imagine what that boy would have become if he had remained faithful till the end to the course of the King of Kings.
Imagine what could have happened in 2 Kings 13:14-21, if Elisha had said to Gehazi, “I am about to die but I still have plenty of anointing left even in my bones. What can I do for you before I be taken away from thee?” Imagine Gehazi asking for a double portion of the spirit of Elisha; imagine a man having a double portion of the anointing of a man whose bones, dead bones can raise the dead. Church Gist. Imagine the kind of prophet Gehazi could have been. Instead he ended up the patron saint of lepers. Don’t sell your salvation. There’s no price big enough that will be a compensation for your salvation. Man of God, woman of God, please take note of that; it’s very very crucial.
Now let’s move on to the fact that Naboth died. He refused to sell his birthright. As a result, he was killed. 1 Corinthians 10:11. What lessons can we learn from Naboth? Probably the biggest lesson of all, (there are many of them) is that the triumph of the evil one is temporary. Church Gist. Yes they killed him, but we are reading about him today. He refused to compromise and he paid a costly price. Some of you may pay a costly price for refusing to compromise; and I know what I’m talking about. I have examples:
I have an example of someone who because he refused when he was promoted to the position of Accountant General of a very big organization. And they told him, “Right now you are here, this is the way we play the game here. Every month we will be going home with so many millions.” And he said, “Ah! How will I be able to spend the money? Church Gist. If I buy a car with this kind of money, I will be riding in a moving coffin. How will I be able to go to Church on Sunday and say Jesus is my provider?” He resigned; the reason he came to us is, “Please pray for me because I know they will come after me to prevent me from talking.” Well, thank God that the Lord can still build a wall of fire around his own.
But even if you have to pay the ultimate price, remember: the triumph of evil is temporary. Yes in Genesis 1:1-3, darkness came first; but finally when the light shone, darkness has to give way. In John 1:5, Genesis 37:13-28, dream killers may think they have won, but God is still on the throne. In Genesis 50:15-21, these same dream killers still came and fell down before Joseph and said, “We are your servants.” Church Gist. But don’t forget, Joseph was able to reach the top because he refused to compromise. Remember in the same Genesis 39, when he was doing fine, when he has become Managing Director and the wife of the CEO or whatever you want to call Potiphar said, “Compromise; lie with me.” He refused; and why did he refuse? I can’t do this and sin against God.
Child of God, I hope you are listening. Don’t sell your salvation. Potiphar’s wife might have thought she won because by the time she threw Joseph into the prison, she thought that that boy will never get out of prison. Church Gist. But you know, each time I read Genesis 41:1-44, when Joseph finally landed on the throne and Pharaoh said, “Every knee must bow to Joseph.” (Maybe it’s my own imagination) but if I were Joseph, I believe the first place I will come to is the house of Potiphar. And I will say I want to see Madam so that she can bow.
If you don’t sell your salvation, all those who think they have triumphed over you will come bowing down to you. In Daniel 6:1-17, when all the enemies of Daniel got him thrown into the den of lions, and a big stone was rolled across the mouth of the den so that there will be no way he could escape; and they even got the King to seal the stone so it cannot be moved by anybody, they thought they had won. Church Gist. I am sure they must have had a party that night. This boy thought he was going to rule over us; now let him rule among the lions. But you know the rest of the story. By the time we got to Daniel 6:19-28, it was they who ended up being fed to the lions.
I give you one more example: In Genesis 4:1-10, Cain thought he has won when he killed Abel and hid his body; nobody saw him. “How can you small boy come and gain the favour of God when myself, your brother, rejected by him?” but then God intervened. Church Gist. And when God pronounced his judgement in Genesis 4:11-15, we see clearly from the mouth of Cain himself that there is a punishment worse than death. If you think that the wicked man has won, maybe you should know what the wicked man is passing through.
I will tell you a story: years ago, I went to visit Kiri Kiri prison. And I met one of the prisoners there after ministration. He said, “Pray for me; I have been on death row for 33 years. Pray that they will kill me so at least I can go.” He said every night they kill people that are going to be killed, it’s usually in the night between 2 and 4am. Church Gist. He said, “Every night for 33 years I have been waiting to hear the footsteps, ‘Are they coming for me today?’ I don’t sleep until 4. After I have not heard any footstep by 4, I know they are not coming for me today. I have been like that for 33 years.” He said, ‘even if they release me now, I won’t even recognise anywhere.” There’s something worse than death. Don’t sell your salvation. The triumph of the enemy is not going to last.
Never you forget: He who laughs last, laughs best. If you are not even saved yet, you don’t know what you are missing. Nothing as precious as salvation. Church Gist. But if you want to have a taste of the Lord, to see how good he can be, bow your head and call on him.
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