YOU HAVE HEARD FROM GREAT MIGHTY MEN OF GOD TELLING YOU, “TITHING IS OLD TESTAMENT; IGNORE IT.” – FOREVER THE WORD OF THE LORD IS SETTLED
IF YOU ROB GOD OF HIS TITHES, YOU ARE UNDER A CURSE UNTIL YOU RESTITUTE
ABRAHAM HAD TROUBLES UNTIL HE COMPLETELY OBEYED BY PARTING WITH LOT. RESTITUTION IS POWERFUL
THAT WHICH IS IN YOU THAT CAN BE COMPARED TO ACHAN MUST DIE – NOT CASUALLY BUT DIE COMPLETELY
A LITTLE DRINK, JUST ONCE IN A WHILE PRODUCED TWO LITTLE NATIONS FROM LOT WHO WERE THORNS IN THE FLESH OF ISRAEL FOR YEARS TO COME
MOSES COULD GET ANGRY “ONCE IN A WHILE” BUT ANGER COST HIM ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND
– Pastor E. A. Adeboye on “FOR WHOM THE HEAVENS OPEN (Part 34)” || RCCG Online Sunday Service || 31st December, 2023 ||
As we move on to Part 34 in our series, “FOR WHOM THE HEAVENS OPEN.” We will be looking at Joshua 7:13-18, 24-26. Sounds almost like a horror story. When they finally found out that Achan was the culprit, they stoned him and every member of his family with stones till they died. Church Gist. Even after they were dead, they burnt them with fire and after burning them with fire, they put a heap of stone over them. It’s as if they were saying, from death unto death unto death, die in such a manner that there is no possibility of you waking up (come back to life).
Well, we begin from where we left off. The Almighty God told Joshua, yea I remember I am the One who promised you no man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life, but my promise was conditional. Church Gist. Joshua 1:1-9 (particularly verse 7). So, if you want me to go back to my promises, you have to restitute your ways. You have to return to me then, I will return to you. The Bible said, you draw near to God, God will draw near to you.
So the first thing I want to talk about briefly will be the Power of Restitution. That’s a topic you don’t hear much about nowadays but don’t worry, one of these days by the grace of God, we will spend the whole time talking about nothing other than restitution. Genesis 12:1-4. God chose Abram. If you read the story very well, there was nothing special about Abraham before God chose him. (However, there are conditions for the blessings). Church Gist. But in verse 4, Abraham obeyed only 2 of the conditions: he left his Country, his father’s house, but he took Lot with him as a member of the Family. God said, “mmm mmm (no), it’s not the way it should be.” So when Abraham began to go, by the time he arrived, he got into trouble. God intervened, rescued his wife from the King but trouble continued if we look at Genesis 13. After God had restored to him his wife, there was a trouble between Abraham and Lot. Why? Because Lot represents incomplete obedience. God said, you are the One I want to bless, I didn’t ask you to take your cousin with you. So you find out in Genesis 13:14-18, the Bible says, after Lot departed from Abraham God said, “now we can talk again because you have restituted your ways. Now, anywhere you see, I give it to you. It’s you I want to bless.” Genesis 20:1-18. Abimelech restituted and the Almighty God healed his family. Restitution is powerful.
Malachi 3:8-12. The Almighty God says, “you rob me of my tithes? You’re under a curse. Until you restitute, restore to me all you have stolen from me. If you do that, then watch me in action.” I hope you’re listening children of God? Oh, I know that you have been hearing from great mighty men of God who have told you, “that’s Old Testament, ignore it.” Forever O Lord thy Word is settled. Daniel 4:28-37. Beloved children, have you been robbing God, restitute your ways. Have you been doing things contrary to the Will of God? Church Gist. Restitute your ways. Oh, there are promises of God that many of you have claimed: the Word came at one Holy Ghost Service or the other and you knew that you knew that this is directly for me, that there’s no way Daddy G.O can know my exact situation – this Word must come from God. You knew it, claimed it but nothing seemed to happen. Hey check, my God never lies; once He speaks, it is done. Is there any thing in my life, any restitution I must make? May the Almighty God reveal it to you today in Jesus’ name!
The second thing to learn from the passage is: You cannot hide from God. How did they get Achan out of a whole nation? God has His system. He said, “bring the People tribe by tribe. Then they chose the correct tribe. Bring the Tribe family by family, then bring the People man by man and they chose only one fellow.” Mark 4:22. Church Gist. You can’t hide anything from God; you can hide from man. Hebrews 4:13. You think you have done this, nobody saw you, so it’s done, it’s forgotten, buried, … You may as well throw away the Bible because if you don’t believe any part of the Bible, then forget about His salvation. It’s either you believe it or you don’t believe it at all. Nothing hid that shall not be made manifest. Psalm 139:7-12; Proverbs 11:21. That your secret is not out yet, that’s the Mercy of God. He is waiting for you to make your restitution yourself so he can keep everything under cover for you.
Some of you heard me tell the story of one high Chief somewhere who was very sick and they called me to come and pray, we prayed, fasted, did everything and instead of him improving, he got worst. I cried to God, when I may have fasted and … I was determined that God will heal him. So I was going to go (I think) whether on a 30 Day fast so that God will heal him and God said to me, “Son, if you want to fast, fasting is good for you but not because of that man. You can fast, I’m not going to heal him.” Ah! Why? God said, he’s not my child. “Ah! God, I asked him that and he told me he is your child.” God said, alright, I will tell you a bit about him. This man, I will tell you the source of his wealth. Church Gist. This man did this, took something that belonged to a family and then those who were coming to Court to testify against him, he got a man to go and torpedo their boat (they were coming by the Sea). He torpedoed the Boat all the people drowned. When the Man came to collect the money for doing that thing, the man said, eat before you go and had poisoned the food. The man ate the food, collected the money, got home and died and the Chief thought, “that’s covered.” So God said, go and tell him this story. There’s no way anybody could know but God knew.
I got to the Chief, I said, “Sorry Sir, God told me something this this this.” He said, don’t come here again. Of course he died of the sickness. Church Gist. There’s nothing hid that God does not know about – Restitute before it is too late! You can’t hide from Him.
Then, the most important part of this story is that your Achan must die and die totally. That which is in you that could be compared to Achan must die and not die casually but die completely. Galatians 2:20 – it didn’t say, “oh, I just came to the foot of the Cross and I have prayed there.” It said, I am crucified, I died like Christ died 100 per cent. When you’re crucified it means you’re dead. Genesis 9:20-27. When you are talking of somebody who obtained grace, favour from the Lord, Noah should stand out very boldly. God was wiping out the whole world but he rescued this man and his family. Church Gist. But Noah had only one little problem: he drinks once in a while. So one day, a little became just a little too much and he became drunk and was lying in his tent naked. He had only 3 sons and one of them saw the Father lying naked, ran out to go and call the other two. “Laughing, come and see Papa.” You know the rest of the story. When he came out of his drunkenness, with his own mouth he cursed the boy who came in and saw him lying naked. Satan said, “ehhh you escaped drowning, let me destroy one of your children.”
You know the story of Lot. Genesis 19:30-38. If anybody also could claim that he obtained favour of the Lord, it was Lot. He escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with his 2 daughters but Lot had only one little problem – he drinks once in a while, just a little bit of wine and the daughters had a meeting. “There’s no man here o and we must have children. The only way we can have children is through our Father. Church Gist. He won’t do such a thing normally but let’s make him drunk.” He got drunk the first night, slept with his first daughter; got drunk the second night, slept with his younger daughter. The 2 of them produced 2 boys. Two boys who became 2 little nations that were thorns in the flesh of Israel for years to come. A little drink, just once in a while.
There are many of you who will say, “no no no, I have only one little weakness.” That little weakness must die or else it will create a problem for you in future.
Consider Moses for example: the problem of Moses was he could get angry once in a while. Church Gist. He was a very meek man but the devil discovered in Exodus 2:11-12 that he could get angry and kill a man. It was anger that didn’t allow Moses to get to the Promised Land. Numbers 20:1-12.
Remember those of you (this is very direct at somebody listening to me) who are toying with temper. Ecclesiastes 7:9; Matthew 5:29-30. Church Gist. You must cry to God today, whatever is in me that represents my Achan, Almighty God help me, kill it and kill it thoroughly.
As for those of who that are not yet born again you will be saying, “if the situation is this tough for those who are born again, then what’s my hope then?” Church Gist. If you come to the Lord Jesus Christ and he saves your soul, He can sanctify you too. He can make you completely committed to holiness so that you will not sin again. The first step of course is that your former sins must be washed away.
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