DADDY ADEBOYE SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT: ONCE SAVED IS NOT FOREVER SAVED
MANY PREACHERS WHO SAY SALVATION BY GRACE ALLOWS YOU DO WHAT YOU LIKE AND MAKE HEAVEN ARGUE THAT I HAVE NOT STUDIED PAUL, THE APOSTLE OF GRACE
I STUDIED PAUL BECAUSE I WANT TO BE LIKE HIM!
ONCE SAVED IS FOREVER SAVED PROVIDED YOU TAKE HEED LEST YOU FALL ACCORDING TO PAUL
WHEN YOU ARE STAYING ON THE ROCK, YOUR FUTURE IS SECURED
IN THOSE DAYS AS ACADEMICIANS WE MOCKED THE INSTRUCTION OF JESUS CONCERNING WOMEN; WE WERE IN THE MIRY CLAY
IT PLEASED THE ALMIGHTY GOD TO STRETCH OUT HIS EVERLASTING ARMS, GRABBED ME FROM BLASPHEMERS AND SET ME ON THE ROCK
GOD HAS THE ABILITY TO PLUCK YOU OUT OF THE MIRY CLAY, WASH YOU CLEAN AND SET YOU ON THE ROCK TO STAY
THERE IS NOBODY THAT GOD HAS CONDEMNED INTO BEING IN THE MIRY CLAY BUT HE GIVES YOU A CHOICE – TO CONTINUE TO LIVE IN THE MIRY CLAY OR TO ACCEPT HIS INVITATION
TO STAY ON THE ROCK IS MORE CRUCIAL THAN TO BE REPOSITIONED TO THE ROCK
TOMORROW BY THE SPECIAL GRACE OF GOD IS A DAY FOR HEALING AND GOD IS GOING TO BE CURING THE INCURABLE!
ONE OF THE GREATEST EVIDENCE OF LIVING IN A MIRY CLAY IS TRAVAILING, STRUGGLING HARD WITHOUT PROGRESS, STRUGGLING WITH NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT
IF YOU ARE IN THE MIRY CLAY, YOU WILL STRUGGLE HARD WITHOUT PROGRESS BECAUSE YOU ARE LIVING UNDER THE CONSTANT ANGER OF GOD
ALL THOSE WHO ARE LIVING IN THE MIRY CLAY SUFFER FROM FEAR REGULARLY AND ARE TORMENTED BY IT.
GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO ARE ON THE ROCK WITHOUT SWEAT AND ADDS NO SORROW TO THEM
– Pastor E. A. Adeboye on “FROM MIRY CLAY TO THE ROCK TO STAY” || RCCG HOLY GHOST CONGRESS 2023 || Divine Repositioning || Day 2 Evening Service || 5th December, 2023 ||
Tomorrow by the Special Grace of God is a day for healing and God is going to be curing the incurable tomorrow. Tonight we are going to be sharing from Psalm 40:1-3. Tonight we are talking on, “FROM MIRY CLAY TO THE ROCK TO STAY.” Tonight will be different from any night you’ve ever seen before. Our sermon is going to be broken into 2 small pieces – part 1 we will be talking to those who are in the miry clay and then give them an opportunity to come to the Rock. Church Gist. So, half way through the sermon, there will be an Altar call so that those who are in the miry clay and want to be transpositioned to the Rock, we give them an opportunity to give their lives to Jesus. After we’ve done that, we will have a second little sermon to talk to those who are already on the Rock.
When you get married, when you make a vow of marriage, there are 2 significant sections in that vow. When you say, “I take this woman to be my lawfully wedded wife,” you make a promise that is two-fold: to have and to hold. Tonight, our topic is two-fold: one is to be repositioned from the miry clay unto the Rock, the second section is to stay. Church Gist. To stay is more crucial than to be repositioned to the Rock. So, section 1 will be an outreach to those who are in the miry clay. Section 2 is going to be a Bible study where we will be digging deep a little and after that, we will be allowed to pray. Tonight when it is time to pray, I will pray for you first like I did yesterday and then you will be asked to go and pray and nobody will stop you when you get to that second section. You will be allowed to pray for as long as you want.
Part 1
From the very beginning of the world, there have been 2 major forces in operation: darkness and light. Genesis 1:1-4. Today in the name that is above every other name, God is going to reposition someone from darkness to light. Church Gist. Living in darkness is compared to living in a miry clay. Miry clay in modern language we call it, “quick sand.” You know, certain parts of the world they have what they call quick sand. If somebody finds himself in quick sand, the harder he tries to get out, the deeper he goes. Miry clay – the passage we read called it, Terrible pit.
How do we know whether or not we are living in a miry clay? I will explain so that you can make up your mind to know whether you’re living in a miry clay or not. One of the greatest evidence of living in a miry clay is travailing, working hard, struggling hard without progress. In fact, instead of progress, like in a quick sand, the more you struggle, the deeper you go. Ecclesiastes 2:26. On the surface they are doing well but deep within they know something is wrong. Church Gist. I remember when I was living in the miry clay, I was already a lecturer in the University. I had a car but since I was afraid of driving in Lagos, I had a driver. I will pay him his salary at the beginning of the Month, by the middle of the Month I will be borrowing money from my driver to buy fuel. If you go to the University of Lagos and if they still keep those files at the Health Centre, my file was piled big. If I got sick and I got healed, then tomorrow it will be either my wife or one of the children – I was in the miry clay. Everybody thought I was doing great.
Struggling with nothing to show for it is evidence number 1 that you are in the miry clay. Even if you are “rich” in the miry clay, the Bible says with all your wealth you won’t be able to sleep. Ecclesiastes 5:12. The Bible tells us that if you are in the miry clay the reason you have this problem is because according to Psalm 7:11, you’re living under the constant anger of God. Church Gist. You can imagine a life where God is angry with you everyday. If you’re living in the miry clay, as far as God is concerned, you’re referred to as a dog. Matthew 15:21-28. If you’re living in the miry clay according to Revelation 22:15, you’re an outcast; God regards you as somebody to be kept outside.
Then there is something that is common to all those who are living in the miry clay – they suffer from fear regularly, tormented by fear. 1 John 4:18. That is why you find a lot of so called big people who surround themselves with all manners of charms because they are afraid that somebody sooner or later will want to attack. But there is the other side: those who live on the Rock. Church Gist. The Bible says in Proverbs 10:22 that God blesses them and adds no sorrow. God will just bless them without sweat. Psalm 127:1-2. The Bible tells us that those who are on the Rock, God does not call them dogs, he calls them children. John 1:11-12; Romans 8:15.
Now those in the miry clay like I’ve said earlier on, the example that the drunkard drinks to drown his sorrow. He’s not happy so he wants to drown the sorrow then he goes and gets drunk. Then as he is getting a little sober he says, “eh, don’t worry, I will drink again.” Church Gist. The drunkard keeps getting drunk. You find that the one in the miry clay from time to time he will realize, “my life is not what it should be, things are not okay.” Then the New Year will come and he will make what they call, “New Year Resolutions,” and within one week, they break all the resolutions. It’s not their fault, they couldn’t help themselves. 2 Peter 2:22. But there is someone who can pull them out, someone who can pull you out of the miry clay and put you on the Rock. Deuteronomy 33:27. God can sit down on his throne in Heaven and reach down that mighty hand, grab you and bring you out (of the miry clay) and he is going to do so tonight!
That’s what he did to me. Among academicians, those of us who thought that we were brilliant, we talk all kinds of rubbish. After a bottle or 2 of beer, after we’ve discussed politics and economy, the next thing we discuss is Jesus – continue to blaspheme him and say, “that man Jesus is a very clever man. He says you must not look at a woman, don’t look at any beautiful woman, but when a harlot came and began to wash his feet with tears and wipe it with the hair of her head, and somebody said, eh, why are you doing this to him? Church Gist. He said, mind your own business.” I was in the miry clay! But it pleased the Almighty God, one day he stretched out his everlasting arms and grabbed me among all those noisy blasphemers and said, “you? You’re coming to the Rock.”
– There is somebody here tonight, that same everlasting arm will reach out to you and pluck you out of the miry clay!
He has the ability to pluck you out of that rubbish and wash you clean. 1 John 1:7. We still have part 2 and so I don’t have time to begin to tell you all the rubbish I have ever done. But I was in the miry clay. When we lie, we say it with glee – “I sat him down (mo gbe j’oko).” We took pride in lying. Church Gist. When we got drunk over the weekend and we want to boast about it on Monday we say, “ah, yesterday was terrible.” But today, I am on the Rock and there are some people in the miry clay that my God will want to reposition. The invitation is open.
There is nobody that God has condemned into being in the miry clay. Occasionally you hear some people say, “I am living this lifestyle because God made me so” – no! God never made anything evil, everything He made was good. In fact when he made you, he said, very good! But then He says, “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” He gives you a choice. Revelation 3:20. You have a choice. You can continue to live in the miry clay, continue to travail, continue to be afraid, continue to live in sorrow or receive his invitation and he will reposition you. Church Gist. It took me quite a while and I had a problem and the problem brought me finally to the Redeemed Christian Church of God. In a Church that was made with … I looked at the Church, I looked at the name, “Redeemed Christian Church of God” I said, ah, big name – big name kills the small dog. I got there, they preached and they were telling me, “forsake your sin” I said, what do they know about sin? Just habits. But one day, my day came and I realized that these people I was calling illiterates (I was the most educated among them then), when you look at their faces you can see the peace of God. There was a storm raging in my own heart. I saw the difference was clear. Something said to me, “they’re not asking you to surrender to their Church, they’re asking you to surrender to your maker. With all your degrees how far have you gone ?” That day I heard his voice, that day I surrendered, that day everything changed.
Salvation Call:
Now we’ve come to part 2. I want you to fasten your seatbelt. There’s nothing as bad as being called ex- rich, ex-successful, ex-powerful. Church Gist. It’s better never to have been on the Rock than to go back to the miry clay. So I pray for everyone of you in the name that is above every other name, you will never go back!
Let me remind you of the advantages of being on the Rock because He wants to reposition us out of the miry clay unto the rock to stay. Church Gist. When you are staying on the rock, your future is secured. Matthew 7:24-27.
– In the name that is above every other name, everything you have achieved in life will last!
It’s one thing to be successful now, it’s another thing to succeed forever. When you are brought on the Rock, stay. Luke 20:17-18. Church Gist. But you see, the devil who is the King of the miry clay is a very mischievous fellow. The moment you escape, he will do everything he can to bring you back …but he will fail in Jesus’ name!
There are many people all over the world now telling you that once you are saved, you are saved forever. Of course you can be saved forever provided you take heed. 1 Corinthians 10:12. The Almighty God who has kept me standing till now will keep you standing forever! There are so many preachers now all over the world telling you that since you are saved by grace (which is true), that you can now do whatever you like, that you will still make it to Heaven. Church Gist. They said that people like me who tells you to take heed, they said we have not studied Paul. So I want to talk to you tonight – serious talk, father to children …because whether the devil likes it or not, because of what you are going to hear tonight and what you’re going to do tonight, I will see you in Heaven!
They said people like me, we didn’t study Paul. Ah! I studied Paul because when I became born again, I studied certain characters in the Bible, people I want to be like. I studied Elijah because I wanted power, hey, that man could pray and fire will fall. I studied Elijah for 3 solid years – private study. I studied Elisha and one of the people I studied was Paul. Why?
1. Paul was an academician. You know I’m coming from the academic world. He has a PhD in Law. Church Gist. There’s a lot of relationship between Law and Mathematics – we deal in logic. Acts 19:11-12 – I said I am going to be like this boy (Paul). I determined when I was a very young Christian (that) by the time I leave this world, it will be recorded, “God performed special miracles by the hands of Adeboye so that from his body handkerchiefs and aprons were taken to the sick and they were all healed.” I thank God by now, only God knows how many testimonies. So I studied Paul more than these people who begin to tell us that if I had studied Paul I would have known that he is an Apostle of Grace and therefore I won’t be talking what I am talking. I studied Paul!
So I’m going to talk to you from what Paul, (the one they claim as their source) said – i wont even touch any other Apostle. Apostle Paul had tasted both sides – the miry clay and the Rock. 1 Timothy 1:12-15. He calls himself the Chief of sinners – I could relate to that. When I was studying him I said, “God, I thank you, I’ve been a very naughty boy but I wasn’t as bad as Paul who wasn’t as bad as Saul of Tarsus. If you could use Saul of Tarsus, then you can use me.” Church Gist. Then when he got on the Rock, he moved so fast on the Rock that in 2 Corinthians 11:5 he could boldly say, “I am a Chief among the Apostles.” Please listen to me my children; this is a very special night, I’m not here to boast but by the special grace of God, anywhere in the world today when they are mentioning people they call “Apostles” I think they will mention my name. I studied Paul because I wanted to become like him.
He is one who said, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, you want to stay on the rock? Keep your body under subjection. You can’t claim that you are born again and then continue to do whatever your flesh wants to do – no way! “Oh they tell me, Jesus paid it all.” I agree. But the same Apostle Paul said in Romans 12:1-2, you’re to present your bodies a living sacrifice. You’re now on the Rock, no more rottenness. The same Apostle Paul warned us in Ephesians 4:14-31. Church Gist. All manners of doctrine now going round to deceive, to recapture for the devil those whom God had already saved. Can you ever believe that a preacher can stand up on the pulpit and tell the congregation that the greatest problems in the Bible are Moses and Elijah? Moses and Elijah? They were problematic? Oh! They were the only 2 people who came to talk to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and you call those people problematic.
It is Paul who said in Romans 6:1-2, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? What was the answer? (No!) Don’t let anybody deceive you. Church Gist. Anybody who tells you that once you’re born again you can continue to lie that it doesn’t matter, you can continue to cheat that it doesn’t matter, that you can continue to fornicate that it doesn’t matter, is an agent of the devil – quote me! In Heaven, no unclean thing will be allowed in. The God we serve, my God, is a holy God. The Angels are always crying, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. That same God says, be ye holy for I am holy.
The same Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:22-25, he advises particularly youths, “flee youthful lists.” You know the meaning of flee? Run as a terror, as if the devil is pursuing you. The devil has sent preachers into the world to see how many youths they can gather back into the Kingdom of hell.
– As the Lord lives who sent me, they won’t get any of my children! – 4:54:06.
No they won’t because I will tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 2 Timothy 2:19. If you name the Name of Jesus, you must depart from iniquity. You think, “oh, I’m a Christian, I’m born again, I speak in tongues and then you can go ahead and begin to do ‘Yahoo Yahoo,’ you will go to hell. Church Gist. You want to make it to Heaven? You want to stay on the Rock? Paul said in Philippians 3:3-15, if you will stay on the Rock, you must press on. Don’t relax. Colossians 3:1-17. There are certain things you must never allow to come near you again.
When you go through Scriptures to the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, you will discover that each time (how many times?) the Bible keep on saying, “he that overcometh…” Revelation 2, 3, 21 – you will find them there. Church Gist. Overcomers! God says, if you overcome, I will do this. That means you have a fight on your hand …but in the name that is above every name, you’re going to win!
You know what? The Bible says the moment you cross over to the Rock, there is a crown waiting for you in Heaven. Oh Paul said so – 2 Timothy 4:6-8. But the Bible now says in Revelation 3:11, you must hold on to your crown.
– When I see you in Heaven, I will see you wearing your crown!
Let me close with this: You say, “why am I saying all these?” Well, I’m not only talking to those of you who are here, the whole world is hearing. The world has gotten so rotten you can’t believe it, those of you who are on the Rock you will need to hold fast.
I heard from a source that things have gotten so bad that there is a nation now about to make a law that makes it legal for a man to have sex with an animal – that’s how bad it is. But whether the devil likes it or not, there will be a remnant; there will be those of us who will not be contaminated, there are those of us who will not backslide. If you’re one of us say Amen loud and clear! Church Gist. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 – there’s one thing I want you to note there and that is that: the same Paul said that you are to pray without ceasing. Keep praying, don’t let the enemy drag you back to the miry clay. Keep praying. Remember I have told you earlier on, if you think you stand, take heed so you don’t fall. Keep praying.
Prayer Points
1. Thank You for bringing me from the miry clay to the Rock. Thank You for the salvation of my soul.
2. Father God Almighty, help me to stay on the Rock.
3. Lord God Almighty, don’t let anyone take my crown.
4. Lord, help me to end well.
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