THE BIBLE IS A SPIRITUAL MIRROR AND THE ONLY ACCURATE PICTURE OF OUR FUTURE.
YOU CAN’T THINK OF ROYALTY AND END UP A PEASANT.
IT TAKES A ROYAL MINDSET TO EXPERIENCE A ROYAL LIFESTYLE.
YOU CAN’T SEE YOURSELF AS ROYALTY AND STILL SAG YOUR TROUSERS AS A MAN; ROYALTY IS FAR FROM RASCALITY.
YOU ARE NOT TO BE A MEDICAL EXPERIMENT, GOD HAS DESIGNED YOU TO BE A PICTURE OF HEALTH AND VITALITY.
I DISCOVERED MY HEALING AND HEALTH RIGHT IN CHRIST IN 2007 AND I HAVE NOT BEEN SICK SINCE THEN.
YOU ARE NOT THE SICK SEEKING HEALING, YOU ARE THE HEALED DEFENDING YOUR HEALING.
RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOT A GIFT WE APPROPRIATE, IT IS A LIFE WE DEMONSTRATE.
A LIFE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THE PROOF THAT CHRIST IS LIVING IN YOU.
YOUR FAITH CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS TO GROW IT.
WE LIVE IN A DAY WHEN PEOPLE GIVE EXCUSES FOR DRUNKENNESS.
WINE IS A MOCKER; WE’RE KINGS AND PRIESTS AND IT IS NOT OF KINGS AND PRIESTS TO TAKE STRONG DRINKS.
HOW TO DEFEAT PROMISCUITY AS A MAN.
HAVE A NEXT LEVEL MENTALITY, YOU ARE NOT DESIGNED TO BE STAGNANT BUT YOU ARE ORDAINED FOR PROGRESS.
IF YOU ARE SERVING GOD FAITHFULLY, THERE’LL BE TANGIBLE RESULTS TO SHOW.
- Pastor David Oyedepo Jnr on TOWARDS MAXIMIZING OUR GLORIOUS DESTINY IN CHRIST 4C at Next Level Banquet Service || Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland|| 23rd June 2024 || Third Sunday Service ||
Our line of teaching for our Sunday services this month has been TOWARDS MAXIMIZING OUR GLORIOUS DESTINY IN CHRIST. Church Gist. Can we say that together? and the theme of the Month is ‘I am a child of destiny, I shall not live like a destitute’ None of us will be counted as destitute in the name of Jesus.
By way of introduction, it is important that we are reminded that every child of God has a glorious destiny in Christ. Romans 8:29,30. But the glorious destiny of every redeemed child of God is only as unveiled by the Word of God. It takes the revelation of God’s Word to step into the actualization of our glorious destiny in Christ. Church Gist. Ephesians 1:17,18. So, it takes revelation of the Word of God to experience the actualization of our glorious destiny in Christ and the reason is this, because God’s Word is the mirror of God through which we are able to see His picture for our life. James 1:22-25. So, according to God’s Word, the Scripture, the Bible, is a spiritual mirror. Church Gist. It is where we can see the actual picture that God has of you and of me. Hebrews 10:7. That means that the details of our destiny in redemption are unveiled by the revelation of the Word of God.
Luke 4:17. There are certain things that are written of you in the Word of God. The Book called the Bible is the only accurate picture of your actual future. You don’t need to go anywhere to find the details of your future. Church Gist. It is located in the Word of God. Luke 4:17. Hebrews 10:7. So, there are things that are written of you, that are written of me, located in the Word of God. It shows us the picture of who we are.
- My prayer is that for each one of us, from this time onward, our eyes will be opened to see the picture that God has ordained for you and I in the name of Jesus Christ.
So, we’ve been trying to go on a journey all through this Month looking at some of the pictures of redemption that we have concerning us in God’s Word and this morning we are going to look at 2 of those pictures very quickly.
What are some of the pictures of our destiny in Christ?
1: It is a royal destiny. Say with me, ‘Royal destiny’ Galatians 3:13,14. From this Scripture, we are made to understand, everyone that is in Christ is found under the canopy of whatever God spoke to Abraham. Now, what did God say to Abraham? Genesis 17:4-6. Church Gist. Everyone that comes out of Abraham is ordained as royalty. Revelations 5:10. So, every child of God is ordained by God as royalty. We must come to the point where our royal identity saturates our mentality. It is what you think that you live. You can’t think royal and end up a peasant. It is our mentality that dictates our reality. That is why the Bible makes us to understand the necessity of renovating our minds with the Word of God. Church Gist. It takes a mental renovation to experience an actual revolution. Romans 12:2. When you are saturated with a royal mentality, it produces out of you royal conduct. You begin to manifest royalty everywhere you go.
God’s Servant said at the age of 16, he saw from the Word of God that we are kings and priests and when he would go out, he would ask himself “Will a king go out like this? Will a king go out dressed like this?” The royal mindset saturated him and as a result of that, he began to manifest royalty wherever he was found. Church Gist. This is so important. For any one of us to experience the royalty God has ordained for us, there is a need for us to saturate our minds with that royal identity and that takes the protocol of meditation. Philippians 4:8. Proverbs 23:7. So, it is he that thinks royalty that ends up experiencing royalty in destiny. It takes a royal mindset to experience a royal lifestyle.
- My prayer this morning is that via the Word of the Lord, each one of us would be saturated afresh with our royal identity.
- If you believe it, say a louder Amen.
I remember years ago, 2007 to be precise, not long after I was ordained into ministry. We went out somewhere and on the way back, suddenly, my body began to be ravaged. I just became very…my entire system just turned upside down somehow and in the vehicle on the way back, (you know, sickness is not good, there is nothing good about sickness), as we were coming, every pothole, all my bones were feeling it. Church Gist. If we entered pothole, everything, it was as if I myself, not the car, I was the one entering the pothole. Every part of my body was paining me intensely and in Lagos, potholes are plenty and we were coming from the Island down to Canaanland. Potholes, everything was hitting me, everything was hitting my system.
But I knew that by redemption, there are some rights that I have. I had an earpod then, I took an earpod, plugged my ears and began to hear the Word, the Word concerning my rights of healing, concerning my right of health. I just knew as I was hearing the Word, this thing is not part of my package. Church Gist. I am not supposed to be ravaged like this. My bones cannot be knocking together like this. This is not part of my inheritance in Christ. I continued to hear the Word and that was towards the end of the week and that night, Friday, the Friday of that week, we had an all-night and that night was the first time I was told to come and lead prayer, my bones that were knocking. I was told “Okay, this time you are going to lead a prayer point” Church Gist. Now, listen to me, you may not know, leading prayer is different from praying prayer. In the congregation, you will pray prayer, on the Altar, you will lead prayer. It looked as if I could not do it. But as I stood, remembering the Word of God that this is not part of my heritage in Christ. That was an all-night service. This was somebody that had been afflicted all day, but that night as I stood on the Altar engaging based on my understanding of God’s Word because I cannot say “I am not well” When they said take prayer, I can’t say I’m not feeling fine. I’m feeling fine. I’m fine, I’m well because I’m not the sick trying to be healed. I’m the healed defending my healing. I cannot say I’m sick. So, I stood and I stood on the Altar and prayed with everything inside me. Church Gist. I got back to my seat, it looked like I left my soul on the Altar. By the time I got back to my seat, I knew I had given everything in that short prayer time. After the all-night, I slept, I woke up, there was no trace that anything was there. Why? There is a heritage that I have. The good news is this, that was 2007, this is 2024. It has not located me between then and now.
Now, listen to me very carefully. When you realize that He took it, you will see that you can’t have it. They have told you there are certain things you have. The problem is not what they said, the problem is what you said. Doctor said “Oh! You have this” and then you went back and told everybody “I have this” The Bible doesn’t say you will have what they say, it says you will have what you say. Church Gist. Your heritage is healing. Now, listen to me very carefully. You are not the sick seeking healing. You are the healed defending your healing. That’s who you are. So, it’s not that you are looking for something you don’t have, you are grabbing what you have and refusing to let it go. That is your identity in redemption. Shout hallelujah!
So, don’t tell me “Oh! You don’t know my family. Everybody in the family, high blood pressure. That’s how it killed my uncle. That’s how it killed my aunty. That’s how it killed my this, it killed my that. Church Gist. It’s our heritage” It’s not your heritage. You have a new lineage. That new lineage has one heritage. The heritage is the heritage of super healthy living.
- From now, that will become your own experience.
- If you believe it, say a louder Amen!
But we discover that every one of these inheritances that we have been looking at is a product of redemption. That means that until you are genuinely born again, you don’t have a right to these packages. The question therefore is, what are the proofs of being born again? What are the evidences of being born again? Church Gist. The Bible says that by their fruit you shall know them. So, the number one area is the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit and we have been looking at some of this fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22,23. We are told there about 9 different fruit of the Spirit and today we are going to pick up on 2 of them.
1: Faith. Galatians 5:22. There is the fruit of faith. Listen to this. At new birth, every believer receives a deposit of the measure of faith. Romans 12:3. So, at redemption, there is the distribution of what the Bible calls a measure of faith. Church Gist. Every child of God has that measure given to him or to her. That means that at the point of redemption, there is inside of you, faith. All you need to do is to grow it. That’s all you need to do. It’s to grow it, it’s to develop it.
We are not just talking about this faith in terms of believing what God says, but being faithful to everything that God says, staying with what God says no matter what. So, there is a measure of it that is given to you and I at redemption. Church Gist. When you see a big muscle builder, very big, huge, all his muscles are popping out everywhere and you ask “Where did all of these muscles come from” Somebody will say it’s because he has been exercising himself, that’s correct. But how many of those muscles were in him before that? All of it was inside him. So, what happened? As he kept growing it, it kept developing. At the time that man was born as a baby, every fibre that he would require was already there but it had to be grown. You see, inside of every one of us, every fibre that we require for our faith is already there, but what do we need to do to it? Grow it. Church Gist. That man that is a muscle builder that can carry 3 people up and down, as a child, he couldn’t carry anybody up and down even though all that is required to carry anybody up and down was inside him. What was required was for him to grow it. Your faith can move mountains. All you need to do is grow it.
At redemption, there is deposited in each one of us this distribution of the measure of faith. As we get committed to God’s Word, our faith begins to grow up. Church Gist. As we begin to engage with it, it begins to produce results. As we continue engaging with it, the results continue to move from one level to the other. So, inside of everyone that is a child of God, there is the measure of faith distributed.
2: Righteousness. This is one of the fruit of the Spirit granted to each one at redemption. Now, listen carefully. We must understand that we receive the gift of righteousness at redemption but that gift empowers us to live righteous lives. Church Gist. Romans 5:17-19. So, we are told here about what the Bible refers to as the gift of righteousness. But that gift of righteousness exhibits itself in the works of righteousness. 1 John 3:7. So, righteousness is not just a gift that we appropriate, no. It is a life that we demonstrate.
Romans 8:3,4. What is God saying to us there? We had commandments before we were born again, we couldn’t keep them because we didn’t have the life of God inside of us. But when we come into Christ, the life of God is in us, the nature of God is inside us, so now we are living and walking by the Spirit and therefore, the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled through us, not just by appropriation, but by demonstration. Church Gist. Our nature by redemption, if it has been recultured, it should show in how we live our lives. 2 Corinthians 5:17. You would discover that the conduct of anything is determined by the kind of life in that thing.
If you take a pig and dress the pig in a suit, clean the pig up very well and make sure that the pig wears perfume, you put body deodorant on it, you put nice shoes on the pig and you bring the pig and you look at it and say “Look at this glorious pig. This pig is neat. This pig is clean. This pig wears clothes like people. This pig wears shoes like people. This pig is different from other pigs”. Church Gist. No problem, just continue until the pig sees mud. When the pig sees mud, he will not remember that he is wearing a suit, he will not remember that he is wearing a shoe. (Do) you know why? The life of the pig is inside the pig, not around the pig. So, whatever is inside the person determines how the person conducts themselves. If it is the life of God in you, then your lifestyle will be godly like God. That’s the reality. So, righteousness is not just for appropriation. Church Gist. “Oh! I’m the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” Yes, if you have that gift in you, then it should show in the life that you live. Galatians 2:20. So, anyone that is in Christ is to be living out Christ-life, the life of Christ is to be manifested through you and through me.
The question is this. If Christ is in you and Christ is in me, is the life of Christ showing in you and in me? and the authentication of that life is righteousness. Church Gist. Let no man deceive you. We are in a season where there is so much talk about grace and so many people are missing it.
A few years ago, I was teaching in the Bible School and I began to speak on this subject (grace) and a young man ran to meet me after the class and he said “Pastor, just pray for me” I said, “What is wrong?” He said “My life was in order, I was living well, doing things the way I ought to. Church Gist. But I began to read certain books about grace and how that it didn’t matter what I did because Jesus has done it all. Before I knew it, everything that I’ve ever left before, I started doing them again and giving excuses with it through grace”. Now, listen to this and listen to it very carefully. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. It means that these things must become past tense.
God’s Servant made this statement very striking in the earlier services. He said on the day that you’re standing before God, you cannot say “I heard somebody say. Church Gist. Somebody said I can do anything because I’m the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” At that point, it will be too late. The Word of God is explicitly clear.
- My prayer today is that the grace to begin to live lives of righteousness will come forth upon us in the name of Jesus.
So, one of the ways that we can tell that we are born again is through the fruit of the Spirit.
The number 2 way is through supernatural rescue from the works of the flesh.
1: Envying. 1 Corinthians 3:3. So, envy is a work of the flesh. It’s amazing that so many people today operate in envy. They are not happy with the blessings on somebody else’s life. They get angry. They get upset. It agitates them when they see somebody who is smiling and it’s not them that day who has the testimony to share, it begins to trouble them, it begins to disturb them. Church Gist. They see somebody who shared a testimony, shared another testimony, he begins to complain, “Is he the only one? Why every day? Every day he comes out, testimony, testimony. Only God knows those who are truly serving him” There are some comments that people make that tell you that it’s envy. There are individuals that they are critical of everybody’s blessing. Somebody say “Oh, God has blessed us. Please, come to our house that God has just built for us and come for the housewarming and dedication” They came inside the house and they expected it to be a rickety place. Church Gist. But they got there and the house was very beautiful, very wonderful. They begin to look at it “This man is not a straight man. He cannot be straight. As I look at him, no, no. Even my spirit is telling me that he’s a 419” It’s not the Spirit, it’s envy. That’s one of the things that trouble many individuals. The heart of many, full of envy.
- But today is a day of liberty!
2: Drunkenness. Somebody says “Why do we need to begin to talk about drunkenness in Church?” It’s very important, particularly in this day and age. We live in a day where people are giving all manner of excuses. Church Gist. Many Christians, they are not even drinking alone, they are drunkards and they give excuses for it. I don’t want to argue the point, I’ll just show you Scriptures, because some people, they just give all manner of excuses. “No, no. You see, it’s not about whether you drink or don’t drink, it’s whether you’re drunk after you drink. That’s what matters in the Kingdom. Church Gist. The Bible didn’t say don’t drink, it said don’t be drunk. So, me I drink, but I don’t get drunk” Well done.
Proverbs 31:1-4. What did you say you were? (Kings and priests) Did it (Proverbs 31:4) say it’s not for kings to be drunk? (No) “It is not for kings to drink wine, nor princes strong drink” That’s number one. Church Gist. (Some people are watching online, they are already angry). Proverbs 20:1. That means you cannot be wise and be drinking. We have not finished. Leviticus 10:9. God is so repulsed by it, He said “Don’t drink and come near me because you will die” He was telling His people there.
Well, I believe that by these few points of mine, (Congregation cheering) I’ve been able to prove beyond the shadow of the doubt that thou shalt not drink.
You see, the Bible said you should flee all appearances of evil. How do you look like as a Christian inside a beer parlour? Because I see all manner of things. Church Gist. Sometimes, you’ll get in an aircraft, you’ll see Christians look left, look right, watching whether anybody knows them, they’ll now call the air hostess, “Please bring…” Wine is a mocker.
- Somebody is free today in the name of Jesus Christ!
Now, to realize our colourful destiny in Christ, take note of these 2 things.
1: Make a project of any issue of concern through the study of God’s Word. If there is an issue that is a concern to you, just make a project of it. There is nothing that you cannot defeat if you sit down with God’s Word. Church Gist. The Scriptures I’ve given you now, no matter the kind of alcoholism that even if it’s inherited, you sit down with the words I’ve given to you now and settle down with Scriptures, it will break in a moment. It’s because of lack of responsibility.
I tell people when people come to me and just tell me they don’t know why they’re struggling with promiscuity and all. I say, just sit down, read Proverbs, you are a young man, you’re running after women, read Proverbs chapters 5, 6, 7. Church Gist. If you read it, meditate on it very well, you will see a woman that is not your wife, you will run in the opposite direction. It can be cheaply defeated. Just make a project of it, anything that is a concern and settle down with it. You’ll find it turned around for a testimony.
- That will be somebody’s experience here.
2: Possess a meek spirit. God cannot teach a man that is not meek. Don’t come to God with your knowledge, come to God admitting your ignorance and God will give you knowledge. Church Gist. Psalm 25:9. God teaches only the meek. Those who are humble enough to admit that they don’t know anything before God are the ones that God teaches everything.
- I pray today that the Spirit of meekness will come afresh upon each one of us in the name of Jesus Christ.
Now, today is our Next Level Banquet, we’re going to look quickly at 7 keys to realizing our next level heritage in Christ. 7 keys quickly;
1: You must be born again. Why? Because every child of God has a next level heritage in Christ. Proverbs 4:18. Church Gist. It takes salvation for anyone to enjoy progression in life and destiny.
- You must possess a next-level mentality. That is, be possessed with a mindset that you are not designed to be stagnant. God has ordained you for progress. Proverbs 23:7. Have a next level mentality. Church Gist. “I cannot be at the same level 2 years in a row so, I must be changing levels consistently” Have that mentality as your identity in Christ. Genesis 13:14-15.
- You must engage obedience of faith because obedience of faith has proven to be the trigger for our next level. We have an example in Abraham. Church Gist. Abraham’s trademark was obedience of faith. Everything God said, Abraham did. Engage obedience of faith.
- You must go for light. Be in pursuit of revelation because access to light from Scriptures is what sets the pace for our next level experience in the Kingdom. Isaiah 60:1-3,8,15,22. Church Gist. So, we must go for light. Light brings progress, it brings advancement, it brings change of level. Shout hallelujah!
- We must walk in the light that is revealed. So, it’s not enough just to go for light, we must begin to walk in the light that is revealed. Church Gist. Putting the Word to work is what makes the Word work. We must walk in the light. Deuteronomy 28:1-2. So, God responds to our obedience.
- Prompt or timely response to the Word of God is required. Not just obeying Him, but doing it quickly, not wasting time, but taking steps. You have heard some things in the service today, what will you do today about what you have heard? Church Gist. Taking quick steps, not just watching but working the Word is what makes the Word work on our behalf and the quicker we do that, the more we see God’s hand manifest in our direction.
- We must engage in serving God faithfully and faithful service is fruitful service. You can’t claim to be serving God faithfully and not have results to show. Church Gist. If you are serving Him faithfully, there will be tangible results to show. Luke 19:12-13,17-19.
- For somebody today, I see grace coming upon each one of us to engage with results in order to experience a change of level.
What an opportunity this Prophetic Season offers to you and to me. This is a season where God has given us a very clear instruction that every Winner must have at least one soul brought before the Lord, one soul minimum brought before the Lord. That is an agenda that He has put before us. Luke 12:48. Church Gist. So, according to whatever grace God has given to us, there is a demand that He’s expecting from you and from me. We’re in the last 7 days already, the race is concluding. It’s time for you and I to push to the finish line and ensure that we deliver what God requires of us. As we do what God demands, He will do what we desire. If it is a change of level you desire, just obey Him and He will do what you desire.
- I see grace coming upon each one today to begin to walk in obedience to the commandment of the hour in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- In this season, you will have results.
- Your stewardship will not be barren in the name of Jesus Christ.
—Prayers and Altar Call—
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