Congratulations and welcome to Service, is Covenant Day of Escape in our monthly communion service. You are going free in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Prophetic focus for the month is Godliness is Profitable unto All Things. Can we say it together? Godliness is Profitable unto All Things. That's 1 Timothy 4:8. The main text there is 1 Timothy 4:8, “But for bodily exercise, profit a little but godliness is profitable onto all things.” Somebody says all things. “Having promise of the life that now is and of the life which is to come, takes care of the now and gives us access to eternity with Christ.” Glory to God. Let me begin this morning by saying that holiness is the most attractive phase of the church. I say that again. Holiness is the most attractive phase of the church; not prosperity. Prosperity is good. Not healing, not even signs and wonders, is holiness. Glory to God. Hear this, the world does not care much about your prosperity. They too are prosperous. I'm sure you know that. Some of them are very prosperous, just that we don't envy them. The Bible says not to envy sinners, why? Their wealth is set up for their destruction.
Signs and wonders, Satan also does signs and wonders; I'm sure you know that. But you see, it is not in Satan’s nature to be holy, is not capable of holiness. So, what intrigues the unbeliever is your holiness, your righteousness, your different lifestyle. Hear this, where you are, if you're a child of God who is righteous, they respect you. You may not even know it: inside of them, they respect you. When they talk about you, they talk about you with respect. So, the world respects the church for holiness, not for prosperity. Unfortunately, many in the church have the power, the faith, the strength, the stamina for everything else but not holiness. We don't strive for that. And I said last Sunday, I said that holiness or righteousness requires exercise. It requires some determination. Glory to God.
Hear this truth. It says God's arm is omniscient. He said, “His Mercy is his delight. Eternity is God's duration, but holiness is God's beauty. Holiness is God's beauty. That's why you see the Bible in I Chronicles 16:29, 1 Chronicles 16:29, 2 Chronicles 20:21, Psalm 29:2 and Psalm 96:9. All of those talk about the beauty of the holiness. Let me read the last one. Psalm 96:9, Psalm 96:9, “Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, fear before him all the earth.” Does that include you? The beauty of holiness, so holiness is beautiful. Glory to God. I'm sure everyone here you are attracted to people who are righteous, even those who are ungodly. It's those that Satan has established a citadel in their hearts, they're the ones who love sinners, who want to be like unbelievers, who want do what sinner is doing. I pray for someone here like the Bible says, he said, “When you hear the word, hardened not your heart.” Just make up your mind that this month will not be a month where you are angry with the pastor and angry with the church. Glory to God.
There was this story, one of our leaders told, he said, he used to always hear that Winners Chapel, they preach prosperity, it’s a prosperity church. And one day he came to church, he is being coming and hearing those words. One day he came and he sat in the church and he started talking very aggressively about holiness, the same way we are doing this month. He said, he was wondering, is this Winner Chapel? He said, he went outside to check the signage. Did I miss my way? Glory God. We are not just prosperity preachers, we preach holiness. We preach everything in the Bible. Glory to God. Now for those who are conversant with what we do here, we have 12 pillars of the commission. How many? Holiness is one of them. Sanctification. Glory to God. Because without holiness, the Bible says, “No man shall see God.” Pursue holiness, follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see God. I pray you and I will see God. I pray when you see God, he will say, welcome my son, welcome my daughter into my beloved. Glory to God. That will be your testimony. I said that will be your testimony.
Please take note of this, that sanctification is a choice, not a gift. It's what? A choice. I choose to be holy. So, once you have made the choice, you begin to strive for it. Just like someone who says I want to be a medical doctor and not at certain age, that has to be at the maybe a younger age. Then you begin to program yourself. You strive, you need to take the exams, study for the exam, pass the exams and go on to become a doctor. True or false? If you say I want to be a medical doctor but I don't want to study, you know it's impossicant, not just impossible. That is called impossicant. I want to be a lawyer; I don't want to study. No person becomes a medical doctor without, even if you're a genius, you go to medical school or you become, the best you can be is the one they call native doctor. That's not your portion. That's still a doctor, just that it's native. Glory to God.
Matthew 5:6, say “Blessed are they which do hunger. Those who do hunger and what? And thirst out righteousness for they are the ones to be filled.” This shall be filled. Filled with what? Righteousness. Filled with what? With holiness. I said last Sunday, I said, “Keep your conscience alive.” If you have a lively conscience, keep it alive. What is a lively conscience? The one that preach to you when you do evil, keep it alive; don't kill it. Conscience that does not excuse you. It accuses you when you do something wrong, keep it alive. That’s a healthy conscience to keep you from destruction. Glory to God.
COST OF UNGODLINESS
Now we'll be looking at also some cost of ungodliness, cost of ungodliness. So today, we're going to look at a few of those, maybe two or three as time permits us. Number one for today, ungodliness opens the doors to sickness and disease. Ungodliness opens the door to sickness and disease. Now take note, not every sickness has sin as its origin. Not every sickness comes from sin, but most of them come from sin and it's biblical. Some are just direct oppressions of the devil. The devil sitting upon destinies, are robbing off them of their ease. No disease means removal of ease. Mark 2:5-11 talks about the healing of that man at the pool of Bethesda. But you see in the book of John, Jesus actually outlined and stated why that man had that encounter. Now after he was healed, the Bible said that Jesus went into the temple and found him in the temple and he said, “Now you are healed, sin not or sin no more, less what? A worst thing come upon you.” Less a worse thing, meaning that his sickness, that disease that kept him for 38-years was a result of sin. It means now Jesus saw him where? In the temple and told him, sin not. It means he was a sinner in the temple. You say how? Maybe one of those buying doors, doing etching, you know Jesus went and flocked them and cast them out, right? I'm sure he probably was one of those who was selling and buying in the temple at that time. He said, “Sin not; less a worst thing come upon you.” None of us will suffer that kind in the precious name of Jesus Christ.
James 5:14-15, James 5, beginning of verse 14 says, “Is any sick among you, let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.” He said, “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick.” Watch this, he said, “And the Lord shall raise him up and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven.” They’re praying for sickness to be healed. He said, if sin has been because what? That scripture is saying, the likely root of that sickness must be sin. If you have sin, the sin will be forgiven. What kind of sin? Not just the ones we think about. Fornication, adultery, unforgiveness can give cancer. You don't believe them. Unforgiveness, malice, grudge. I was in a church and a lady came out to testify during Covenant Hour of Prayer and she said that her sister offended her, did something bad and she was so upset. She said that each time she remembers, she will be so angry that her body will be vibrating. You know that kind of anger, for what the sister has done several years back. She said suddenly, that she started falling sick; certain things started going wrong. She went to the hospital, they started to say all kinds of things. She said, she knew that it was because of that unforgiveness. She asked God to help her forgive her sister. As soon as she was able to forgive the sister, all the symptoms vanished. Hear this, if she didn't do that, the next thing they’ll just say you have cancer, cancer of the blood, cancer of the bone, cancer of this, cancer of that. Why? Unforgiveness, that sin. So, ungodliness opens the door for sickness and for disease. None of us will be found there. The Bible tells that in I Corinthians 3: 16 and 17. I Corinthians 3: 16 and 17, “He says, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God.” Somebody say, I am the temple of God. Say it louder, I’m the temple of God. What does that mean? God dwells in you. He says, “And that the spirit of God dwellet, where? in you. Somebody says, in me. Luke 17 says, “If any man defiles that temple, if any man defiles that temple. He says, him shall God destroy.” He said, “For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are, which temple you are, which temple I'm. Glory to God.
Number two cause of ungodliness is that it blocks access to supernatural breakthroughs. Ungodliness blocks access to supernatural breakthroughs. Proverb 1:23 says, “Turn ye at me reprove. Turn ye at me reprove and I will pour out my spirit upon you. That will make known my words onto you.” But first turn at me reprove. Reprove means correction. When I correct you, turn around, then I will pour out my spirit upon you. What will the spirit do? Will cause you to break forth on every side. Glory to God. You know, when God withholds prosperity or breakthrough from the sinner is even for his protection or for the one who is the child of God who is living in sin is for his protection. Why? Because the one who prospers and is unrighteous will be destroyed by the wealth. The breakthrough will break him down. None of us will be broken down by our breakthroughs, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. What do I mean? Suddenly a man who is prospering, God open doors for him. The next thing you start to think. I told you sometime what one man told me, said that the wife is old. Meanwhile, biologically, he's older than the wife, Age-wise, he is older than the wife; he said the wife is older. You know why? Because God started giving him some change. Whatever God gives you now there's more, eyes have not seen, no ear heard, neither entered into the heart of man. The thing that God has packaged for his lovers.
Some of us, he’s just trying you with those $100, $200,000 to see whether you’d be faithful because he has millions keeping. But the man suddenly said, the wife is old. I said, meaning what? He needs someone that he can be taking for conferences. I said, it is God who give you opportunity to go on conference. When he removes the conference, you'll stay at home. Sometimes, suddenly because of resources they begin. Someone was building a house for a side chick. Side chick, you know there's also side cock? Not only side chick. The men are called side cock; the women are called side chick, building a house for a side chick and the wife was struggling. Such people can't go far because the thing will crash, it will crash. None of us will be found there. But I pray for you that the height that God has determined to take you, he will take you there in the name of Jesus Christ.
Blocks access to supernatural breakthrough. Isaiah 60:1, it says, “Arise shine, your light is come. The glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. verse 2, it says, “For behold, the darkness shall cover the Earth and gross darkness, the people but the Lord shall arise upon the and His glory shall be seen upon you.” Say amen to that. Then he said that, “The Gentile shall come to thy light.” Underline that, underline it in your bible. “And kings to the brightness of the rising.” But my focus is that the Gentiles, that is unbelievers will be attracted to your rising. Glory to God. Because they'll say that this is righteousness without crookedness- you're not cutting corners, you are not cheating people but you are rising. Glory to God. That's what will make them get attracted to you.
You know I told you I think that was maybe Wednesday that we are the Bible that the unbelievers read. Do you agree with that? They don't read the Bible; they read you. They see what you're doing and they want to be like you. But unfortunately, many of us drive them away. There was a story, one of our churches where someone came to church and saw an usher who was a colleague in the office. She did not know that that's the church that that colleague attends. Immediately she entered, the usher was ushering, ushering, or ushering her in. She just stood. She said, “What are you doing here? She said, “This is my church.” She said, “This is where you worship?” She turned back, said, if this is where you worship, I won't worship here.” Someone heard and had to go out to ask what's going on. She said, No, this person, then if this is where her church is, I'm not coming near here. “There are many of us whose action, our action driving people. You see, may someone not go to hell because of myself and you. Say a louder amen to that. Oh, if this is what it is, I'm not going. That's not your portion.
Number three, cost of ungodliness is that it blocks access to eternity with Christ. It blocks access to eternity with Christ. I Corinthians 6:9-11, it says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” He said, “Be not deceived, neither fornicators nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor thieves, nor covetous nor drunkard. You see drunkard there? Nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit their kingdom of God. It's emphatic, all of these people. And such were some of you. Not such are, must be in the past. Such will, many of us came from that realm, right? Some of us, if they play back some of the things we used to do, you'd be ashamed now, right? But such were and the good news is, God does not remember them anymore. Even when you sometimes you remember what you used to do in the past, God does not remember them anymore so long as they were confessed and forsaking. Glory to God.
Revelations 21:8, “He says, but the fearful, the unbelieving, the abominable, and the murderers and the warmongers and the sorcerers, and the idolaters and all liars. “No matter the lie, white lie, blue lie, yellow lie, green lie, all liars shall have their part where in the lake, which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death,” is simply saying that all of these people in this ungodly class are going to hell in the lake of fire. That's why everyone must carry their life with trepidation, with some level of fear. Don't leave your life like everything ends here. It does not. It does not. There's life after here. I understand, I read that scientists are still trying to understand what happens after death. They will study it till they pass. They're trying to study. They won't find out that they don't know. Glory to God. Now take note that repentance is the mystery of godliness that is able to rescue anyone from the dungeon of sin, no matter his or her past. Like I said, God does not count on your past if you are now in Christ. If any man be in Christ is what? A new creature. He said, “Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become what? New, new. Everything is new.” If it's a new creature. Glory to God. But you must repent. If you don't ask God for forgiveness and leave that part, then there's no forgiveness.
Hear this, if God makes up his mind, he can cast a man away. I keep saying it, I've said it multiple times, there's none of us who is indispensable with God. Have you ever heard that, oh, they said someone passed? Someone died and the earth stop rotating? Even the business where you are, where you work, the organization where you work, they say you're a mega star, you're a superstar. Mind yourself and just advise yourself. God forbid anything happens, the organization goes… they'll replace the person. How much more God? No, he doesn't need you and I for anything. So, he says, “Behold is not for his sake.” Glory to God.
In I kings 21:25-27, 1 Kings 21, you know King Ahab, the Bible said that he sold himself. Okay, I like that. He said, “But there was not like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord.” Sell, that means it's like he had mortgage himself to do evil. He had determined that I would be doing evil powered by his wicked Jezebel who was his wife. And then God said, “I'm going to deal with you.” Send a prophet, go, and tell him, Elijah, tell him I'm going to deal with Ahab. I'm going to cut off everyone that is a male in his lineage. I'll destroy all of them. Himself will be dead and Jezebel, dogs will eat their flesh, lick their blood. When Ahab heard this, the Bible said he became sorrowful. I think verse 26. Okay, thank you. This is the verse. He said, “And it came to pass when Ahab heard those words that he rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his flesh.” Sackcloth is what they use for mourning. “And fasted.” This man, this wicked man knows how to fast. He fasted and lay in sackcloth and went, how? I can't hear you. He went how? Softly. Softly means he was no longer prideful. He went meekly, with meekness.
Do you know he caught God's attention? When God saw it, he called Elijah's attention. Look at the next verse. Quickly, quickly, next verse. “And when the Lord and the word of the Lord came to Elijah, they teach by saying, seeth thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me. Because he humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days. For him repenting, you see, repentance is not just saying it, it is the act. He went softly, he changed his mind. All of the wickedness that he did, God said, “I won't bring this evil in his days.” Look, people of God, if you ask me, I will tell God, please do it in his days. He still deserves it. I'm sure, if I ask you right now and I say, do you know anyone who has offended, anyone who deserves to be punished by God? How many will know people like that? You see, you are pretending now. I can see one hand over there. If I were to ask you, how many people know who God should punish, someone that God should deal with, many of you, you have more than 20 people. You can give me names that God should deal with, punish these ones. But you see, some of those people you think, he may have forgiven them already. So why you're still here thinking that person deserves to be punished, he's off the record. Maybe you, you have even entered the record yourself and you're thinking that that person should be punished. None of us will be found there.
You see, I said on Sunday, I said, “Face yourself, face your life.” Glory God. I'm not saying don't be particular about what someone else is doing. If you can, help someone, rescue someone, but rescue yourself first. Be particular about your own relationship with God. Some of us have, I don't know what to call it, you know the Bible said that someone who has a bean, you know you have a plank in your own eyes; you're trying to take a speck out of somebody else's. How are you going to see your way? Get rid of that plank, the billboard, your own is a billboard covering your eyes. The other one is just speck in the eyes. Remove your billboard, the plank covering your eyes first. Glory to God. Hear this, do you know that people who are insane are very accusatory? People who are insane don't like to forgive someone. They don't want to hear that someone else who is doing something is forgiving. They accuse others a lot. But you see, the man of God said when you point like this, only one is accusing one, this one is reporting you to God. The remaining three are accusing you back, which is a stronger accusation. Glory to God. What should we do when we find people in error? Seek to rig them out; that's what the Bible says. Try by yourself, if you can talk to elders in the church to see how the person can be lifted. Someone, say amen to that. But we are saying that God wants genuine repentance for Him to forgive. You want to be forgiven, genuine repentance is required.
You know, I read about Paul the apostle. When Paul in Acts 9, Acts 9:26, the Bible said, after he repented, he wanted to join himself.” He said, “When Saul was coming to Jerusalem, he had said to join himself to the disciples, but they were all afraid of him and believe not that he was a disciple because they knew the atrocities that Paul, he was the one persecuting Christians. Now, he said, “I'm also a disciple.” They were afraid so that he won't start killing them. But the good news is, he had repented. And you see, he came last; he became first. Glory to God. It’s not how long. It's not how long. It’s I have been this in this church even before papa got the mandate, before God called him. In fact, he called us together. Is not how long, it's the relationship. Glory to God. Thank God there are many here who have been here a long time and it shows in their life by their covenant work with God. But if anyone is under the sound of my voice and is not showing, during the empowerment summit yesterday, God servant was saying it, “Let it show you have been a believer, one year, 2-years, 10-years. Come on, let it show. Glory to God. Let's move on.
BENEFITS OF SANCTIFICATION
What are the benefits of sanctification? Quickly, benefits of sanctification. Number one, it secures peace and serenity, sanctification secures peace and serenity. Hear this, those who are clean are calm, those who are righteous are holy and they're peaceful. So, righteousness confers on your peace, peace that passes understanding. What does that mean? Peace that the world can't understand. That means even in the face of a storm, the righteous are still peaceful. Glory to God. I'm sure you understand what that means. It's like, let me use this analogy. Someone who is driving here in the US and you have no driver's license, you can't be peaceful. You are driving, I know I have witnesses here this morning. You have done it before. You can't be peaceful. When the cops are going on their own, by themselves, they're not coming near you. Your heart starts beating, they're coming, they're coming, they're coming. They're not coming for you. Hear this, the criminal, the thief is never at ease when the cops are around, even when they're not looking for him. Guilt has a way of tormenting the one who is guilty.
Isaiah 32:17-18, He said, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for how long? Forever.” He said, “And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation.” If that is you, say a loud amen. “And in short dwellings and in quiet resting places.” Say amen to that. You see, your safety is not in how tall your fences are, the fence of your house. Thank God, they don't allow those kinds of fences here. Some of you in Africa, your house is not visible. Only your fence can be seen, only the fence. You see the fence. The house is hidden inside. The fence is so tall. Horses are prepared for the day of battle, but safety is what, of the Lord. Safety is of the Lord and he protects those who are godly. The ungodly cannot go unpunished. Glory to God. Isaiah 59:8, it says, “The way of peace, they know not.” They don't know that way. He said, “And there is no judgment in their goings. They have made them. That is, they made for themselves crooked parts.” He said, “Whosoever goeth there in shall not know peace, shall not know peace.”
Someone went and stole something and, lost his peace and came back and he said, “I have to return this thing.” I said, “What happened?” “I took it. It's not mine.” Thank God for a conscience that still preach. Glory to God. Peace gone to preserve your life. So, you want peace in your life, follow after God, follow after righteousness and then peace is released. Glory to God. Romans 14:17, see what it says, Romans 14: 17, it says, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Righteousness, that is the combination, righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. So, without righteousness there's no peace. And conversely, also there's no joy. What do you do that takes away your peace? It can’t be something that God approves of. Matter of fact, when you start planning certain things and you lose your peace, check that thing again. You start planning something, even it looks good to you, but you suddenly, you know, peace is one cardinal test to determine whether you're in the will of God, peace. But some of us say whether I'm peaceful or not, I'll still do what I want to do. That is a design for destruction.
Number two, benefit of sanctification. Number two, is divine honor, divine honor. Men and women who are righteous, enjoy honor from God. May you receive that order of honor. II Timothy 2:19-21, “Nevertheless, the foundation of God's standard shall be having this heal. The Lord knoweth them that are heal and let everyone that never the name of Christ departs from iniquity, depart from iniquity.” That's the foundation, righteousness. He says, “But in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth and some to honor and some to dishonor.” He said, “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto what? I can't hear it. Unto what? So, it is your purging that determines you being a vessel for honor, sanctified and meat or suitable for the master's use and prepared onto every good work.
Now, in a house where you have vessel of gold and of silver, then you have the one of wood. Now let me ask you, if you were to go to a house, what kind of vessel would you want to be served with? Like a cup. How many would like to be served with a gold cup? How many would like to be served with a wooden cup? So, many of you didn't raise your hand for anyone. Which one do you want? You want glass cup, the one that you know, glass. Glory to God. So, but we're just talking about the different kind. Gold is valuable. Now there are some here, I don't know, probably those days growing up we used to have those kinds of silverwares in the house, very special, very expensive. They keep them for very special visitors. How many remember those? Not this fast food thing that they carry around. They keep them separate. They don't use them every time, but when certain kind of visitors come to the house, they bring those ones out. That's what we're talking about. So, when God wants to use you as a vessel unto honor, he uses you to glorify himself. Glory to God. But it takes us purging ourselves to qualify for that kind of use Glory to God.
PATHWAYS TO SANCTIFICATION
Now, what are the pathways to sanctification? Take notes. Number one, we must crave for the enduement of the spirit of holiness, crave for it. Romans 1:4, talking about Jesus, he said and declare to be the son of God with power, not just, but according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Hear this, I've said it I think last Sunday, power without holiness is a recipe for destruction. Any man who has power and has no righteousness, that means he has no control. And power without control is accident. Power without control will end up accidented. That's not your portion in the name of Jesus Christ. Crave for it, strive for it. Romans 8:13, He says, “For if we live outside the flesh, you shall die. But if you, ye through the spirit, do modify or deadened or kill the deeds of the flesh, he says ye shall leave’” Mortify, put into death the deeds of the flesh and then you're able to live. Glory to God.
Number two, we must engage the power of the blood for our rescue. Engage the power of the blood of Jesus for our rescue. Engage the power of the blood of Jesus for your rescue. When situations come around that unpleasant, the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood, Satan, the blood of Jesus is against you. Zechariah 9:11,12, “And for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant, I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit where in is no water.” He said, “Turn ye to your stronghold ye prisoners of hope, even today do I declare that I will render double on today by the blood.” By the blood, the blood is your stronghold. Glory to God. That's why you're also partaking of the blood this service. Hallelujah.
Please take note that a sanctify life is impossible. without faith. You can't even relate with God without faith. Hebrew 11:6, “Without faith, it's impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must first believe that he is and then that he's the reward of them that diligently seek Him.” So, without faith, you have no access to God. That's why the Bible said, “The just shall live by his faith.” The just can be holy by his faith. Glory to God. By faith, Habakkuk 2:4,” The just shall live by faith.” Galatians 3:11, “The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:17, “The just shall live by faith.” And Hebrew 10:38, “Now, the just shall live by faith” He says, “But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” If any man draw back means you have gone back to your vomit. I have no pleasure. God will have pleasure in you. I said, God will have pleasure in you in the name of Jesus Christ.
Today is Covenant Day of Escape. I'll spend a few minutes on this, we pray and partake of the communion. Please take note of these, Hebrews 2:3. Let's begin from there. Hebrew 2:3, He said, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the law and was confirm unto us by them that heard him.” Hear this, the grand rescue plan for man that God set in place is salvation. God’s grand rescue plan for man is salvation. Without salvation, forget about escaping from anything. So, you want to escape from whatever you may be going through. First, are you a child of God? Are you born again? That's number one step, because whatever you may be going right now, whatever may be holding you down, that is not God's will. That Pharaoh held the children of Israel in bondage was not God's will for them. He wanted them to leave. But if you're not a child of God, you are not even a candidate for that escape. He can't set you free. If you try to escape by your strength, you'll fail. You need help. Somebody say, I need help. Glory to God. Revelation 12:9-12, he says, “The great dragon was cast out that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.” He said, “He was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven now is come salvation.” Did you see that? And strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night and they overcame him by the blood of the lion.” Someone, say amen to that. “And by the word of their testimony and they love not their life, even unto the death.” Glory to God. You want to escape? Engage the power of the blood, engage the power of the blood.
Number two, redemption repositions us far above the woes of life, redemption, salvation, repositions you and I far above the oppressions of the devil. Glory to God. Ephesians 2:6-8 and Ephesians 1:20,21, where you are seated, when you are born again, you are seated with Christ is far above principalities and powers. Someone, say amen to that.
WAYS TO ESCAPE
Now, quickly, what are the ways to escape? What are the ways, what are the covenant ways for our escapee? Number one, God's escape agenda demands that one be born again. We have said that. And Hebrew 2:3 and John 3: 3-5.
Number two, it demands that one engages with the word, engage with the word. Study the word. Isaiah 5:13 and Psalm 107:20, “He sent his word and healed them.” That word became delivered them from their destruction. Glory to God. He sent his word and healed them from their destruction. Someone, say amen to that. John 8:32, he says, “And ye shall know the truth and the truth that you know shall what? Not set you free, make you free. Set you free means, it can bulldoze its way to set you free, but make you free means, it goes through the process. Glory to God. You know there's the difference between going to break a jail and remove a prisoner, that prisoner will be recaptured except the person who broke the jail is very powerful and can keep the prisoner. But if the attorney goes and goes through the process and argues the case, which is what Jesus did at our advocate, he said, this man does not deserve to be in jail. He needs to be set free. He paid the price, I took his place and he records it and signed the documents, that is making you free. Nobody can bring you back in cage. Glory to God. That's the difference. So today, God is making you free. I said, today God is making someone free. And that means you are free indeed. Somebody says, I'm free indeed.
Now, escape from the walls of the devil, number three, demands that one walks in the fear of God. Don't do anything you like. Walk in the fear of God. Have checks and balances, have rules for yourself. I won't do this. I wouldn't do this. Even if no one is seeing you, God is seeing you. I wouldn't do this. I wouldn't do this. Give yourself boundaries and then you see God will ensure that no devil is able to take you captive. Someone, say amen to that. Psalm 34:7, “The angel of the Lord and come around about them that fear him and what? He delivereth them. He rescues them from destruction. He gives them a way to escape from the challenges of life.” Glory to God. Lift up your right hand. Someone, lift up your right hand. I pray over you that whatever may be holding you down right now, as you hold onto godliness, you are a heaven. Now you're coming out of it now in the name of Jesus. And when you look back, you say, thank God who rescued me in Jesus precious name.
Number four, he said, “Recognize the blood of Jesus is the lifeline for our rescue.” We've talked about that; the blood of Jesus is the lifeline for our rescue. Number five, be committed to serving God and the interest of his kingdom as a lifestyle. I'm going to stop here. Be committed to serving God and the interest of his kingdom as a lifestyle. Joshua 24:15, Joshua said, “Now, if it seemed evil for you to serve God, choose, you have a choice. Choose this day whom you shall serve. As for me and my house, we have chosen, we have determined that we'll serve God”. Why? We know what God has done for us. We see what he holds in store. Glory to God. Serve God as a lifestyle is a recipe for your escape. You know, Isaiah 38, that's how Hezekiah escaped from death. He told God, “Remember how I have walked before you? God gave a verdict say, you will die.” Tell him he's dying. It was not Satan. God said, “So, tell Hezekiah to pack up. His time is up.” He said, “I don't deserve to die. God, remember how I have walked before you. I have served you with integrity of my heart. I have done that which is good in your sight. I don't deserve to die. God said, “You are saying the truth.” So, you can change God's heart by your service. I said jokingly, sometime ago, it is not really a joke, in the face of difficult situation, in this kind of situation of being entrapped, what will you do to remind God of? What will you remind of God concerning?
Now, this morning we had a testimony night at our international headquarters in Canaan Land where someone testified, a tree fell on him. What? What fell on him? Tree, T-R-E-E. Not the number three fell on a man and he was taken to the hospital. While in the hospital, he was asking God, saying to God, remember my service. Remember how I have served you? Remember how I serve you in the integrity of my heart. They did all the scan, everything to check; not a bone was broken. A tree, you know what a tree does to a building? The resident pastor of Faith Tabernacle Papa David Junior was saying that, you know when a tree falls on a house, we have hurricanes in some places here in the US; it's not near your house. Say amen to that. Hurricanes and tornadoes, I have seen what they've done in Texas. They hit a building, crush the building. They hit car and you see mangled metal and a tree falls on a man, no broken bone. That's supernatural rescue. Glory to God, I pray for you. No matter what the enemy shoots at you, God will deliver you in the mighty name of Jesus. Please recognize that escape from the powers of darkness is a reality. And I speak to you here that whatever any enemy has used against you will backfire on them. I said, will backfire on them.
Sometime ago, someone told me a story. I didn't know they shoot lightening to people. He told me what happened. He was in a house and he said, “Lightning came in.” He said, “It looked like a ball. Shiny silver ball came into the house and moved, moved through, went into the room, and …wickedness is real. That's why when we read in the call to worship, Psalm 124:7, he said, “Our soul is escape as the bird out of the snare of the fowler. The snare is broken and we are escaped.” Somebody, say I've escaped. He said, “The ball of that ball, lightning, white ball, shining ball went around, went around.” And because the man who it was sent to was in church. That's another point. Stay in church, stay undercover. He that dwelleth where? In the secrete place of the highest, shall abide what? Under the shadow means, under the protection of the Almighty, making you the apple of his eyes so that anyone who is looking for you is looking for God. I didn't hear your Lord. Amen. They are seeking for you. They are seeking for your God. When they collide with your God, they'll be crumbled. That lightning ball, the man said, turn out and went out and return to sender. He told me, he said, that's how it works. It used to be on the other side, so he knows a lot of those things. He said that when it is shot out, that that thing, if he does not find that target, it'll go back to the sender and it'll destroy the sender.
PROPHETIC PRAYER
Lift up your right hand. Anyone who shoot evil concerning you, that evil will return back to them. Every demonic arrow shot against you will go back to the sender in the name of Jesus. And so, shall it be. The story is that, it killed the man who sent it.
LIFE DEDICATION TO CHRIST
All eyes closed, all heads bowed. My time is spent; you’re under the sound of my voice this day. Jesus said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and heavy laden. I'll give you rest.” I'll cause you to escape whatever you are going through. You’re under the sound of my voice; you're not your born again. I'd like to announce to you, Jesus loves you. He shed his blood for you and me. He designs your rescue. You want Jesus to come into your heart right now. You want to be born again. You want salvation, we said is the number one. It's the biggest step towards your escape from the wolves that is in the world. You want that rescue? I'd like the privilege to pray with you this morning. Wherever you are signifying, lift up your right hand above your head. Don't be ashamed. Don't be ashamed. God servant, our father said, “It is foolishness to be shameful of what is gainful.” Don't be ashamed. Wherever you are right now, you are not yet born again. You are not a child of God. You have not said yes to Him, you don't have a relationship with Him, you are not in Christ; you could be in crisis. I’ll like to pray with you wherever you are. Let Jesus come into your heart. Wherever you are, you want Jesus to come into your heart. You want to be born again. You want to be sure of your salvation. Place, your right hand upon your chest. I'm going to be praying with you in a moment. Place your right hand on your chest, I'll praying with you in a moment. You want to be born again, place your right hand on your chest. I'll pray with you in a moment.
For someone else, I make a second call. For your case, you were born again, but right now, you're no longer in Christ. You have left the faith. You have disconnected from your source, disconnected from your father, and you know it. You feel it, but there's remedy for that. You can rededicate your life to Christ and let Jesus return. How? Father I am sorry I walked away from you myself, but I'm coming back to you and he'll take you back. That is your desire. I'd like to pray with you as well. You want to give your life to Christ for the first time you. You want to rededicate your life to Christ. Place your right hand on your chest as I pray with you.
