LAGOS STATE 2019 ANNUAL THANKSGIVING SERVICE – TOPIC: ENTER HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING – PASTOR IDOWU ILUYOMADE

(SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO RCCG GO ON CSR, PASTOR-IN-CHARGE OF REGION 20, HEAD OF APAPA FAMILY AND PASTOR-IN-CHARGE RCCG, CITY OF DAVID, VI LAGOS NIGERIA).

SONG:

When I think of the Goodness of Jesus

And all He has done for me

My very soul shall shout Hallelujah

Praise God for saving me.

Praise the Name of the Lord!

Your Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State; Pastor (Mr) Akinwunmi Ambode.

Your Excellency, the wife of the Governor of Lagos State; Pastor (Mrs) Bolanle Ambode.

Spiritual my Lord Tempera’s; am here in the stead of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God; Pastor E.A Adeboye who for the very first time in twenty (20) years is unavoidably absent.

And I have to sing that song to calm you down because I know that God will still perform wonders here today in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen.

When a King is going somewhere, he goes himself. But sometimes when he cannot go, he

sends his “Staff of Office” and all the privileges that they will accord the King is accorded to whoever brought the “Staff of Office”.

And also when Elijah was going to Heaven, his servant was with him and be dropped his Mantle – the same Mantle that Elijah used to perform Miracles, Signs and Wonders. And the servant of Elijah (Elisha) picked up the Mantle and stood before River Jordan and smote the River and said where is the “God of Elijah?”

And lo and behold, River Jordan parted.

Am here with the Mantle of God, the Spirit of God and I know that, that which God has in stock for everyone of us today, God will do it yet again in Jesus Mighty Name.

And for those of us who are still a bit unsettled; well let me just say: “Let somebody shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!”

Praise the Name of the Lord.

People of God, today we are thanking God and Thanksgiving is so Powerful.

You know God loves the Praises of His People. He inhabits in the Praises of His people.

There was a King, King Hezekiah. He was sick unto death and Isaiah the Prophet came to him and said: “This sickness is unto death.”

He was not ready to go. He turned his face to the wall and pleaded with God. He told God: Remember all the things I have done for you. Nothing happened as he was still sick. That sentence of death was still upon his head. Then in Isaiah 38: 18-19; he struck an accord with God that changed all things.

He said: 18. For the grave cannot Praise thee; death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down to the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

19. The living, the living, he shall praise thee as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

Now as regards praising God, God sent Isaiah back and said: No I will give you fifteen (15) more years.

We have come to Praise God. We have come to thank God. And even if you don’t have anything to thank God for; I want you for one (1) minute put your hands on your heart and you will feel it beating. That little thing that is not bigger than your palms beats 4,800 times per hour; 115,200 times per day; every year it beats 420,480,000 times and if you are 80 years old, your heart has beaten 33.6 Billion (33,638,400,000) times.

It is only the Living that can Praise the Lord.

So if you don’t have anything to Praise God for, I want you to Praise God for the fact that you are alive.

… Better is a living dog than a dead lion.

So today, I want us to enter this sermon with this song that says:

Alaye ni o ma yin o Baba (3ce)

(Only the Living can Praise thee)

Bi emi ti se loni Oluwa

(As am doing today Oh Lord).

OPENING PRAYERS:

Eternal Rock of Ages, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Ancient of Days, the I am that I am.

If we have a thousand tongues we cannot thank you enough for your Goodness and Mercy in our lives.

Father, it is only the Living that can Praise you. We thank you for preserving us. We thank you for overlooking our faults and keeping us alive till now. It is only by your Mercies that we are not consumed. King of Glory we give you all the Glory for all of these in Jesus Mighty Name.

Father, in the next few minutes, speak to us, encourage us, bless us, if need be admonish us.

At the end of it all, let us know that we have had an encounter with you and let all the Glory, all the Adoration, all the Honour be yours and let all of us have our own “Personal Testimonies”.

… In Jesus Mighty Name we have prayed – Amen.

And somebody says a better Amen – Amen!

Praise the Name of the Lord – Hallelujah!

Now it is significant that for the past twenty (20) years or so that we have been having this Thanksgiving Service to Praise God; to thank Him for His Goodness and Mercy over our state – Lagos State.

And for the past twenty (20) years in the annals of history; it has always been on “Epiphany Sundays” that is the Sundays the Wise King went to baby Jesus Christ and took gifts even unto Him. (Please watch out for a more detailed expository on the Epiphany Sundays in our Editorial Notes – Courtesy of the Discovery Media Crew knowledge drive for us DMC 2019)

No wonder after this Service every year for the past twenty (20) years, God bestowed on this State manifold Blessings and manifold Gifts.

My Prayers is that by the time we finished today, all that is required to go through this State Gloriously this Year, God will grant unto us in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen.

Say a better amen – Amen. Praise the Name of the Lord.

God has helped us in this State. There was a story of two (2) beggars that were seated at the gate of a King. And the first beggar every morning when he sees the King always says: “Blessed is he whom the King helps”. The second beggar when he sees the King says: “Blessed is he who the Lord helps”.

So the King preferred the first beggar that is always saying: “Blessed is he who the King helps”. And he was giving one gift to the other beggar and he was giving the one he likes two (2) gifts. And that one went on day-in day-out; year-in year-out.

Then one day, the King wanted to bless the one that he loves (the beggar that always sing his Praises). So he baked a cake and told them to put a “Gold Nugget” inside the cake. So that morning when the beggar saw him, he said: Bless is he who the King loves and blessed. So the King gave him the cake.

The next morning, the King came and saw that there was only one beggar and it was the same beggar that always Praises him. So he asked after the other beggar that where is the second beggar? Then this beggar told the King that well I needed money so I sold the cake to the other beggar. And lo and behold, when he opened it, he found a “Gold Nugget” and today he is no longer begging.

The King nodded his head and said truly Blessed is he who the Lord helps.

The Lord has helped us in this State year-in year-out and I want us to clap our hands for Jesus Christ for helping us and that help will never end in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen.

People of God, our dignitaries know that there is a “Due Order and Protocol” before you approach them.

The theme of the Thanksgiving is as found in Psalms 100:4 and it says: “Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving and into His courts with Praise: be thankful unto Him and bless His Name.

Our God is a “God of Protocol” and our dignitaries like I said knows that there is Due Order and Due Protocol before you approach them.

If you go to Aso Rock in Abuja and you get to the gate and said I want to see my President – he is my President. It is not likely that you will see him because there is a procedure. There is a prescribed order that you must comply with before you can access Aso Rock.

It is the same thing with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. It says that there is a Protocol that you must comply with before you can access my Presence.

David learnt this the hard way in 1 Chronicles 15:13. They were carrying the “Ark of Covenant” back to Jerusalem and there was a lot of shouting and singing and dancing. Then one of those carrying the “Ark of Covenant” touched the Ark and death came. And David was afraid. He said what happened? I was Praising God, I was dancing before God and get instead of life, death came.

Then he went to go and make enquire about it and they told him that you cannot just allow anybody to have access to the “Ark of Covenant”.

… It is written that it is “ONLY LEVITE” that can carry the “Ark of Covenant”. And they have to carry it on a stage and not on a cart drawn by animals that you did.

And they told him that there is a Due Order and Process, there is a Protocol that you must comply with before you can access even the God that you serve.

And this God; the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords has set down a Protocol. He is the God of Heaven, He is the God of the Earth. The Bible says that the Heavens is His seat and the Earth His footstool. It says that if you want to enter His Gates, you cannot just come in anyhow; you must come in with Thanksgiving. And you cannot just enter His courts anyhow; you must enter His courts with Praises.

People of God, there is a gate and you know that a gate grants access in and out.

This Year 2019 has a gate and there is a way to access that gate.

Most times, most people do not know what is behind the gates. For some rich people, behind the gates can be dogs. Jericho completely shut out the Israelites behind the gate.

Even in the Bible in Matthew 16:18; the Bible talks of the gates of hell.

This is a very serious Year, full of uncertainties, hopes and aspirations.

But there is somebody who has the “Keys of David” – who can open any gate and no man can shut it; who can shut a gate that no man can open.

People of God, we cannot boast of tomorrow – we only have today. But we have a God that has gone ahead of us in Year 2019.

He has opened that gate. His Name is the “Breaker” – the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

In Micah 2:13; it says that the breaker, the Messiah will go up before them. Then you will breakthrough in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen! It says that they pass through the gates and go out through it and their King will pass on before them. The Lord as the head.

The Lord has already gone through the gates of 2019 and He has gone ahead to make every crooked ways straight.

We don’t know what is lying behind the gates; He has remove mountains if there are mountains there and every valley has been filled – Amen.

People of God, Jesus is saying that to access that gate; just come Praising me, just come thanking me for all the things that I have done. That is the Protocol. And by the time the gate is opened; you will see Goodness and Mercy. That will be your portion in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

People of God, there may be one (1) or two (2) of us here today that are looking at an uncertain future. You don’t know what January holds, you don’t know what tomorrow holds. When even in that situation, the Lord is saying you should give thanks to God. That is the Will of God concerning you and I.

People of God, Habakkuk 3: 17-19 says thus:

17. Although the fig tree shall blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive fail and the fields yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls.

18. Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my Salvation.

19. The LORD God is my strength and He will make my feet like hind’s feet and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the Chief singer on my stringed instruments.

So even if you are here and you are saying well there is nothing to thank God for or there are a lot of uncertainties in my life; the Plan and Purpose of God for you to access that gate is to give Him Thanks, to give Him Glory, to give Him Adorations.

And my prayers is that today as we enter into the gates of 2019 Praising God; it will be a Year above all Years for us in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

There will be more Progress, there will be more Prosperity even in our State in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

And God will perform Signs and Wonders in our lives in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

People of God even as I come to a close, why must we thank God?

1. Thanksgiving is very very Powerful. Apart from the fact that it is prescribed access to the gates of God, also it completes your Prayers.

In Philippians 4: 6-7; the Bible says:

6. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving; let your requests be made known unto God.

7. And the peace of God, which passesth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minda through Christ Jesus.

2. People of God, Thanksgiving also moves God into action.

The Bible says that we have a God that who inhabits the Praises of Israel.

We cannot forget what happened in Acts 16: 25-26. Paul and Silas even in their situation they started Praising God and giving Thanks to God. And God shook the foundations of the prison and broke even their situations.

My Prayers is that as we thank God even for this Nation today; God will intervened even Miraculously in our situation in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen. Praise the Name of the Lord – Hallelujah!

So it doesn’t matter what is behind the gate; our God has already gone ahead and Psalms 24: 7-10; God says: Lift up your head all he gates, lift up your head ye everlasting doors. So that the King of Glory can come in.

And my Prayers is that the King of Glory will hold our hands and as the gates opened; Goodness and Mercy will be our portion in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

People of God as I close; God is telling us that as we open that gate with Thanksgiving, as we open that gate Thanking Him and Praising Him for all the things that He is going to do; He will do Greater and Mightier things in our lives in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

So God is telling somebody here today (or reading); don’t be afraid – Just Praise me. Just thank me as the gate is thrown open, you will see that Greater Things will happen in your life in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

People of God, the Lord has been Good to us like I said earlier to this State and the Lord has sent a Word for us in the State.

And the Word is in Isaiah 43: 16-19

16. Thus saith the LORD which maketh a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters.

17. Which bringeth forth the Chariot and Horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.

18. Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

19. Behold, I will do a New Thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

God was boasting about the things He has done. And if you look at the unprecedented Progress of this State: the Infrastructural development, light etc of this State; you will observed that in every area of our State there is development.

This is unprecedented in the annals of the history of our State.

Let us just clap for Jesus for what He has done.

But God says in Verse 18 of Isaiah 43; He says but forget all that. He said it is nothing compared to what am going to do. For am about to do something New.

See, I have already began. Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness, I will create rivers in dry wastelands (NLT version).

So God is telling us that we have not seen anything yet.

The text above says that God will do greater things. So forget what you have seen already.

So I Prophesy into your lives that in the Year 2019; starting from now, it will be your best Year in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

God is going to perform Miracles, Signs and Wonders. He is going to Heal, He is going to Deliver, He is going to take our State higher from January to the end of the Year will be Glorious in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

The Bible says, enter His gates with Thanksgiving and enter His courts with Praise.

The boldness we have is to enter the gates of God with Thanksgiving is because we know that He has already gone ahead till the end of the Year. And He looked back and say: “Say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with thee”.

So the Lord has brought that Word to someone today that your tomorrow shall be alright: That you should not fear, that you have not seen anything yet, that that New Thing that I will start, that I have already began it. You will see it and you will manifest it in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

People of God, if we have a thousand tongues you cannot thank Him enough for what He has done in our lives, what He is going to do in our lives, what He will do in our lives and what He will continue to do in this State.

This State will be Problem-Free in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen.

Our Governor will finish well and finish strong in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

And this State will go from Glory to Glory in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

If you believed that shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!

God is going to start something New in this Nation and State.

But you know that a new wine cannot be poured into an old wine skin.

There is no way you can experienced that thing unless you purge yourself of sins.

The Bible says that the Hands of the Lord is not shortened that He cannot save or deliver you. He said that it is as a result of our sins that separated Him from us.

So all eyes closed. If you are here and you want to experience the Newness of God, you want to experience New Things God will do, you want to be confident that once that gate is opened as it is opening today; that only Goodness and Mercy that will be found there. That every mountains will be levelled and that every valley will be filled.

God says: Come, Come: Praise me, thank me and as you do that; every bad things in your life will be a thing of the past.

It does not matter what you are facing now; Jesus Christ stood by the tomb of Lazarus – Lazarus was dead and buried and sinking for four (4) days. Instead of murmuring and being afraid; He looked up to Heaven and thank God.

Once you thank God, once you Praise Him; God will reverse the irreversible.

And God is telling somebody here today (or reading); that be confident. That as you Praise me and Magnify my Holy Name; I can guarantee you that your tomorrow shall be ok.

But if you are here and you have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ; then there is no way the Good Things God wants to do in our lives that you can be a Partaker. New wine cannot be poured into old wine skin.

The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God. It says that if we say we have no sin, that we lied and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is Faithful, Just and Honest enough to forgive us our sins.

People of God, that Scriptures says in Verse 10: “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with him”. Verse 11 says: “Say ye to the wicked, it shall be I’ll with you”.

The only way you can start and end well this Year is if you put your hands in the Hands of Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the One that will take you through that gate. And He is waiting. That as you Praise Him and thank Him; the gates will be flung open – the gates of Opportunities, the gates of New Heights.

You have not seen anything yet. Some of us think that we are the best. There is a difference between the Glory of the Star and the Glory of the Moon and the Glory of the Sun and the Shikenah Glory of God.

God wants to move us up from one level of Glory to another level of Glory. But He says that I want to register your name in my Book.

And the easiest way to do that and determine if you are in Christ Jesus is if you have two (2) birthdays – the first birthday is when your mother brought you to this world (we celebrate it every year). But Jesus Christ told Nicodemus; He says you must be born again. This time not through your mother but being born of the spirit of God – and that is the second birthday.

If you have only one birthday, well I cannot guarantee that your tomorrow will be alright. But if you have two (2) birthdays – one through your mother and then born again by the Spirit of God; then I can guarantee you that your tomorrow will be alright and that all your Prayers will be answered by Fire in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

If there is anything you want God to do; He will do it in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

So as all eyes are closed, if you are here and you want to surrender your life to Jesus Christ – you want God to do New Things in your life, you want God to Open New Doors of Opportunities, you want Him to lift you high, you want to Him Promote you, you want Him to Heal you; you are the only one to please lift up your hands so that God can see you. Ushers please give them cards to fill.

You wants your burdens to be lifted. He wants to write your names in the “Book of Life”. He wants you to have the confidence that as those gates are opened; they will give you access. We will pray with you and God will cause a change to come upon you and you will be sure that this Year will end Gloriously for you in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

And if you have received those cards; just make sure that you write your names and details there and hand it over back to the Ushers while we pray.

Now if you have received those cards, just put your hands on your stomach or chest and repeat after me: Say Lord Jesus, I come to you now. I know that am a sinner please forgive me my sins. With my mouth I declare that Jesus Christ is my Personal Lord and Saviour. Change my hearts from a disobedient heart to a heart that obeys you. I plead the Blood of Jesus to wash me clean of every unrighteousness. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Write my name in the “Book of Life” and make me a brand new.

… If you say that Prayer, see the Usher – they know what to do. And I want to congratulate you that from now you are now born again.

The rest of us we want to pray just one Prayer.

God has said He will do a New Thing. As those gates are opened with Thanksgiving and with Praise; what you find at the other side of the gates are Blessings, Goodness, Promotions, your Heart Desires and every Good Things God has in stock for you and He will do it for you in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!

So say Father, in the Name of Jesus Christ, I come to you right now. I believe you are hearing me. You Promised me that you will do a New Thing in my life that I should forget the past. That what you will do in my life is nothing  compared to what to what I have seen before.

Father, you said that you have began it, open my eyes to see that which you have started doing in my life. Let me be a Partaker.

So shall it be. In Jesus Mighty Name we have prayed – Amen!

Praise the Name of the Lord – Hallelujah!

… Let somebody shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!

It shall be well with us all in Jesus Mighty Name – Amen!!!

EDITORIAL NOTES: Please find stated below some useful foot notes on the Epiphany Sunday:

THE EPIPHANY SUNDAY

The word “Epiphany” is also referred to as Theophany, Denha, Little Christmas or Three King’s Day.

It is a Christian Feast Day that celebrates the revelation of God’s incarnate as Jesus Christ.

It comes from the Greek’s word for manifestation or appearance.

For many Christians, “Epiphany” refers to the manifestation of the “Divine Nature” of Jesus Christ and it is marked by a Feast.

In many Western Christian Churches, the eve of the Feast is celebrated as a “Twelfth Night”.

It is marked twelve (12) days after Christmas on the 6th of January for those Christian sects that marks Christmas on the 25th of December (or 19th of January for some Orthodox Churches who have their own Christmas on the 7th of January).

 .. And it is a time when Christians remembers the “Wise Men” (sometimes called the Three Kings) who visited  baby Jesus Christ and gave Him Gifts.

… Research Updates by yours truly: Discovery Media Crew, DMC always ensuring to enlightened us and bringing the Power of the Gospel much more closer to us!

Thank you so much for reading.

… Discovery Media Crew; reaching out to the world through the Power of the Gospel!!!

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MOSES DURODOLA AND TITILAYOMI AJAYI © DMC 2019