FAITH TO RECEIVE (PART 2): PASTOR MENSAH OTABIL – SUNDAY SERVICE, 15TH NOVEMBER, 2020

SUNDAY SERVICE MESSAGE BY DR. MENSAH OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)

TOPIC: FAITH TO RECEIVE – PART 2

DATE: 15TH NOVEMBER, 2020

TEXT: ACTS 3:4-8 AND ACTS 14:8-10

Amen! – Let’s keep standing (wherever you are reading on the Label of DMC) as we make our DECLARATIONS OF EXCELLENCE, in this Year of Excellence.

… Are you READY?

SAY WITH ME:
Out of Zion, the Perfection of Beauty, God shines forth. The Lord my God causes the righteous to Shine forth as the Sun.

His Awesome Hands has formed me; His Creative Spirit inspires my mind. He skillfully guides my hands.

Therefore, I boldly declare: I am set apart for Excellence. The Ruler of the Universe has exalted my horn among the Nations. He sets my feet on high! In His Strength, I rise!

By Faith, I Press forward towards the Prize of my Highest Calling.

I believe in my heart, and confess with my mouth: that Jesus is Lord! He is the Vine, I am the Branch; in Him I abide, in Him I Blossom.

As it is written: God, who commanded Light out of darkness, has shone His Light in our hearts;

We have His Treasure in Earthen Vessels. That the Excellence of the Power may be of God, and not of us!

In this Year, I commit to EXCELLENCE, I commit to EXCEPTIONALISM, I commit to do the EXTRAORDINARY.

In Jesus’ Name – Amen and Amen and Amen and Amen!

Well, today I’m doing PART 2 of my Message: “FAITH TO RECEIVE.”

Last week, we looked at how SARAH received strength to conceive by Faith.

We noted that Sarah had lived much of her life depending on what God had told her husband – Abraham.

She knew the Promise of God had been made to her husband; but she did not have a DIRECT word of God for herself. And her whole life, she had depended on the Faith of her husband.

However, in Genesis 18:10, she hears a DIRECT word of God to her – When God indicated that she was going to conceive and have a child!

And this is the first (1st) time that Sarah had heard a direct word of God to her; not through her husband.

And we anchored our Message last week on Hebrews 11:11, that says:

“By Faith Sarah herself also received Strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was Past the age, because she judged Him Faithful who had Promised.”

Sarah received STRENGTH to conceive Seed; she didn’t receive a CHILD.

… She received STRENGTH to conceive a child!

DMC NOTES: We can get to access the Full Text of the Part 1 Message on:

https://discoverymediacrew.com/Faith-To-Receive-Part-1-Dr-Mensah-Otabil

And so, the main Pieces of my Message from last week and this week (in this two (2) Parts Message) is that: “FAITH gives us the ABILITY to do THINGS.”

Faith does not usually do things for us; but gives us the ABILITY, the STRENGTH to do those things.

It enables us to do things by the POWER of the Holy Spirit.

And that is why when we exercise Faith for something; we must ACT OUT OUR FAITH.

We must do something in line with our Faith – because “FAITH without WORKS is DEAD!”

… Dead Faith is Faith alright; but it is DEAD!

And so Faith must always have a corresponding Action!

Sarah acted out her Faith!

And today, we will develop the same concept a little further.

And at the end of this Message, I would want you to determine to do something about what you have Prayed about.

If you have Prayed about something; have Faith for something.

By the time I finished this Message, what I want you to take away with you is that you are going to do something about your Faith – you are going to act it out.

For example, if you believe that God is going to Protect you from the Coronavirus, you must ACT OUT your Faith.

How are you going to do that?

You are going to wear your mask, and sanitize your hands.

If you believe God would Protect you, your actions must correspond with what you believe.

If you believe God is going to Prosper the work of your hands, then you must act out your Faith.

What do you do?

You must have work of your hand! You cannot believe God would Prosper the work of your hand, and do nothing.

If you believe God is going to give you Peace, you much act out your Faith.

How do you do it?

You must be anxious for nothing. You cannot trust God for Peace and be worrying at the same time!

Your action must correspond with your Faith.

… Sarah received Strength to conceive!

So, our Physical Actions must correspond with our SPIRITUAL BELIEFS.

And today, we would look at two (2) Case Studies:

And those two (2) Cases Studies are both in the Book of Acts.

THE FIRST (1ST) CASE STUDY: ACTS 3:4-8

And we would look at the first (1st) Text that illustrates this point – That Faith must have ACTION.

ACTS 3:4-8; This is Peter and John going to Pray in the Hour of Prayer. And they meet a man who is lame at the Gate of the Temple – The Beautiful Gate; asking for Alms.

… We know that story very well.

Acts 3:4-8 (NKJV);

4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”

5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

6 Then Peter said, “Silver and Gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the Temple with them —walking, leaping, and praising God. Amen!

It’s a story we are familiar with, and have Probably heard many times it’s retold!

Many times when we see the Miracles in the Bible, we see them as one old thing working.

That means we see them as Old Miracles that happened – One Act of God.

And that is true!

However, this Act of God can be broken down.

And that’s what I’m going to do today: I’m going to segregate different things that happened in this Miracle.

You can listen to the audio here: Faith To Receive (Part 2) – Pastor Mensa Otabil

And we can see the various sequences of Events that led to the man Walking and Leaping.

1. The first (1st) we want to see is – Peter told the man “LOOK AT US.

He was FOCUSING the man’s ATTENTION.

Peter and John paid attention to the man; they focused on him and also asked him to focus on them.

Now, this was Probably not the usual way People related with this man.

And I think some of us can relate with that because sometimes we see People beg for money by the way side in some parts of our Cities.

And when you want to give money to any of those People, you don’t tell them to look at you.

Normally, you just drop whatever you have, you don’t even bother to look to the face of the Person. You just drop whatever you have and move on.

But Peter didn’t do that!

Everybody has By-Passed this man into the Temple. But Peter says: No Sir! “LOOK AT US.”

… So, he is capturing the man’s attention.

So, to receive anything by Faith, we must focus our attention.

We cannot be unfocused in Prayer.

Even if you are Praying, you can’t just be Praying – Your Pray must have a focus.

If you have Faith, your Faith must have a FOCUS – Faith for what?

PAY ATTENTION!

When the Word of God is been spoken, Pay attention because we cannot receive anything by Faith without paying attention.

… So that’s the first (1st) thing we see.

2. The Second (2nd) Thing we see in the story is EXPECTATION.

… In his attention there is EXPECTATION.

The Bible says: The man looked at them expecting to receive something.

Probably he was expecting to receive money because that is what he normally gets.

But his sense of anticipation was high. He was looking at them expecting to receive something.

We must focus – Pay attention; we must have EXPECTATION.

Our Expectations opens us up to receive what God has for us.

Many times People go through their life with no expectation.

Even after they have Prayed; they have no expectation that what they have Prayed for, is going to happen.

There is no sense of anticipation; they are not looking forward to anything, they look down in a so, so manner – hoping that things would happen.

… But here we see EXPECTATION.

The first (1st) is Paying ATTENTION; the second (2nd) EXPECTATION.

3. The Third (3rd) one is a rather big word (but I can’t avoid it) – INVOCATION.

Peter said: “In the Name of Jesus” – INVOCATION!

There is ATTENTION, there is EXPECTATION, there is INVOCATION.

What is an INVOCATION?

An Invocation is a call on a Higher Authority to act in a situation.

So, Prayer is a form of INVOCATION – We are invoking; we are making a demand!

So, Peter said: “In the Name of JESUS CHRIST of Nazareth.”

… The use of the Name of Jesus is an INVOCATION.

When we call on the Name of Jesus, we make Him Present in a situation.

To receive anything by Faith, it must come through Christ.

God expresses His Grace to us through Christ.

Every Miracle we receive is a result of what Christ accomplished for us through His Suffering, His Death, His Resurrection and His ongoing Ministry.

We don’t receive by ourselves based on our efforts and based on our own Power – We receive through Christ, by His Grace.

So, there is ATTENTION, there is EXPECTATION, there is INVOCATION;

4. The Fourth (4th) is COMMAND.

… Or we can call it INSTRUCTION.

…”RISE UP AND WALK!”

The Command was made in the Name of Jesus.

At this point, when Peter said: “RISE UP AND WALK”; we can safely say that: The Power of God to heal the man had been deployed.

To receive anything from the Lord, we must hear His INSTRUCTION.

Faith is a response to God’s Word.

It is not just a response to courage; it is a response to God’s Word!

And when you look at the Ministry of Jesus, He usually instructed People to do something.

I. The first (1st) Miracle He did – When He turned water to Wine; He told the People “FILL THE POTS” with water.

… “FILL THE POTS!” – That is an INSTRUCTION.

II. He told Peter: “LET DOWN YOUR NETS FOR A CATCH!”

III. He told the Blind Man: “GO WASH IN THE POOL.”

IV. He told the Lepers: “GO SHOW YOURSELVES TO THE PRIEST.”

V. He told the man with the Withered Hand: “STRETCH FORTH YOUR HANDS!”

VI. He told the man who was Paralyzed: “RISE UP AND WALK!”

VII. And even to a dead Lazarus, He said: “COME FORTH!”

You realised, that everything or most Miracles of Jesus were acted out through an INSTRUCTION or through a COMMAND.

Because Faith must always respond to a Command.

Faith is not just courage, or having been braved; Faith is acting on the Word of God.

So today:

I. I tell you: RISE UP FROM DEFEAT.

II. I tell you: BE HEALED, in the Name of Jesus!

III. I tell you: PROSPER in the midst of your enemies.

5. Then the last thing we see here is THE ACTION.

“.. He (Peter) took him (the Lame man) by the right hand.”

The taking by the right hand is not a Spiritual act; It is a Physical act but based on what the Lord has done Spiritually.

… And this is where I want you to Pay close attention to!

FIVE STEPS:

• Attention
• Expectation
• Invocation
• Command or Instruction
• And the Action!

By the time Peter said: “In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, RISE UP AND WALK” – The Power to heal had been DEPLOYED.

… But the man was still sitting down.

So, what if Peter had ended with the INVOCATION and a COMMAND: “Rise up and Walk!” And then Peter walked on into the Temple?

Would the man had experienced healing?

… It doesn’t seem so!

If Peter had said: “Rise up and Walk” – and moved on; the man would Potentially be healed; but actually not healed!

Because Faith gives us the ability to do something; and if you don’t exercise the ability, you would still be where you are.

If Sarah had not exercised the ability, she would not be Pregnant.

This man was healed, and still sitting down.

And the Bible says then Peter took him by the right hand!

After he had done all the Spiritual Stuff: He had Commanded him “in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Rise up and walk” – The man is still sitting down!

So Peter took him by the right hand – That is not Spiritual, that’s Physical. And he lifted him up!

And if you follow the sequence of what happened; the Bible says: Immediately, his feet and ankle bones received Strength.

When did that happened?

When Peter held him by the right hand and lifted him up!

… Immediately, his feet and ankle bones received Strength.

Potentially, he had received a Miracle; but actually, it had not manifested because the Physical action needed to manifest the Miracle has not taken Place!

“… And he, leaping up, STOOD and WALKED.”

So, I want you to look at the sequence: “In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, RISE UP AND WALK.”

Has the Power of God being released? – YES!

Has the man being Healed? – YES!

Is he looking like a healed man? – NO!

Why? – Because he hasn’t done anything to correspond with what has happened to him.

So, Peter says: We can’t leave this man here!

Because, if we leave him here; he is going to sit down there; although he was healed.

So, they took him by the right hand, lifted him up! And the Bible says: he LEAPED UP!

And the moment he LEAPED UP, his feet and ankle bones which were weak received Strength.

Then he started WALKING and LEAPING – There is a Progression!

So what do we learn from this?

That it is Possible for God to bless you with something and you not manifest it.

Could it be: Peradventure; Could it be that God has already answered your Prayer? But you are not doing what you ought to do for the answer to manifest?

Could it be that God had already given you the Ability to do what you are asking for? But you are not corresponding with your Action?

When Jesus said to Peter: “Launch out your nets for a catch!”

The Launching of nets is not a Spiritual Act -it iß Physical.

But if Peter had not launched the Physical thing, there would be no fish to catch!

The fish would be Present in the water, but there would be no action to harvest them.

So, sometimes when we Pray, God starts the Spiritual Process; but we don’t correspond with our actions.

So Faith must have an ACTION:

I. Sarah and Abraham had to ACT OUT their Faith for Isaac to be conceived.

II. Noah had to ACT OUT his Faith by Building an Ark to preserve the remnant.

If he hadn’t done that Physical act, the Spiritual Promise of Preservation would not happen.

III. David had to ACT OUT his Faith by throwing a stone at Goliath.

If he had stood there and just doing mouth Phrases to Goliath without releasing that stone; he would not have had the Victory.

IV. Ruth had to ACT OUT her Faith by Putting on her best clothes to meet Boaz.

A husband had been Promised her; and the Bible says she washed, anointed herself (that means Perfumed her body), put on New clothes, and went to Town!

What if she had said: Well, what God has given me, He has given me. It doesn’t matter how I dress; it will come to me?

When I was growing up, there was a saying that was very popular: “THE THING FOR YOU NEVER LOSS.”

In other words, whatever is meant for you would come to you.

May I beg to DIFFER? – The thing for you can be LOST.

The thing that God has given to you can be LOST; the Promises that God has given to you can be LOST.

Actually, God can bless you and you will not manifest it.

V. Esther had to ACT OUT her Faith by going to make a request from her husband (the King).

VI. Peter ACTED OUT his Faith by throwing out the net!

Faith gives us the ability to do things!

That’s all I’m trying to get across to you: That Faith gives us the ability to do things.

And for most of us, God had already answered our Prayer but you are still sitting at the Gate; hoping that His Power would lift you up, to make you leap.

… He has already HEALED you, you have to do the RISING.

He has already BLESSED you, you have to go and do the work.

He has already PROSPERED you, you have to go and start that Business.

He has already OPENED the door, you have to enter in.

He has already given you the HUSBAND, you have to put on nice clothes.

He has already given you a WIFE, you have to start being nice.

Men, they say I Proposed to Ladies they turn me down. Check your character!

… Your harsh words may send People away!

Faith requires corresponding Action.

The Action must correspond to what we had believed for.

SECOND (2ND) CASE STUDY: ACTS 14:8-10.

It’s a situation very similar to what we read (in the first Case Study) but a little difference!

8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.

9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had Faith to be healed,

10 Said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.

Similar but different! – And I’m going to draw your attention to three (3) things:

The man heard Paul speaking – We are not told what Paul was speaking about. We don’t know whether he was talking about Healing, or for People to have Faith in God.

But whatever he heard Paul saying was enough to build Faith in him!

1. The first (1st) thing we learn is that: GOD’S WORD PRODUCES FAITH IN US.

Paul spoke the Word, and the man had Faith in what Paul was speaking about. Because prior to Paul being in Lystra, he had been in a city called Iconium.

And the Bible says: In Iconium; God worked Miracles through Paul – That’s in Acts 14:3.

The Bible says: “Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing Witness to the Word of His Grace, granting Signs and Wonders to be done by their hands.”

So, from Iconium they came to Lystra.

Probably, Paul was talking about what had happened in Iconium, in Lystra.

He said listen: This is what God did in Lystra – God did this, God did that!

Maybe that is what he was speaking about; but we are not told! – I’m just assuming.

So, whatever the Message was; the man who is lame in his feet; he had never heard about Jesus before; never heard the Gospel before.

Listening to Paul talking about this fantastic things about the Rabbi, this Jesus – Who died, and He Rose again. And appeared to people, and Ascended to Heaven, He is still at work, and He is healing people.

And this man is listening; and something started boiling inside of him!

2. So the Second (2nd) thing is that: FAITH GIVES US THE ABILITY TO DO SOMETHING.

… That is my Main THESIS for this Message!

Because the Bible says that Paul looked at the man intently and saw that the man had Faith to be healed.

He had Faith to be healed; Faith gives us the ability to do something.

He had Faith to be healed; but, he was still down.

Can you imagine?

The man has Faith to be healed, but he was not healed!

Is it Possible you have Faith to do something, but you are not doing it?

… You have Faith to do it, but you are not doing it!

So, at this Point: Paul is speaking, the man is listening. Paul looked at the man, he said: this man has Faith to be healed.

But the man is lame; sitting down because Faith has not being acted out.

Then Paul said to him with a loud voice – In other words, he shouted this one out: STAND UP STRAIGHT ON YOUR FEET!”

I’m sure the loud voice Probably shocked the man; and he leaped and walked.

But he had already been given the ability to leap up! He only needed somebody to shock him into leaping.

A Miracle had already taken Place while he was sitting down!

The ability that Faith gives us must be ACTED OUT.

Sarah’s Problem with Abraham is that: We are too old to ACT OUT what is required for conception.

And that is what she was laughing about: My husband (Abraham) and I – we are too Old.

… But apparently, they did what had to be done!

Faith without corresponding action is dead.

So, if you believe that God is the One Who has opened a door for you; then don’t do anything unwise to shut the door!

So, if for example you believe: I’m going to succeed at this Interview; God has given me the job.

But you dress shabbily, and you go and sit at the Interview and you give very, very sarcastic answers:

What’s your Work Experience? – “It doesn’t matter!”

What Salary do you expect when you come to work here? – “Whatever you think!”

Because you believe God has given you the job; so you are acting snobbish!

Actually, your action shows you don’t believe God had given you the Job; Because if you believe God has given you the Job then you are going to comport yourself!

… Because you know: “God has given it go me!”

As I always say: “If you believe God would keep you safe; when you are travelling – PUT ON YOUR SEATBELT.”

Because Putting on your seatbelt is a Physical Act to demonstrate: “I believe God will keep me safe.”

Not Putting on your seatbelt is saying: “I don’t believe God will keep me in safety.”

Because many times we think that: If you have Faith, you must be reckless; you must be snobbish.

As we say in Ghana: “You must act by heart.” because I have Faith!

Faith is not acting recklessly; Faith is acting carefully in correspondence to the Word of God.

Noah had to spend One hundred and twenty (120) years constructing an Ark; because he believed God would rescue him and his family.

Why didn’t he say: “God would save me – boat or no boat!” But he had to do something.

If you believe God has blessed you; act Blessed.

If you believe that job you have was God’s Blessing to you; then don’t do anything silly that would make you loose the job!

If you believe your Marriage is a Blessing from God; – KEEP IT.

If you believe that Man was a Blessing from God, RESPECT HIM.

You believe that WOMAN is a Blessing from God, LOVE HER.

You cannot say: God gave me this Man, I don’t care if he goes out, he will come back!

That is not an “ACT OF FAITH”; it is an Act of silliness of senselessness.

You are not being a Person a Faith!

Oh, as for this, I believe God has given it to me, no matter what it is all mine.

It’s not yours, until your ACTIONS correspond with your FAITH.

TWO (2) CASE STUDIES: both of them were HEALED but sitting down!

1. The man at the Beautiful Gate – HEALED! But sitting down. He had to be LIFTED up!

… A corresponding Action!

2. The man at Lystra – He was HEALED, but he had to be COMMANDED to ACT in correspondence with what he BELIEVED.

Is it possible that you have been SABOTAGING your Miracles?

Is it possible you have been FRUSTRATING the Grace of God with your reckless behaviour?

Is it possible that God opened doors for you and you SHUT them?

Is it possible that everything you have been Praying for, God has ANSWERED but your Mindset is: “If God has given it to me, it will come any way? So you act nonchalantly!

… Once in a while, I need to throw in these words (Laughing!)

If you BELIEVE it, ACT it OUT.

If you believe it, then He says: RISE UP AND WALK!

If you believe He has opened the door then GO IN!

If you believe that Promotion is yours, be wise about it!

If you believe that Lady is the One God has Promised you, don’t mistreat her!

If you believe that man is the man God wants you to marry, then don’t act rudely to him!

Let your Actions AFFIRM your FAITH; because Faith without corresponding ACTION is DEAD.

I believe, from now till the end of this year, there will be massive doors opened – Amen.

God is going to open the windows of Heaven over your life – Amen.

God is going to bring UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITIES – Amen.

God is going to let People come into your way, on assignment for your Destiny – Amen.

God is going to make you encounter People you never thought you would be able to encounter – Amen

And Please, when that time comes, do the right thing:

Don’t mess it up! Don’t mess up your Miracle; but take hold of it!

Lift up your hands to God everybody. And say with me:

Lord, HELP ME – With Wisdom, with Courage, to do the right THINGS; in correspondence to my FAITH.

Give me the right ACTIONS, complete my FAITH with the Miracle that You have given to me.

In Jesus’ Name – AMEN and AMEN!

And may the Lord help each one of us, not to miss our Day of VISITATION, in Jesus’ Name – Amen!

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