FOR WHOM THE HEAVENS OPEN -PART 41 – PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE – SPECIAL RCCG ONLINE SUNDAY SERVICE;21ST APRIL 2024

SPECIAL RCCG ONLINE SUNDAY SERVICE

TOPIC: FOR WHOM THE HEAVENS OPEN – PART 41 (CASE STUDY OF JOSHUA – PART 28): “NEITHER BE THOU DISMAYED”

MINISTERING: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE

DATE: 21ST APRIL 2024

BIBLE TEXT: JOSHUA 8: 1-2

Let Us Pray!

SONG

We are Serving the Living God
We are Serving the Living God
We are Serving the Living God everyday.

OPENING PRAYER

Our Father and our God, we Worship You.

We know without any doubt that You are Greater than the Greatest; You are Higher than the Highest; You are Stronger than the Strongest.

We Thank You because we know that You Control Today, Tomorrow and Everyday of our lives.

We are very, very Grateful that we have You at our back and so we have Nothing to be afraid of because You are there for us.

So Father, accept our Worship in Jesus Name.

Your Children are here today again; my Father and my God in Your Own Miraculous Way, send Help to all of us and let it be well with us Oh Lord.

At the end of everything, let Your Name be Glorified.

In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen.

Praise the Lord – Hallelujah!

Well, we move on to Part 41 in our Study on: “For Whom The Heavens Opens” using Joshua as our Case Study!

And we are reminding ourselves that Joshua is also a very Good Example of Divine Repositioning.

The Last Time we spoke, we were discussing Joshua 8: 1-2 – And that is where we will still be Continuing today and maybe in another couple or so of weeks.

Joshua 8:1-2:

1. And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou Dismayed: take all the People of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his People, and his City, and his Land:
2. And thou shalt do to Ai and her King as thou didst unto Jericho and her King: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the City behind it.

… “Fear Not, Neither be Thou Dismayed” – We may just stop there today and just continue from there Next Time.

God spoke to Joshua – Joshua was back to talking terms with God and God said to him first and foremost: “Fear Not”.

And we learnt last time that Fear is the opposite of Faith and it is a way of saying that you believed the devil rather than God or you believed the Report of Man rather than the Report of the God of all Flesh.

And so, we can see that Fear is a Tormentor – It is actually meant for those who don’t have Faith in God; who is the Almighty.

The God who is Higher than the Highest, who has the Greatest Influence in the whole Universe; the Almighty God who can Perform Wonders and God who is everywhere at all times.

So, we have discovered that a True Child of God has Nothing to Fear because wherever he/she may be, the Almighty God is there to take care of the situation.

But the Next Thing that God said is: “Neither Be Thou Dismayed”.

The word that we want to look at today is the word “Dismayed”.

The word Dismayed according to 2 Samuel 4:1 – Actually means: “Courage has Failed”.

We are not talking of Fear now:

• We are talking of feeling Completely Helpless.
• We are talking of a word like Dismantled.
• You are not just afraid but the matter is even a bit worst and you become like a Vegetable.
• Your Strength is gone and the desire to move forward is no more.
• Dismayed is a word in the same Category as: Discouraged, Despondent – Meaning Overwhelmed with Sorrow, In Despair or in its worst form as Hopeless.

You see the word Dismayed in the situation of Elijah in 1 Kings 19: 1-8 – When Elijah having waited in the Presence of God for years:

I. When we first met him in 1 Kings 17:1; he was boasting that as the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I Stand.

That was the Man that we have never met before but he told us boldly that I’m coming from the Presence of God.

II. And he decreed that the Heavens be shut and the Heavens obeyed him – For years, no Rain.

III. He obeyed God when God said: Go and hide – He went and hid by the Brooks of Cherry.

IV. He obeyed God when God said: Hey, go and stay with a Widow.

V. He obeyed God when God said: Alright now, you can go and show yourself to the King.

VI. And he left that Wonderful confrontation on Mount Carmel – He finished all the Prophets of Baal in one Mighty move of the Almighty God.

VII. He Prayed and Fire fell.

VIII. He Prayed and Rain fell.

IX. He ran faster than the Chariots of the King Triumphantly – Comimg from the Mountain Top to the Valley.

X. And then he arrived – And what did he met; Jezebel sent to him and said: By tomorrow; you will be Dead.

… After all I have done for God, is this how I’m going to end?

The Bible said that he ran and kept running for days!

By the time he got to that Juniper Tree, he was Dismayed! – What next now Oh Lord? Why waste Time anymore? Let me just die!

That is a very Good Illustration of what it is to be Dismayed!

Oh, I Pray in the Name that is above every other names; that if anyone of you is in that kind of situation; my God will arise for you today – Amen!

Because it took a Double Visitation from God to get Elijah going again,

• God sent an Angel to bring him food the first time. He ate and wasn’t Strong enough to continue the Journey.
• So, God brought him another Meal from Heaven.

We are going to look at the Word “Dismayed” using the worst kind or worst Interpretations of the word – Which is “Hopeless”.

If you look at your Life and the situation seems to be very, very Hopeless; I have Good News for you: Because as long as you are still Breathing, there is Hope for you!

1. You need to know that some Good and Great Things takes Time!

The Bible tells us in James 5:7 – It tells us about a Farmer/Husbandman; how he must wait Patiently for the Seed to become a Fruit.

So maybe you have been waiting; you have been Fasting and the Result(s) is/are not here and you are just about to “Give Up” – Just take Note that some Great Things takes Time to Produce!

I have given the Illustration before – When you Plant a Maize, you will Harvest within three (3) Months. But if you Plant Cocoa, you will have to wait for years before it will begin to Produce.

Why? Because Cocoa is far, far more Precious than Maize.

And for further Illustration; the Maize once you cut it down, that is the end of the Story – You Harvest Maize only once.

But for Cocoa, once it begins to Produce, it will Produce for a Lifetime.

2. Another thing that you need to Note why you should not loose Hope and Patiently waiting for God even if He seems to be delaying is that: The Bigger the Problem, the Bigger the Testimony!

In Genesis 21: 1-7 – We see Sarah speaking.

You know Sarah, you know when God Paid her a visit in Genesis 18: 9-14.

By the time God said Sarah will have a son; you know that she Laughed – That is the Laughter of Somebody who is already Dismayed or Someone who was saying to the Almighty God: Let’s forget this joke.

When you made this Promise 25 years ago, it was easy to believe You but now, You enjoyed my Meal. Thank You very much – Just say Thank You and go. Don’t bother me anymore!

But in Genesis 21: 1-7; she said that God has made me to Laugh!

She said something – She said: Who would have thought that Sarah will give suck to children? Who would have thought that Milk will flow from the breast of a Woman who is already over 90 years Old.

… The Bigger the Problem, the Bigger the Testimony!

You can understand what happened in Exodus 15: 1-21 – You will see the Beautiful Song that Moses and the children of Israel sang after they escaped from Pharaoh and his Host.

You need to know how Big was their Terror the Night before:

I. They had been in Bondage for more than 400 years and they have never learnt how to fight.

II. Even if they had learnt how to fight, they had no Weapons.

III. And the Greatest Army in the whole world was Marchimg after them with Horses and Chariots.

IV. The People they thought that they were free from were here again.

Oh the Night before, they were Dismayed – They were not just afraid, they had become like Jelly.

But then the Almighty God moved – And in a Single Sweep of the Power of the Almighty God, the Enemies they had seen that Night, they never saw them again by the Following Morning!

Moses was not a Musician but that Morning, he Composed a Song.

I have Good News for Somebody who is almost Completely Hopeless now – In the Name that is above every other name; by tomorrow you will be Singimg (Amen).

3. And occasionally, the Almighty God will delay because He wants to do something Extraordinary, something Big and something that will show the world how Mighty He is.

When you considered what happened in Mark 5: 35-45 – The daughter of Jairus had just died and Jesus Christ went there and woke her up.

Some People said that this is not a Miracle – Didn’t you hear Him; He said the girl wasn’t dead but Sleeping.

What is a Miracle in waking up Somebody who is Sleeping?

And then God said alright; maybe we will wait and see one fellow who is not just Sleeping but on the way to the Burial Ground.

In Luke 7: 11-15 – The Story of the Son of the Widow of Nain.

They were already on their way to bury the boy – He hasn’t just died, he wasn’t in a coma like the People said in the case of the daughter of Jairus.

And then, God raised up the boy and some People said that the boy was in a “Deep Coma” – And so, as he was being taking to the Burial Ground, Fresh Air blew on him and Jesus Christ just came at the right time when the boy was about to wake up and so it was just mere coincidence.

That is why when you get to John 11: 1-44 – When they came to call the Lord Jesus Christ and they said that the Man whom You love is Sick. He said that the Sickness is not unto Death but so that God will be Glorified.

The Bible said that He waited where He was for 4 Days – He was simply saying: This one, it won’t be that he is asleep or in a coma; it will be Someone who is not just buried but had been there for 4 Days in the Grave rotten.

When I bring this one back to Life, then the whole world will know that there is Someone called the Ressurrection and the Life.

4. Occasionally, God deliberately delays so that when He finally moves, the whole world will know that: Only God can Possibly do this!

So, if you feel that God has delayed too long and you are beginning to be Dismayed; just take Note:

I. There is a God whose Promises are always Yea and Amen.

2 Corinthians 1:20 says: All the Promises of God in the Lord Jesus Christ are Yea and Amen.

II. Remember that there is a God who never lies.

Number 23:19 – The God you serve is not a Man that He should lie, neither the Son of Man that He should Repent.

If God has said anything concerning your case; Relax He won’t lie and He won’t fail you.

III. Remember that there is a God who Controls Times and Seasons.

Daniel 2: 20-21 – The God that you are Serving Controls Times and Seasons.

Oh, you say that my Time has Passed! Who told you?

My Season has gone and it is not Possible for me to get the kind of Miracles that I have been Praying for! Who told you?

Some of you heard the Testimony of a Lady who came from America to visit her Siblings in London and we are having a Holy Ghost Service and she came with them.

And the Word of God came just as the Service was on – God said that there is Somebody here that He has reduced the years by 10 years.

And she said Amen and turned to the Siblings and said: Don’t call me Aunty anymore. I’m Younger than some of you now.

A few Minutes later the Almighty God spoke again and said: Hey, the Fellow that thought it is already “Too Late” to have a child, God is saying that I will surprise you.

And she said: God, how can you love me this much?

Brethren, just believe Him – When God speaks, it is done!

The following year, when that Lady returned to the Festival of Life (FOL) as they call the Holy Ghost Service (HGS) in London; she was carrying a 3 Months Old baby – Because there is a God who Controls Times and Seasons.

IV. There is a God who can make Dry Bones live again.

Please Note that everything written in the Bible is written for our Examples and Instructions.

Ezekiel 37: 1-10 – You know the Story of the Dry Bones.

When God asked the Man of God – The Prophet: Can these dry bones live again?

The Man of God said that it is even beyond his own Faith – He said God, only You can tell.

And God said alright, I will tell the Wind to blow. But you will do something for me – Just Prophesy to the dry bones.

And in the Name that is above all names; in the Name of the One who sent me: I Prophesy to all things in your Life that could represent dry bones and I say dry bones, live again – Amen!

Habbakuk 2:3 tells us that if God gives you a Vision, it may tarry but it will come to Past.

If God had given you a Dream and you think that the Dream is “Too Late” in coming to Past – The Dream of Greatness, the Dream of Success, the Dream that is even far, far beyond you. And you think that it is already “Too Late”. As long as God is still on His Throne, when He gives you a Vision; He will bring it to Past – Amen!

5. So when God seems to be Silent – You have Prayed, you have Fasted and you have done everything you know how to do and Nothing seems to be happening. Hey, don’t be Dismayed!

Because whenever God seems to be Silent, it is because He wants to do something Big!

You know the Story in Daniel 3: 1-end.

The Almighty God wasn’t Sleeping:

• When they were binding Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
• When they were taking them to the Fiery Furnace; He wasn’t Sleeping but just Silent.

Why? Because:

• He could have moved in even as the King was Commanding that they should bind them.
• He could have moved in and asked an Angel to go and wipe out the King and the Army in other to rescue His boys.

But He says: Hey, let’s do something Bigger than that – My boys, come into the Fire and I will be there waiting for you.

And then, let us show this Idol Worshipping King that there is a God in the Heavens who is far, far bigger than his idols.

God wasn’t Sleeping in Daniel 6: 1-end:

• When they were throwing Daniel to the Den of Lions.
• He could have Stopped the whole Show because He has the Ability to do so.

But He got more Glory when Daniel spent a whole Night in the Den of Lions and came out alive.

… He knew what He was doing!

6. So, if you think that your situation is “Too Critical” and you are about to feel Completely Dismayed – Remember 1 Kings 17: 8-16; in the Story of the Widow of Zarephath.

As she was going out to fetch two sticks to cook her Last Meal for herself and her son – As she was going, Help was already on the way,

God is the Ever Present Help in Times of Trouble!

God is never Late as He will come right on Time!

So, I’m rejoicing with those of you who are at the Point of “Giving Up” – That this Message is for you today. Don’t loose Hope as your tomorrow will still be Alright (Amen)!

The only one that I can say really hasn’t got a Hope is the one who is not connected to Jesus Christ!

Because according to Colossians 1:27 – It is only Christ in you that brings you the Hope of Glory.

So, if Christ is not in you; then you don’t have the Hope of Glory.

But you can open your Heart to Him today and invite Him into your Life.

And immediately He comes into your Life, He will turn that Hopeless situation around.

ALTAR CALL

So, if you will want to Surrender your
Life to Jesus Christ; wherever you may be or reading now on the Label of DMC, if you will bow your Head now and call on Him and ask Him to come into your Life; He will do so.

I will join you in Prayers now and God will give you a New Beginning.

PRAYER FOR SALVATION AND CLOSING PRAYER

And so my Father and my God, I want to Thank You for Your Words.

I want to give You all the Glory and Honour Particularly for those of you who has decided that they want You to come into their lives so that they too now can have the Hope of Glory.

Father, Please receive them, have Mercy on them, save their Souls, write their names in the Book of Life Lord and Please Lord let their Future be alright.

As for those of you who for one reason or the other are just Dismayed; I Pray that You will come to our Help Speedily so that very soon, all our Problems will become Mighty Testimonies.

In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!

Praise the Lord – Hallelujah!

Now I rejoice with those of you who has invited Jesus Christ into your Life today – I’m saying to you Congratulations!

I want to assure you that from now on, I will be Prayimg for you.

And I will ask you to go to the nearest The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) to you and ask the Pastor there that I have sent you and you want to know what to do next now that you are Born Again.

I will be hearing Good News from you soon!

God Bless You!

Praise the Lord – Hallelujah!!!

Thank you so much for staying all through to read.

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