YEAR AFTER YEAR – The Promise or Expectation

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Introduction

Judges 13 introduced Samson as a child of Promise i.e an angel fore told his birth to his mother. 1sam.1:1-3, on the other hand introduced Samuel as a child of Prayer i.e His mother asked him of the Lord. Both stories showed the importance of the word i.e the promise and prayer i.e the request. It therefore implies that the birthing of a promise can be effected either through divine actions / words (Psm.33: 9) or through human actions/words (Mk.11: 24)

DIVINE HUMAN
– Birth of Isaac Birth of Manasseh
– Birth of Joseph Birth of Benjamin
– Premiership of Request of King by
Joseph Israel
– The victories of king The victories of David
Ahab
– The birth of the The birth of a son to
Saviour the Shunamite woman

WORKING THE PROMISE

This commences or has a lot to do with the person – Using Hannah as a case study.
a. She was very focused i.e went to Shiloh to worship – Year after year.
– Despite their knowledge of the character of the priests that ministered there i.e she was God and not man focused e.g.
” Abraham worshipped and held on to God year after year for 25 yrs for the promise
” Isaac year after year for 20yrs – Gen.25: 24-26
” Habakkuk kept at his watch year after year for 13years before God spoke. Hab.1-2
” Zechariah kept at his post for almost all his life, offering sacrifices and incense until one day his visitation came -it came at his duty post where God expected him to be Lu.1:8-12
” Simeon and Anna kept fasting and believing year after year for the Saviour to be born. Lu.1: 25-38
Please note, the fulfillment of their promises took a while but thy kept at it, believing because they had released the combine force of:
– Patience
– Obedience
And
– Expectation
They were steadfast on this because, they knew that:
” God is a blesser – Gen.49: 25, Deut.8:2 and Eph.3:20
” God is not a liar – Num.23:19, Isa.55:11
” God is faithful – Deut.7:9, Heb.11:11
” God is Holy – Isa.59:2, Psm.66:18, Heb.6:10
The knowledge of these gave strength to Sarah Heb.11: 11 and she conceived, carried and delivered Her promise.

b. She was persistent and it created the favorable environment where God can move on her behalf.
” In creating the environment – she must have thought, heard, studied and then came up with an answer a vow.
” Like the woman with the issue of blood – Her answer was a touch -Mk.5: 25-34
” David came up with a sacrifice. – IISam.24:18-25
” The shunamite woman came up with provision for God’s servant – IIKings4: 8-44
” The prophet’s widow’s answer was to draw on her husband goodwill with the prophet. – IIKings 4:1-7
” What is the product of your thoughts study or hearing?
” Remember II Chor.16:9
c. She was yielded totally to the Lord, i.e His timing, abilities and provisions because:
” She showed this by – committing him to God before he was conceived
– Dedicated him to God when he was born.
– Gave him to God when he was weaned
i.e. To Hannah – THE PROMISER was more important than the promise

CARRYING THE PROMISE
Text: Heb.11:1; 11

In every human, three (3) things point to the future of the person’s life. They are:
” Desire – Mk.11:24
” Seed – John 12:24
” Patience – Heb.10:36
These 3 combine to sustain a very important element in life called Hope.
HOPE
Generally defined by bible dictionaries as: confident expectation of good. In the bible, hope can be said to mean a least 6 things viz:
a. It is a sustainer/ strengthener.
– Lam.3:20-21
– ISam. 1-3 – Eli & Sons and Ichabod
b. It is a stabilizer – Heb.6:11, 19
– Enables patient and steadfast enduring of challenges/ difficulties
– A source of fidelity and firmness in action – Dan.3:16-18.
c. Hope looks out to a reward – Icor.15:55, 1Pet.5:10, Heb.12:2. so does not sellout out no matter the pressure or adverse situation
d. Hope is the womb of Tomorrow i.e of the future – Heb.11:1
e. Hope is what keeps your eyes on Tomorrow.
– It comes in pictures – Jer.1:11-12
– It has to be in place to derive its substantiation from faith
Therefore, hope must be in place before faith can be expressed – 2Kings 4:16

f. Hope is very easily affected by the human seasons of life i.e
– The past
– The present
– The future
THE PAST
” The power of the past lies in memories. With it , the past can either hold or release depending on how you see or respond to it. e.g Lam.3:20-21
” Two things you do with the past
a. Learn from it – Rom.15:4; ICor.10:11
b. Let it go – Phil.3:13

THE PRESENT
” The present was yesterday’s future. Hence “presentness” is dynamic and not static
” Meant for continuous review and planned work
” Can easily be influence by the past to rob us of our future.
” Through timely interventions past errors may be mended and future studies secured. e.g Peter – Lu.22:31-32

THE FUTURE
” God made man in such a way that for him to keep living has to be ready to face the future – Gen.1:28; Phil.3:13
” Every successful child of God especially in Heb.11 (see vs13) has always lived more for the future than the past or the present
” Anyone that does not see his/her future or thinks he/she has no future is suicidal and very dangerous – Gen.4:3-7; 25:29-34
” Notice, ICor.11:26 – The Lord’s table is more a focus on the future than on the past.
Therefore:
i. God first produces faith by producing hope in us. This is done via the agency of the word e.g. Sarah – Gen.18-22
ii. When we catch a glimpse of the future events – hope is generated –
Gen.37:5-10, Jer.31:17, Lu.1:66
Therefore: you are strengthened and stabilized to carry the promise to its fruition – Gen.15:5-6
– When this is in place, you will be strong to carry the promise and the waiting period will be nothing – Gen.29:20
– As was said for Sarah in Heb.11:11 – hold on and it will carry you.
– Remember – Heb.10:35-37; Jer.29:11

BIRTHING THE PROMISE

Text: Heb.11:1; 11

Intro

When a promise is received, conception, so to say takes place, post conception is the time of gestation or carriage of the promise. Depending on the promise, the specie of the being and its health status, all kinds of signs and complications can accompany gestation time. Even in human, timing is an issue. Some bring to birth a exactly 9months other before and some after, especially again if the particular pregnancy is the first or otherwise. At birth therefore a great deal of care is required.

BIRTHING THE PROMISE
Births generally occurs through the birth canal of the female gender, because of her capacity to receive seed, nature same by providing the right environment and atmosphere for its development.
However, in spiritual matters: –
i. There is no gender because our spirits are what is recreated – IICor.5:17; Gal.3:28
ii. All conception and carriage and deliveries are in the spirit -John 1:13-14; Gal.4:19
The process
a. The seed (the word or promise) comes in either of these ways:
– A revelation from God – 1Cor.2:10-12
– A word from God – Rom.10:17
b. Then we meditate or process to understand – Matth.13:11-16
– This is where implantation /growth of the promise comes.
c. At term, for there to be a birth, the organ of birth in the spirit is a combination of your mouth and heart
MOUTH
– You mouth is your organ of making or bringing into the physical what is in your heart or what you are seeing
” Read: Matth.12:34-35
o Matth.15: 8,11,18
o Mk.11:23
o Rom.10:8-11
o ICor.6:11
” Remember – Prov.18:21
Illustration
– Abraham – Gen.24:3-7 – Wife for Isaac
– Rachel – Gen.30:23-24
– Joseph – Gen.50:24-26;Exo.13:19
– Zechariah – Lu.1:18-20
– Mary – Lu.1:30-38
” Helps in the birthing process
i. Prayers – Lu.1:38
ii. The word Lu.1:37
iii. A good company – Lu.1:39-40

Conclusion
Faith is speaking into being what God has said about you, especially that which you have Seen. It you have not yet seen, keep speaking and it will manifest

CROSSOVER SERVICE: Gates of Life

Text: Psm.2: 1-5; 24:6-10

Intro

Gates, like doors are very important places in human lives. A house without a gate could be very vulnerable to various unwelcome visitors or events (see Prov.25:28). As in the physical, so also in the spiritual. Spiritual gates are real. Gates are important in the bible. Physically and spiritually, gates serve as an entrance to or exit from confined areas.

How Do Gates Originate?

1 a) Previous spiritual activities
Jacob’s encounter: Gen.12:7-8, Gen.28:10-18;
Abraham had already built an altar there, which made the place become a gateway to heaven. Altars are spiritual gateways that permit spiritual traffic. In this case, the altar that Abraham built many years ago, made the place become a gate of heaven, which permitted traffic from heaven.
Immediately, you start erecting an altar to the Lord, you open a gate into heaven.
b) Gen.22:2,8-11, 2 Sam.24:15-24
2 Collective Decision of Man – Gen.11
3 Divine Decision – 2Kings 21:4, II Chor.33:7
An altar has been erected against you, it means that a demonic traffic controller has been put in place and demons keep going up and down because of you.
So, the gate of evil will continually release evil angels and demons into a person’s life because an evil altar has been erected against that person.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GATES

1) A place for important decisions and events. Gen.23:10-11
2) Gates or doors serve as notice boards.Exo.12:21-23, Deut 6:9
3) A place for judgement. Deut 16:18;
4) A place where records are kept Deut 17:5
5) A place where honor or recognition is conferred Prov.31: 23
6) A place where complaints are lodged. Deut 22:15
7) It determines what time people can or cannot come in. – Matth.25:6-11
8) A gate is the totality of the government and socio-economic life of a city. – Josh.20:4
To control entry and exits, gates are manned 2Chro.22:19, Neh.12:25
NOTE
1) In the spiritual realm virtually everything has a gate: We have gates of heaven, and gates of hell. Psm. 78:73, Matt.16: 18
2) The treasures and riches of the earth have gates that need to be opened for one to gain access: Isa. 45:1-3.
From this passage we gather that
-access to wealth could be gained through these spiritual gates (here referred to as leaved gates.)
This passage indicates:
-That there are hidden riches and wealth that no man has access to unless the Lord opens the spiritual gates that guide them to him.
-That unless a higher authority decrees otherwise, a gate of wealth and prosperity open to ones life may be shut by the enemy.
3) From the bible we also discover that the side of a gate on which one is found could determine ones fate. e.g the story of Rehab in Joshua 2:19 , John 10:9

POSSESSING THE GATES OF THE ENEMY

1. Knowledge, because he that controls the gate determines the fate of those within. Judges 16:2-3
Also the examples from the running of modern supermarkets. Those running these stores realize that they do not need to monitor the entire building. They only need to take charge of the gate.
2) The Father’s blessing Gen 22:17; 24:60
3) Repentance
4) Aggressive prayers through which you pull down and destroy the gates as well as disband all evil gatherings using scriptures such as Isa. 8:9-10, Isa.22:25, Zec 1:19-21, 3:1-5.

REFERENCES:
David Olukoya
Bode Ayodele

Dr. Udoh
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