SERMON TITLE: Jehovah Nissi: The Lord Is Our Banner 

SYNOPSIS: God established His throne in the nation, changing the faithful army’s position from soldiers to throne attendants, assuring them of Jehovah Nissi’s protection and presence. 

Transcript 

The secret to this reality is the Holy Spirit. The Bible says in Acts 10 that wherever Jesus went, He did good. Why? Because He was anointed. 

There was a man at Thessalonica who would come to our programs. He observed that while the choir may not be exceptionally large, when they sang, one could see that these people were truly singing. He was excited to come because he saw the difference. This man, a presiding elder or steward of a large Methodist Church in Thessalonica, felt at home when he came to our ministry and experienced the presence of the Lord. That is the secret. 

I once went to Bubuashi and saw a group of young people in their twenties and thirties singing and having a program. They were excited, and a crowd had gathered. I noted to Brother Saki that we didn’t sing some of the contemporary gospel songs that this group, Christos Apple, was performing. With their instruments, they were creating a loud sound, and the crowd was present. I wondered how we could attract such a crowd and if we should adopt some of their songs. 

I went home and spoke to Brother Saki and Sister Jocelyn, admitting that I didn’t like those songs. But, I argued, if we could reach this crowd of people in their twenties and thirties, we would secure the future for the church. I suggested finding some of these church songs to adopt so that these young, “hip” people would be drawn in. 

After I had the meeting and went home, the Lord spoke to me, saying, “Where is the Holy Spirit? If you want to adopt those songs in My church, where is the Holy Spirit?”. Consequently, the church has become a place that has no room for the Holy Spirit. 

I directed the ministers to Ephesians chapter 2, verses 2 and 3. The scripture says that He made us alive who were dead in trespasses and sins. Verse 2 speaks of following the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that works in the children of disobedience. 

This kind of music, including reggae, is from the prince of the power of the air. I explained to the ministers that this is the spirit of the age. When the Bible talks about the spirit of the age, it refers to the spirit of darkness that rules the world. This spirit of the age brings music, sounds, and rhythms, and the church, being so blind, borrows them. Consequently, there is confusion about what is Christian, what is acceptable, and what is the perfect way of God. The people in the church have become indistinguishable from the world. 

I was working on these notes when I saw a certain person on TV3, and I was ashamed. One can seek to be popular and make money, as that is what everyone wants. But you cannot serve God in the temple with this kind of music because it defiles the church and brings shame to the name of the King of Glory. 

The Lord had previously asked me, “My son, where is the Gospel Train?”. I was upstairs in my office when I heard the Lord say, “I don’t want this music in My church”. I went down to the Gospel Train where a man from Lagos was teaching them some traditional songs, singing, and dancing. When I asked him, “What is this music?” he replied, “It’s voodoo music from Benin; African music”. The Lord told me that this music could not be brought into His church. 

African music is not inherently what edifies the church and glorifies the Father. While people may be shouting and dancing, the music brings spiritual death. People believe that if you play this kind of music, the church will be full, but then you cast out the spirit of Christ that was there. 

I once asked a preacher, “Do you preach Christ? Is there any Christ in the kind of preaching I hear from you on television and radio?”. He wrote back, saying, “I preach that on TV and radio, but when they come to my church, we preach Christ”. He testified that if you come to his church, you see Buddhists and Rastafarians, which he implied was doing good because his outward message does not include Christ. 

A man from the SFO told me about a big man in a certain church: “If you know the kind of secret things they are doing, the corruption these people are involved in, and yet they are big men in the church”. He was so frustrated, asking, “Can this be Christians? Is that the nation we are building?”. This big man was one of the church’s supporters. Yet the Bible says, “Righteousness exalts a nation”. Let us encourage our faithful members to continue to be holy and faithful to God. The Holy Spirit is in them, and if they listen to Him, they will never go astray. But if they want to be popular with people, they run a risk. 

The past week has been a week of blessedness, hope, and unspeakable joy. My personal surprise is the place and position where the Lord has brought us. We have entered the door of unspeakable blessedness, power, and glory. All that is left for us to enter, dwell, exploit, and enjoy in this position is faith: faith in Christ, faith in the Word of God, faith in the promises of God, and faith in the goodness of God. 

The Lord takes us from the position of soldiers of the cross—the end-time kingdom glory army—doing exploits, triumphing over, overthrowing, and taking churches for Him. He is marching through the redeemed land and people with His flag of victory, establishing His authority, power, dominion, and throne of glory in our land. 

Last week, the Lord recounted the years we spent praying for our nation, the church, and our personal lives. He showed us what He set out to do with us, what He has done in our country, and where He has brought it. When we celebrated missionary accomplishment, it was a new church, a new people, a new nation. We saw the human nature, what made man depraved, and how this led to wickedness and a relationship with spirits and powers. The devil claimed in Matthew chapter 4 that the kingdoms and glory of this world belonged to him. Jesus refused the offer, choosing to do the will of His Father. 

The Lord revealed to us the redemption He has brought to man in Christ, the redemption He has brought to our country, and the fact that He has now established His throne of glory in our land. This is too great to believe, yet it is exactly what the Lord has used us to do through the outpour of His Spirit over the entire land. 

Today should remind us of Pentecost, when the Spirit of the Lord took over. Peter was given the boldness to declare to the people of Israel, “The man Christ whom you crucified, God has made both Lord and Christ”. When the people were convicted and asked, “What shall we do?” Peter told them they must believe and be baptized and that they shall be filled with the Holy Spirit. 

If we have been used as soldiers to fight the battles, and God has taken over the nation and established His throne, we have an obligation not only to declare this but to defend it. 

Our privileged position as an army of the Lord has been sealed and transformed. We have been set apart as special army units to stand by the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple. We fought the battles to get Ghana for Jesus Christ. We have overthrown all the thrones and dominions, and we have taken over this territory. The Lord wants us to tell everyone that Ghana is free. All attempts to regain Ghana will never succeed because He has established His throne in the land. 

We were soldiers, but now we are going to be His bodyguards. As Jesus sits on the throne in our country, we shall be the bodyguards around Him. This special team of soldiers will serve Him and worship Him. Their shepherd shall be the Lamb of God who is on that throne. Referencing Revelation chapter 7, the Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, will bring us to the living fountains of waters because He is in the midst of the throne. 

The Father Himself is placing us by the throne to serve and worship the Lamb. We are not bodyguards, but orderly attendants of Him; not angels, but you and I. We have been appointed to stand by the throne. This is what you have become in spiritual things, unto the Most High God in this land. 

It is because of this election and place to stand and serve by the throne of God that our garments were changed into white robes. We were anointed and specially sealed yesterday at that ceremony. What a privilege, what a position, what a place to serve God. 

At today’s service, the Lord wants me to give you assurance regarding the fullness of His protection, provision, and presence with us from now onward. He said the people who have the white robes are those who have passed through tribulation. We passed through all kinds of tribulation and never turned our backs to the glory of God. Having achieved His goal, He has now washed our clothes in the blood of the Lamb and made us sit by the throne to serve Him there. If you are able to go through all the suffering, then you can stand by Him. This is the reward for your faithfulness. 

He asked me to assure you that He will protect you, provide for you, and you will always see His presence. Because He has placed us in this position, He will never forsake us. We are in His ears, standing by the throne, and we are supposed to be watchmen and warriors. When anything is happening, we can have access to the Lord and whisper into His ears. When we speak, He will take immediate action. 

The assurance of protection, provision, and presence of our God is found in Psalm 27. This will serve as the banner under which we will serve and live from now on. 

The title for today’s message is Jehovah Nissi, which means The Lord is our Banner. We find this term in Exodus 17:15. The Lord who has led us to triumph over the enemies of the nation, the enemies of Jesus and the church, and the enemies of our personal lives, has become our banner. 

In Psalm 27, David says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”. You don’t need to be afraid anymore. 

The Lord promises protection: “When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes rose up against me, they stumbled and fell”. “Though a whole army encamps against me, my heart shall not fear”. When a police official was asking us to stop, the only thing they could do was take away our instruments. They found out we were determined to do it. No threat can stop us from worshipping our God. 

The promise of God to us is found in Psalm 27:14: “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord”. He has opened a banner for us, and we shall walk under this banner and uphold it wherever we go. 

The secret of what we have taught today is faith: faith in Christ, faith in the word, faith in the promises of God, and faith in the goodness of God. I want you to make your personal prayer.