SERMON INSIGHTS

The Foundation of the Lord is Sure: Obedience and Divine Glory

Beloved in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us in 2^nd Timothy 2 that God knows His people. The foundation of the Lord is sure. In a great house, there are many vessels: vessels of honor, vessels of gold, silver, wood, and clay. The key is for a man to pledge himself to be sanctified and meet for the Master’s use.

I don’t need to struggle to find out what kind of vessel I am. I only need to know there’s a possibility of grace unto grace and glory unto glory. The key to this is holiness, righteousness, and faithfulness, but the bottom line is obedience. Revelation chapter 22 tells us that obedience is what will carry us to the gate of the city of God and grant us access to the tree of life. Disobedience led us out of the Garden of Eden, and the solution for reconciliation with God and regaining access to our lost heritage and glory is simply to obey God. The Word is God and The Word is Christ

I’m trying to let the church know that we should not make a difference between the word and God or the word and Jesus Christ. Mastering the word or being a champion of the word is not equal to knowing God. The word is the open door to God for fellowship. The word itself is God. If you are rooted and grounded in the word, there is a power that works within you. The mystery of the word is that the word is the same God we worship. Deeper knowledge and relationship with Christ come through the word. Revelation comes as we continue to obey the word and be obedient to what the word directs. In the end, it is God Himself or Christ that we are obeying.

 The New Thing: Divine Heritage of Glory

I’m going to discuss a concept: the new thing of divine heritage of glory. This morning, we learned that the Church, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are partners in bringing to pass God’s purposes in creation and nations, particularly in revealing Divine Glory. Man was supposed to be a revelation of the Creator to all things. Today, the church is expected, equipped, and given the opportunity to serve as a representative of God and to present God to creation. Creation, including the earth, is watching us to see their Creator.

The Fullness of God vs. The Stature of Christ

Ephesians 3 speaks of meeting the fullness of God. Ephesians 4 speaks of studying Christ to become what, and to enter into the fullness of the stature of Christ. Christ came as a servant. Ephesians 4 describes what the church does: preparing men in the knowledge of Christ and putting on the fullness of Christ. It is in our servanthood that we depict the purpose of the church as a partner to Christ and the Holy Spirit.

A New Human Race: The Church and the Earth

I want to suggest this afternoon that there’s a new thing. There’s a possibility of a new human race, based on the church. The church will repopulate the world. As we witness of Christ, reveal Christ, and put on His fullness, moving from glory to glory, we are not only changing, but we are also bringing the rest of creation into liberty. We are redeeming creation and casting out demons so the creation shall be free. The atmosphere shall change, and a new human race will walk. These new beings, called the church, are the people God wants to use, since Adam failed.

This new Adam is a partner of Christ and the Holy Spirit to bring to pass God’s purposes. This new Adam will put on a nature and a glory that is incomprehensible by the fallen Adam. The new glory is understood in fellowship with Christ and the Holy Spirit, not just in worship, but in obedience and the fulfillment of God’s vision.

The Vision for a New Nation

The church is the place where God can share His vision for a new Ghana. The church will be the instrument of building that Ghana and will carry the glory of God to the new Ghana. This is a new thing, different from the philosophies and ideologies of politicians (socialism, liberalism, capitalism, communism) which are also visions of society. From a Christian perspective, it starts from what spirit is in charge.

The divine heritage of glory highlights the unique position of the church, invited by the Father to share in His divine nature through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Men born again are not the old, fallen man, but have the opportunity to enter the fullness of the Godhead.

Above the Law of Nature

If Christ was the fullness of the Godhead bodily , then we, too, can grow into the fullness of the Godhead. In this position, creation shall honor us. We shall reach a point where we shall be above the law of nature. Our nature shall be such that we can walk on water, not by fasting, but by rising in divine glory. We can multiply bread to feed nations. We can pray, and the heavens will change, and manna shall fall. The earth itself will be redeemed and rejuvenated, producing a greater yield without fertilizer, because we are one with God. God is opening this door for the human race, and the new man is to be the vessel for this reality.

Isaiah 42 talks about Jesus, the Son of delight, being presented to the Gentile nations to change them. It is there that the Lord talks about a new thing. The revelation of Christ to the Gentile nations is to raise the Gentile world to a higher level of performance, reality, and glory. The Lord tells His prophet the new thing He is going to do before it springs forth, and it is on that light we are standing.

Walking in the Spirit

We are given the open door of glory through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, who endows us with divine power so we can walk in the divine plane, no more in the natural world. Romans 8 says we should walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. We should walk in the grace of divinity, the divine nature passed on to us. We shall be a different people and build different nations. This partnership with Christ and the Holy Spirit makes you an instrument of the complete changing of the earth. You can create a new society, starting with a new human race. This new human race is above sin, death, Satan, the powers of darkness, and the law of nature.

The church is the place where God wants to create a new world, not just transformation. There is a creative power with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Since we are partners with the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, there is a possibility of creating a new thing. We are instruments of a new society, a new nation, a new human being.

 Divine Capacity and Possibilities

I want you to see the divine capacity and possibilities opened to us. We’re not just talking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the individual, but the church as a body of people. When the church is united and everyone is playing their part, a new dimension of the church’s operations will emerge, carrying us beyond our own imagination.

The keys are humility and obedience. Faith will make us act upon what God says, without doubt or faithlessness, but in the assurance of faith. The church, in obedience through faith to Jesus Christ and in companionship with the Holy Spirit, can be an instrument of a new thing. The new thing is a new human race, new nations, and a blessed and pleasant earth.

God has a vision to change the whole earth. When the world is talking about food shortage and environmental challenges, God laughs. All He needs are men that will believe. Seasons and times are in God’s power. You can pray and rain shall come. If we are standing properly in Christ, the rain can come to our farm alone. As the Scripture says: “If my people shall confess their sins and humble themselves, I will heal the land and bless it”.

The Head of State and God’s Wisdom

If we are fully aware of who we are, we can make use of the grace of divine glory. The church in partnership with Christ and the Holy Spirit can cause new things to happen. The earth can be brought under subjection. The landmass can yield greater things. When there seems to be poverty, if the church prays and there is righteousness in the nation, the yield of crops will be higher.

Economic policy must start with worshiping God. If the Minister of Finance is a Christian and there are prayer people around him, the kind of financial and fiscal policy that will bring prosperity will come to him. God has given the church a new level of authority and power. The Great Commission says, “All authority and power of what is given me, never what, go”. If the church will obey, she can bring change or create a new Ghana.

We must dwell under the shadow of the Almighty and listen to His voice. If the church will stand up and be the church in true partnership with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, there is a possibility for a new country. The church must not go to human wisdom and knowledge. We must refuse to bow to the Babylonian image.

A Light to the Gentiles: Isaiah 42

Isaiah 42 is key:

• Verse 1: “Behold my servant whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles”. The Spirit upon Christ and the Holy Spirit abiding with the church mean the church shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles, meaning truth and righteousness by which people shall judge their conduct.
• Verse 2: “He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street”. He shall not make noise or use promotional evangelism.
• Verse 3: “A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth”. The church of divine glory brings the light, which casts out darkness. He is a Prince of Peace who settles disputes.
• Verse 4: “He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he has set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law”. The church shall not fail until it brings the law of God and the light of God to bear on society.
• Verse 6: God has called the church in Ghana, will hold her hand, and keep her for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.
• Verse 7: To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. The church has authority to set the captives free and bring healing to the land, by bringing the knowledge and honor and righteousness of God to every aspect of societal affairs.
• Verse 8: “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images”. However, in John 17, Christ says He is sharing His glory with us, making the church a special exception.
• Verse 9: “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them”. This is the process of telling you that God is giving a new vision for the church, calling her to be an instrument of change, not just transformation, but the establishment of a new society, a new human race in the world

The new Ghanaian and the church shall shine in the darkness, and the light of the church will cast darkness away. This position is not just for our country, but to the end of the earth, to all the islands and continents. The creation, the wilderness, the fields, and the animals shall lift up their voices and praise the Creator.

The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man and shall prevail against His enemies. He will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. The church is the place for the new thing: A new nation, new continent.

May God bless us. Amen.