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How to Move to Higher Ground
Song: 1. Our God is great God, a great God above other gods 2. You are a might man in battle El-Shaddai 3. Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary A. Introduction You must move to higher ground for you to be able to do exploit for the Lord. You need to do a thorough preparation and rehearsals if you must do God’s work as it should be done – whether leading in prayer, praises and preaching. You must move to higher ground in order to live above the ordinary Christian life to the extra-ordinary Christian life. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not the only Jews on exile at Babylon but they did extra-ordinary things for the Lord in the presence of the arrogant, ignorant, barbaric, diabolic and autocratic monarch – King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3. Daniel himself chose to obey God rather than man and the Lord saved him from the hands of his enemies in Daniel 6. Peter operated on higher ground while he preached in Acts 2 and 3000 souls were converted. The Holy Ghost came upon Cornelius and his household while Peter was still preaching because the power of God was with him Acts 10. Peter’s shadow healed people in Acts 5:15 “ 15As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.” Paul was an uncompromising preacher. Handkerchiefs and aprons that touched him were used to cure as many as were sick Acts 19:11-12 “ 11God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” Jesus said we shall do greater things than he did John 14:12 “ 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” You must make a personal desire to move to higher ground and not a congregational decision. B. How then do we move to higher ground? 1. Avoid spiritual complacency or spiritual contentment That is you must avoid self-satisfaction. The sky is not our limit in Christian race but our starting point. Pressing on Toward the Goal: 12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14) Keep growing in prayers, in fasting, in fellowship and earnestly desire a consecrated life. Be ready to die the moment you claim to have attain the goal; because so long as you’re alive, the race continues. Jesus Prays for Himself 1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:1-5). “ 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). 17Tell Archippus: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord." (Colossians 4:17). 2. Avoid spiritual prejudice or spiritual preconception You must not have a mindset; avoid forming ideas or opinions in advance before getting knowledge or experience. Naaman, the commander of the army of the King of Aram belittled the river of Jordan for the cleansing of his leprosy. How wrong he was when he eventually got cured by the same river! 2 Kings 5. Nathaniel thought nothing good could come out of Nazareth when Philip invited him to come and see. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. Peter said in Acts 10:34-35; 34Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism 35but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. He had mindset that God would only listen to the Jews; he thought he understood how God works, but how wrong he was! Little wonder the bible says: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' (Jeremiah 33:3). 3. Avoid pleasure “ 6 But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.” (1 Timothy 5:6). Do not allow your desire to look good prevent you from fasting, prayer and discipline. There is nothing wrong in eating and giving in marriage but do not be entangled. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (Romans 14:17). 50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:50). The Day and Hour Unknown 36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:36-39). 13"Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. (1 Corinthians 6:13). 31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31). 4. Be heaven conscious If you’re not experiencing heaven now on earth, then there is every tendency that you might not be there. Remember that you’re on a transit; your citizenship is in heaven. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18). 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21). 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James 4:14). 10 The length of our days is seventy years— 17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:17-22). 5. Do not be myopic You must not be short-sighted. See beyond the physical. You cannot behold the beauty and holiness of God when you’re myopic. You cannot be conscious of your need for the Saviour, see your filthiness/uncleanness when you are myopic. You may probably see nothing wrong with the world you live in and the need for deliverance because you do not have the mind of God. Read Isaiah 6. 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, (Ephesians 1:16-18). 3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' (Jeremiah 33:3). 6. You need continuous revival Revival means bringing or coming back into use, health, strength or consciousness. 6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? (Psalm 85:6). So when do we need revival? How do we know it has come? To what extent, scope and magnitude? Revival will bring salvation, peace, unity, carefulness, wisdom and the glory of God will shine on you so much so that the people of the world will see it and notice it! Psalm 85:7-12. Revival takes away discouragement, Luke warmness, feebleness, weakness, despondency, and slumber from the Church. Revival takes away normal Christian life from you, you must be spectacular, extraordinary and a terror to the kingdom of darkness. Demons recognised Jesus whenever He was around. Revival takes away compromise. Revival will remove our imperfections and inconsistencies. A Call to Repentance 13 Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. 14 Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. 16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. (Joel 1:13-14). 17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?' " (Joel 2:15-17). Concluding songs: 1. I hold not the rock, but the rock holds me, 3. Jehovah is praise worthy for his holy name; now I sing and praise him magnify his name (x2) 4. His name is higher above all other names His name is Jesus is name is Lord (x2) 5. Magnify the Lord with me exalt the name of Jesus (x2) God bless you Pastor JB. 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