JUDGES 16:20
Samson did not know that the Lord had departed from him. If there is anything you must defend for now and for the coming year, it is your glory.
If there is any fight you must fight, it is the fight to retain, and get your glory to shine. If there is any battle you need to wage, you need to wage the battle against the glory killers.
That is why I am praying for someone here today, that every rage of glory killers upon your life shall be destroyed in the name of Jesus.
May the Lord never depart from you!
The glory may descend in deafening claps, in lightening and thundering flashes. When the glory descends, it may fill the whole tabernacle.
It may fill the place with unapproachable cloudiness, that even the priest cannot approach. It may fill the horizon with rainbow but when it departs, it goes quietly. So unnoticeable that a person may think he is still in Christ, whereas he is totally gone.
At the dedication of the temple in those days, the Bible said that the glory was so much that the priests could not even stand.
But as marvelous and as great as it is when that glory descends, when it goes, it leaves so quietly that a person may not even know that it is gone. But your enemies will know that you are just an empty barrel, making plenty of noise and that there is nothing ready to defend you.
When Israel was at the war front in 1 Samuel 4, the priests were ministering for their success, but these people did not realise that the glory had already departed from Israel.
They made noise, they shouted at the war front. When they brought the ark of God to the war front, they shouted but it was an empty revival. They shouted so much that the Philistines were afraid.
And when they told the Philistines that the ark was already in the camp, they too were afraid, but they decided to fight. And they not only conquered Israel, but they also took the ark away from them.
This was the ark they saw, and they were making noise simply because something had happened: the glory had departed.
Many have sold off their glory. Many trade off their glory. Many exchange their glory. Many sold theirs many years ago. Unfortunately, many are selling it now.
I pray once again that every rage of glory killers against anyone reading this message shall be silenced in the name of Jesus!
The Bible says “when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all gathered together in one place and suddenly there was a sound as of a mighty rushing wind. It filled the house where they were and cloven tongues as of fire came upon them”. But by the time the thing would go, nobody would tell.
When the anointing came upon Samson, it was a public affair. It won him applause. But when that spirit departed, it was a quiet affair. Very very quiet affair in the bedroom of a prostitute.
Many have sold off their glory in the bedroom of prostitutes, in the bedroom of fornication, in the bedroom of stealing, in the bedroom of lying. That of Samson was lust and he did not know.
Samson was unaware of what he had lost. He boasted “I will go out as at other times, I will shake myself.” He could not tell that the Lord had departed from him.
So, noise is not the sign of the presence of God. Whether the noise is organised or disorganised, it is not the sign of the presence of God.
Everybody may tell when the glory comes; like a rushing mighty wind, but they cannot tell when it departs. Just like an evaporating mist.
The problem is this: what chases the glory away? Why does it just depart and expose a man to danger? Because immediately the Lord departed from Samson, he was finished.
Immediately that glory was withdrawn, Samson was finished. Why does this happen? Ezekiel 33:30-32 has the answer.
Ezekiel 33:30-32 – “Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what the word is, that cometh forth from the Lord.
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth, they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.”
Beloveth, this is a very, very serious lamentation for the church of God. About ten different lamentable tragedies have befallen the modern day Christians. You will do well to listen to me very carefully.
There is a chronic lack of knowledge of Scriptures. There is a lot of Biblical illiteracy. Plenty of people going to church, but they do not know their Bibles at all.
Foundational class, they will not go. Membership class, they will not go. Bible study, they will not come. Sunday school, they will not come. They take the Bible home, but they do not read it.
There is a chronic lack of knowledge of Scriptures and the lack is so much that even some do not even know how to open their Bibles.
It should take you only seconds to find where you are opening in the Bible. When they say “open to this scripture” but you are still going to index to look for where it is, then you are not there at all.
That is the first problem that we have. And it ranges from pastors to members. The fact that a man is speaking on television does not mean he knows what is in the Bible.
The fact that somebody pays a big tithe does not mean that he knows the scriptures. Many can pray but few understand the scriptures.
And that lack of understanding of scriptures is why the enemy is confusing so many Christians.
Multiplication of cleverly concealed sins. If you know the silent iniquities that some Christians carry out; if you know the strange places that some people go to; strange mountains, strange prophets, you would be surprised.
Plenty of believers are living a quiet life of cleverly concealed sins. It is clever. You tell prophets lies, lie to the men of God.
They raise up their hands and say “anointing fall on me” when they are living in very quiet and concealed sins.
Many of the brothers have sold out their wealth, both present and in future, in the bedroom of prostitutes and yet they are coming to pray. It is a serious problem, and it is plaguing Christianity.
Complete lack of interest in evangelism. The present-day believers are not interested in sharing the gospel with others, in ministering to people.
When you tell them to share the gospel to people, they say “but I am not in evangelism unit, so why should I?”
Weak altars of prayer. “I am looking for somebody to pray for me.” You get to a level where you need to now repair your weak altar so that that altar can withstand the breakthrough you will face.
Let me tell you a secret here this morning. Some of us, until that our altar of prayer is strong, God cannot give you the great breakthrough He wants to give to you because if He gives it to you and you have no prayer altar to sustain it, the enemy will take it away. And it is better for you not to taste the testimony at all than for you to taste it and someone takes it away.
Obituary of quiet time. Many believers do not observe any quiet time anymore. It is a big tragedy indeed.
Poor reading culture. I am sure there are people here this morning who in the whole of this year have not read one Christian book.
They read newspapers, magazines but cannot say “I read this Christian book this year”. It is a terrible tragedy indeed.
Inordinate love for positions. People love titles in Christianity now. All kinds of names. “His Holiness”, “His Preeminence”, “His Super Spiritual”, “Reverend”, “Doctor”, “Professor”, everything! Titles.
Overseer this, overseer that. Head of this, head of that. Inordinate love for positions. All empty positions that will carry nothing when the final trumpet sounds.
Unholy attention to money. Untidy love for money in the lives of present-day Christians.
Entertainment lovers. Modern day Christians love entertainment so seriously that it is even becoming very popular to bring comedians to church so that people can laugh.
They like to be entertained whereas the church is not an entertainment centre. It is a warfare zone, a military barrack. It is a serious, serious problem.
Being sermon-proof. It is like when somebody is wearing a bulletproof vest and you are shooting the person. Because he is wearing a bulletproof vest, the bullet will not penetrate.
It is like when you have a waterproof umbrella. Because it is waterproof, water cannot enter. It is also like a soundproof building. When you soundproof a building, all the sounds you are making cannot come out.
There is a serious problem now. I am crying out to those who will care to listen. Plenty of the present day Christians are completely sermon proof Christians.
They come to the house of God, stay long but there is no change in their lifestyles. You come to the house of God but you are completely deaf to what they are saying.
You have your own opinion, and your opinion is completely different from that of heaven, you are a sermon proof Christian.
You come to the house of God, nothing preached moves you. You are not interested; you are a sermon proof Christian.
You come to the house of God; you select what you want to hear. You close your ears to what you do not want to hear. You hold on to the one that is convenient, you are a sermon proof Christian.
If the mosque people are dressing properly, then we Christians are dressing anyhow and claiming there is no power, then that is part of the reasons there is no power. This is a very serious matter.
I want you to understand this: when you are part of those people who preach to others but you yourself are not listening to what you are preaching, you are a sermon proof person.
You invite others to come and hear the word of God, yet you are a hypocrite in heart: you are a sermon proof person. When you refuse to allow the word of God to change your heart and any time you are confronted with the fact that you need a change, you are quick to point to the examples of others. “But this person is not doing well”. Or “that person is not doing well.” Even as I am talking now, you may say “they are talking about so and so”. But I am not talking about so and so, I am talking about you.
When you refuse to allow the word of God to transform you, it is a sermon-proof agenda you are running. Christians come and show very fake interest in hearing things of God but no penetration of the heart. It is a serious matter.
My heart goes out to those parents who read me and their kind of sermon proof lives confuse even their own children. They are causing plenty of confusion and they are even confusing the young ones at the youth’s church.
They have been here for long; and their sermon proof lives at home cannot even minister to their own children let alone in public life.
When a person is not interested in getting involved in the church and regards the church as a social gathering, he is a sermon proof Christian.
When during sermon, you are either sleeping or chatting away: you are a sermon proof Christian.
You come to the house of God: no notebook, no Bible, no writing, nothing to record in any form; you are a sermon proof Christian.
When you become over familiar with God, and you are not even careful again, then you become like brother Judas in the Bible. He sat under the best teacher of the word of God and inspite of the fact that Jesus said “one of you shall betray me tonight. The Son of Man goeth as it is written of Him but woe unto him that betrayeth the son of Man. It would have been better if he were not born!”
Just that sentence alone if you are not sermon proof is enough to scare anybody from whatever they wanted to do but Judas heard that one and because he was sermon-proof, he still went ahead to betray his Lord.
When somebody goes ahead to do evil inspite of warnings, he is a sermon-proof Christian. There are partial and total sermon-proof Christians.
They move from church to church in order to avoid the truth and they harden their hearts. The terrible prophecy in the Bible has come to pass in their lives.
I pray that the terrible prophecy of those who are sermon-proof will not come to pass in your life in the name of Jesus.
WHAT IS THIS TERRIBLE PROPHECY?
Paul the apostle had preached and preached, and some believed, others did not. This was the final word he dropped with them. (Acts 28:24-27).
Acts 28:24-27 – “And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
The prophecy is that they become totally sealed off, completely sermon-proof. No healing, no deliverance, no salvation.
Prayer Rain
(Lay your right hand upon your head)
Luggage of darkness upon my head, backfire in the name of Jesus.
Blood of Jesus arise, defend my life in the name of Jesus.
Blood of Jesus, dig deep into my foundation and make me whole in the name of Jesus.
Problem with stubborn roots, dry up in the name of Jesus.
Masquerading enemies, hear the word of the Lord, destroy yourselves in the name of Jesus.
Serpents and scorpions raging in my foundation, you are liars, die in the name of Jesus.
Powers assigned to use me as a sacrifice, you are liars, die in the name of Jesus.
I break every unconscious agreement with the enemy in the name of Jesus!
Dark powers of corrupt and envious people over my life, die in the name of Jesus.
Every red sea harassing my progress, give way in the name of Jesus.
Powers hunting for my life, you are liars, die in the name of Jesus.
By the blood of Jesus, my gate of favour, open in the name of Jesus.
Sickness, wither out of my body in the name of Jesus.
Every astral assignment over my life, die in the name of Jesus!
I release my star from every (insert fetish power in your language) in the name of Jesus.
God bless you all in Jesus name.