Text: Psalm 40:1-3
From the very beginning of the world there has been two major forces in operation: darkness and light – Genesis 1:1-4. Living in darkness is compared to living in miry clay, in modern language we could call it quick sand. If someone finds himself in quick sand, the harder he tries to get out. the deeper he goes. The passage we read called it terrible pit. How do we know whether or not we are living in a miry clay? I’ll explain, so you can make up your mind to know if you are living in a miry clay or not.
One of the greatest evidence of living in miry clay is travailing, working hard, struggling hard without progress. In fact instead of progress, like in a quick sand, the more you struggle the deeper you go down (Ecclesiastes 2:26). They struggle and there is nothing to show forth from it but deep within they know that something is wrong. Ecclesiastes 5:12 says when you are in the miry clay you may have money but you may not be able to sleep. The Bible tells us that if you are in the miry clay, the reason you have this problem is because you are living under the constant anger of God.
If you are living in the miry clay, as far as God is concerned, you are referred to as a dog Matthew 25:21-28. The Bible made it clear that there are two kinds of creatures: dogs and children. If you are living in the miry clay, according to Revelation 22:15, God regards you to be kept outside, you are an outcast. And there is one thing that is common to all those who are living in the miry clay: they suffer from fear regularly, tormented by fear regularly. In 1 John 4:18, the Bible tells us fear has torment, that is why you find a lot of so called big people who surround themselves with all manners of charms because they are afraid that somebody sooner or later will want to attack.
And there is the other side; those who live on the rock. The Bible says in Proverbs 10:22 that God blesses them and adds no sorrow. God will just bless them with no sweat. The Bible tells us in Psalm 127:1-2 that God gives them sleep, He calls them beloved; they sleep fine. The Bible tells us that those who are on the rock, God does not call them dog but calls them children, John 1:11-12.
In Romans 8:15, the Bible tells us these people know no fear because they know that they are children of the Most High God, they know God will take care of His own, 2 Peter 2:22. But there is someone who will put you out of the miry clay and put you on top of the rock. According to Deuteronomy 33:27, the Bible tells us His hands are everlasting. He can seat on His throne in heaven and reach down His mighty hand to grab you and bring you out like He did to me.
He has the ability to pluck you out of that rubbish and wash you clean. 1 John 1:7 tells me His love wipes away all sins. There is nobody God has condemned to be in the miry clay. I want you to fasten your seatbelt, there is nothing as bad to be called ex-rich, ex-successful, ex-powerful. It is better never to have been on the rock than to go back to the miry clay.
Let me remind you of the advantages of being on the rock because God wants to reposition us out of the miry clay unto the rock to stay. When you are staying on the rock, your future is secured. In Matthew 7:24-27, the Lord says if you hear my word and obey them, you will be like somebody who has built his house on the rock. It does not matter what storm may come, the house will stand. It is one thing to be successful now, it is another thing to succeed forever. When you are brought on the rock, stay because according to Luke 20:17, it is clear that anyone that falls on you that person will be broken, you will fall on any enemy and that enemy will become ordinary sand. But you see the devil who is the king of the miry clay is a very mischievous fellow, the moment you escape, he will do anything to bring you back.
There are many people telling you that once you are saved, you are saved forever, of course you can be saved forever provided you take heed (1 Corinthians 10:12). There are so many preachers now all over the world telling you since you are saved by grace which is true, that you can now do whatever you like, that you will still make it to heaven. They say people like me who tell you to take heed have not studied Paul. So I want to talk to you today, serious talk father to children because whether the devil likes it or not, because of what you are going to hear tonight and do tonight, I will see you in heaven.
They said people like me did not study Paul, I studied Paul because when I became born again I studied different characters in the bible: people I want to be like. I studied Elijah because I wanted power, that man would pray and fire would fall. I studied Elijah for 3 solid years: private study. I studied Elisha. One of the persons I studied was Paul; Why? Number one, because Paul was an academician, you know I am coming from the academic world, he has a PHD in law, there is a lot of relationship between law and mathematics, we deal in logic and then it is written in Acts 19:11-12 that God performed special miracles by the hands of Paul and then his body handkerchief and aprons were taken to the sick and I said I am going to be like this boy.
I was determined when I was a young Christian that when I leave this world, it will be recorded God performed special miracles by the hands of Adeboye so that from his body, handkerchiefs, and aprons were taken to the sick and they were all healed. And I thank God by now, only God knows how many testimonies.
Apostle Paul has tasted both sides; miry clay and the rock. In 1 Timothy 1:12-15, he calls himself the chief of sinners. I can relate to that. When I was studying him, I said, God thank You I have been a very naughty boy but I was not as naughty as Paul. If you can use Paul, then you can use me. And then when he got to the rock, he moved so fast on the rock that in 2 Corinthians 11:5, he could say boldly I am a chief among the apostles. I studied Paul because I wanted to become like him and he is the one who said in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, if you want to stay on the rock, keep your body under subjection. You cannot claim you are born-again and continue to do whatever your flesh wants to do. No way. They tell me Jesus paid it all, I agree. But the same Apostle Paul said in Romans 12:1-2 that you are to present your body a living sacrifice to God. You are now on the rock, no more rottenness. The same Apostle Paul warned us in Ephesians 4:14-31 that we should beware of every wind of doctrine. There are all manner of doctrines going round to deceive, to recapture for the devil those who God has already saved.
It is Paul who said in Romans 6:1-2 that shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Don’t let anybody deceive you. Anybody who tells you once you are born again you can lie, that it does not matter, that you can continue to cheat it does not matter, that you can continue to fornicate it does not matter, is an agent of the darkness. Quote me. Because in heaven no unclean thing will be allowed in. The God who is my God is a holy God. The angels are always crying holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. That same God says be ye holy for I am holy. The same Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:22 that you should flee youthful lust. You know the meaning of flee, it means run as in terror, run as if the devil is pursuing you. The devil has sent preachers into the world to see how many youths they can gather back into the kingdom of hell. In 2 Timothy 2:19 Paul said the foundation of God stands sure; he went further to say if you are named the name of Jesus, you must depart from iniquity.
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