TRINITY HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH
SUNDAY SERMON
14th of July, 2024
Topic: The Covenant Names of God (3)
Preacher: Reverend Ebenezer Olawuyi
Text: Psalm 23:1 – 6
MESSAGE
I was talking to a man yesterday… so that you can know the importance of your confession and that when you say you submit to the Bible, you know what it means. This man has a challenge with his wife and he’s almost at the point of running away. He gave a lot of excuses but I said to him that there are different counsels he can receive. He can receive traditional counsels; counsel from the world; counsel from his mind or what he thinks is right, then I asked him what the Bible says. The scripture says, ‘Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly… but his delight is in the law of the lord, and in His law he meditates day and night’ (Psalm 1:1 – 2). Friends, when you have an issue with anybody, let the Word of God be your final authority. The Word of God guides you from error. Even when you have a dispute with your spouse, you follow what the Word of God says. Not what your parents, or family says, but what the Bible says. The Word of God is your final authority since you became a believer. And I tell you that if you follow the Word of God, you will have peace and restoration. Once again, everybody say after me: I submit myself to the authority of the Word of God. I am a believer, I am a Christian, I submit myself to the authority of God’s Word. It’s my final authority.
Today, I continue with the topic on the covenant names of God in the book of Psalm 23. We have been able to look at the first one: Jehovah Rohi (the Lord is my Shepherd), the One who will guide me through the path of life (Psalm 32:8). When you have the Lord shepherding you, He will go before you and lead you into a peaceful life. He is my Jehovah Rohi. 2 Thess. 3:3 says, ‘But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one,’ because, in verse 2, it says there are wicked men, as it is not all men who have faith. ‘The Lord will guide me, He will instruct me.’ Isaiah 30:21 says, ‘Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. Jehovah Rohi – The Lord is my Shepher.
‘I shall not want’, that is, Jehovah is my covenant provider. In Genesis 22:14, the Bible says, ‘And Abraham called the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide (Jehovah Jireh)…’ If the Lord sends, He is going to provide. Psalm 84:11 says ‘…The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.’ The Bible prescribes Jesus as our provider. In John 6, he provided for five thousand people just with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. ‘Jehovah Jireh – the Lord my provider.’ He is never in need, He is never in lack. The cattle upon a thousand hills belong to him. In Philippians 4:19, Paul says the Lord will supply all our needs… not just one need, but all needs: emotional, physical, mental needs, etc. and not according to the riches of Nigeria, Ilorin or Kwara Sate, but His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. He can lift up the poor from the dust and the beggar from the dunghill. All things belong to Him. Gold and silver are His. ‘I shall not want’ – Jehovah Jireh.
‘He makes me to lie down in green pastures,’ that is, Jehovah Shalom – He gives me peace. In Judges 6:24, He says to Gideon, ‘I am Jehovah Shalom, I give you peace.’ He told Gideon he won’t die because He gives him peace. Jesus reveals Himself in John 14:27 – ‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ He gives you peace that makes you to rest when the world says there is no reason to rest and laugh when the world says there is no reason to laugh. So, you can sing: When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul.’ He makes me to lie down in green pastures – Jehovah Shalom. Isaiah 26:3 says, ‘You will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.’ He keeps in perfect peace, complete peace, all-round peace, the mind that is stayed on Him. There are three levels of peace: Peace with your maker (Rom. 5:1). We are no longer enemies of God, the wrath of God is no longer upon us. We were formerly children of wrath but now, we are His sons, passed from judgment unto life. At a time, we were enemies of God, the anger of God was hanging on our head but through Jesus, we can approach the throne of grace. Ephesians 2:12 – 14 say, ‘that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and ha sbroken down the middle wall of separation.’ We don’t have the spirit of bondage again to fear but the spirit of adoption whereby we call Him ‘Abba, Father’ (Rom. 8:15). The second level of peace: Peace in ourselves. You can’t give peace to someone when you don’t have peace yourself. he gives you peace inside of you. Phil. 4:6 says, ‘Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ You who were once far away, he brought you near. He gives us peace in ourselves and we have peace in us! The first is that He is our Shepherd; the second, He is our provider; the third, He is our peace – Jehovah Shalom.
Now, ‘He restores my soul’ (Psalm 23:4). He restores our Soul speaks as God as Jehovah-Rapha. In the book of Exodus 15:26, He says, ‘If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, … I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you (Jehovah Rapha).’ Some also call him Jehovah-Ropheka, the Lord your healer. ‘I am your Covenant Healer.’ You know, in Exodus 3:14, when He sent Moses to Pharaoh, Moses asked Him who He will say sent him, and God replied: ‘“I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.”’ That is, ‘I am the eternal God; the self-sustaining God.’ I am entering into a covenant with you the children of Israel, you shall be my covenant people. I am Yahweh.
Jehovah Rapha is one of the first revelations of the Word of the Lord after the children of Israel left Egypt. The first was Jehovah Jireh, when they entered Egypt in Gen. 22:14; the second was after they left Egypt, Jehovah Rapha in Exodus 15:26. This Healing is not only physical, it includes emotional healing, mental healing, etc. also. A number of people look at healing as only physical, but no. One may be physically whole but inside is dying and broken. This is why the scripture says in Psalm 147:3 – ‘He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds,’ that’s why I told you the other day that the world is full of many people who are broken and don’t need any other person to break their hearts; they are crying today, and what they need is word of comfort and not word of pain. Be a hope giver, let your word bring healing, not pain. There are some whose words are like swords, they pierce people’s hearts. Don’t be like them. A lot of people’s hearts are torn already.
There is a man called Zacchaeus in the Bible. He had no public image, was condemned by the public because of the nature of his job and he had defrauded so many people. He was a tax collector, a chief tax collector. He got money through illegal means and was hated by the world. The worst of it was that he was a short man. I could imagine the man walking through the street, but even though he was rich, he was not happy. A lot of people smile but inside of them they are crying, so don’t judge a man by the big agbada he is wearing. Don’t judge a woman by the shining cloth she is wearing. Some women are crying, not knowing where to go. Remember Hannah, Eli looked at her and asked why she was so drunken early in the morning but she said, ‘No. I am a woman of broken heart.’ Zacchaeus was broken also, as short as he was, he could not lift up his head while walking through the streets; he had money but no joy in himself, he had wealth but no peace. I pray for you: Let the comforting hand of the Holy Ghost rest upon you where you are now to heal your broken heart. Lord, I am asking that every broken heart be healed by your hand. That woman who is in pain and can’t share with anyone, let the healing hand of God rest upon you. That man, young boy, lady, may the healing hand of God rest upon you. Let every broken heart be bound together. Let hope and joy and peace be restored again. Jehovah Rapha, have your way this morning in Jesus Name.
Zacchaeus was walking with his head bowed. He was looking at Jesus surrounded by people from afar. He went and climbed a sycamore tree. Men may not see what you are passing through but Jesus sees, they may not see your pain but there is a God who sees. Jesus looked at Zacchaeus and says, ‘Zacchaeus come down, today salvation enters your house.’ How did he see him and know what he was passing through? Even your spouse may not know what you are passing through but Jesus knows. He sees you. Isaiah 49:15 says, ‘Can a women forget her nursing child, and not h ave compassion on the son of her womb? Surely, they may forget, yet I will not forget you.’ Even the mother can forget her child, but God won’t forget you. Sing: Ko gbagbe re, Olorun ko gbagbe re, b’o ti wu k’oni le (He has not forgotten you, God has not forgotten you, no matter how difficult today is, tomorrow will be better). I have come to tell you this morning that God has never forgotten you. He still has plans to lift you up, to wipe your tears, to change your story, to turn your pain to glory. Isaiah says, ‘Fear not, don’t be afraid, don’t be dismayed, I am your God, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Those who sin against you shall be ashamed and disgraced’ (Isaiah 41:10). Isaiah 50:7 says, ‘For the Lord God will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.’ You won’t be disgraced. I have come with a prophetic word for somebody, as for that shame knocking on your door, you will not be disgraced, you will not be put to shame. The Lord will wipe away your tears in the name of Jesus. He will give you beauty for ashes and give you a new song. He will lift you up again. The Lord God will help you. I say, ‘He will help you in the name of Jesus.’
So, Jehovah Rapha. He’s not just about physical healing, He heals us emotionally too. He heals us mentally. Jeremiah 30;17 says, ‘For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds…’ to restore means something has gone before, but God says He will bring it back. ‘…because they called you an outcast saying: “This is Zion; no one seeks her.”’ The Lord will restore health to you and heal your wounds. I see vigour and strength being renewed to somebody now. Isaiah 40:31 says, ‘Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.’ Isaiah 58:8 says, ‘Your light shall break forth like in the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily….’ I see somebody’s light breaking forth and your healing springing forth speedily. I say it prophetically to somebody here, ‘Your healing is springing forth in the name of Jesus. You have mental, emotional, physical health, in the name of Jesus. I rebuke the devil in your life, family, situation in the name of Jesus.’ I command, ‘Satan, pack your load and go. You spirit of depression, sorrow, pack your load and go. Receive the joy and peace of the Lord. Receive joy like a river. Receive peace like an ocean in the name of Jesus.’ Rise on your feet and just thank Him.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, continue the work you’ve started this morning in every heart, and family, in Jesus Name.
Call to Salvation
Let the Lord complete His work in your life. You’ve got to release yourself to Him to take over your life. You have to surrender your life to Him and that is when He can perform His wonders in your life. So, do you want to surrender to God and give Him full authority to work in your life? Say this prayer: God I surrender to you, I become your property. I give you my heart, I give you my life and I surrender to you. Take this heart and use it for your glory. Perform your wonders fully in my life. Amen.