Unusual Encounter 2021 (Day 5 Morning)

UNUSUAL ENCOUNTER, 2021

Theme:       Signs and Wonders

 

DAY 5 (Morning Session)

 

Sermon Topic:      Signs and Wonders!

Text:                    Acts 10:38

Ministering:         Reverend Toyin Kehinde

 

MESSAGE

Today is the 5t^h day. Number 5 is the number of grace and power and I trust God that His power will be manifested in your life. There was a man in the Bible in the days of David when David decided to bring back the Ark of God to Jerusalem; they made several mistakes however. They took the Ark and put it on a cart as they continue their journey; they got to a certain place where the road wasn’t that smooth and there, the Ark of God was about to fall. One man tried to prevent that by touching the Ark and the Bible says, “God struck him dead”. My question then is this, why didn’t God strike dead those who carry the Ark and put it on the cart? The horses carrying the ark also, why is it that God did not strike them down?

 

David observed this and concluded not to take the Ark into the city because it seems it is a killer; they then decided to put the Ark in Obed-Edom’s house. Again, why did God not kill those who carry the ark into Obed-Edom’s house? Obed-Edom might have had children who probably touched the Ark also, why is it that God didn’t strike them dead? The only thing we got to know was that Obed-Edom was blessed within 3 months as a reason of the Ark in his house. Obed-Edom’s life turned around, but this man who touched the Ark came to the end of his journey in life – the vision and dream he had for the future came to an end, because he touched the Ark of God.

 

Stand on your feet! Pray:

1. What have I touched that disrupted the journey of my life, Lord, please by mercy, restructure my life.
2. What mistake have I made that is preventing my life from moving forward – the man we just read about who God struck dead made a terrible mistake that brought an end to his life – Father, by mercy this morning, please restructure my life.

 

What is a sign? A sign is an object, an event, whose presence indicates something. When you see an object symbolizing something – that is a sign. When you see the cloud get dark suddenly and the wind begins to blow signifying that rain is about to fall – that is an event. So, a sign could be an object or an event that when we see it is an indication that something is about to happen. We also use signs to talk, to convey information, communicate and show something. When God wants to communicate with his people and with humanity, some of the times, he gives a sign, either in the sky or underneath it and he gives those signs because he wants to show something. May the Lord give you a sign of blessing, a sign of help and your own sign today in Jesus Name. So many people are confused here this morning, but the hand of the Lord will give you a sign; before you leave here, the Mercy and the Grace of God will encounter you.

 

What is Wonder? Wonder is a feeling of excitement; it amazes you and makes you stand in awe, marvel and astonished. Wonder is a surprise you weren’t expecting; you probably don’t think it can happen, but suddenly it happens. Suddenly, your expectation will be met, you will get your miracles and by the hand of God your situation will change, Amen! God is the One who does wonders; He does wonders without consulting anybody. He is a God of wonders and when you look at creation, you see the wonders of God everyday, so much that the Psalmist says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork”. He is always doing wonders. The bible says about Jesus in Acts 10:38, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him.” Wonder is an amazement, a remarkable thing, something beautifully remarkable. It is something that is unfamiliar and you do not even think can happen. When men have used their intellect and skill and there is no solution, God steps in to do His wonders. You might have been told that there is no help for you, the God of wonders will visit you today. When men say you cannot go forward, God says I am taking you forward. When men say there is nothing they can do for you, God says he is there for you. When men say the end has come, God says it is just the beginning. I pray for you, “Today is the beginning of signs and wonders in  your life; the beginning of miracles in your life.”

 

However, there are false signs and false wonders. In Matthew 24:24, the disciples asked Jesus what will be the signs of his coming, Jesus told them many things, among them is that there will be false prophets with great signs and wonders but their intention is to deceive people. In our towns all over also, in cities and nations of the world, it is not surprising that we have false prophets with false signs and wonders.

 

There was a time in the land of Egypt when Moses visited Pharaoh in his palace. God told Moses that whenever Pharaoh asks him for a sign of his calling by God, he should drop his rod which will turn into a snake. This morning, you will know you have come to meet God, number 5, signifies Grace and you are on Graceland, you will encounter grace! Truly, when Moses got to Pharaoh, he asked him for a sign. This morning, you will see a sign today that God is on the throne, ruling. Moses’ rod became a serpent, but Pharaoh thought of it as nothing. He called out his own magicians too thinking Moses was a magician, but then, he did not know that Moses was a minister of God, with the backing of the Holy Ghost. Pharaoh’s magicians threw down their own rods and their rods became serpents also, however, there was another wonder. While they were watching, suddenly, Moses’ serpent began to swallow other serpents and in the face of the magicians, their rods were taken away. Every power that has been against you, the power of God will swallow them. All the powers that have terrified you, today, you will look for them and won’t see them again, because He is a God of wonder. This was the lot of the false prophets in Egypt.

 

In our own days too, there are a lot of false prophets, arranging miracles. One of my friend was to have a crusade and while they were setting the stage, some boys came to him saying they are available for ‘miracle drama’, just like they did for the last Pastor there. One of our friend was also called to settle a fight in Kaduna. The DPO called him to settle a fight involving a pastor. One pastor had arranged boys to act out miracles, promising to pay them N10,000. He had used it to raise money and when the boys saw that he made a huge amount, they came back to him after the meeting to tell him that he has to add more money to their N10,000. The pastor refused and that led to fight between them so much that the police had to intervene. There are people who do false signs and wonders, but listen to me people of God, when you see a false sign and wonder, it is because there is a genuine one. It is from the original that you make the fake. Is there a N2,000 one-piece note in Nigeria? No. So, if somebody comes to buy something from you giving you a N2,000 note, you won’t accept it for it is fake because there is no original for it. However, if there is an original, they may give you a fake note because they have copied it and you might not suspect it too. Jesus, the Original is here, somebody clap for Jesus.

 

There are true signs and wonders; Jesus was anointed for signs and wonders, going around doing good and healing people. The same Jesus called his disciples and told them to go into all the world to preach the gospel and when you preach the gospel, signs and wonders will follow you. This morning, somebody will get his own miracles. The Bible tells us that the disciples went everywhere preaching the gospel and anywhere they preached the gospel, there were signs and wonders. The gospel is very simple, “Jesus is the Saviour of the world and if a man or a woman, a boy or a girl comes to him, such life will not be the same again – they receive eternal life.” Who is he that overcome the world? The person who believes that Jesus is the son of God, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him – whether married or unmarried, Yoruba, Igbo, etc. – does not perish but have eternal life.” If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and you believe that he died for our sins; if you open your heart and allow Jesus into your life; when we preach the gospel and you accept it, then signs and wonders happen. Signs and wonders are very simple, you just have to believe.

 

Some years ago, I was in India in a place called Warangal. The place was called ‘the Terrorist Capital’. When I got there, they told me to just preach and not ask people to convert or change their religion, for it is a crime to tell people to change from their religion to another one in that city. On the crusade ground while preaching, I saw policemen everywhere, I then asked myself if I traveled that far from Nigeria and won’t have someone to give their life to Jesus, that would have been a great loss; if you take me to prison, then that means there are some people who need to hear the gospel in the prison then. Eyes were opened at the crusade, and even the policemen around came to surrender to Jesus. As we were leaving, because we must not miss the train which was supposed to arrive by 1am; if we miss it, it is like 3 days before another one comes by. While in the car, somebody ran to me bringing a child who was blind. I just stretched my hand, because I was in a hurry and immediately, the eyes of the child got opened. The reason for this is because the miracle worker is the almighty God, the one who does signs and wonders. Put your eyes and heart on Him, if He did it before, He can do it again. Somebody say, “I will receive my own miracle”. A friend of mine visited me, she had been looking for a child for almost 17 years and as she was about leaving, I prayed a normal prayer of journey mercies for her, but as I was praying, the Lord opened my eyes and told me that there is a miracle awaiting her – miracle that money cannot buy. I told her what God said, then she said she is still expecting a baby; I then told her that in three months time, she will be pregnant. Ladies and gentlemen, she already has a son.

 

People who need signs and wonders are those who have reached their wit’s end; people who have no other choice or alternative; those who don’t have any other place to go. When you get to the end of the road, then you need a sign or a wonder. When there is no other option for you, you need a sign or a wonder. When you are desperate for a change, you will get your sign and wonder. Is there somebody here this morning who needs a sign and a wonder? Stand to your feet.

 

Prayer Points

1. Lift up your two hands. Say, “My father, my father, visit me with signs and wonders in Jesus Name.”
2. Lift up your two hands. Say, “My father, every impossibility in my life, let them become possible in Jesus Name. Amen”