VESSELS OF MERCY

Growing up in church, I have heard Christians pray this prayer (or variations of it) probably a hundred times:

“Among those You will show mercy this year, Father, let me be counted!”

For Yoruba-speaking Christians, it will probably sound more familiar when translated, lol!

It sounds like a contrite & humble prayer, beseeching God for mercy. It even sounds biblically accurate, but nothing could be farther from the truth.

Shocked? Let me explain.

I know that the biblical backing often used for that kind of prayer is Romans 9:15 which says:

For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

The conclusion usually is that God chooses to have mercy on some and not on others, therefore, we must pray that He chooses us. Right?

Wrong.

If you’re a believer in Jesus, you have no business praying that prayer (or even believing that way in the first place).

If we can just read farther down, we will reach verses 22-24 of the same Romans 9, and we will see one of the greatest treasures I’ve ever found in God’s Word:

What if God, willing to show His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the VESSELS OF MERCY, which He had before prepared to glory,

EVEN US, whom He has called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Did you see that?! I put it in upper case just so you wouldn’t miss it!

Who are the vessels of mercy? US! US! US! YOU & I! US!

Oh, what a blessing!

I believe that Scripture (Romans 9:23&24) is enough to clear all doubt; but Scripture says in the mouths of 2 or 3 witnesses should every truth be established. See 2 more Scriptures:

1Peter 2:9&10 - But you are a chosen generation…..which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

We have obtained mercy, or else we would not have been saved at all!

Romans 11:32 – For God has concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.

God’s desire and perfect will is to have mercy upon how many? ALL!

Now, even if you were to say that there is a different mercy to be obtained after we have been saved, you would still be wrong to pray or believe as above. There is a Scriptural prescription in Hebrews 4:14-16…..

Seeing then that we have a great high priest…..Jesus the Son of God…..

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace; that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

We’re not begging, pleading, hoping for mercy. We’ve come to obtain (Greek: lambano i.e. take) mercy because it is there at the mercy seat, it is ours for the taking!

I’m sorry if I'm scattering your theology, but please believe the Word and not the traditions of men! Check it out for yourself and you will find it to be the truth, simple & absolute.

If you’re not yet born again, not yet a child of God, you have not obtained mercy; but you can obtain mercy by receiving the One that God has sent. His name is Jesus Christ.

Whether you're a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or of the African Traditional religion(s), you know from your scriptures & oral traditions that you have no concrete assurance of the Supreme Being’s mercy, only a hope that your good works & sacrifices will measure up. What I offer you today is 100% assurance of mercy, but it is only found in Jesus by believing in Him as your Saviour and Lord. By His good works & the sacrifice of His own life, you are qualified for mercy.

Obtaining mercy is as simple as praying this prayer:

God, I believe that Jesus is Your Son, He became a man, He died for my sin and You raised Him from the dead. I accept Jesus as my Lord today. Amen.

If you said that prayer, you are now a child of God, a believer. Let the person who sent you this message know so they can support you in this new life.

Now, for every believer that is convinced of this truth, make this confession with me:

I am a vessel of mercy, prepared unto glory
I have obtained mercy and I am free to take as much as I need
I take mercy today in Jesus’ name
God showcases the riches of His glory on me
I am a living display of His goodness
Halleluyah!

Talk like this, think like this, believe like this, pray in accordance with this from this day forward and you will not struggle.

Light dawns!

Dr Jesutola (Ayanfe) Adewumi
(28/7/2019)

LIFT YOUR HANDS

When was the last time you lifted your hands up to God in prayer, in worship, in consecration, in surrender? Or have you never? Do you find it strange? Or is it just something you are not accustomed to doing? If that’s the case, you’re missing out!

Lifting hands is first a Scriptural instruction.

I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting (1Timothy 2:8)

Beyond being a Scriptural instruction, what is it about?

It is an act of offering worship & thanksgiving.

Thus will I bless You while I live: I will lift up my hands in Your name (Psalm 63:4)

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord (Psalm 134:2)

My hands also will I lift up to Your commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in Your statutes (Psalm 119:48)

Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense; and the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice (Psalm 141:2)

It is an act of prayer (supplication, intercession & repentance).

Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy oracle (Psalm 28:2)

Arise, cry out in the night…..pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up your hands toward Him for the life of your young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street (Lamentations 2:19)

Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens (Lamentations 3:40&41)

Having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands to the LORD my God (Ezra 9:5b)

My eye mourns by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon You, I have stretched out my hands to You (Psalm 88:9)

And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven (1Kings 8:22)

It is an expression of thirst (desire) for God.

I stretch forth my hands to You: my soul thirsts after You, as a thirsty land (Psalm 143:6)

It is a significant practice in the Spirit; a prophetic action producing definite effects.

And it came to pass, when Moses lifted up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed (Exodus 17:11)

And Moses went out of the city from Pharoah, and spread abroad his hands to the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth (Exodus 9:33)

It is an act of swearing by covenant men, angels & even God.

And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand to the LORD, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take.....anything that is yours….. (Genesis 14:22&23)

And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and swore….. (Revelations 10:5&6)

For I lifted up My hand to heaven, and say, I live forever (Deuteronomy 32:40)

It is an act of blessing.

And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them (Luke 24:50)

It is an expression of the posture of our heart.

It seems to me from Scriptures like Psalm 143:6, Lamentations 3:41 & Ezra 9:5b that when we lift our hands or stretch them out to God, we are doing something in the physical that mirrors or represents the posture or attitude of our hearts: desire, surrender, repentance etc.

In worship, in prayer, in invoking the blessing over your children & your church members & even yourself, lift your hands to God even if no one else will.

There are prophetic utterances that you release with your hand(s) lifted up. There are times, without a word, you prophetically lift your hands & unlock, release & provoke changes in both the spiritual & physical realms. Discern such things & respond accordingly.

Your hands are not just to be trained for natural activities sir & ma, train yourself by the Word to use them in this our realm.

You are the blessed!

REJECT OF EARTH, REJECT OF HEAVEN

Son of God, Son of man
Rejected by heaven, rejected by earth
Light of the world, flame burning bright
Hope of the world, by darkness slain

He came to His own, His own received Him not
One with His Father, inseparable through eternity
Sin now laid on Him, sin now made of Him
Transformed to darkness, all comeliness lost

What a cup to drink, what wrath to bear
Separated from His Father, now He called Him Eli
Let this cup pass, He had pleaded
Your will be done, thus He yielded

He drank the cup to its dregs, not one drop left
All judgment poured on Him, the wrath of God satisfied
It is finished, He cried; all is lost, the angels thought
Now I’ve got Him, Lucifer roared; our Rabbi is gone, the disciples mourned

A sword pierced Mary’s heart; anguish and sorrow cut deep
My Lord is gone, Magdalene sobbed; He gave me hope and now it’s lost
Silence in heaven, darkness on earth; rejoicing in hell, anticipation in the air
We’ve got the miracle-worker; the one who scattered our armies

Yet there He hung, suspended by nails
Reject of heaven, reject of earth
Man said, crucify Him; God said, judge Him for Adam’s sin
They spat at Him, God turned from Him
Father forgive them
God, why have you forsaken me
Into Your hands I commit my spirit
And He breathed His last

By heaven rejected, that I might be accepted
From the Father separated, to Him I am joined
He became my sin, He died my death
His death was my life, His shame was my glory

By men rejected, though for them He gave His all
Those He loved and came for; Him they cursed and spat on
Men He had healed, even those He had freed
Ashamed to speak for Him, afraid to be known with Him

Rocks split wide open, the temple curtain followed suit
Darkness for three hours, the light of the world hung slain
The end. Or was it the beginning?
Would He rise like He said? Would He rot in His grave?

THE NEW CREATION REALITY MY PRINCIPAL TAUGHT ME

I owe a lot to my secondary school principal, Mrs. A. O. L. Adeniyi of Obafemi Awolowo University International School, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.

The most unforgettable of all is the role she played in helping to secure my admission into Medicine & Surgery in OAU in the year 2006. She went up to the Vice Chancellor’s office several times to make sure the promise of automatic admission would be fulfilled. I am not ashamed to say I received help from God through her & the VC (Professor Faborode).

Of course, from JSS1 to SSS3, there were many things I learnt from her, especially in Biology. But today, I realized I also learnt something very spiritual & vital from her: ALL I NEED IS A SCAPEGOAT. When my classmates would get to making noise (you know I was gentle as a dove); she would step in and say to us & to the class captain, “all I need is a scapegoat”. You can be sure we (sorry, they) got quiet in a hurry! Nobody wanted to be the scapegoat.

ALL I NEED IS A SCAPEGOAT!

In Leviticus 16, God gave Moses certain instructions about two young goats to be used as Israel’s sin offering (vv. 8-10). The high priest was to offer one as a sin offering (slaughter it). He was to make atonement with the other. He would lay both hands on its head and confess the sins of Israel over it, thus effectively transferring the sins of the people to the goat (vv. 20-22). It would then be led out into the wilderness by the hand of a fit man and let go as a scapegoat (Hebrew: AZAZEL), carrying the sins of the people away (most likely to be torn by wild beasts). Jesus became all for us: the high priest, the sacrificial goat and the scapegoat (Hebrews 9:25-26 & John 1:29).

Jesus was my AZAZEL. He was my SCAPEGOAT!!!
A scapegoat is one who is blamed & punished for the sins of others. Jesus was the perfect scapegoat. He knew no sin, but God laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6). As the levitical scapegoat was led out of the camp, He was led out of the city; not to be torn by wild beasts, but to be sacrificed on the cross as on an altar (1Peter 2:24 AMP). All that was needed was a scapegoat, a representative, someone to satisfy the requirements of divine justice. All I need is that scapegoat. Because He has become the scapegoat for my offences, I have escaped punishment & judgment. He has carried away my sin and everything tied to it (my sicknesses, my curse).

In the African traditional religion as practiced by the Yorubas of Southwestern Nigeria, there is a strongly held belief that the sickness & death meant for a person/locality can be transferred to another person or an animal; who then carries the sickness & death away from their geographical location. They have a vague idea, a shadow. I show you the substance from the Scriptures. Jesus Christ (Son of God and of man) was made a scapegoat for you and I. He bore our sins in His own body to the cross & on the cross (1Peter 2:24 AMP). He has borne it, we no longer have to bear it. Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses, carried our diseases (Isaiah 53:4-5 & Matthew 8:16-17). He has borne them, we no longer have them.

ALL YOU NEED IS A SCAPEGOAT.

JESUS HAS BEEN MADE YOUR SCAPEGOAT!

REJOICE EVERMORE!