- Many times, people stand when there’s no “under” under their standing; because they lack “understanding”
- Many are confused because they lack understanding; they lack a correct standing under them
- Ezekiel 22:25, “There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a ravening lion among the prey...”
- The prophets are ravaging the prey, the believers; they have devoured treasures & made many widows. This is one sign of darkness.
- Ezekiel 22:26-28, “The Priests have violated my law...and I am profaned among them. And her princes are like wolves ravening the prey to get incorrect gain. And her prophets were seeing vanity...”
- Even poor people in our midst cheat each other.
- Darkness is not from one class or one tribe. Everyone in society contributes to the darkness.
- What was God’s response? God said, Ezekiel 22:30-31, “I sought for a man among them...therefore have I poured out my indignation among them.”
- Because every class was polluted, God sought for a man but unfortunately, God did not find, THEREFORE (because He did not find anyone to stand in the gap), He poured out His anger
- The reason God poured out His indignation is not because of the darkness in the land but it was because God could not find anyone who will stand in the gap
- When evil is reigning, God is not embarrassed. He’s simply looking for men to confront the darkness
- For God to show mercy & salvation to a people, He will send men to stand in the gap. He needs men & He will wait to get men. But for God to send His indignation, He doesn’t need men.
- Can this be our prayer to God, “If you’re looking for a man, even if it means to die, then Lord- send me here.”
- Galatians 1:4, “who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”
- God has prepared the ground for us to confront this evil world. God foresaw the evil world & He gave Jesus to deliver us from this evil world. So we have what it takes to confront this evil world.
- NLT, “He rescued us from this evil world.”
- We need to stop this nonsense that makes it look like we have not been rescued.
- NIV, “to rescue us from the present evil age”
- AMP, “who gave & yielded Himself...to rescue us from this present wicked age...”
- There is no wickedness that Satan can conjure, that the death of Jesus cannot deal with.
- The mindset of the average Christian in Nigeria is configured to fear Satan; and we need to reject this. Fear has crippled us.
- GoodNews, “In order to set us free from this wicked & evil age, Christ gave Himself...”
- 1 John 5:18, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”
- 1 John 5:19, “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”
- We know that we are of God & the whole world lies in wickedness. We need to know this for sure.
- Jesus speaking prophetically & giving us a duty before He gave us the mandate, he said in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Even though He had not yet atoned for us, He was revealing to us whom we ought to be; although the calling was not yet implementable until He died on the cross
- Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
- Both salt & light transform their environments. But they don’t transform their environments in the same way.
- For salt to influence, it totally dissolves; it loses itself. It loses its identity. It is lost. It integrates totally. It cohabits with darkness.
- For light to transform, it drives away darkness. It does not cohabit with darkness.
- The CHRISTIAN is not only salt of the earth, but we are also light of the world
- We cannot correct darkness by being totally separate from the world. As we do our salt duty, we need to integrate with the earth; to be part of, to be active from inside.
- “...but if the salt loses its savor...its good for nothing.”
- It’s possible for salt to lose its saltiness because Jesus said so. When a Christian is in a society and cannot affect it, then it is good for nothing.
- Don’t run away from your natural environment. Don’t be salt that is good for nothing.
- Salt arrests corruption
- How do we confront this darkness practically speaking?
- Ezekiel 22:30, “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”
- Different versions: To stand in the gap, to make a wall, to protect the city.
- As evil is coming, God is seeking for a man who will make up the hedge, to stand in the gap, to make a wall.
- Darkness is coming but God is seeking a man to stand. As you stand, that darkness will try to push you. But we need to stand because we have been rescued by His power.
- We must stand to put a limit to the spread of darkness.
- Because we need an under to stand, we cannot stand in an idle manner.
- It’s my job to do all in my power to stand and to insist that darkness does not spread further. I must not only stand, I must build an edge.
- When darkness is coming, some people will give way for darkness to pass on and pass through. But for some of us, we must stand in the gap & build an hedge; to confront the darkness headlong.
- 2 Samuel 23:11-12, “And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines. But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.”
- Shammah is a good example. Because this field of lentils belonged to Israel, Shammah decided to fight for the Field. Shammah defended that field with his life. He could have died.
- He was alone. Others ran away but Shammah stood. In heaven, there’ll be a list of those who fled but there’s also a list of those who stood. May we be Shammah’s. Shammah stood.
- Although it was Shammah that stood, yet it was the Lord that was working. Whenever you stand and the devil is making you think you’re alone, remember that the Lord is fighting for you as you stand.
- If you’re looking at eternity, it’s better to be a Shammah who stood. It’s better to stand like a Shammah. If it means you will lose something here to be honored by God there, it’s better to lose here.
- The things that will not make you to stand are only important in this world; they have no weight in the things of eternity.
- We must not only stand but we must build a hedge.
- As you look at the suffering of men, look at how their misery can be a stepping stone to harvest souls. We don’t rejoice at the people’s miserable conditions but we can use it for the kingdom
- Darkness is a time of harvest. As we cry & weep, we need to take advantage of it to reap a harvest
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