Reintroducing Jesus, Beyond Religion

Announcer: Feel the power. Welcome to Righteous Invasion of Truth with Dr. Abel Damina.

Dr. Abel Damina: (Speaking in Tongues). This is the confidence that we have in you, that whatever we ask in accordance with your will, you hear us. And because you hear us, we have our desired petition.

So I pray that tonight, we receive by faith revelation knowledge for people that are connected to the service. And we stir up the hearts of men all over the blue marble planet. We stir up the hearts of men who are seekers of knowledge, those that are seeking God sincerely.

We pray, Oh God, that they be connected to this broadcast on one platform or other, that men that sit in darkness will come to the light of the gospel. The entrance of your word giveth light, it giveth understanding to the simple. The holds of darkness are broken, men coming to the freedom that is in Christ Jesus.

We give you praise, Lord Jesus, that tonight we have access into the deep things of God by the Holy Spirit. So we speak words which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spirituals with spirituals. And we decree that by the end of this service, your people are equipped, edified, and Jesus glorified. Thank you for answered prayer tonight. In Jesus' precious name, and every believer says a powerful amen.

Lift your right hands to heaven. Let's release our faith together as we repeat these words and release our faith tonight. I am born of God. I am born of the word. The word of God is my nature. I do not struggle to do the word. I do the word naturally.

Therefore today, I will understand the word of his grace. I will be built up. By the end of this service, I will never be the same. Never, ever be the same again. In Jesus' name, and every believer says a powerful amen.

We want to welcome everybody connected to this service by way of Kingdom Life Network, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and all of you connected by way of Comfort FM in Akwa Ibom State and Excel FM tonight. Hey guys, you need to reach out to other people and encourage them to tune into this radio station.

We're going to have a blast as we study the word of his grace. All our house centers and campuses, glad to see every one of you. It's going to be an exciting study of God's word. Grab your pen, your notebook, and your Bible, and you can be seated with your sweet, smart self tonight.

Glory to God forevermore. Those of you on social media, let's do it again. Let's get to work, invite people, tag people, share the videos, and let's just create a hype all over the world as the people of God come into the truth of the gospel.

Hebrews chapter two, verse number one. We are still looking at the legality and the vitality of salvation, the legal and the vital work of salvation. Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.

Take note of that verse. Take note of that verse three now. Which began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard. Next verse. God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will.

So we began to look at the potency of God's word as we began to study the legality and the vitality of salvation the last few days, and it's been such an exciting time of learning. Now, yesterday we said that we're going to look at the events that preceded the birth of Jesus. The events that preceded the birth of Jesus because we are working on the legality and the vitality of salvation.

In the synoptics, and when we say the synoptics we mean Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, what events preceded the incarnation of Jesus? John the Baptist, who is the last prophet, was the person who preceded the birth of Jesus as a prophet. He was the last prophet and he was the prophet actually who was in the prophetic ministry before Jesus was born. There was no change in the pattern.

So how do you identify John? Let's go through the history of this. John, Matthew chapter 11, verse 13. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. Next verse. And if you will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. This is Elijah, which was for to come.

So Jesus called John the Baptist Elijah, Elijah to come. Look at Matthew chapter 17, verse 10. Let's see what Matthew 17:10 says. And his disciples asked him saying, "Why then say the scribes that Elias or Elijah must first come?" Look at Jesus' response. Next verse. And Jesus answered and said unto them, "Elias truly shall first come and restore all things." Next verse.

"But I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them." Next verse. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

They understood that the Elijah he was talking about was John the Baptist. The Jews knew that someday, somebody will come before the Christ from the scriptures, of course from what they read. The issue is they didn't know he had come. Jesus told them it was John.

Where did Jesus see that John was that Elijah? He saw it in the scriptures. Which scriptures? Malachi chapter three, verse one. Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant whom you delight in. Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

I will send a messenger who shall prepare the way before me. Look at Malachi chapter four, verse five to six. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

All right, now so Jesus said that Elijah is John. Now, in the synoptics, you will see a drama and I want us to follow this drama. It's interesting. Luke chapter one. And before we read, that drama is a man called Zacharias who saw an angel. And the angel told him, Elizabeth shall bear a son and you shall call his name John.

Luke chapter one, verse 16 and 17. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17: And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. To make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

So what did the angel come to do? I like you to think about that. Then secondly, who said Elijah will come? Malachi. Malachi was a prophet who prophesied the coming of Elijah, and now by explanation, that Elijah was John the Baptist. How did Malachi speak? Malachi spoke as a prophet. He spoke as a prophet.

No prophecy, remember, of the scripture is of any private interpretation. Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. That's what Peter the Apostle said. Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

So that statement came by the power of God through Malachi. That statement came by the power of God through Malachi. What the angel did was to hearken to the voice of God's word. When the fullness of time came, that angel just came to voice it out. That's all the angel did. The angel just came to voice out what was in the scripture.

Because the angel didn't have the power to do what the word said. He didn't have the power to do what the word said because this is Malachi. When Malachi spoke the word, Malachi was not the one. The Spirit of God moved upon Malachi to say those words. And those words were words spoken of God. So those words did not lack power. Those words were words spoken of God, so those words did not lack power.

Remember Zachariah and Elizabeth? They cooperated with God's power and they received. They cooperated with God's power, which is in God's word, which is contained in the scriptures of the prophets. Elizabeth and Zachariah cooperated with God's word and God's power and God's power is in the scriptures of the prophets.

So all Zachariah and Elizabeth did was to cooperate and receive. Question: where was that power of God? The power of God is in what the prophets had said. What the prophets had said. Now, did he require ability to perform it? I mean the angel. No, the angel did not require ability to perform the words.

What did it require? The words. It required only human cooperation and human reception. Have you seen that when it came to John, it was also according to the scriptures? According to the scriptures. Which scriptures? Malachi. Malachi prophesied concerning John.

So the reason John was born that way was not because of John. He was born in the prophetic way in which he was born because of Christ. The reason for the messenger was to herald the coming of Christ. How? According to the scriptures.

All right, so he was heralding the coming of Christ. I'm talking about John the Baptist now, according to the scripture. Now look at what John said of himself. John chapter one, verse six. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. A man sent from God. By the mouth of who was this man sent? By the mouth of Malachi the prophet as contained in the scriptures.

So even when John was saying there was a man sent from God whose name was John, it's not as if he had a prophecy from somewhere. It was from his study of the scriptures he saw that Malachi spoke concerning his mission and concerning his assignment. Just like Jesus opened the book and found where it was written in the book.

That's the same way John the Baptist also found where the prophet prophesied, and he knew that because the prophet had spoken and it was contained in the scriptures, it would surely come to pass. Look at verse seven of John chapter one. Pay attention. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe.

Next verse. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. He was sent to bear witness of that light. Verse nine. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. It lighteth everyone that cometh into the world.

And then look at the question that they asked. John chapter one, verse 23. He said, "I am the voice of the one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias." He was quoting from Isaiah 40, verse three and Malachi chapter three, verse one. That's where he quoted that verse from.

He said mine is to show you. Why will you show us? Because it has been spoken. So because it has been spoken of me and my assignment has been declared in the prophecy, I have found out that I have a mission sent to point to him, to point to the truth. That is the mission of John.

Now, from that drama, what did Elizabeth do? Elizabeth believed. She took the words spoken from the scriptures. You know, that angel that spoke to Elizabeth did nothing. He only spoke what was in the scriptures. So he didn't do anything.

Angels have no power of their own. Angels are messengers of the power of God. Angels have no power of their own. Angels are messengers of the power of God. So therefore they have no power to take decisions on anything. And the power is in what God said. The power is in what God said.

All right, so all angels do is to hear what God said as written in the scriptures and excel in strength proclaiming it. The strength they excel in is in the strength of the word of God. Angels don't have strength on their own.

That is why when believers are filled with God's word and they begin to speak the word of God, they generate an activity of angels because angels excel when the word of God is spoken. Angels excel when the word of God is spoken.

The minute the devil fell off the word of God, that angel became Satan, and that moment he lost his power of an angel. The moment Satan fell, he lost his power as an angel. Angels only function according to the word of God. Angels only function according to the word of God.

We don't send angels as believers. We speak the word of God, and when we speak the word of God, angels excel when they hear the word and they go into action. Psalm 103, verse 20. Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength. How? That do his commandments. They do his commandments. They don't do your instructions. They do his commandments. How? By hearkening unto the voice of his word.

They hearken unto the voice of his word. So I take the word of God from the scriptures, I put it in my mouth and I give voice to the word. When I give voice to the word, angels will hear the word from my mouth that is written and excel. Because in hearing the word, the power of God contained in those words energizes the angels for action.

They excel in strength, hearkening to the voice. Now the word of God is given voice to by the believer. And when angels hear the scriptures, the scriptures have potency and ability in themselves to cause the angels to excel. That is, their muscles go into activity and they're empowered and energized to carry out the will of God as contained within the confines of the scriptures. Within the confines of the scriptures. Please stay with me.

So in this instance, the angel just rehearsed and said the scriptures. The angel just rehearsed and said the scriptures. The scriptures already were written by the power of God. The things we read there are not mere words. They are words that carry power. The things we read in the scriptures are not mere words. They are words that carry power.

So as that angel reminded Zacharia, who should know, Zacharia should have said, "Oh God, that is it." But let's look at Mary. People believe that Mary said, "I missed my period," and the angel said, "Don't worry." No, that's not what happened. Who did the angel come to? He came to a virgin exposed to a man. Thou shalt conceive. It's not automatic. Thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shall call his name Jesus.

The same thing the angel said to Zacharia in Luke chapter one, verse 31. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. The angel spoke. So the angel now is quoting the scriptures.

Look at verse 32 of Luke chapter one. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. 33: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Look at verse 34 of the same chapter. Then said Mary unto the angel, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" It didn't happen to Mary just because God said. Mary was required to accept what God said so that God's power can go into operation. Because God forces nothing on anybody. He allows men to accept or reject. He does not manipulate. He does not intimidate. He allows men to be willing.

Now look at verse 35. See how it happened. And the angel answered and said unto her, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also, that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Shall be called the Son of God." Give me 36 and 37.

And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. The sixth month with her. 37: For with God, nothing shall be impossible.