Brief Summary
This sermon explores how to experience God's mercy by dealing with spiritual "horns" – negative voices and influences. It emphasises the need to cast down our own strength and pride ("crowns") in worship to receive divine judgment and fresh strength. The sermon also highlights the importance of enduring trials with peace and forgiveness, allowing God's fire to purify us before we can effectively "sound the trumpet" and speak God's word with power.
- Spiritual horns are negative voices that hinder God's mercy.
- Overcoming horns requires casting down our crowns (pride) and seeking God's judgment.
- Experiencing God's fire involves purification through trials, requiring peace and forgiveness.
- Sounding the trumpet involves speaking God's revealed word to change situations.
Introduction and Prayer
Pastor Poju Oyemade welcomes everyone to Wealthbreak 2022 and leads an opening prayer, dedicating the meeting to Jesus as a mountain of transformation. He asks for the Holy Spirit to glorify Jesus, reveal divine insights from the scriptures, and transform lives. He also expresses gratitude to the senior pastors of various churches for their presence.
Conference Theme and Zechariah 1
The conference theme is "The Power of God's Mercy". He references Zechariah 1, highlighting that the conference is an altar of revelation, worship, and prayer. He reads from Zechariah 1, where the prophet sees four horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. These horns represent forces that prevent people from prospering. God sends carpenters to terrify and cast out these horns, promising mercy and restoration to Jerusalem.
God's Delegation and Prophetic Responsibility
God has delegated the earth to mankind and needs human participation to enact His will. He seeks individuals to stand in the gap and authorise His actions on Earth. Without someone to interpret God's heart, only the "outer court experience" or superficial understanding of God's will is seen. Christians have a prophetic responsibility to be attuned to God's voice and act as intermediaries.
Defining Spiritual Horns
A "horn" is defined as a voice that speaks into or over a person's life, representing spiritual warfare. Casual conversations or chatter against one's endeavours should be addressed spiritually, as they can be announcements of war. Examples include negative comments about a business, a car, or a church, which can hinder progress and promotion.
Scriptural Examples of Horns
Psalm 75:5-10 illustrates how promotion comes from God, and negative words ("horns") can hinder it. Demonic forces can inspire intentional words to be spoken against a person, creating real warfare. Social media "cancelling" is a modern form of this warfare, aiming to neutralise a person's influence.
Dealing with Horns: Daniel 7
Daniel 7:8-12 describes horns speaking great words, leading to the beast's destruction. Daniel 7:20-26 shows a horn making war with the saints and prevailing against them until the Ancient of Days comes and gives judgment to the saints. The passage highlights the saints getting worn out by the horns. Dealing with these horns involves four steps: thrones being cast down, the Ancient of Days sitting in judgment, books being opened, and judgment being given, leading to the saints possessing the kingdom.
Casting Crowns and Seeking God's Strength
Psalm 149:8-9 speaks of executing written judgment, an honour given to all saints. Revelation 4:10-11 describes elders casting their crowns before the throne, signifying humility and submission. The first step in dealing with horns is understanding that they are stronger than you. Paul's prayer for strength in Ephesians 3:16 highlights the need for divine empowerment. Confession alone is insufficient without first receiving a deposit of strength through prayer.
Overestimating Personal Strength
Without Christ, one will lose against these horns. Fresh strength is needed to overcome battles; present strength is not enough. David acknowledged his persecutors were stronger than him (Psalm 142:6). Casting your crown means acknowledging your weakness and allowing God to judge the situation. Christians often fail because they overestimate their own strength.
Peter's Example and the Need for God's Strength
Peter's denial of Jesus illustrates the danger of overestimating one's strength. While Jesus prayed, Peter confidently confessed his loyalty, but he failed. To keep God's word and remain faithful, one needs God's strength. It's not enough to say "I will just love you"; one must say, "By the strength of God, I will love you."
Warning Against Self-Reliance
Jesus warned Peter that he would deny Him three times, but Peter insisted he would die first. Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 10:12 to take heed lest you fall, cautioning against overconfidence. Hebrews 5:7 describes Jesus offering prayers with strong crying and tears to be saved from death, demonstrating the need for humility and dependence on God, even for the Son of God.
True Worship and Seeking Judgment
Doctrine has led to people wearing crowns without experiencing the reality of God's power. Worship begins with admitting dependence on God and seeking His judgment. Don't run after theories; seek the judgment written in scripture. For every situation, get a fresh judgment from God, rather than relying solely on confessions.
Spiritual Intelligence and the Old Testament
The modern church has lost spiritual intelligence by separating the Old and New Testaments. All scripture is inspired by God. The Old Testament is not outdated; it's simply veiled to those who lack spiritual insight. Any part of the Bible is "Old Testament" if the veil is over your mind, and "New Testament" if the veil is removed. Depth and intelligence are gained by looking at the scriptures with open eyes.
Gaining Revelation and Judgment
To gain revelation, one must take time out and be still. 1 Samuel 9:27 illustrates the need to "stand still a while" to receive the word of God. Leviticus 24:11-12 shows that obtaining God's mind requires time and stillness. Separate yourself from people and spend time alone with God and the Bible. After a while, God will begin to speak and open your understanding.
The Process of Revelation: Revelation 5
Revelation 5 describes a book sealed with seven seals, and no one is worthy to open it except the Lion of Judah. The elders worship, and their prayers are offered. They sing a new song, acknowledging that the Lamb has redeemed them and made them kings and priests to reign. Reigning is only possible when the book is opened. As they worship, the seals are opened, and they are invited to "see" the judgments written in God's word.
Sounding the Trumpet: Revelation 8
After the seventh seal is opened, there is silence in heaven, and seven angels are given trumpets. Trumpets represent voices. 1 Corinthians 14:8-9 explains that a trumpet must give a clear sound to prepare for war. What you see, you must declare. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 speaks of being changed at the last trumpet. The trumpet sound changes the nature of things.
Speaking Words of Transformation
Just as witchcraft involves speaking words to influence reality, Christians must speak the words revealed when the seal is opened to change situations. These words activate angels and bring forth manifestation. At the sound of the trumpet, bodies will change. If everything was created by words, everything can be changed by words. The Spirit of God reveals deep things that we speak, not with human wisdom, but with divine utterance.
Examples of Speaking with Authority
The speaker shares anecdotes of individuals who spoke with authority and changed circumstances. One example involves a bishop who insisted on driving at high speed, declaring that he was secure with speech. Another story tells of a man who confronted a storm on a plane, declaring he would conquer the air. These examples illustrate the power of speaking God's revealed word with boldness.
The Fire of Purification
Before sounding the trumpet, something must be burnt out of your life. John the Baptist said Jesus would baptise with the Holy Ghost and fire. The fire will thoroughly purge and burn the chaff. If you are offended by the fire, it will burn you instead of what it's supposed to. 2 Corinthians 4:6 speaks of God shining light into our hearts, but then the fire starts, and we are troubled on every side.
The Test of Peace and Forgiveness
Mark 9:49-50 states that everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. The test is to have peace in your heart towards every person when the fire starts to consume. If you lose your peace, you've lost your salt. Forgive those who have wronged you. That's when the chaff has been burnt out of your system.
Sovereignty of God and Personal Offence
Everything you experience is the sovereignty of God. Stop taking things personally. If you are easily moved by words, you need to be healed of that. When you open a new seal, you will see things about yourself you never knew. The time you spend in a ministry doesn't authenticate your decision to leave if God is leading you elsewhere.
Living Sacrifice and Serving the Flesh
Hebrews 13:10 states that we have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle (flesh) cannot eat. If you are moved by feelings, you can't eat from this altar. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice. If someone in authority does something wrong, don't curse them. There are hidden laws that govern the world.
Two Phases: Seeking Judgment or Being Burnt Up
People are in two phases: either seeking judgment or being burnt up. The flesh must be burnt. If you react to the fire, God will leave you alone. The flames are for your good. The key is to follow peace with all men, which means having goodwill in your heart towards everyone.
Authenticity and Calling
Don't just quote scriptures; seek genuine judgment. If there's a change in your heart, acknowledge it. If you are called, it will show; there's no need to announce it. When you open your mouth, we know who you are. Kenneth Hagin prayed Ephesians 1:17 for six months before he began to teach effectively. Once something is inside, it will begin to show.
Worship and Conclusion
The sermon concludes with an invitation to worship God, casting down crowns and seeking His fire to purify and empower. The worship session includes songs and prophetic declarations, emphasising the power of God's mercy and the victory achieved through Christ.
