Who told you that? | Amby Ehiemere

I don't need somebody else to confirm my identity. I don't need someone else to tell me who I am in Christ. I don't need some sidebar person to tell me that I am created in the image of God. Those who are led by the Spirit. Listen, I'm so excited to be here. I'm from, well, originally from Nigeria, but come on. My accent changes depending upon where I am. Let me go home and I will sound like Pastor Victor. Drop all the extra hours and go straight to British English. My name is, I'm blessed but I'm so excited to be here with you. Tell your neighbor who told you that. Okay, the neighbor that you liked first, you've said that to them. The neighbor you don't like so much, turn around and say, who told you that? We love each other. We love each other. This is when a lie sounds like God. There is danger when a lie sounds like God. Let's pray. Father, I just want to thank you for today. Wow, history makers. Thank you for this church. Thank you for what you're doing. Thank you for their impact. Thank you for their legacy. Thank you, Lord God, that what they're doing is going to far outlive them. We lift up your name and we glorify you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. If you have your Apple phones, pull it out. If you have your droids, go ahead and put it to the side. The Apple was in the garden, not the droid. If you have a droid, we have screens. It's for you. Put that nasty phone away. I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. Go to first Kings 13 8 and then I'm going to skip down to 11 and 19 and then I'm going to verse 24. Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to the king. Verse 12. Their father asked them, which way did he go? And his sons showed him which road the man of God from Judah had taken. So he said to his sons, saddle the donkey for me. It's always a fearful thing when a donkey is saddled. And when they saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it and rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, are you the man of God who came from Judah? I am. He replied. Verse 15. So the prophet said to him, come home with me and eat. The man of God said, I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. I have been told by the word of the Lord, you must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came. Verse 18. The old prophet answered, I too am a prophet as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord, bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water. But he was lying to him. As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was

left lying on the road with both the donkey and the lion standing beside him. I don't know if you've ever played the game telephone. Has anybody played the game telephone? Wonderful. Wonderful. For the rest of you who grew up in the dark ages, let me help you. The telephone game is an opportunity for you, for the original messenger to share something and pass it along until the last person gets said message and shares it. Now, if you've played the telephone game, you'll realize that a lot of times the message gets changed. It gets contorted. It gets distorted. So what the original messenger had to say is not what is said at the end. The game of telephone, why it is fun is because one sentence, one word can literally change the meaning of the sentence. It can change what the original messenger had to say. One word throws off the intentionality of the game. All right, let me provide you with a history lesson. In 1 Kings chapter 13, there is an unnamed prophet from Judah who comes to confront King Jeroboam. Jeroboam was one who had taken 10 tribes of Israel, the northern tribes of Israel, and set up his own kingdom in protest against King Jeroboam. Why? Because King Jeroboam was acting a fool. So Jeroboam was like, okay, I got this. I'm gonna take some of y'all and become king over them. Well, he wasn't doing so well himself. He had actually created in Dan and Bethel. Bethel in the Bible is actually called the house of God. Bethel was where Jacob encountered God in Genesis chapter 32 and in Genesis 28. There was a divine encounter. There was an encounter of a ladder where he saw angels ascending and descending. So Bethel was technically a holy place. An altar had been set up in Bethel. But this man, this king, Jeroboam decided to desecrate what was holy and set up false altars. So this unnamed prophet receives divine instruction from God and the instruction was go and tell Jeroboam my decree against him. I have rejected him from being king and there's going to be judgment against him. But here is something specific to you, oh unknown prophet. You cannot eat, you cannot drink, and you cannot go by or come home the same way, the same road that you came to that location. Now here is a problem that began for this young prophet. Jeroboam asks him to lunch. Now this is after king Jeroboam has said, well let's go ahead and arrest you. But as he stretched his hand to arrest this young prophet, what happened was his hand became leprous. Then he asks the young prophet, could you please ask your God, even though I am set up in Bethel, the house of God, that God is not my God. Go ahead and ask the original author of this location to heal me. And so the young prophet does and he gets healed and so Jeroboam gets impressed and said, well go ahead and come home with me. Let

me feed you, let me refresh you, let me restore you, and let me reward you. There is danger, not when the enemy sounds like the enemy, because the young prophet was able to say to king Jeroboam, no no no, the Lord has told me I'm not supposed to eat, I'm not supposed to drink, and I'm not supposed to pass by here on my way home. I'm clear as to my instruction. I know what God has told me. It's so easy to trust God's voice when you can clearly see the enemy. But what happens when the enemy isn't so clear? When the nature of the enemy doesn't look like he's supposed to look like? What happens? There is danger when it sounds spiritual, when it sounds familiar, when it sounds like something God might say. Somebody you trust says, how you doing? I'm blessed and highly favored. And we take those words as if they're law, simply because somebody we trust says them. There is danger when what we see doesn't match the actual enemy. Now the enemy has always worked this way. In the garden of Eden, Satan never denied that God has spoken. Can I help you? There are two voices, two people, two ears that are consistently listening every time you and God have a transaction. The enemy is listening, and God is listening. So the enemy was not saying that God didn't say anything. He wasn't coming to contradict that God had spoken. He simply asked, did God really say? He didn't replace God's word. He distorted God's word. And in Bethel, the strategy hadn't changed. God had spoken. It was clear, but another voice entered the conversation. It sounded spiritual. It sounded experienced. It even claimed angelic confirmation. What do you mean by that? So an angel appeared to you. That's the danger of looking for extra appearances of an angel when you have the truth of the word of God. Because the enemy appears as an angel of light. And it led away this young prophet from doing what God has said for him to do. So it's like the game of telephone. God gives him an instruction. Don't eat, don't drink, don't go by this way. And this old prophet is smart because he said, where is this young man? Let me go track him down. Ladies and gentlemen, the enemy is looking to track you down, track your whereabouts, not to remove what God said, but simply to distort you and get you away from the truth. truth of what he is saying to you. So point number one, I have four takeaways for you. The first one is the trap of accommodation. The trap of accommodation. We fall into the same trap when we accommodate voices

that compromise what God has already established. The God gave the prophet clear commands. Don't eat, don't drink, don't return by the same road. How many of us have received clear commands from God? Don't do this, do this, follow after me, watch the word of God, spend more time in my presence than you do on your phone. Uh-oh, it's them droids, I promise you, it's them droids. There was no ambiguity, there was only clear instruction. Obedience does not require confirmation, it only requires surrender. And there's a quote I heard this week, and it's that God's word must be heard rightly, proclaimed accurately, and obeyed fully. And there's something that I feel like is happening in the church today, in the global church today, and I've termed it the itching ear syndrome. This is when you allow yourself to wonder about what God said. You aren't fully satisfied with what God said, or you trust more the voice of man than you trust the voice of God. Where is the voice of God? In the Bible. You trust more the voice of man than the voice of God. And every time we keep searching for a word, we have a feeling that there is something greater than the word that God has provided to us. And here's what happens, this prophet, this young prophet, this unnamed prophet, he obeyed initially until he didn't.

He delivered the message, he confronted the king, he refused the king's invitation. He passed every public test, but then he failed the private one. I'm sure when the older prophet met him along the way, this young man was tired. Now, when I say tired, tired, tired, just tired. Why? He had been fasting, he hadn't drank anything, and now he's going by an unfamiliar way, and he says, let me just take a seat and sit down underneath the tree. He was exhausted. Isn't that how deception works? The enemy comes and corners you in your weakest moments. The enemy provides you ample opportunity to begin to doubt the favor of God upon your life, what he has told you about your future, the exact time you say, God, I am tired. Lift this burden from me. Sometimes he waits for you to sit down. Sometimes he waits for you to stop coming to church. Sometimes he waits for you to stop reading your Bible, to stop worshiping, to stop entering into intimacy with him long enough, with God long enough, to distort the truth of the word of God that you have on the inside of you. He waits until you feel like the battle is over. And sometimes he even comes when you've won the battle. You've just had a note of victory.

God has answered your prayers. That's the opportune time the enemy will come and say, hey, I see all the wonderful things God is using you to do. Perhaps God is asking us to step away and do something by yourself. Be careful when things around you readily identifies with what you see in yourself and where you are and the season that you find yourself in. This young prophet was talking to another prophet. Oh my goodness. If it was us, it'd be like, this is mentor season. This man has walked with God. This man knows God more than I do. But if you notice, this young prophet didn't need a man to interpret the word God had showed him. But all of a sudden, you meet somebody that you think has the authority over you. And you allow that person, you're not necessarily discerning to know, is what this person is saying according to the word of God. And now it distorts the word of God. Be careful when you allow yourself in those tired seasons to listen to spaces and systems and cultures that are in direct opposition to the word of God. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 13, one to four, that if a prophet or one who foretells by dreams appears among you and announces to you a sign or a wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place. And the prophet says let us follow other gods That you have known or not known and let us worship them

You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The lord your god is Testing you To find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the lord your god You must follow and him you must revere keep his commands and obey him and serve him and hold fast to him Galatians 1 8 says but even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel Other than the one we preach to you. Let them be under god's curse. Why? Because god does not contradict himself God doesn't contradict himself When he has spoken in the word is yes and amen and it shall come to pass It is a new divine Revelation. It is the word of god that he has placed firmly in our hands that is consistently revealing himself the man jesus to us So it's necessary That we don't get tempted In spaces and seasons when we are tired point number two the word of god outranks every voice not some voices Not voices that we select But the word of god outranks every Voice the old prophet said I am a prophet too An angel Spoke to me everything about his message Sounded credible

It sounded spiritual. It sounded authoritative But it was a lie The man of god wasn't deceived by an atheist The man of god wasn't deceived by someone who did not believe in god He was deceived by someone who sat next to him in church He was deceived by someone who had the right words to say he was deceived by people who prophesy without the authority of god He was deceived Watching culture speak louder than the word of god And voices are constantly speaking We have opinion that form without grounding we have Everyone having a platform. All you need is a light a camera and some few buttons. Now you got a platform Now you have an opportunity To speak as if god said unprocessed words we ingest And in this generation is even more of a threat to us because any and every person has an opportunity to preach without the process of the holy spirit And so it's necessary That we take it back to the word of god back to the original message. What did god say in the bible? What does his word reveal to us who is the character and nature of jesus christ I don't need man to interpret my god and king All I need is the word of god Because when he was said and written he said amen Everybody has a running commentary On jesus christ Everybody can have An opinion the old prophet had history here is the danger with history History has the tendency of keeping you in a stagnated place But it's necessary

That you understand that yesterday's anointing is never permission to ignore today's instruction Every voice even respected voice must remain submitted to the word of god Volume is not validation Access is not authority a platform is not proof of divine approval And if you're not anchored in what god said you'll be eventually moved by whoever is speaking the loudest Church you are a church. I know this for a fact that you sit under correct word correct teaching Don't allow yourself to be distracted by every moving doctrine That you are exposed to because now you have access on your apple phone. I guess joy too Don't be allowed don't allow yourself to be deceived by every person that is the loudest in the room Allow the holy spirit who resides on the inside of you. It's no longer coming to descend upon you. Now the Holy Spirit takes up residence on the inside of you that confirms you that you have been born and bought in the image of Jesus Christ. This is the gospel message for this now generation. This is how you are going to succeed in these last days is that you know who has called you. You know who you are formed into the image of the risen Savior, Jesus Christ. That we not be deceived. Isaiah 55 11 says, So is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. God's Word will accomplish, hear me, exactly everything it intends to accomplish without human engagement with it. First John 4 1 says, Dear friends, do not believe every spirit but test the spirit to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Test. How do you test? You check it with the Bible. The Bible says in Acts chapter 17 verse 11, Now the Barian Jews were of many notable character than those in Thessalonica for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Hold on, they fact check Paul. Paul who wrote majority of the New Testament who brought us the gospel of grace, who was the apostle that did not have a physical necessarily physical walk with Jesus like day-to-day like the other disciples yet had a divine encounter and for three days, three years went away to

be taught of the Holy Spirit. They fact-checked him. It is for you to fact check according to scripture, not popular opinion, not your feeling, not how you think, but according to scripture is what I am receiving from God himself. If God says it, he's the only one that can authorize it. He does not need an addition to the complete canon of the Word of God. He does not need you to subtract from the complete canon of the Word of God. When these men were full of the Holy Spirit and were led by divine instruction to write the Bible over several thousand generations, it was an establishment of the Holy Spirit that this is the Word of Jesus Christ and the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld him, the image of the Invisible One. It is the Word that was here in physical form. Now it's in the written pages of the Bible and it is our pleasure, our responsibility to read Jesus Christ. It is our pleasure, it is our honor to get to know the one, the Redeemer of our souls, the one who left his spirit with us here on earth to confirm that what is written on the pages is what he's writing in our hearts. It's our pleasure. Point number three, there is a cost of abandoning God's Word. There is a cost. The prophet died because he exchanged God's clear instruction for another voice. In 1st Kings 13 24 it says, as he went on his way, the enemy is wicked. So this prophet, this old man, listen, isn't it interesting with this old man, why is it, why didn't this young prophet, and I ask myself this, why didn't this young prophet think about, there is an existing prophet in Bethel, why didn't the Word of God come through him? Why all of a sudden this young prophet is brought into a territory that has been compromised? Now the Word of the Lord is brought to you and it's speaking concerning a divine instruction for myself. Isn't it interesting that he lets this young prophet, after feeding him and refreshing him, to now go and be killed by a lion? The Bible says in 1st Kings 13 24, as he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him and his body was left lying on the road with both the donkey and the lion. lion standing beside it. Notice something remarkable. The lion killed him but didn't eat him. The lion didn't attack the donkey. The lion simply stood there beside the body.

This wasn't a natural attack. The lion represents judgment. The donkey represents the man's stubbornness. So God will provide judgment on the one he gives instruction to but he may leave your stubbornness and the judgment to bear witness on your disobedience. God's word is never casual. You don't take the instruction of God as a storybook. Those stories in the Bible were written for our instruction, were given to us to guide us in the way that we should go. So sometimes you're walking through something that your stubbornness is party to viewing and you're asking God, when will this pass from me? Get back into alignment. Go back and obey the last instruction your Heavenly Father told you. So God passed judgment on this young prophet and here's what's so interesting. The old prophet saddled his own donkey of stubbornness to come and take this dead body without the lion attacking him to bury him. And here's what the enemy wants to do to your life. He wants to bury you with lies. He wants to tell you, he wants to distort the truth of the word of God on the inside of you. You come to church every Sunday. That's why we tell people, let me tell you why you come to church every Sunday and why you should come to church every Sunday. Because we need to inoculate you from lies Monday through Saturday. We need to give you enough encouragement to send you out on your way to be able to take the advances of the enemy. That's why you come to church. So the old prophet takes this body and buries him. But let me help you today. That is not the grace of God upon your life today. The enemy will not bury you in its lies. The enemy will not take the truth of the word of God in the name of Jesus and distort it in your spirit. That the word of God you receive today will remain and will cause change that is transformative in Jesus name. Number four, the mercy of God still speaks. I'm so grateful for God. I'm so grateful for God. I'm so grateful that his mercy still speaks. That the reason why this scripture is here is for my mercy. It's for my reminder that even when I do get tempted, his mercy is still loud and clear. Every morning I open up my eyes and I wake up and I see the beautiful day. I thank God for his mercy. I find it interesting that the lion did not eat the young prophet. I went on a safari. You know, I'm Nigerian Pastor Terrence, Pastor Emma. I am. I am a suburban urban Nigerian. Meaning that my first interaction, in fact we didn't, we had dogs. They lived outside. So we didn't bring animals into, well we had parrots, whatever. But generally speaking, it isn't our thing to walk on the street and see wild animals. So little old me now goes to East

Africa. And I went a couple years and every time they have this penchant, Americans love you to life, have this penchant to see wild animals. I don't get it personally. And so we were on this safari and the hood is up. And then the guy says, look up. I look up, sitting on the tree is a jaguar. Then I look down, look at the people around me and I'm like calculating. I'm a Nigerian, I calculate. Okay. Who, whom can I toss to? And then I noticed, and I'm proud. Probably the slowest of the bunch. I said, the devil is a liar. So I tell the guy, I said, listen, National Geographic has given me an accurate depiction of what animals are supposed to look like. I'm okay if we skip all the animals that can kill and let's just go to the ones that are more hostile. But isn't it interesting that this lion goes against its nature and doesn't kill this young prophet, or doesn't eat this young prophet, doesn't consume him, this young prophet. That's the mercy of God. That is the grace of God, that this body is able to be retrieved and buried. But scripture may end in this particular story with a grave, but the prophet might have ended his story in disobedience, but we have Jesus who came in the form of a man. He is the perfect sacrifice and his perfection provided us obedience that leads to life. Philippians 2.8 says, and being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on the cross. Jesus became obedient even to the death of the cross.

The prophet may have failed beneath a tree, but the greater prophet hung upon a tree. One man's disobedience became a warning. Christ's obedience became our salvation. Now because of Christ, obedience is not merely a command, it is empowerment. His mercy still speaks. Romans 8.14 says, those who are led, ah, my goodness, not only does Jesus' mercy speaks, he now gives me the ability on a daily basis to know what he wants me to do. The Bible says in Romans 8.14, those who are led by the Spirit, they are the children of God. I don't need somebody else to confirm my identity. I don't need someone else to tell me who I am in Christ. I don't need some sidebar person to tell me that I am created in the image of God. Those who are led by the Spirit, they are the sons of God. I'm empowered. I'm empowered that his mercy still speaks on my behalf. Lamentations 3.22 to 23 says, his mercy, I love this part, never fails. They are new. Oh my goodness. That means I may have messed up the night before, but then my eyes pop open at 4 a.m.,

5 a.m., 6 a.m., whatever a.m. you wake up, then the mercies of God start afresh. They are new for you. It begins again. All things are passed away. All things have become new. The mercy renews itself. It doesn't need you to do anything about it. It just renews itself. That is the mercy of God that we get to enjoy. When you open up the pages of the Bible, you'll recognize the newness of the mercy of God, the grace that we get to enjoy, the fellowship of his Spirit that resides on the inside of us. I like this scripture, it's my favorite. Greater is he that is in me. A new realization of what Jesus did and left for us is renewed daily. Then I say to myself, greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. I know I'm facing a financial crisis. Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. I know my boss wants to fire me. Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. I know what the diagnosis is. Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. Who know their God, who shall be strong and do exploits, who will turn South Florida for the kingdom of God.

And it's not limited to South Florida. It's everywhere, Lord. Greater is he that is in you. I don't know why I'm here than he that is in the world. It's not in my lungs. but some of you are dealing with the judgment of the enemy remember that was point three we're in point four you've been made alive the mercy of god has been extended to you so would you stand to your feet i'm gonna say a prayer short prayer and if there are places in your life either you have received a lie and believed it or you're walking in judgment this prayer is for you with every hand out right now as a sign of surrender i believe by faith things are breaking off of your lives right now in the name of jesus father right now we thank you we thank you lord god for history makers we thank you lord god for each life that is represented here right now in the name of jesus every lie and deception of the enemy everything that the enemy has tried to tell them distort we put a hope to you in the name of jesus we draw a blunt we draw the blood of jesus over every mind renew every thinking in the name of jesus we ask right now for transformation let the glory of god descend let the new reality of what their salvation bought them bring to life every dead place we will not have walking dead people anymore these are living people in the name of jesus we thank you lord god for newness new life restoration peace joy hop hop in the name of jesus they will become hope dealers hope dealers i say hope dealers i say hope dealers i say hope dealers i say hope dealers in jesus name you may bring down your hand now this next part is my favorite part and this is for anyone in the room i can say all these wonderful things and it mean nothing to you because you need to meet jesus christ he's the one i've been talking about i don't want to talk about any person else but jesus christ and my lord and savior so if you are in this room and you don't have a relationship with the lord what does a relationship with the lord look like he is both your lord and your savior we usually subscribe to savior because it's easy to believe for rescue but lordship means i submit everything that i do to him and i am governed by him so this call is for any person in this room this morning who needs a relationship with jesus listen i don't care if you've been bred buttered battered in church you've been attending church it don't matter when we get

to heaven he's not going to ask you you're a church attendance he's going to look and see if you align with the blood of jesus now if that is you with boldness with boldness because jesus was hung between two thieves in the main passageway and he was not ashamed of you you cannot be ashamed of him so if that is you today with boldness in your heart raise up your hand this afternoon this morning i see your hand i see your hand i see your hand come on can we celebrate the king of kings hallelujah bless god with your permission sir can i have them come to the front if that was you could you please make your way to the front come on jesus sees you he loves you there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in christ jesus it is not about your reputation it's about his reputation his reputation is on the line not yours come to the front if your hand was raised come on come on hallelujah this moment is for you if it was just you here on earth he would have come he would have died for you he made his his precious sacrifice the bible says that jesus had all power to lay down his life and to take it back up again this is for you no condemnation come closer i promise i don't bite come on now I know there's more in the room there's more hey there's more in the room hallelujah now this prayer is for you what this prayer does is acknowledge that you are sinner in need of a Savior and the Lord it doesn't automatically change your life what it does is it gets you in process and in line now there are opportunities in the church for growth and development so you get stronger right you get I didn't grow too much taller so apparently my nourishment was limited nonetheless but what that does is it enables you to live out this Christian life don't disappear come to church for the next three months consistently the enemy is gonna talk in your ear and tell you what your experiences is not real oh it's real it's real your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life so family plays with family can you repeat after me Lord Jesus come into my heart be my Lord and Savior I'm sorry for sinning against you I'm sorry from turning away from you today I accept you into my heart come live on the inside of me change me I yield to you all things have passed away all things have become new I am new in Christ I am new in Christ now we're gonna talk to the enemy he devil I have

no parts with you lose your grips over my life I belong to Jesus I am saved I am born again I am filled with this spirit in Jesus name we pray we thank you Jesus amen hey heaven is celebrating and we are celebrating with you and we want to walk this journey together so if you prayed that prayer or you just want to know more about Jesus follow the prompts that are on the screen right now we are so proud of you and honestly God's vision for you is to see you live that better story epic and eternal we say like this to see you holy healthy happy and bring in heaven to earth and if you're watching and you want to help others find Jesus like that you can partner with us and together we can make that epic difference and giving details are coming up on the screen and we just say God's blessed you you can be a blessing to other people as well and hey if you're here in the South Florida area would love to see you in person check out the description below for times and the location where you can come to a service we would love to see you soon this is history makers chat where friends truly become family see you soon