I Am The Lord by Pastor Jerry Eze: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Knowing God vs Knowing About God

John 5:1-15: At the pool of Bethesda lay a multitude of impotent folk — blind, halt, withered — waiting for the moving of the water. An angel went down at a certain season and troubled the water; whosoever first stepped in after the troubling was made whole. A certain man was there who had an infirmity 38 years. Jesus saw him lie and knew he had been in that situation a long time. He said unto him, wilt thou be made whole? The man answered, Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool, but while I am coming, another steps down before me. Jesus said, rise, take up thy bed, and walk. Immediately the man was made whole.

Without a realization of the dominion mandate on this side of eternity, you will continue to confront impossibility that will make what Jesus has done seem as if it is not a reality.

From creation the Lord already gave dominion to man. Dominion underlines one thing: the exertion of force. If I have dominion and don't use force to keep things under, they may begin to contend, compete, and try to take themselves out of what the Lord has ordained. Some of us have dominion but are not using it. A word to you saying you are in dominion does not automatically mean things will see you and naturally bow. You have to use the power of God, the force of God, to make things bow.

There is a difference between knowing about someone and knowing someone. Knowing about someone is what people have told you about the person; knowing someone is what you know personally. In your journey to the realm of impossibility, knowing about him does not unlock doors. There is a persuasion that comes when you know a thing. There is something that hit Job that made him say, even though he slay me, yet will I trust him. There is something that hit Daniel that made him say, I know he is able to deliver, but just in case in this season he chooses not to — I don't know about him, I know him.

When you look at your life, he has a track record. He has come through for you many times. So Lord, I am not going to judge you unfaithful because this present situation is not yet right.

God Declares the Ending First

God doesn't start to finish — God finishes to start. He already knows how it will end. From the ending, God fashions out a plan for you. Jesus said to the man: rise. He moved him straight to the ending. Every declaration of faith never says God will do it — every declaration of faith says God has done it. Past participle. Even before I got sick, I was already healed. Even before they conspired against me, God already settled the matter.

So in this 30 seconds, declare how it will end. Don't declare how it has been going. Declare the ending. The process may not look like it — declare it anyway.

Rise and Take Charge of Systems

Jesus never said to the man, you are made whole. He said, rise, take up thy bed, and walk. The bed is the system that was carrying him. Jesus said: I don't just raise people without making them in charge of systems. Never be tied to the level of a system God has asked you to dominate. Because if you live and think and act like the system, it will keep you at the same level.

The reason some systems remain demonic and corrupt is because men have not risen. When this man rose and moved that bed, the Pharisees confronted him. He replied: he that made me whole said take up thy bed and walk. I have a divine mandate. Go and meet the one who sent me.

When they see you moving systems of hell, they will crank up against you and say we have been here before you came, how dare you? But you must realize: I was raised to move this thing. I was not just raised to rise and walk away. I want to rise and move the system.

Betrayal: What You Must Know

In John 18:4-6, Jesus knowing all things that should come upon him went forth. He did not run. Even knowing Judas would betray him, he left him in the team. Psalm 41:9: my own familiar friend whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, lifted up his heel against me. Those after you — the enemies who do not really know you — were given information by an unfriendly friend who sold you.

Two things betrayers should know:

• Anyone who betrays you will continually see you grow bigger than them. That is the truth betrayers don't know.
• Every betrayer will be betrayed. When Jesus was arrested, what Judas was told was they would arrest him, try him, and release him. He didn't know they were arresting him to kill him. That is why Judas came back and dropped the money. He said, this was not our agreement. Every betrayer will be betrayed by those who used them.

In 2 Samuel 20:14-22, one man called Sheba insulted David and ran into the fenced city of Abel. The whole city came under threat because of one man. A wise woman came out and negotiated — she said, this city is a mother in Israel, a place that ends matters. Just tell us who you want. When they told her it was Sheba, she went in wisdom to the people, they cut off his head, and threw it over the wall. One person's rebellion was about to destroy an entire city.

Strong men, evil strongholds in families — we cut off their heads. We throw it over the wall. We silence the arguments of the enemy.