Sermon Series: Triumph Over Death with Long Life”
Presenter: Dr. JoAnne P. King
October 17-24, 2021
Last week, we covered the blessings and the protections of the 91st Psalm. We learned that we must first accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and dwell in the secret place of the Most High in order to come under His shadow. We hallowed the 91st Psalm making it ours by verbalizing, affirming and personalizing it as our spiritual dwelling.
According to Jeremiah 1:4-5 and 29:11, God said that before He formed Jeremiah in the belly, He knew him; and before he came forth out of the womb He sanctified him, and ordained him a prophet unto the nations. In 29:12, God said: I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end. In Psalm 139:16, we found that all our days were numbered in His book that had been appointed for each one of us. Even, when none of them had taken place. In the New Testament in Gal. 1:15, Apostle Paul said that God had chosen him and set hm apart before He was born to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. These scriptures reveal that God knew us before we were formed in our mothers’ belly and ordained that we would do certain things during our life-time. God has a blue print/plan for each of our lives that contain what accomplishments, destinies, and destinations we are to achieve and to give us an expected end.
In Rev. 1:18, “Jesus said, I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen and have the keys of hell and of death.” Prior to this, Satan held the keys of hell and of death and this is how he was able to keep saints of the Old Testament prisoners in Paradise against their will. Once Jesus regained the keys of hell and death, this power is returned to the children of God per Gen. 1:26 “Let them have dominion…” Therefore, we have control over when we die. Our control over death is supported by an encounter with God by Jesse Duplantis who said: God said: “I am God. I have the power to take your life but I do not have the authority. So many people are saying, I took somebody home. There are a lot of people up here that shouldn’t be up here right now. They did not complete their destiny nor destination. I didn’t take them home. I received them home but I did not take them home. The authority belongs to you because death and life are in the power of your tongue. The choice is in your mouth.” God cannot nor will He ever violate your authority.
This message is important because as God has a plan for our long lives and to give us an expected end so does Satan. His plan for our lives is to steal, kill and destroy. He doesn’t care how he achieves his end—our death! But you can rest assure, that He will try to get you to disobey everything that God has told you to do.
God’s expected end for our lives does not include a premature death but long life. The overall theme of this series is “Triumph Over Death with Long Life;” the title of this message is “God the Life Giver.” Our God is greater than any enemy, we may have in our lives. In Rom. 8:1-9: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So, then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
Prov. 3:1-2 Amp. “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments: For length of days and years of life [worth living] And tranquility and prosperity [the wholeness of life’s blessings] they will add to you.
Satan will try to bring condemnation on you, but we learned from Romans 8:1, that God says that there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk after the Spirit. I told you last week, that when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we were given all kinds of gifts, one of which was the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to lead and guide you into all truth. This truth given by the Holy Spirit, if you will listen and obey it, will enable you to avoid the traps that the enemy will set for you.
I will use myself as an example of what God wants to do in your life. When I accepted the Lord as my savior, I received the Holy Spirit. I used to smoke, drink alcohol, and party. The Lord’s desire, as my sermons are teaching you, is that I have long life, complete all assignments, reach destinies and my destination. This could not be done, if I continued to smoke, drink alcohol, party, etc.
God sent Jesus, His Son, to overcome sin and remove its penalty, and its power. The law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus began to set me free from the law of sin and death. Because those who are living according to their flesh set their mind on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body]. A carnal mind is enmity toward God and is death. As I submitted myself a living sacrifice unto God, I was gradually being set free from the law of sin and death. I had to be set free from the law of sin and death, so that I could live my life guided by the Holy Spirit.
The first thing that happened was Jesus removed the taste and desire for alcohol and partying. As I continued going to church and serving, I went forward for the Elders to pray to take away the desire for cigarettes. God took the desire for smoking cigarettes--cold turkey. It wasn’t known at the time that smoking cigarettes is a cause of cancer. The Holy Spirit knew it and so did Satan. I am sure that Satan was trying to shorten my life span in this way.
As I continued to serve the Lord, I became less carnally minded and more spiritually minded as listed in Rom. 8:6 which brings life and peace. As I look back over my life, I remember being given an unction from the Holy Spirit, to send out Get Well Cards, to all of the members of my church who were on the “Sick and Shut in List” and I did it for a long time. You may wonder why I am telling you this? What does this have to do with long life? Now, I believe this was the Holy Spirit’s way of testing if I was listening and obeying. I just want you to make sure that you are listening and obeying, as well, in case you are told to do something that might seem insignificant to you. Your listening and obeying have a lot to do with long life, because you may be told to do something that seems insignificant but has everything to do with long life.
Because as the Holy Spirit knew that smoking causes cancer, there may be something else that you are doing that could shorten your life span or kill you.
Romans 8:8 talks about those that are in the flesh cannot please God. I had a tendency when I was younger in Christ to be given assignments by the pastor and I would always start out gong ho. All enthusiastic and raring to go. Then, I, would get in the flesh and wonder why I was the one the pastor picked and not someone older in the Lord, etc. It never dawned on me that the Lord was preparing me for some position or wanted to see if I would stick to it or not. Remember, it is all about hearing and obeying. Think back over your life, how faithful have you been about handling an assignment? Did you start gong ho, and then stop for some reason or other? Well, it was a few years later, when I received a visit from the Lord, that let me know, that He was the one who told the pastor to pick me for those assignments. From that day to this, I never question any assignments, any feelings about doing something, etc. I just do it!
Many of you know that I worked at Howard University but you don’t know that Satan black balled me at two of the different schools and threatened to abolish my job at a third school. But because the Spirit of God was dwelling in me, He directed and guided me. God successfully got me out of the first school into the second school and with a raise to boot. At the second school, I led several of my co-workers to the Lord. I am sure the devil didn’t like this. At this school, I was black balled because I didn’t attend a Christmas party at the Dean’s house where I knew there would be drinking and partying going on. I didn’t know that I was being black balled at the second school until later but the Holy Spirit directed me how to prepare for the interview at the third school. The job description, at the third school, was written just for me and I was given a two-grade raise. Praise the Lord! At this school, I was active in setting up a Student Christian Organization which I am sure Satan did not like. In Rom. 8:6; the Word says to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Peace means nothing broken and nothing missing in your life. Psalm 75:6-7 Amp. says that: “For not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert comes exaltation. But God is the Judge; He puts down one and lifts up another.” The position that I held, at other schools on campus, were a higher grade and paid more money. After a year or so on the job, I pointed this out with statistical data to back it up but the different deans (we had several during that time) wouldn’t give me a raise. While I was out on sick leave one day, I was told that the Accreditors for the School came by and it seems that quite a few things that they wanted to see weren’t available because I wasn’t there. When the Accreditors found out that I was doing all of this work, they went directly to the President of the University and demanded that I be paid more money and given a secretary to help with the work load. Our God is a just God and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him!!
While working at the University, I was able to help several family members attend the University tuition free and obtain a degree or a couple of years toward a degree at another University. Most of you know that while working full time, I received an undergraduate degree in Economics with honors at the age of 58. At the 3rd school, it is known that I am a Christian which most of the deans didn’t like because I wasn’t a part of their partying circle. This one particular dean seemed to dislike everyone but had an extra- special dislike for me, probably put there by Satan. I was told later, he had a special plan in mind for me. He planned to abolish my job and create a new job in its place where a person to qualify would have to have a college degree. He or someone hadn’t done their homework, because they didn’t know that I had a college degree. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you in all your ways. It was the Holy Spirit that placed the desire for an undergraduate degree, knowing that something like this would come up and that I would need the undergraduate degree to later get my Master’s and PHD. This was part of God’s plan for my life to obtain these degrees.
At the time the dean was planning this for me, the University was offering an early out with bonuses given for annual leave and sick leave for retiring. My husband had retired the year before. I had worked for many years even though I wasn’t that old. The Holy Spirit placed a desire to retire as well. So, I retired from that job and I’m glad I did. Do you know, the University hasn’t offered another early out!! Many people who could have taken advantage of the early out didn’t, thinking that the University would offer another in a few years. Many of the people who could have taken the early out and didn’t, the following year were handed pink slips, and/or had their jobs abolished, etc. This happened right before Thanksgiving and Christmas. If I hadn’t listened to the Holy Spirit, I would have been caught in this lay-off with my job abolished. I would have had to sue in order to get my job back because I had a degree. This would have cost thousands of dollars and maybe many years because of the delays and appeals a court case can have. That’s if, I wanted to go back! I would have been entitled to my retirement but I would have lost the thousands of bonus dollars offered for an early out. As I mentioned before Saints, you have to listen and obey the Holy Spirit. He knows what is going on behind closed doors, and the plans or traps that the enemy is setting for you. The Word says that He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Yes, the Holy Spirit put an unction my heart to retire because He knew that there were other jobs, He wanted me to accomplish. I gained a lot of experience at a church right before God called Pastor Darryl to start Exousia Ministries, Inc. God has called me to be a helper and assist Pastor Darryl in any and every way I can recognizing that he is the head and the one with the vision for this ministry. The Holy Spirit placed in my spirit the desire to get my masters and PHD in theological studies and placed that same desire in Pastor Darryl. The Holy Spirit told me about 2 years ago to start drinking smart water which I do religiously. He directs me daily on what exercises to do and what to eat to lose weight and maintain a healthy life-style. A healthy life-style that will support a long life that God has given me. I thank God for what He has given and done for me. Every time I go to the hospital or to a new doctors’ office, they take one look at me and can’t believe that I am 89 years old. They say things like, I thought they brought me the wrong patient, or made a typo in recording your age. Look at her skin, she doesn’t have any wrinkles, etc. What is your secret? I quickly tell them that it is the God I serve—Jesus!
Pastor Darryl was supposed to have hip surgery this fall but the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let him have surgery. Why? Because the Holy Spirit knew that I was going to encounter difficulty with the surgery on my ankle and would need assistance. The doctor said and put on paper that he was going to remove a cancerous lesion. Satan wanted me to claim it but I never claimed that it was a cancerous lesion. Remember, life and death are in the power of your tongue. The doctor submitted the lesion for diagnosis and it came back non- cancerous lesion. My bible says that no weapon formed against you shall prosper—so that lesion formed against me could not prosper.
About a month ago to the day, most of you don’t know that I was favoring my ankle in the kitchen and fell and hit by tail bone and left thigh. The Holy Spirit had Pastor Darryl in the kitchen within arms’ length when I fell and he was able to grab the jacket I was wearing and
keep my head from hitting the cement floor. Remember, we claimed the protections and blessings of the 91st Psalm, He will give His angels charge over you. They will bear thee up lest thou dash thy foot against a stone – in this case, keep thou head from hitting the cement floor!!
Yes indeed, God is the Life Giver and the giver of Long Life. He told us in Prov. 3:1-2 Amp. How to live a long life: “Don’t forget His teachings, keep His commandments, obey the leadings of the Holy Spirit, for length of days and years of life [worth living] and tranquility and prosperity [the wholeness of life’s blessings] they will be added to you. He has given us the Holy Spirit to protect us and to lead and guide us into all truth. He has given us angels that hearken to the voice of His Word. When we call out to our angels with the Word of God, they obey that Word and do whatever that Word requires of them. Saints learn to stand on the Word of God, listen and obey the Holy Spirit no matter how small it might seem to you. Believe me God wants you to fulfill your assignments, destinies, destination and above all give you a long-satisfied life.
Give God a praise offering for God the Life Giver!