A TIME TO FLEE I.
MEMORISE:
But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. Matthew 10:23
READ: Genesis 27:41-45
41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;
45 Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
MESSAGE:
If you are to achieve your purpose on earth, there is a time to run. In our Bible reading for today, 'Jacob has been mightily blessed by his father. His brother Esau however, wanted to kill him. Jacob fled. If he had not fled, all the blessings would have been wasted. In 1 Sam, 19:9-12, when David was playing for King Saul who threw a spear at him and missed, David fled. If he hadn't fled at that time, he might never have
become the king of Israel. There is a time to flee. In Matthew 2:13-15, the Bible tells us that the Almighty God told Joseph to flee with Jesus. You may think " But where were the angels? They should have
been around to protect Him. "God said "flee " because there is a time to flee. Once in a while, the Almighty God Himself will tell you "I am your refuge, but for now, I say run."
When I was a young Pastor in the RCCG and the Lord began to move mightily in my life, the persecution from some other pastors of the Church became so much at a point that I had to flee the University of Lagos to the University of Ilorin where I continued with lecturing Job. I fled. Once, a Pastor wrote me a letter full of insults which I read to my Father-in-the-Lord - the then General Superintendent. Rather than discipline the Pastor as I had expected, he asked me to go and plead for the man's forgiveness, even though I hadn't done anything wrong. I was shocked and to be honest, it was hard for me to do. Thank God I obeyed because some time later the Pastor confessed that, having concluded that he was going to hell, he had also resolved to take me along with him. My Father-in-the-Lord had seen that this was not a fight to face, but rather one to flee.
When it is time to flee, flee! When you are dealing with false brethren, it is time to flee. The elders have a saying that if the enemy within cannot kill you, neither can the one without. Samson's brethren were the ones who presented him bound to the Philistines in Judges 15:9-13. When the devil could not get him through them, he decided to bring one of his daughters into Samson's internal circle and thus got him that way. When the devil is determined to bring a fellow down, he will enter into one of the fellow's brethren like he entered into Judas. Had it not yet been Jesus time to be crucified, He would have fled.
Flee false brethren; they are not the ones actually fighting you, it is the devil using them. If at all you engage them, don’t forget: the internal enemy is more dangerous than the external one.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, expose all false brethren around me and help me to flee when it is time to flee in Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 4-5
HYMN 12: IN CHRIST ALONE.
1. In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
2.In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
3. here in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
4. No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
