THE LAW OF SUBSTITUTION
MEMORISE: The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead. Proverbs 11:8
READ: Isaiah 43:2 -4
2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
MESSAGE
Every time people hear me saying "Be holy" emphatically, it is not because l don't want you to 'enjoy' your life, it is because l know the dangers of not living a holy life and don't want you to suffer such. One of the dangers of not living holy is the law of substitution. This is a spiritual law that states a life can be given for another. The people in the kingdom of darkness know this law and often apply it. The older ones in Africa will tell you that when someone is very sick and about to die, witch doctor are able to transfer the death of that fellow to someone else and then the one who was sick will recover. Substitution is a spiritual law. God says in Proverbs 11:8 that when trouble is heading towards a righteous man, God takes him out of the way so that it goes to the unrighteous. If you don't want to be a substitute for a righteous man, you had better be righteous yourself.
Many years ago, a woman came to me trembling. She said, "Daddy l had a dream that my husband travelled and was brought back in a coffin". I asked her, "Is your husband a child of God?" She said "Yes" and then we prayed. Two weeks later, l saw obituary in the papers with the surname of this sister. I thought, "Lord, but we prayed about this". When l saw her the next Sunday, l asked her about the obituary and she said it was not her husband who died, but his relative. Death wanted to take the righteous one; we prayed, God took him out of the mouth of death and his relative who was not born again became the substitute. If you like yourself at all, you will live holy so that you don't become a substitute for those who are righteous.
In Daniel 3, it was the men who threw Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego into fiery furnace that were burnt. The three Hebrew boys who were thrown in came out unhurt. The furnace had to burn somebody. Since it could not burn the children of God, then it had to burn the children of the devil. In Daniel 6, when Daniel was thrown into the den of lions. God told them, "You can't eat this one. Don't worry, l will get a replacement for you".
The following morning the king ordered those who had plotted against Daniel and all their family members, be thrown into the den of lions. Those people became the substitutes for Daniel. The law of spiritual substitution is real; you had better live holy so that you don't get on the wrong side of it.
KEY POINT
Be the righteous one who is delivered out of trouble, not the unrighteous one who is used as a substitute for the righteous.
BIBILE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 11-12
HYMN 14: NEARER MY GOD TO THEE
1. Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!
E’en though it be a cross
That raiseth me.
Still all my song shall be
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!
2. Though like the wanderer,
The sun gone down,
Darkness be over me,
My rest a stone,
Yet in my dreams I’d be
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!
3. There let the way appear,
Steps unto heav’n;
All that thou sendest me,
In mercy giv’n;
Angels to beckon me
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!
4. Then with my waking thoughts
Bright with thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs
Bethel I’ll raise;
So by my woes to be
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!
