SPECIAL SUNDAY SERVICE BY DR. MENSA OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) CHRIST TEMPLE, ACCRA GHANA)
TOPIC: OVERCOMING MOUNTAINS.
DATE: 10TH JULY, 2022
TEXT: Zechariah 4:6-9
Let’s rise up together as we take our DECLARATION OF INCREASE in this Year of Increase:
Are you ready? Say with me:
I confess today that Jesus Christ is my LORD and Saviour. In Him I have life, His Abundant Life.
The Lord is my Light and Strength. As He is, so has He made me. By His Spirit I Increase in Word and in Wisdom. In Faith and in Favour.
The Lord has said: “In Blessing, I will bless you. In multiplying I will Multiply your Seed.”
So, I can boldly say: My God shall Increase me more and more. What I Place in God’s Hands grows into Overflow.
Though I begin small, my end shall Greatly Increase.
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In this Year of Increase, I grow in Grace and in Strength. To be all that God wants me to be.
In Jesus’ Name – AMEN!
I am teaching briefly today on Overcoming Mountains.
Any Part of your Life that has come to Stagnation, today we are going to Push it forward – Amen!
… And God is going to break every Limitations – Amen!
Zechariah 4:6-9
6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
7 ‘Who are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’”
8 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
9 “The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
Now, the Prophecy is given by Zechariah, to a man called Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel was one of the first Leaders of Israel; Particularly of Judah, who on returning from Captivity; after Seventy (70) years of Captivity, he led the Group that is going back.
His name (Zerubbabel) means, Son of Babylon. Basically it means, Born in Babylon. So, he is a Person who was born in Captivity.
He had not lived in Jerusalem before the Captivity – He was born into Captivity. But then, God gave them Freedom to return.
Their returning from Captivity, from Babylon and Assyria and Persia. And they are coming in to rebuild the Nation.
And Zerubbabel’s Group had a main Task – And their task is to rebuild the Temple.
When Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah, he destroyed the Temple and took away all the Sacred things in the Temple.
So, Zerubbabel and his People decided – “We are going to rebuild the Temple and we are going to build the City of Jerusalem.”
Now, you have to imagine – These are People who have come from Captivity. They are very Poor People, they don’t have anything and the Land has nothing.
They went to meet the People who were in the Land, called the Remnants – They didn’t go into Captivity, but they are worse than those who came.
Because for years, the Land has lied fallow, wasted! And so they tried to build something that is very difficult.
And Zerubbabel is assisted by the High Priest at that time – His name is Joshua.
But God also raised Prophets for Israel at that time, and one of them is Zechariah, whom we read about. The Other Prophet is the man called Haggai.
There are two (2) Prophets – Haggai and Zechariah, who are speaking into the Project. And then there is Zerubbabel and Joshua who are building the Project.
So, there is a Spiritual Declaration at the Top, and there is a Physical action by Zerubbabel down there.
The Project at this time has come to a halt, because they don’t have money, and People are opposing them – They don’t want the Temple to be built. Even some of their own People are against the rebuilding of the Temple.
I don’t know who is against what you are doing, but you will Push through – Amen!
Somebody say: You will Push through.
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It is at this Point that the Word of the Lord came to Zerubbabel – God spoke to Zerubbabel.
And there are Three (3) Components of the Word that I will just draw your attention to quickly, and then we will Pray:
Zechariah 4:6 says, So he answered and said to me: This is the Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. ‘Not by Might nor by Power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of Hosts.
1. ‘Not by Might nor by Power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of Hosts.
It’s not going to take your efforts, It’s not going to take your Physical Action. It’s not even going to take your Mental Ability.
… But this is the work of the Spirit of God.
I came to announce to somebody who is Struggling – You have come to the end and nothing is happening; you have Pushed hard, you have Struggled, you have Cried.
God says to you, this one: ‘Not by Might nor by Power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of Hosts.
The Spirit of God Executes the Word of God.
What God says by His Word, He achieves by His Spirit.
So, what God is saying to Zerubbabel – ‘There is no Physical Foce on Earth that can help you.’
There is nothing you can do Physically about this situation – You have come to the end of your Physical endeavour.
You have done all you can do Naturally, but this one is going to move – But it’s not going to be by Power or by Might, but by my Spirit.
There are things that our Power can move. There are things that our Might can move. And there are things that only the Spirit of God would move.
And this Morning, we are trusting that the things our Might and Power cannot move; the Holy would move out of the way – Amen.
Something is going to move in your Life – Amen!
So, that’s the first Word that comes to Zerubbabel – ‘Not by Might nor by Power, but by My Spirit,’
2. Then, a Second Word comes to him in Zechariah 4:7 – Who are you, O Great Mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a Plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, Grace to it!
… It’s a word of defiance.
Who are you, O Great Mountain?
They call the Problem a Mountain.
Why is it a Mountain? – Because it’s a “Big Obstruction”.
I don’t know what Mountain is Standing before you, but you are going to ask that Mountain a Question of Defiance – Who are you, O Great Mountain? Who are you, O Poverty? Who are you, this Sickness? Who are you, this Problem? Who do you think you are? When God speaks, who are you? When the Spirit of God is moving, who are you?
It’s a Question of Defiance.
DR. MENSA OTABIL
And then He says: Before Zerubbabel. Before this Returnee Refugees, this Mountain would become a Plain.
Before you, the Mountain will become a Plain – Amen.
Before your own eyes, you would see it – That which was a Mountain, that which stood tall, that which you couldn’t move with your own eyes:
… You would see it become a Plain – Amen!
That means the Mountain is going to move, the Problem is going to shift. And this Morning, we are going to trust God for Shifting of Problems.
And then He said: Zerubbabel shall bring forth the Capstone With shouts of “Grace, Grace to it!’
This is Zerubbabel who is stagnated, he can’t move. But the word to Zerubbabel is, you would bring forth the Capstone.
What is the Capstone?
The Capstone in those days is the “Final Stone” you Place on a Project to declare that the Project is completed.
So, when you finished the building, you go and bring the Capstone – You put the Capstone there, and everybody shout, “Yeaah it’s finished, Congratulations!”
The Prophecy says: Zerubbabel is going to bring the Capstone. And when he puts the Capstone on the Temple, the People shall shout Grace, Grace, to it!
… Favour, Favour, is what is going to bring the Capstone!
What God is saying to Zerubbabel – Now it’s Stagnated, but you will finish it – Amen!
3. The Third thing He said to Zerubbabel is in Zechariah 4:8-9 – Moreover the Word of the Lord came to me, saying: “The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the Foundation of this Temple; His hands shall also finish it.” Then you will know That the Lord of Hosts has sent Me to you.
The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the Foundation of this Temple; His hands shall also finish it.
The hands that laid the Foundation would also finish it – Amen.
These words were spoken to Zerubbabel by the same God we worship.
My name is not Zerubbabel: I am Mensa Otabil (We are The DMC FAMILY MEMBERS). But the God of Zerubbabel is my God – Amen!
The God who spoke to Zechariah is my God – Amen!
Although I am not Zerubbabel, I have his God. And He is a God who never Changes – What He did Yesterday, He can do Today. And what He does Today, He would do Tomorrow.
So, we connect to the God who spoke to Zerubbabel – Although we are not him; the God of Zerubbabel is still our God.
And this Morning or as you read now on the Label of DMC, this same God who spoke to a Refugee, Returnee; whose Project had come to a Standstill is speaking to somebody here and He is saying to you – ‘Not by Might nor by Power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of Hosts – Amen.
He says, this Mountain would be moved and become a Plain – Amen.
And He says to you – You will establish the Capstone over that Project – Amen.
And He says to you, the same hand that laid the Foundation, shall also accomplish – Amen.
This morning we want to activate our Faith. Because there are things in our lives that must be Completed. They must be done!
God spoke to you about it. You started it in Faith and the enemy has come against it.
But this Morning, the Mountain shall move, in the Name of Jesus – Amen!
… ‘Not by Might nor by Power, but by My Spirit,’
Lift up your hands to Heaven and begin to talk to the Holy Spirit – Talk to the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God who executes the Word of God.
You, Who takes the Word of God and executes it. Oh, You Wind of the Spirit; Oh Breath of God; Oh Fire of God – Move on behalf of Your People.
Oh talk to the Spirit – He is the Mover, He is the Shaker. The Holy Spirit is the One who moves and shakes situations.
This Morning, there is going to be a Moving; there is coming a Shaking!
Hey, it has been there for a long time, but it will move! It is moving, the Mountain is moving, in the Name of Jesus.
Who are you O Great Mountain? Who are you this Sickness? Who are you? Defy the Problem; don’t accept it. Don’t tolerate it!
Who are you?
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Talk to your Problem, talk to the situation – Who are you to defile the Spirit of God?
Push it!
Who are you? You have harassed the People of God for too long. You have stood in our way for too long. You have made us unhappy for too long. You have made us sad for too long.
Who are you, O Great Mountain? How dare you Stand before God? How dare you Stand before the People of God?
O yes, we defy the Mountain, we defy the Problem!
Pray! Don’t let it Stand before you.
CLOSING DECREES DR. MENSA OTABIL
… Lift up those hands to the Lord!
By every “Outstretched Arms”, representing People of God:
By your “Outstretched Arms” that represents your Faith, your endeavour, your Project, your Assignment.
By these hands, God will bring you Victory!
By these hands, the Lord will bring you Deliverance!
By these hands, you will accomplish what you started!
By these hands, you will not stop halfway! You will not be a disgrace, you will not be a reproach;
People will not say, ‘he started, and he didn’t end.’ But you will start and you will Perfect it!
You will start and you will Perfect it!
You will not go halfway, you will go through to the end, in the Name of Jesus!
In the Name of Jesus, I speak to your hands, I speak to your Life – Not by Might nor by Power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of Hosts.
This Mountain is out of the way!
The Capstone is set in Place!
By your hands, there is Victory!
In Jesus’ Name – Amen.
And if you truly believe that – You are going to Rejoice!!!!!