OVERFLOWING GREATNESS (I) by Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Text: Genesis 15:15-20 

I want to talk on the fact that Greatness can be in degrees. For example, like one of my sons mentioned; the Local Government (County) Chairman is a great man in his local government, the governor is a great man in his state, the president is a great man in his nation, but when presidents meet some presidents are more equal than others. You may not believe this but we have The Redeemed Christian Church of God in all manners of countries, including a country where they have twenty (20) police men and five (5) prisoners. And the prisoners are allowed to go home on weekends. That will tell you how big that prison must be, but the country has a president and the president is recognize by the united nation. So greatness is in degrees!

1. NOTHING

Degrees number one will be those you considered insignificant or those who could be called NOTHING. In I King 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. There was a man mentioned there called Elijah, the Bible says Elijah the Tishbite of the inhabitant of Gilead, they did not mention his father’s name. Among the Jews for you to be mentioned and your father’s name omitted it’s a way of saying you are nothing. However when the Almighty God takes nothing, He can change it to something. He can pick somebody like Elijah who was considered as nothing and turn him to somebody who can call down fire from heaven. When we talk about insignificant; I just tell you a story, I heard the story I don’t know whether it’s true or not. A sister in search of a husband; prayed to God; God, just send me someone anyone, and she finished praying. Not long after that a brother in the church came to her and said “thus said the Lord, you are the one I am going to marry”. The sister said “Oh God, I said someone, not something” am sure that explains what am talking about.

But if there is anyone here today who could be regarded as something not someone, my Father will intervene on your behalf in Jesus name.

2. NEXT TO NOTHING

The next degree of greatness is what you could call NEXT TO NOTHING. You are not absolutely nothing but they are not too far from next to nothing. You see a good example in Mark 10:46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. It tells us about Bartimaeus the beggar. But they mentioned the name of his father; Bartimeaus the son of Timeaus. He was a beggar, poor, wretched and blind, but at least he came from a home that is regarded as something. So he was next to nothing, but of cause you know by the time the Almighty God finished with him, he became a center of attraction. So, when you put something that is next to nothing to the hands of the Almighty God, He can make something out of nothing.

And if there is anyone here tonight that could be regarded as next to nothing, before the sun rises my Father will change you to something in Jesus name.

3. A LITTLE

Category three is A LITTLE in 1 Samuel 9:21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?, we hear a man talking; his name is Saul, He said; I am a Benjamite of the smallest tribe in Israel and my family is the least of all families in Benjamin. Everything about him is little; little family, in a little tribe, in a little nation. But by the time the Almighty God has poured His oil on him, the one who was little became a king.

And I am prophesying to someone here today too, right now you might be little but before you die the world will hear about you.

4. GREAT

Category four is GREAT in Genesis 24:34-35. Someone was speaking and he said I am Abraham servant; and the Lord has blessed my master greatly. Abraham was great but how did he become great? Like one of my children said, greatness comes only from God. It is by divine choice (Genesis 12:1-3). God just decided of all the families around in the land where Abraham was, He just said I choose this one; I am going to make this one great. Psalm 115:3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Says our God is in the heaven, He does as He pleases. He can choose anyone and make Him great.

I have a feeling that He is already looking in this crowd for someone that he will chose.

5. VERY GREAT

Category five is VERY GREAT. We see that example in Isaac. Genesis 26:1 -13. He sowed in the time of famine and he became very great, but we can look at Isaac to discover the secret of his becoming very great and we will find out that is it rooted in Genesis 22:1-18. When God said to Abraham, I want you to go and sacrifice your son, your only son Isaac which thou loveth. Isaac was a first fruit sacrifice. He was a young man who was hundred percent submissive to his father. He was a son who made even a greater sacrifice than his father, because when God told Abraham to go and sacrifice Isaac; it is easy to go and kill somebody else, it is more difficult if you are the one to be killed as a sacrifice. Isaac made a greater sacrifice than his father and he became greater than his father. One of my sons says you start where your father ends, beautiful definition! 

However, I hope you understand the full meaning of that; it means if the sacrifice of your father is great, your own sacrifice must be greater. Glory be to God. And I know a man that could be called very great at least from the perspective of financial blessings. The mother was a great woman; she was the leader of the market women in a particular town. But the boy happen to be the only son; built on the wealth of the mother and I mean he built, he worked hard, he wasn’t a spoilt brat, he did everything, he did much, much more than his mother did and he became so rich that by the time of his death in faraway Australia, he had at least 56 million dollars in the bank there, not to talk of London or America.

I have told you about him before, he was the man who was driving in Yaba some time and his car tire was flat and while the driver was trying to change the tire, he went for a little stroll and then saw the branch of a bank and said I remember this branch, I kept some money here about ten years ago. So he went in and said, “I want to see the manager” and they say “the manager is not in” but the cashier said “can I help you?” he said “I kept some money here ten years ago, I want to find out how much interest has accrued”, the cashier said“sir, how long ago?”, he said “ten years ago”, and how much is the money? He said “eight million pounds sterling”. Now the man who can forget 8 million pounds sterling for ten years, I think you have a rough idea of what we are talking about.

I am here prophesying to someone, I am not saying you will forget your money, but I am prophesying to someone that a day will come in your life, if you withdraw your money from a branch of a bank, that branch will close down.

The Lord said there is someone here tonight, he said those who called you the backward one, will soon call you the foremost one.