HOW TO AVOID PREMATURE DEATH

HOW TO AVOID PREMATURE DEATH

Scripture: Matthew 25:30

Topic: How to Avoid Premature Death

"And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 25:30

The expression “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is a little misunderstood by most of us. We often think it refers to Hell and Hades. However, the Bible does not explicitly say that the people it refers to will go to Hell. It says that they will weep and gnash their teeth in darkness. Weeping speaks of sorrow and of pain associated with funerals. This Scripture could be warning all who claim to be servants of God that failure to obey could cost them their very lives.

A Minister Must Obey the Voice of God to Avoid Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth. Kenneth Hagin, a great prophet I deeply respect, often spoke of how ministers die before their time because they do not obey the Lord concerning their ministry. He spoke of how he broke his arm and was admitted to the hospital. When the Lord Jesus appeared to him in the hospital, he discovered that his accident had occurred because he did not take an aspect of his ministry seriously.

Dear friend, doing the work of God is not a joke. It is not a game! People were made to experience weeping and gnashing of teeth because they were unprofitable. “Unprofitable” simply means “unbeneficial, running at a loss, unsuccessful and losing money (souls)”. When you are losing souls for the Lord, do not expect Him to be pleased with you. He may have to recall or replace you.

I remember a testimony given by the pastor of one of the world’s largest churches. He described how he was rummaging through some old pictures. He noticed a picture that was taken during his Bible school days. There were about fifty people in his class. As he mused over the picture, he realized that about forty-five of his classmates were dead. He then remembered that the five who were still alive, were the only ones who were serious about prayer during their Bible school days. He also realized that they were the only ones who took the ministry seriously after Bible school. Many of the others had taken to other professions. Dear friend, ministry is serious business. God does not take lightly the investment that He places in you. To whom much is given, much is required!

"…For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…"

Luke 12:48

If you desert the army during wartime, your punishment is often execution. Everyone who withholds his gifts and abilities in a time of war is cursed.

"Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood."

Jeremiah 48:10

The Young Prophet in 1 Kings 13 met his untimely death because of his failure to obey the voice of God.

"And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. And the man of God said unto the king, if thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest. So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel. Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father. And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah. And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon; And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am. Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread or drink water with thee in this place: For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back: And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD,

Foreasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him." 

1 Kings 13:1-26

A minister must obey the voice of God to avoid premature death. In this story, the Lord specifically told the prophet what to do. By obeying the voice of God this man of God became a worker of signs and wonders. He suddenly had a thriving ministry. Then here comes an old and backslidden man of God. Did you know that men of God can also backslide? Unfortunately, this younger prophet listened to another “voice”.

At a certain level of ministry, you may become confused by the different voices that are trying to guide you. Make sure that you stick with the Word of God. In the New Testament, Paul explicitly stated that people were sick and dead because they did not discern the Lord’s Body. Paul gave the reason for disease and death in the church.

"For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [dead]."

1 Corinthians 11:29,30

To discern the Lord’s Body means to realize or discern that you are dealing with the Lord’s Body. All the sheep and little lambs are the Lord’s Body. They are the ones He died for on the cross. If for instance, you knew that somebody’s finger was on the table, you would not strike it with a big hammer. You would not hit that finger because you know it is part of his body.

When you fail to realize that the church is Christ’s Body, you will get into trouble. Those sheep, those people, are the ones the Lord shed His blood for! They are His body! When you abandon them, it is like abandoning your mouth (a part of your body) by not brushing your teeth for months. You can imagine why the Lord gets mad at ministers who neglect His Body.

Excerpt from:

The Art of Hearing

Bishop Dag Heward-Mills