Gate Keepers by Pastor Jerry Eze: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

What Gates Mean in Scripture

In this service, I hope to make you realize that on the side of the kingdom, our activities and our lives are governed by, with, and in gates. This is not to say there is a metal that segregates things in the spirit. Rather, gates represent:

• Decisions
• Inflow of blessings
• Watchers and watchmen
• Enemies and invasion
• Positioning

The Bible says the husband of the virtuous woman will sit with the elders at the gate. That is to say, the success of the virtuous woman is linked to her husband because it is her husband who decides at the gate. When a man leaves the gates, the family is vulnerable and open to decay. Decisions are taken at the gate.

Our text is Luke 16:19-31 — the rich man and Lazarus. My focus is not on the rich man. I am speaking about the great guy called Lazarus. I am talking about the guy who made it to Abraham's bosom — the place we all desire to arrive. But I am also considering how Lazarus got there.

Develop Stature — Or Become Their Food

Lazarus was at the gate of the rich man. He was looking for food — even crumbs. But when he did not find food, he became food. The Bible says the dogs came and began to lick his sores. He became a source of food for the dogs because he himself had no food.

Gatekeeper — develop stature, otherwise you will become their food.

There are things lurking around that want to eat up your future. But you know what they are afraid of? They are afraid of what you take in.

The devil has never stopped wounding people. And one thing the devil wants to do is to make your wound exacerbate. One way to cure wounds in the spirit is by what you eat. It doesn't matter how or who wounded you — what matters is what you are taking in.

The major issue: I had no food. The dogs made me their food. I was not feeling right — depression made me their food. Anxiety made me their food. Lust made me their food. Delay made me their food.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. The word of God is spirit and life.

If a demonic spirit comes and is attracted to what you are eating, it does not know exactly what to do — but it will do what you have given it freedom to do. It will look around and say, "Ah, delay is missing. Sickness is missing." And it will go and bring all of them. This is why the Bible says when you cast out a demonic spirit, it wanders. And when it wants to come back, it does not come back alone — it brings back seven. I don't eat everything. I am protecting my space. There are things that must not invade me. For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. The Bible says neither give place to the devil.

Lazarus Was at the Gate — But His Desire Was Inside

Lazarus was at the gate. His desire was the crumbs from the rich man's table — which was inside the house. He was outside of the gate. His desire was inside the house. But the gate barricaded him from his desire.

Sons of God, if only desires were access to destiny — but they are not. The gates of life will lock you out. Where you are is not where your desire is. There are major gates that have locked your desire out.

If God could look at Cyrus — who was not a godly king — and call him "my anointed," and say he would subdue nations before him and open the two-levered gates — could it be possible that a great and effectual door is open to you right now, but there are adversaries at the gate?

Lord, any gates of hell barricating you from the place of your inheritance — at the sound of your amen, let it be broken. Let it be broken. Let the gates open for you.

Your desire is inside. He uses ignorance to lock you out. He uses offense to lock you out. He uses wickedness and evil machinations to lock you out. I cannot be at the gate, locked out, while my desire is beyond the gate. I will not die not seeing my desire.

Something Was Fundamentally Wrong with Lazarus

Lazarus was a wounded man at the gate. Destiny forbids wounds at the gates.

God has brought you from a mighty long way. Why are you staying wounded?

You can get wounded — but don't stay wounded.

It hurt me. It broke me. It shattered me. But there is one gift I will give myself — by all means, don't stay wounded.

Your wound is an invitation from hell. Your wound will degrade you. Your wound will make you heavenly conscious but earthly useless. Your wound will make you lose out in the plan of God for your life.

Some of you managed to get a quick fix for your wound, but you healed with a major scar. You appeared healed — everyone who looked said, "Ah, it has covered up." But if you press it, there is still pain. Don't be like those who flesh covered their wounds but know the wound has not healed. Dogs will be your friend.

Recovery time is small. You cannot afford to nurse a wound. Healing is not a natural occurrence — it is what you choose.

I have chosen to walk away from drama. I have chosen to close this chapter, never to remember it. Remember — your destiny forbids you from bleeding at the gate.

You can get wounded — but by all means, don't stay wounded. Your wound was only the opportunity for the Holy Ghost to come in and pour the oil and the wine. Nobody embraces you because you are an ambassador of a wound. The more people see your wound, the more they go away.

Maturity has taught me that even my most loved person can wound me tomorrow. And their wounding me does not mean they don't love me. I am a man on a mission. Throw out the wound. Stand up and fulfill destiny.

It Takes Aggression to Terminate Rejection

You must get to a point where you are angry in your spirit. You look at your life and say, "No. This life can be better than this. There is a greatness inside of me that is being restricted." You get angry and say: in the name of Jesus, anything restricting my life, my destiny, my advancement, my progression — it takes aggression to silence rejection. It takes aggression to terminate the yoke of rejection.

You say to yourself: in the name of the Lord Jesus, this must not continue. You power that fought me — you cannot fight my son, you cannot fight my daughter, you cannot fight those around me. I have come too far, but I refuse to allow this.

There are some people who are too calm for the next level. A man was praying when a demonic force blew into his room. It lifted up his bed. He said "In the name of Jesus" and the being left. But when it left, the Holy Spirit said to him: "Was your bed like this? Call back that force to put your bed the way they met it." You are a child of God with authority and dominion. That is what they call believer's authority. You are not created to survive — you are created to arrive.

Lord, I have come too far. I take authority over what has been done to me. Satan, you have gone too far. You will go no further.

Holy Spirit, rise up within me. I have chosen to heal. Healing is a choice. My mistakes do not define me. I have been forgiven. You can keep my history while I keep my redemption.