Topic: From Blessings to Curses
Text: John 15:12-18

A lot of things take place the moment a sinner surrenders his life to the Lord Jesus. One, he comes out of darkness and enters the glorious light of the gospel. Two, he comes out of curses into blessings. There, he quits the camp of the hopeless to the camp of those who possess lively hope. However, these and other benefits can be forfeited if the believer moves from Jerusalem to Jericho. When you are living in Jerusalem, you are living with the King of kings who can meet all your needs, according to Philippians 4:19. You cannot suffer poverty if you God is the richest one on earth, especially if you are His favourite. If you are sanctified and living with the King of kings, you will be free from danger because another name for your husband is SAFETY. Proverbs 21:31 says, “The horse is prepared against the day of battle; but safety is of the LORD”. In Isaiah 26:3, the bible sums it up this way: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee: Anyone who is sanctified and relies on the Almighty God for everything will be kept in perfect peace. Also, Isaiah 48:18 says, “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments then had they peace been as a river, and they righteousness as the waves of the sea.” God will give peace like a river if you are sanctified. Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be trouble, neither let it be afraid.” How can you be married to the Prince of Peace and lack peace? However, there are many ways our of Jerusalem. It is very easy to backslide. Let us now turn to Jericho. The first thing that strikes you about Jericho is curses. In Joshua 6:2-6, Joshua placed a curse on Jericho. The next thing that strikes you about Jericho is defeat. After the victory over the wall of Jericho, the next thing we hear in Joshua 7:2-6 is that the children of Israel committed a crime and they were soundly defeated in the next battle they faced. The next thing you think about Jericho is blind Bartimaeus on Jericho road. What you meet in Jericho is a poor beggar. In Jericho you find sickness, pain and disease. In Jericho you find poverty, but there is prosperity in Jerusalem, the city of peace.

Memory Verse: John 15:13 - “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”.