Sermon: It is your turn to laugh, by Gabriel Agbo

By Gabriel Agbo

“And Sarah declared, God has brought me laughter! All who hear about this will laugh with me. For who would have dreamed that I would ever have a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!” Genesis – 21:6-7

My dear you are going to have the last victorious laugh! Laughing can simply be described as showing joy, happiness, triumph. And it can also show contempt, scorn, ridicule or making fun of. In this message, we will attempt to show that one may go through very scorching trial, mockery and pain before receiving the promise or blessings of God. It is not all about what we are currently going through, but what God has for us in future. I have found out that most men and women of destiny usually go through a time of ridicule, pain, opposition, disappointments and battles before having their ultimate breakthrough. True. Have you also noticed that?

You can be ridiculed by men, by situations or by agents of Satan, well positioned to discourage you from moving forward and achieving God’s purpose and your vision. But you can also decide to ignore all these, press forward, achieve your goal and have the last laugh. Yes, you can! It will only take your having a close relationship with God, believing and holding tenaciously to all His promises, ignoring the mockers and continue to advance in hope. Yes, I am bringing in hope here because you cannot achieve your destiny in God without it.

Hope is the expectation that we will have what we desire. It is a very powerful tool to displace the enemy and also actualise your future. Faith is now, but hope is tomorrow. Faith gives substance to hope. It is faith (today) that carries your dreams (hope) into actualisation. When you stop hoping, you immediately start dying. We must at all times anticipate, expect that things will ultimately happen to our favour, and as the word of God promises us. This is just the secret of all that successful walked with God. They lived in hope.

Hope is not just spiritual, but also medicinal. It keeps you physically and mentally healthy. It keeps you going. It leads you into the ocean of ideas. It gives you strength even in the most trying moments. It keeps you alive when others are dying. When you stop hoping, you start sinking, you start dying. Yes, people die, kill themselves because the lost hope. Let’s always hope that tomorrow; the future will be to our favour. Let’s believe that we will eventually have the last laugh. Now, let’s go to the bible.

Sarah
Sarah had the problem of having children. Though she had a godly husband and a wonderful marriage, there was not fruit of the womb to show for the union. And this opened her up for mockery. Hagar; the maid she helped to make a co-wife despised and made fun of her. I pray that every situation that ridicules you will be turned into celebration from today, in the mighty name of Jesus – Amen! God bless you! We will continue next week, God bless you!

Rev. Gabriel Agbo is the author of the book Power of Midnight Prayer and a minister with the Assemblies of God.