Be Ye Holy As I Am Holy 2

[Singing and Music] [Speaker 1] Church fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness on Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 2] We thank our God again for today. We give Him glory, we give Him honor, we give Him praise, we appreciate Him for everything and for all that He is to us. We thank Him for how we are starting again today. Let’s just have a word of prayer. We are presently joining us online. We have been able to resolve some technical issues. Let's pray and let's go on today. Our Father, we are looking up to You. Our God, we bless Your holy name. We give You glory, we give You honor, we give You praise, we give You adoration. We appreciate You for who You are. We thank You for Your grace. We thank You for life. We thank You for the privilege of knowing You and making You known. We thank You as we fellowship together again. We connect with one another, O Lord, those who are listening and present. O Lord, God of our Father, Your Spirit will move again today in the name of Jesus. Amen. We pray that You will minister to each and every one of us so that we meet Your Word today in the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank You, eternal Father, for the host of Heaven, God, that is with us today in the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank You, blessed Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Yeah, we have been looking—we started a topic last week: "Be Ye Holy for I the Lord I Am Holy." And we took that topic from the book of 1 Peter 1:15-16 where the Bible made reference back to the scripture in Leviticus, that we should be holy because He is holy. That’s 1 Peter 1:15, "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct." And last week, we took the matter from 1 Peter 1:1. We were looking at trying to understand who really we are, what has the Lord done for us, what is reserved for us, what is ours in Christ, how we are not hopeless people, how we can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory in Christ, how we can have joy that is inexpressible, how we can also be aware, be settled in our minds that if need be for a while, we may have to go through some kinds of trials, some kind of suffering. That was last week. In this bit, our joy may be increased by various trials. And we want to move on from where we stopped last week. And before I do that, I should ask the house if anybody has anything you want to refer to from what we looked at last week. Anybody in the house wants to say something? Nobody in the house has something to say. So, let's go ahead. Now, we are looking at the matter of holiness. He says, "Be ye holy for I am holy. Be ye holy for I the Lord am holy." And we were raising a very fundamental issue last week, that the matter of being holy because the Lord is holy stems from one important foundation that we looked at last week: understanding that the inheritance of the believer, the reward of the believer, what God prepares for the believer is something that nothing material, nothing physical, nothing in the present state of life can be compared with it. That was our emphasis last week. There is nothing in the present state of life that can be compared with what is prepared for us. And I want to take the matter further today by looking at that same 1 Peter. Let's go back to that same 1 Peter 1. I want to take it from the verse 10 today. When he said in the verse 8, "whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls." It was now talking about the matter of this salvation in verse 10. 1 Peter 1:10-12: "Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to them, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into." Things which angels desire to look into. Now, I want you to look at a very, very important thing in this place. Last week, we made emphasis about our inheritance. What are the qualities of our inheritance? Number one: inheritance that is incorruptible. Number two: cannot be defiled. Number three: does not fade away. Number four: reserved for you. You see, that was the quality of what something has been kept for us. And something which has been kept for us is something which we must not for any reason do anything that will make us cross the borderline of compromising anything here for. Now, the Bible now says about these things that God reserved for us. I want you to look at the way the Bible puts it. He says, "Of this salvation," this thing that we got, this salvation, he says, "the prophets who prophesied were wondering what it's all about. And they were looking at the sufferings of Christ, the glory that would follow, what would come to us by the reason of this salvation." It now says that what will come to us by the reason of this salvation, what did the Bible say about angels? He said, "angels desire to look into this." Let me read for you another translation. It says, "It is also wonderful that even angels were eagerly watching these things happen." This thing that God prepared for us, this thing that God reserved for us, it is also wonderful that angels, they were looking at as, "Wow! You mean this thing is something this much?" Now, what I'm trying to say is that if you really understand what God has prepared in salvation, what God has reserved for us, you will see why it becomes completely impossible for you to live in any way that will not make you enter into the matter. Now, what I'm trying to say is that the matter that came up in 1 Peter 1:15 when he says, "Be ye holy because I am holy," that matter that came up, I'm trying to make you see what builds into that matter. What builds into that matter is that there's an inheritance for us. That inheritance for us is something that cannot be compared with anything that is here. That inheritance for us is something that angels themselves—it is something so wonderful that angels are looking into as, "Wow! You mean all this for man? You mean this is what God has prepared for man?" And ordinarily, when you look at it, brethren, let's look at it ordinarily. At creation, were we sons of God or creations of God? At creation, we were creations of God. We are not joint heirs; we were not heirs of God. We were not to inherit God. At creation, we were made in the image of God, but there is nothing like us being called sons and daughters of God. You remember that that is one major thing that made the Jews to kill Jesus, because He called God Father. It was with Jesus that we got a new revelation, that when you pray, say "Our Father." Nobody dared call God Father because when you say God is Father, by implication, that which is born of God is God. And that was the matter that the Jews struggled with Jesus, that joined with other matters that led to His crucifixion. Now, what I want you to see is that what salvation gave us is not what we were at creation. The benefit that we entered into by the reason of the sufferings of Christ and His resurrection, by the reason of coming into Christ, is something that could never have been ours. Now, the mystery of this thing is this. If somebody initially was privileged to enjoy 100,000, that was the initial privilege that the person was to enjoy. The person in that privilege misbehaved. As a result, that 100,000 was something that became what he was not privileged to have again. Now, if eventually you are now to reinstate that person, ordinarily, in reinstating that person, you'll be expecting that the person maybe this time, even if he gets that 100, it will be after some loss. Or the person gets less than it. But what happens, the mystery that angels are looking into is this: man misbehaved in a particular privilege. By the time Jesus began to restore him, what he got was no more 100,000. What he now got is a million naira. You why you pardon somebody, and in pardoning a rebellious person, in bringing the person, you now place the person on a higher cedar. Satan thought he did his worst, but his worst gave man a better lot. Now, that is exactly what Peter was trying to—was making emphasis. That is what he was trying to explain between verse 1 and verse 12. I believe I’ve been able to capture that properly now. That's what he was trying to explain, trying to explain what came to us. Now, the understanding of what came to us is what he will now take back to where we stopped our first meeting in January, the burdens for this year. I hope we still remember the burden for this year: a call to holiness, a call to live as those who have hope, a call to understand our conduct and live correctly. And then we mentioned something the first day. We said the church is at the position of Laodicean church. You remember? That where we are today is the Laodicean church. Now, this verse 12 where we've stopped, I want us to compare it with something in Revelation. Let's go to Revelation 3 from verse 14. "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked."'" Now, brethren, I want us to look very closely into this verse. We will be addressing the matter of lukewarmness, coldness later on as we go on through the year. All our topics will be coming around let us live as those who have hope, let us be sure to be righteous still and be holy still, let's avoid the other group that is filthy, that is unjust. There are just two groups. Let's keep maintaining where we belong. And if we're in the wrong group, let's cross to the right one. That is our focus this year. That's what we want to march with throughout this year. Now, brethren, I want us to look at this very closely. If a church says, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," what do you think is happened to this church? Materially speaking, they are comfortable. Is that not? They are comfortable. If they say, "I have become wealthy," what does that mean? They have progressed from one state of material condition to a better state of material condition. Now, if a church now says, "I have need of nothing," what does that mean? It means they have progressed so much materially that they have become saturated. They have become—yes, they've progressed so enormously. You now look everything on about you. You remember the way late this great businessman, Abiola, M.K.O. Abiola. You know, wealth grew to a point and he said it in Yoruba: "Ti agbanoba ba wo inu e, o ma ku si inu e ni." I don't know how to translate that thing in English. "I have grown so much in my wealth that if a devourer enters into the wealth, it will eat and eat and eat until it will be full, nothing will affect the wealth." But of course, we know what happened. What I'm only trying to bring out is that it takes somebody who has increased so enormously, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing." But at the same time, God is saying that you do not know that you are wretched, you are miserable, you are poor, you are blind, you are naked. What I'm trying to make us see, brethren, is where we are coming from, what Peter was trying to explain between verse 1 and verse 12. It means, brethren, that no matter how much a man is saturated with material wealth, no matter how much you are saturated with material wealth, no matter how much you are saturated with these earthly riches, as far as God is concerned, a rich person is not defined from that angle. He said, "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in fire that you may be rich." So, brethren, as far as God is concerned, where is riches defined from? It means, you see, what I'm trying to make us see is where we are coming from, what Peter was trying to say. It means, brethren, that no matter how much a man is saturated with material wealth, as far as God is concerned, if God wants to make us rich, how does God make us rich? What would be God's counsel for us? "Buy from Me gold refined in fire." So, brethren, as we look at this, I want us to compare this with Proverbs 8. Proverbs 8:1: "Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice?" Brethren, wherever you are connecting with us, can we just pray? Can you just pray a minute or two of prayer? Lord, in all, I will not be lacking in wisdom. I will not be lacking in understanding. I will not come behind in wisdom. I will not come behind in understanding. Lord, as I march through 2023, in all that we'll be going through this year as the people of God, as a church, I pray for myself. I ask, O God, I will not be lacking in wisdom. I will not come behind in understanding. I will be at the cutting edge of wisdom. I will be at the cutting edge of understanding. I will be at the cutting edge, the leading edge, that edge of wisdom, that edge of understanding. I will not be behind. I will not be behind in the name of Jesus. Thank You, blessed Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. "Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice? She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, beside the way where the paths meet." Wisdom cries out, understanding lifts her voice. She stands at a point talking from a height where people ordinarily should hear. And she's speaking at where? At the way where the paths meet. What does that translate to me? At the junctions where it divides. Is that not? We have been talking about two categories of people. Which direction are you turning into? Now, she cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entrance of the doors. "To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men. O you simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart. Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, and from the opening of my lips will come right things. For my mouth will speak truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips." And that’s why I was telling somebody, if you want to know the worth of a man, you measure it by the sincerity of his tongue. One way to know the worth of a man, the sincerity of the tongue. He says, "For my mouth speaks truth, wickedness is an abomination to my lips." When a mouth doesn't speak truth, when wickedness is not an abomination, that is deceit. That man doesn't have a word. All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them. They are all plain to him who understands. The way of truth is plain to those who understand and right to those who find knowledge. May we find knowledge in Jesus' name. Please look at what follows in verse 10: "Receive my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot be compared with her. I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me." Now, look at what it now says in verse 18: "Riches and honor are with me." So, it means there are riches and honor that are different from the first one it was talking about. He said, "Choose me, not silver." He said, "Choose me rather than gold. I have more worth than rubies." Now, he's now telling us again that riches and honor are with me. So, it tells you that in that path of wisdom and understanding, there's another kind of riches, there's another kind of honor. This is the one that is refined with fire. He says, "Enduring riches and righteousness." So, there are riches that endure. My point in Revelation is what I'm trying to talk about. Now, the point I am making is this, please. Look at verse 19: "My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver." So, that tells you that when a man departs from the path of wisdom and understanding, no matter what he accumulates and puts together, all of those things that he puts together, they actually amount to nothing because they are not riches that endure. But you know my concern about the church at Laodicea because that is where we are. dispensationally, the church today is at the point of the Laodicean church. Please, what is that signaling to us as believers as we go through 2023? It means that let us be on our guard. Let us be vigilant and be alert. We are in a situation today where people are not realizing what they ought to give attention to as against what they are giving attention to. The church said, "I have need of nothing," whereas that church has great need of something. What I'm trying to make you see is that we're at a time today where there is a lot of misconception. We are at a time today where people are placing so much value on what they should place lesser value on. When we say that we're at the time of the Laodicean church, we are at a time where people are self-deceived, and unfortunately, they are not knowing it. That was the state of that church. And that same deception has to do with profanity. He says, "none of us should be profane, none of us should be a person like Esau." None of us should be a profane person like Esau, who for a morsel of bread threw away his birthright. So, the problem was not the morsel. The problem was that he threw birthright away. Are you getting the point I'm making? That's what we're trying to say. The problem is not like, "Ah, you are being carnal, you are talking about marriage. You are being carnal, you are talking about you want to make some more money. You are being carnal, you are talking about business." That is not where carnality is. Are you—whether my point is clear? Where carnality is, the matter we are addressing, the matter we are addressing is that inability to reconcile that we—something has been prepared for us. We don't belong to this place. We have something—angels are envying us. Angels are envying us because we are saved people. There is something about us. If we don't have money here, we don't have riches here, we don't have any of these things, we are not hopeless people. We are people full of hope because what the Lord actually said about us—He said, "Give us this day our daily bread." He didn't ever assure that we will accumulate riches. He never assured that. And that is why I tell myself over and over and over and over again, even though I learned that song, a Yoruba song, many, many years ago when I was still in secondary school. The joy of salvation is my joy. Jesus is my joy. The money I have cannot give me joy. The house I built cannot give me joy. The children I bore are not the source of my joy in this life. Jesus is my joy. I learned that song when I was in secondary school. But you know as I grew up and we began to attain certain things in life, I keep remembering that once the source of a man's joy is in these things, that man is dead. Brethren, I want to show you something that you will see that walking with God brings a man to a state of non-attachment to earthly wealth even when he has them in abundance. Look at the walk between Job and God. He was the richest in the land. A rich man, there was none like him in the land of the East. But did you notice, when all those things were separated from him, he was still standing. Did you notice that the wife was not in that same standing with him? The wife said all was gone because those things were gone. And he told her, "Why do you speak like one of those foolish women?" It means if you think all is gone because those things are gone, you are foolish. Now, I'm addressing the matter of the Laodicean church in terms of being holy. And I'm addressing holiness—what am I addressing? It's that brethren, what is in your heart about life today? The first matter God is addressing with us in this year is the issue of your mindset, your value system. Where are you laying your treasure? What do you count as richer? Do you understand that your salvation, do you understand that your redemption, do you understand that you are not redeemed with silver and with gold? What was used to purchase your salvation is not dollars and pounds. So, dollars and pounds cannot make you lose salvation. I'm not talking about naira because naira is virtually dead. Everybody talking about dollars and pounds now. I wanted to make a payment the other time, said I cannot use my naira card. Normally, I use my naira card to do all international payment. And then by the time I make consultation, they said I have to go and get a dollar card. Normally, when you use the naira card to do international payment, there is a conversion like it’s official for you. So, for example, if you are to pay $99 with your naira card, you will be paying about 51,000 naira because the rate will not be the black market rate. But if you use the dollar card, you have to go and get about 73,000 naira. It will be at the current market because to fund the dollar account, you can only get it from the black market. So, you put the dollar there, it'll be changing at 73 naira. So, they're trying to stop Nigerians from using naira card to do international payment. So, each time I wanted to pay for the newsletter for the ministry, I couldn't pay it. I had to let Emmanuel pay it from the US. And then we'll now send equivalent of black market rate in naira. What am I trying to bring out? Why am I saying this? Naira is losing its value. People are talking about dollars, people are talking about pounds. And that is why getting out, somebody said, "Look, if you can just—look, the goal now is just to have either your son or your daughter or your wife or your husband, once someone should just be there bringing in the dollars. Once you have done that, that is what you live now." You know, there's nothing wrong about making plans, please understand me. What we are—that's why I keep explaining things very clear. I'm talking about priorities. I'm talking about value system. I'm talking about let us be sure that we don't become profane in our thinking. Are you—whether my point is clear? It's not about not making plans, but about not becoming profane in our thinking. What the Bible is trying to make us see in 1 Peter and Revelation is that look, let us be careful who we are and what we are by the reason of our salvation is far, far, far, far above anything material. Such that if only all that God is doing for you is to meet your daily need, Paul said in 1 Timothy, he said, "Having food and raiment, let us be content." For those that desire to be rich—there's nothing wrong in being rich. But there's a problem when becoming rich becomes a primary value, becomes a primary pursuit. He said they fall into diverse temptations. But you know one thing I discover, I was telling some young men that the Bible said something. The Bible said, "The blessings of the Lord maketh rich." The blessings of the Lord maketh rich. I said instead of seeking to be rich, why not seek to be blessed? Because if you are blessed, blessing will make you rich. But you may be rich and not be blessed. Is my point very clear? The Bible is saying once redeemed us, what brought us to this point that we are, let us be mindful of who we are, the value upon our life, the place that we are going to, let them be so conscious of them that we don't live as men that does not have hope. There are way men who don't have hope, who all their hope is in this life, there is a way they live. Have I mentioned it here before? I went somewhere around Oshile in Akure. I walked down then and I saw one big mansion. I mean a very—if you see, I don't know what—it's about four plots of land bought together with massive buildings all inside, but it now looks as if nobody is there or something. So, the person that we were walking together, so my tailor, we were just talking, the person who lives around that place, I went to call him for one of the job that we needed to do. So, he just said, "Ah, Daddy, long story." I said, "Eh?" He said, "What happened?" He said, "The owner of the something is dead." I said, "Eh?" I said, "Okay." He said, "He’s just about 40 years old." I said, "Ah." I said, "So, what is the story?" The boy wanted to do some charm and juju, and eventually they discovered it every year later. He was told that if he must be that rich, then he will not go above 40. And then he answered that, "Look, what is death? All I want, just give me the riches. Even if for a while, let me enjoy it. Let me just have it. Let everybody know that I was a rich man." So, he was made to be that rich within a short time. But he cannot go beyond 40. So, my question now is that everything that is there, what happens to it? When a young man desires riches so much that he just want the riches even if just for a while, "Let me just be the rich man. Let everyone know that I was a rich man." So, he died just as he was about 40 according to the stipulation of the requirement or the condition for becoming rich. Are you getting what I want to bring out? Let us not become profane. Let us not become profane in our thinking. That is why you notice the Lord is telling this church that men who think the way you think, they are miserable. They are blind. They are wretched. Men who cannot see beyond the things of this life, men who only in this world is their hope. As Paul made a statement close to that, he said if in this world we have hope, then of all men—it's coming again on another way from the word of Paul. Of all men, we are most miserable. If only in this world, that is where the hope is. Then of all men, we are most miserable. And that is what they are telling the Laodicean church. And it's about a mindset. It's about a thinking today. You see how people are—he's saying that look, whatever happens, let it happen to the family, let me first make the money first. Whatever happens to the family, let it happen to the family. Let me make the money first. Now, listen. And it is on that, that—look at how—please, I'm going back to that Peter. Let's go back to that Peter, 1 Peter 1. So, what is the warning from Apostle Peter? He says, "Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Please, can we try some other translation? 1 Peter 1:13 Amplified. So, because of all of these things that we have been discussing, "Gird up your mind, be sober, and circumspect." What is another word for circumspect? Morally alert. Circumspect, morally alert. "Set your hope wholly and unchangeably." Now, please, when he says "wholly," what does that mean? Set your hope completely, wholly, Amplified, unchangeably on the grace, the divine favor that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed in you. Please, brethren, what is he teaching us in this place? Where should we rest our hope? Is it part of the hope? Is it most of the hope? He says wholly, completely. Then she used another word again. After that "completely," there was something like "changing" or something. Unchangeably. Have you seen it? Don't be given to change. Don't allow anything to change your mind. Unchangeably, a lot of things are here to make us change. A lot of things are presenting themselves today. They are presenting themselves the way Satan was presenting that fruit to Eve. A fruit that God had said, "Don't eat; the day you eat, you will die." It was presented and presented, and then she said this thing looks like what would make one wise and is good for food. What had always been a symbol of death to her became a symbol of what is good for food and to make one wise. He says, "Look, unchangeably." There are a lot of attractions today, but brethren, they are distractions. There are a lot of thing that look like appointments today, but brethren, they will become disappointment. There are a lot of things that are looking like, "Wow, it is making it," but you're not making it. You are losing it. He says, "Let us rest fully, please." You know one problem: once you don't make it fully and unchangeably on that hope, if you allow any little—that small little thing. Somebody made a statement; it's very consistent. I want to—somebody made a statement who will take it from that bath when we come again next Monday. Somebody made a statement. He said the strength of a chain is defined by its weakest point. The strength of a chain, something that you join, join, join, join, join, join, is defined by the weakest point. Because by the time you begin to pull that chain, pull that chain, it is where it is weakest that's where it will cut. So, you don't define the strength of the chain by the strongest point. Are you understanding what we are trying to say? We define it by what? By the weakest point. What are we trying to say, brethren, from what we've just said? Be careful. It is those small, small areas that you leave. It is those small, small areas that you don't tie. Be careful about the little forces, the little, little forces that will spoil the vine. Be on your guard about the little forces. The strength of your life is defined by the weakest point. The weakest point. Let us look up unto You, and we will no longer be ashamed. As we look up unto You, that we will no longer be ashamed in the name of Jesus. Grace we ask for, Lord, that we will grow in this grace of holiness, of righteousness, all the days of our life. And that when the trumpet will sound, we will be part of those that will be rejoicing that at last we made it. Thank You, precious Daddy. And we pray for Your son that You continue to help him to grow in grace, to grow in strength, to grow in revelation, to grow in depth, and to grow in mystery in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You, precious Daddy. As we go this week, Lord, You will go with us. We will return next week with testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You, precious Daddy. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen. Let's together share the grace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen. This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in reaching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development, and mission aid. Our regular activities are: Discipleship class every Monday 5:00 PM, adolescents and singles club every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, marriage forum second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, family life seminars, regular school outreaches, and everyday counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location, Life Camp by the First Bridge, Oloke Community, opposite Rejoice filling station along Ije road, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles, familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all.