Be Ye Holy for I Am Holy (5)

[Speaker 1] For our discipleship class, we bless His holy name for His mercies. We bless His holy name for His goodness, His grace, and His favor. We have been looking at "Be ye holy for I the Lord I am holy." We started this series about four Mondays ago, and last week, like a sub-theme under "Be ye holy for I am holy," we began to look at God's Dynamics of Holiness. So, "Be ye holy for I am holy 5," but our focus under this is God's Dynamics of Holiness. And in looking at that, we went to Leviticus 19 where, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Apostle Peter quoted from when he said, "For as it is written, you shall be holy for I the Lord your God is holy." So, we came to Leviticus to begin to look at what exactly are the things that heaven puts together that relates to the matter of holiness. And please don't forget that when we're talking about holiness, we're not talking about our position in Christ. Positionally in Christ, we are righteous. That cannot be debated. Righteousness is on the basis of the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nobody can ever be acceptable or righteous before God if that person is not born of God by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit through what Jesus did for us on the cross. So, when we address the matter of holiness, we're not addressing the position that God gave us in Jesus, where we become the righteousness of God in Christ. We're talking about the conduct that befits those who have been made right with Christ. So, there is a conduct. That righteousness in Jesus should produce a way of life, a conduct. It is this conduct that the Bible, using different wordings, different semantics, different expressions, is what the Bible refers to when the Bible is talking about holiness. So, holiness is about conduct. What are the things that come into this conduct? And last week we looked at in God's Dynamics of Holiness, whatsoever is not proceeding from within the family is not genuine. We said the home comes before the assembly of God's people. It comes before the church. So, when you look at the home and children don't honor parents, they cannot gather in church and be described as good Christians. No, they are bad ones. When a man is not faithful or true to his wife, whatever he's doing in church, it may look pious and godly, but the truth about it is that it's an ungodly person. The same thing also goes for the wife. Like that, we were able to see that holiness is something that God sees as a matter of the family being the primary place from which conduct should manifest. If it is not shining forth from the home front, then whatsoever is shining forth can never be genuine. If your immediate neighbors don't see you as godly, if in your conduct they can see unrighteousness, they can see ungodliness, they can see untruthfulness, they can see lack of transparency, you can't enter church and say you're a godly person. The same thing if your colleagues in the office know all your sharp practices. They know how you tell lies to get your promotion. They know how you steal government money. If in that immediate environment godliness cannot be seen, whatsoever is inside the church is fake. That was our emphasis, that was our focus, that was the thrust of the matter last week. Today as we proceed, let us have a word of prayer. Everlasting Father, we thank You again as we fellowship together as brethren. As we look into scriptures, as we seek to learn from Your word, our God, we pray. Lord, teach us Your ways. Instruct us in the path of life. Cause oh Lord that we may walk in the path of truth in the name of Jesus Christ. The Bible says the way that leads to destruction is wide. Broad is the gate, wide is the way that leads to destruction. Many walk in it because narrow is the gate and very straight is the way that leads to life. Only few find it. Lord, may we find life in the name of Jesus. Thank You, eternal Father. Let Your mercies avail for us as we fellowship together again this evening. We connect oh Lord with our brethren who are joining us on Telegram, our brethren joining us on Mixlr. Lord, work in the midst of all of us this evening in the name of Jesus. Thank You, eternal Father. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. So, we will move on from where we left the matter last week. We have seen Leviticus—that's our text of study. Leviticus 19. We have seen verse 2 and 3. "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Everyone shall revere his mother and his father and keep my Sabbaths, for I am the Lord your God." And then we move on today to verse 4. Verse 4, we proceed again from verse 4. Let's see how far we can travel, whether we'll be able to go more and more and more down that scripture. We are just looking at this chapter. It's actually the chapter that explains God's dynamics of holiness. Now, having told them that they should be holy because He's holy, what is the next thing that comes in the matter of God's holiness? Verse 4. "Do not turn to idols nor make for yourselves molded gods. I am the Lord your God." Now, the matter again that comes into conduct is the matter of idols. And I want us to look at this matter. Of course, from the Old Testament point of view, when the Bible talked about idols, the immediate reference is to some images—images that represent different gods. Either for Chemosh or for Asherah or for Baal, like that. Different symbols of these gods. When they turn to these idols, they are actually turning to other gods. And so, for God's people to be holy, in their conduct, God is saying that they shouldn't turn to idols. So, ordinarily, when we look at idols from the Old Testament point of view, we are talking about other things that the people ordinarily worship. Other things that become the object of worship. Now, when something becomes the object of worship, ordinarily, it means it becomes the object of faith and trust. That is, you have to trust in something. Let's take a good example of they turning to Baals or they are turning to Chemosh, the gods of fertility. They turn to these gods because they trusted in those gods to produce fertility. And when they turn to worship gods that will make rain to fall, in their mindset, their trust is that if they don't worship this particular thing, rain will not fall in due season. Now, so, when we're talking about idols actually, we're talking about something you prefer to trust in. Something you believe that if I give this thing my attention, it will make this certain thing possible for me. So, the reason why the Israelites turned to several gods is because they shifted their trust from the Lord. They could not trust the Lord, for example, to make them fertile. So, they turn to some other gods because they believed those ones could produce the fertility. They turn to the one for rain, the one for good harvest—they begin to turn to all of these things because of assurance that, yes, this thing will make it better. So that what I'm trying to draw your attention to is that when we're looking at holiness, the conduct of people, and we're talking about don't turn to idols, what we are actually trying to say is that it is important for those who worship God not to put their trust in any other thing except the Lord. I'm trying to make you understand what an idol would be. And the way I would like to look at this thing first and foremost, even though there are so many other ways to look at it, I would like to look at it from something that the apostles make reference to very categorically. Because somehow, this categorical reference about idol worship has become a central issue in today's Christianity. Look at how the apostles put the matter of idol worship in the New Testament. We're talking about our conduct. We should not turn. We should not trust in any other. There should not be something else to trust in, in the way we conduct ourselves apart from the Lord. Look at—let's look at Ephesians, the book of Ephesians, Ephesians 5. I want us to look at something there and then we will now relate it to something in Galatians just to make something clear for us. Now, in Ephesians 5, you will notice the same thing again that we are seeing in Leviticus 19. He says in verse 1—is actually a conclusion of the chapter 4 when he said, "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children." He's concluding something in 4. What he was concluding in 4 is something that also has to do with conduct. But we will come back to all of that later because we are still coming to these things as we go further and further in the book of Leviticus. But let's look at the chapter 5. "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." Now, verse 3. "But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as it is fitting for the saints." Please note something. There is something that should not be named among us. Let me take that in the NIV translation. "But among you there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed." Greed. What King James called "covetousness" is what NIV called "greed." My concern is about this word "greed." Adaniko jokan, imotara eni nikan. There should not be a hint of greed because these are improper for God's holy people. So, because God is holy, we are to imitate God. In our conduct, there should not be anything like greed. I don't want to emphasize today on sexual immorality, that's not where I'm going because I'm coming from a matter of idol worship in Leviticus. What I want to expand here is the matter of greed. I want to make you see something between greed and idol worship. He says, "Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." Now, he now came back to the matter that was raised in verse 3 when he gets to verse 5. Verse 5 is not itemizing new sets of unholy conduct, but emphasizing something about holy conduct that has been mentioned in verse 3. When he got to verse 5, he now drew in, he dovetailed by emphasizing: "For this you know." And honestly, it appears to me that many people today who call themselves believers don't know. Maybe they only think, or maybe they feel. It has not come to a knowing. And that is why personally, I normally say this: I don't believe, or I have this impression, this very strong impression, that we don't know as much as we ought to know in respect of the Lord's attitude towards the matter of hell. If we know, many of us would not be behaving the way we behave today. Although that's not my focus. But I'm talking about conduct. If we really know certain things, I still feel that this knowing here is not just the head knowledge knowing. I don't think it's that head knowledge knowing. It is a knowing that is an experiential knowing. A revelational knowing. Something that is a product of deep insight into God. He says, "For this you know that no fornicator"—no fornicator—the reason why it was mentioned in the first place is that "for this you know that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man." Now, he now refers back again to that covetousness. That is what is important to me. "No covetous man," King James says, "who is an idolater." Is anybody having NLT? NLT, if you are to read, you use the mic because of the brethren online. [Speaker 2] Ephesians 5:5. "You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the kingdom of God and of Christ and of God." Okay, it did not emphasize that greed in another way. "For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world." [Speaker 1] Are you getting the point? Are you getting the point where we are going? For a greedy person is actually an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Is there another translation that we can find? Amplified. "For be sure of this: no immoral, impure, or greedy person—for that one is in effect an idolater"—oh, that one is in effect an idolater—"has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." For such a person places a higher value on something other than God. You get the point I'm making? So, if you want to understand an idolater in our own time, who is an idolater? Who is an idol worshiper in our own time? Anybody who is covetous or anybody who is greedy. So, the point I'm trying to bring out is that, faith, practically speaking, covetousness is turning to other gods. Covetousness is actually a turn to other gods. Greediness, greed. And it is so important to see this in our life as believers. So that in handling the matter of covetousness, I want us to see that in handling the matter of "Do not turn to idols or any molten image," I want you to understand that in the New Testament, one thing that is a display of lack of proper conduct in holiness is covetousness. When you are covetous, when you are covetous, and I try to look further and around that matter of covetousness, something that was worth looking at, studying, and learning so much from, when we talk about being covetous. When someone is covetous. So, we need to check our life. We need to look inward. We need to be sure that we are not covetous. Now, if you look at the English dictionary for covetousness, it says: "inordinately desirous, excessively eager to obtain and possess, especially money." The reason why I'm saying that it is becoming something very serious in our time, covetousness most of the time, as the word of God is going to show you in scripture, relates to two things more than any other thing. You know those two things? Money and property. Money and property. The dictionary says "especially money." You know where I got that of property? Was when a young man spoke to Jesus and he said: "Tell my brother that he should give me my own share of the property." Of course, whether their father left that property for them I don't know. And Jesus said, "Who made me a judge over you people?" Then he said, "Take heed and beware of covetousness." Now, the reason why I'm bringing this matter out for us in that of our conduct is that today money and material things have become so much the concern, so much the pursuit that many times we don't see that these things, these things relate to being an idol worshiper. We don't see that it relates to idol worship. It relates to being an idolatrous person. And so, it becomes important. My concern today, you will see is that, let us as believers take heed and beware of these things. I will quote more scriptures about this matter and then we will move on. I want us to see 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy 3. We read this scripture last week, but I just want to emphasize something. I want us to see chapter 3 verse 3. Actually, he was talking about the qualification of a bishop. A bishop must be blameless, husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable. When you get to verse 3, New King James—I would like us to also see others—I will read New King James and NIV. He says "not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money." Not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous. You see the matter of this greed? I take it again from NIV. NIV says, "not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money." You will see that this thing comes out in different ways to us in the New Testament. Then looking at the word of our Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew 6. Matthew 6. Bringing something together there. It says from verse 24—you see the matter of mammon coming again. "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate one, and love the other; or else he will be loyal to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." What is this scripture telling us? What is it talking about in respect of where we are coming from in Leviticus? Is the matter not clear yet? Ma? You cannot serve God and—what is the idol here? Mammon. Money. Which means anybody who loves money cannot love God. Because the master places it here as "you can't serve two masters." You can see how the matter of money is personalized as if as a kind of entity, a personality. You cannot serve two masters. So, he's looking at money as a master and God as a master. You can see Jesus bringing personality into money. That money is actually a person that is a master, that wants to dominate and control, that wants people to trust in him and follow him, just the way God wants people to trust in God and follow God. That is the point I'm making. The reason why I'm concerned about—there are different ways to look at idol worship actually. But the reason why I'm particular about money is what money is causing today in our society. I don't know whether you follow the media this morning. As if the media knew that—that was on the radio. As if they knew that this is what I want to discuss this evening. I was—was it Biola Kayode on the media and they said that a General Overseer was arrested by DSS. By the time they began to trace the matter, it was in connection with making all kinds of ritual for a young man, helping, giving the young man different kinds of hard drugs. The drugs were placed inside palm oil and it was supposed to be transported to United Arab Emirates. So, they did all kinds of ritual so that the young man will not be caught. The young man said they use fowl, they kill the fowl, they give everything to make the sacrifice, so they did other things inside the church so that the business transaction will be successful. Now, what am I trying to bring out? You will say yes, there are both false prophets and there are true prophets, that is true. But what is making this prophet a false prophet? Is it not the love of money? What I'm trying to say is that money is making many who are supposed to turn to God turn the other way. That's the point I just want to draw out. That money is causing—what the emphasis God is making in that place is that, it is possible that in your conduct instead of turning to God, money can make you turn to it. Money can make you misbehave. Money can make you turn. And my concern about money today is what money is causing. He says "you cannot serve God and money." He said "Therefore"—what is the underlining thing about this thing? Why is money becoming a master? Look at the underlining thing. It's a situation that we are facing today, very real for us today, advice for us today: "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life." The reason why money becomes a master is the anxiety about life. "Do not worry about your life." Ki la ma je? Ki la ma mu? The reason why money becomes a master is the anxiety about life. "Do not worry about your life. Ah, by the time I retire, what will happen? By the time I am 45 and I have not gotten this, how will my life look like? By the time I am this and I am not this. Ah, I learnt in one business seminar that if life don't begin at 40, life can never begin again. There was one seminar that if at 25 you are not already catching one million, then you cannot—" You know, people begin to run here and there, worrying about their life. Do you know that they said if by 50 you have not broken even, then you can never break even in life because at that time your strength had begun to reduce, biologically, women will have passed menopause. All kinds of analysis today. And you will see men running here and there about their life. Please, if you must—if you will not turn to idols, please, what is the first admonition in our conduct? What is the first admonition in our conduct? Do not worry about what? About your life. It is easier said than done, brethren. Do not worry about your life. What—he begins to itemize life: comma, what you will eat, what you will drink about your body, what you will put on. Look at what the master said. And I want to leave you thinking, brethren, about this matter. He says, "Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" Life is more than food. Body is more than clothing. There is more to life than food. There is more to life than clothing. He said, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than these? Which of you by worrying can add a cubit to his stature? So, why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory is not arrayed like one of these. Now, if God so clothe the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, o you of little faith? Therefore, do not worry saying: what shall we eat? What shall we wear? What shall we drink? What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? For all these things the Gentiles seek. Your heavenly Father knows you need all these things." I want to put what I read now in another way. The message: people who don't know God and the way he works, fuss over these things. But you know God and how he works. Brethren, do you get that? Do you get that? People who don't know God and how he works, fuss over these things. That is why these things could control them. That is why several Christians today can be stealing government money. That is why several proprietors will underpay staff and later they will say that they are believers. That is why several proprietresses, business owners, you will see Christians doing business, doing a lot of undercutting, telling lies to make more profit. You don't see holy conduct when it comes to money. When it comes to making a little more, you can see a little exaggeration, a little lie, a little con-con, a little wayo, a little unfaithfulness, a little untruthfulness because you just want to bring more to your side. Be careful. You are turning to other gods. Our Lord Jesus saw money as a person that stands in opposition to the person of God. And the way money works is the anxiety over Ki la ma je? Ki la ma mu? That is how it works. "If you don't get this, how sure? Ah, if you don't, hey, what will you—how will you take care of this? How will you—how will you—and and hey!" You begin to fuss, you begin to—and because you fuss, you are anxious, you begin to take certain steps too. Is that not why, remember our late president Abacha, stole so much that even after his death, the Nigerian government is still recovering money. The money was so much that if each Nigerian, able and disabled body, each personality from the youngest to the oldest, if they are given one-one million naira, the money still remains. The concern about tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Now, the point I'm making, why I'm emphasizing this matter of "Do not turn to idols," is because I am trying to show you the dynamics of God's holiness. Don't be thinking of an idol in our own days, particularly in our own time, in respect of one carved image. Be thinking of idols much more today in respect of money and properties. That is one thing today that is controlling several so-called believers. You enter into some marriages, some are marrying because of money. Some are considering the young man because of money. Some are looking at the job of the young woman, "Ah, she'll be able to support my income." I mean, these sorts of things are just wrong today because of this matter of money. It is not letting us put all our trust in God and serve God correctly. Don't ever forget, the master personalized money as a person, calling for the attention through anxiety about what to eat, what to wear, what to put on. If you are somebody who fusses about these things, then be on your guard. If you are not on your guard, you will find yourself elsewhere. Look at how the Amplified put it. He said, "for the Gentiles wish and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things shall be added to you." Therefore, look at how he's now concluding, look at the conclusion. "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow." You see that it is the worry about tomorrow that is the basis of idolatry. That fussing. Look, if you know God and how God works, if you know God and how God works in lots of things—and that is what we need. That's why I tell people: do more, take more time to know God and how he works. Take more time to know God and how he works. God, let me tell you brethren, both by experience and by revelation, I have come to know: God has a way of making a way. That is what the songwriter wrote when he said, "God will make a way where there seems to be no way." He has a way of making a way. But we need to grow. You see I tell people: one major thing you need today is to grow in knowing God and how he works. If you don't grow in these things, you will become an idolater one way or the other. Because the concern about tomorrow is something that worries every man. Those who are at peace about tomorrow are those who truly know God and how he works. Take time, begin to know God and how he works. In lots of things, money will not be able to have control. You will not be able to turn away from the Lord. So, he said, "therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for today is its own trouble." We have not finished today's trouble, you are carrying tomorrow's trouble on your head. So, brethren, in looking at God's dynamics of holiness, it is important to see this scripture very, very well. We are looking at Leviticus 19:4, "do not turn to idols." Be careful. Do not turn. You see that it is the worry about tomorrow that will make you turn. This anxiety about what to eat and what to drink will make you turn. The reason why people are turning today to things that you can't believe that Christians can do. Why do you think some pastors start making charms so that they can have mighty congregation? Why are some so-called Christians, people you know—if you know what was said about this former governor of Plateau State that was eventually freed by the Buhari administration, Joshua Dariye. If you know what was said about him as a student in FCS, Fellowship of Christian Students. He was a Bible study teacher. He had a very solid Christian background. But when he entered into politics, and we don't know how it turn, some say it was not a true thing, people he was roped and whatever, but you know my concern is this brethren. I'm not saying God cannot lead you into politics. If God is leading you, I'm not someone who discourages anybody. If God leads you into politics, go into politics, but be sure God is leading you. Look at these, those we have: Daniel in politics. Was Daniel not in politics? When they form a panel, the chairman of the panel, was the chairman of the panel his friend? In fact, the chairman and all members of that panel, they were what? They were all his enemies. Now, the one thing they will not go to all extent to get him indicted? They went all length. They combed every corner. They checked all the records. They checked the file. Daniel was the president over every affair of that nation. They began to comb everything, whether they will see where one statement or just one thing that looks like—when something looks like evil you can reframe it. Am I correct? When they say, "ah, they roped the brother, he was actually innocent," it was because something appeared like evil. There was a record. There was something. They checked all the record. Eventually what did they say? What did they say? "We will not be able to find anything against Daniel unless we look for how we can turn him against God." He was in politics, he was in administration. The point I'm trying to bring out is that, you see brethren, let us build solid foundations. We don't know where God is taking us. We don't know how far he will take us. You may think you may not get anywhere in life. If Joseph had not learned to be faithful from his father's house, what happened in the house of Potiphar? Would he have been able to manage it? The Bible says nobody was in fact Potiphar did not care again about what was coming and what was going out. Yes, he was faithful. May the Lord help us. Honestly, I want us to move quickly, having looked at verse 4. Verse 5, 6, and 7 relates to, "if you offer a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, you shall offer it of your own free will. It shall be eaten the same day you offer it and on the next day. And if anything remains on the third day, it shall be burned in the fire. And if it is eaten on the third day, it is an abomination. It shall not be accepted. Therefore, everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity because he has profaned the hallowed offering of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from his people." Today, do we have sin offering? Who is our sin offering? Jesus Christ. So, we move on. "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corner of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am the Lord your God." We are talking about holiness. What I want to make you see is that one thing that befits holiness is generosity. Stinginess is a display of unholiness. When we don't have concern about the welfare of others, about the welfare of fellow brothers, fellow sisters. In your conduct, you are not holy to the Lord. We have a lot of this so much in the New Testament. But I want us to first look at this thing very closely. I want to try to get my NLT so that I can be relatively fast. It says NLT: "When you harvest your crops, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your field." Do you get it now? When you enter into your farm, you know some things will be at the edge, edges. Don't harvest those ones. And do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Are you getting it? While harvesters are harvesting the main one, some things will drop. Ordinarily, what are you supposed to do? Pick it up. But he said those ones that drop, leave it. Don't pick it. Please, what is this thing saying? Can you see I want you people to see two things. What is this thing saying particularly? Is it that you did not see the thing drop? You saw it, didn't you? Is it that you didn't see the one—you know sometimes, I remember when we planted corn in this place. Can some brethren still remember? Those ones at the far back, you know the ones at the edge were the biggest ones. Hallelujah. Amen. I'm just trying to make you understand something that if you are not deliberate and intentional about doing good to others, you are not holy in your conduct. If you are not deliberate and intentional. You must be deliberate and intentional. You must be deliberate about it. The harvesters are harvesting, the thing drops. Ordinarily, what would you want to do? Is pick it. But you are deliberately you—is something you did deliberately. You deliberately left it, not that you did not see it. So, it means that—and you know brethren, can't you say, "Ah, am I sure they will come and pick it? Maybe it will get bad. Let me pick this one. In fact, what's there? It's even now too many. They may just waste." Is that not a way to think? It's a way to think. That is why some of the things that make us not to be generous, they look like good reasons, but they are ungodly reasonings. They look like good reason but they are ungodly reasonings. Concern about tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Now, the point I'm making, why I'm emphasizing this matter of "do not turn to idols," is because I am trying to show you the dynamics of God's holiness. It is possible that in your conduct, instead of turning to God, money can make you turn to it. Your worry about tomorrow will make you turn. This anxiety about what to eat, what to drink, what to wear will make you turn. What the master said: is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Life is more than food. Body is more than clothing. There is more to life than food. There is more to life than clothing. And how did the Bible put it in the New Testament? As our brother James put it practically for us: what is true and pure religion? To visit the orphans and the widow and to keep yourself spotless from the world. So, anybody who does not have a heart for the needy, who does not have a heart for the poor. And that is one thing you see, you see people who are not even godly, you see them do it. And they get the benefit of it. A liberal soul shall be made fat. He that watereth shall be watered too. So, please, Christianity, conduct, holy conduct, part of holiness, part of holiness, is generosity. That is why you will notice where we read in 1 Timothy chapter 3 again. He said one qualification of a bishop is that he must easily welcome strangers in his house. "Oh, oh, if they come now my food will finish." "If this one comes, ah, which one here comes now? Ah, no POS, no bank, no money, I don't want they should not tell that person." "Ah, bro, please can we have a place to sleep? Ah, no, no, you see, actually, moreover notwithstanding." He has already—is already telling lies. He's just looking for an excuse so that nobody comes around. Let us be careful about many of these things. They look simple but they are not. They look like they are not connected to holiness. They are. It's not just about some—and that is why sometimes when I look into the qualification of the bishop, there's nothing like he must be a great evangelist. There's nothing like he must speak in tongues more than all the others. There's nothing like he must be a big prayer warrior. Do you see there like that? Does that mean that we should not be prayerful? Does that mean that we should not do evangelism? That's not what I'm saying. But I'm trying to make you see that you need to understand what Jesus said. That as far as Jesus is concerned, the weightier matters of the law are love, justice, and mercy. The weightier matters of the law is love, justice, and mercy. When you are not merciful, you are not like your Father. That's my position. If you are stingy, you're not generous, you don't have a way of reaching out to people. You are an employer of people, it is how to lick them dry, how to make life miserable for them. Oh, I heard a statement yesterday that so much blessed my heart. Real dominion is the prosperity of those you have dominion over. Oh, do you understand me at all? Ah, that statement, it blesses my soul. It blesses my soul. That was a statement the minister made in my fellowship in my church yesterday where I worship. Real dominion, if you boast of having dominion, is the prosperity of those you have dominion over. That is true dominion. Look at the dominion of God over the earth. Wow! Look at God's dominion over the earth. Is it not as we turn to God that we prosper? Look at the dominion over the earth. Look at his goodness. Look at abundance of our species. Look at even in making man. Two eyes, look at it, two eyes, two liver, two this, two that, two this, two—so that even if one stop working, one can still be working. Look at all the abundance of God. How is your dominion? These are important things to think about, brethren, as we close the meeting this evening. God's dynamics of holiness. These are the dynamics—we are looking at the dynamics of God's holiness. Holiness is not just about some—and that is why sometimes when I look into the dynamics of holiness, it's not first about the things that we can see. Many times it's about many things that we cannot see. But by their fruit, you will know them. By their fruit. Conduct. A stingy person is an unholy person. That's what I want you to see. Anybody who is not concerned about you know, the poor, the needy. And look at how our brother James put it. What is true and pure religion? To visit the orphans and the widow and to keep yourself spotless from the world. So, anybody who does not have a heart for the needy, who does not have a heart for the poor—don't close your eyes to your brethren. Don't close your eyes to needs of people around you. Open your eyes wide! Pray to God to enlarge your heart. Stinginess is ungodliness. Thank you, Father. Let me ask sister Comfort to please close us with prayer today. [Sister Comfort] Lord, we are grateful because Your word is true. The Bible says You sent forth Your word to heal and to deliver. We thank You, Father, for Your word that You have sent to us today again to enlighten us on the reality and the dynamic of holiness. We are asking the Lord, except You help our heart to be like the heart of God, who for fear of tomorrow will odd whatever they have today. Father, we are asking you, oh Lord, by Your grace you will work upon our heart and do a work of transformation in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, it is wherever the heart of a man goes that he follows. Father, that's why we are crying and turning our hearts to you. We are asking, Lord God Almighty, please do a work of transformation, a work of grace in our hearts to be able to think according to Your word and to do thereby in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your son that You have used tonight. We are asking that Lord You enlarge his life more and more and You will open his eyes to see more into Your mysteries so that Lord he will be Your mouthpiece in this generation, much more than ever before. Thank You, Lord, for hearing us pray. As we go please keep raising this matter in our hearts so that Lord God Almighty will change by and by by Your word. Thank You for hearing us pray. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. [Speaker 1] The grace together. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forevermore. Amen. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!